We could call this, The Day Kendall Found A Magical Pool at the very top of a razor ridge. She was walking carefully, placing her feet and looking down. The rock face on one side, a mountain face dropping, dropping on the other. A tiny pool in a crevice at the side of a mountain goat trail. She spotted what I am reasonably sure few adults would have the eyesight to see – crystals scattered like diamonds under a foot of water, in the deep shadow of the undercut cliff face. “Grandma, grandma, come here! Look at this!” The almost 11 year old hand opened to show me pure white dazzling crystals, the size of almonds. I doubt she could have been more excited if they were diamonds rather than quartz crystals.

So there we were, rock hounding on the edge of the world. The Cascades spread out in a 360 degree panorama, one range in etched relief with jagged black mountains glazed with the first white snow. The guy with the rock hammer pulled out sample after sample – chunks of volcanic rock embedded with swaths of crystals. The man thought about how exciting it would be to take them to the next rock club meeting. The little girl, how thrilling to show her geologist father and the best ever new specimen to add to her rock collection. I can relate. I think of another time, another curly headed dark haired little girl with a passion for rocks. It must be the DNA.