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ool air cloaks the stillness as artist and naturalist Patti Jacquemain crunches along the curving trail through the Redwood Forest at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Golden rays of late winter sun pry through feathery leaves, and a sweet earthiness scents the air. Deep in the forest, Patti pauses on the bridge above Mission Dam, drawn by the soothing flow of water. “It was a real wild place a year ago,” she says, referring to the storms of February 2017. “It was cold. It was rainy; the creek was roaring. There was water totally covering this bridge, running over…” She peers into the shining pool of water below. A mosaic of flaxen sycamore leaves floats gently on its surface. Barely a ripple breaks the calm. “I called it the monster,” Patti shudders. “There was mud and foam, and you look at it now, and you think, ‘How could it be?’” MontecitoMag.com 51 C

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