50 Ways to Love Your Country: California Dreamin’
“California embodies many of the ways we’ve dreamed to the end of the American continent.”
– back cover, Making Peace with Paradise, by Tania Runyan
State bird: California quail. State flower: California poppy. State tree: California redwood. State insect: California dogface butterfly. State fish: California golden trout. State animal: California grizzly bear. State amphibian: California red-legged frog.
Notice, in above list of state symbols, how many of them come with the word “California” as part of their name. That’s key to understanding California: its sense of exceptionalism. It’s a sense of, We don’t just have frogs; we have California red-legged frogs. If you come , we’ll make all your froggy dreams come true.
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