Bruce, Fynn, Milo and I drove up to Ukiah over the weekend to visit my parents and check out their new house. The place is absolutely gorgeous, perched atop one of the town’s many mountains, overlooking Ukiah’s valley. Aside from a massive fire that broke out on the other side of the valley, which kept us on our toes, we had an awesome time.

On Saturday afternoon Bruce helped my dad move around some of my parents’ heavier pieces of furniture. While moving one of the couches, Bruce discovered little paw prints indented into two of the tiles covering the living room floor. While I took a photo, my mom informed me that there were tiles at their old place with deer hoof marks. I’m bummed I never noticed them.

It turns out that Saltillo, a terracotta tile that originates from Mexico, is known for its accidental animal prints. They are still rare though, accounting for less than .03% of all Saltillo produced. Authentic Saltillo is handmade outdoors. While the tiles dry, occasionally an animal such as a coyote, dog, chicken, or goat will saunter across, leaving their mark. How cool is that?

Image: Sonia Zjawinski