The Neighbors

As the sun beats down on my legs it warms my skin to the touch. I try to keep my head under the shade, but as time passes, the earth moves and the sun encroaches upon my face. I get up and immediately feel the burn of the cooking concrete on the pads of my feet. I briskly tip toe to the cool grass lawn where the moisture has been retained in the soil. I look up and hear a shake of the palms that are above and see a crow fly away. Then a few minutes later as I lay on my back with my head facing the cool blue sky, I see the crow return to the opening that it flew away from. It must have a nest inside the thicket of palm leaves. The palms must provide a cool well shaded nesting spot for the crows. As I continue to watch the palm I begin to notice four distinct zones that give the might palm its character. The trimmed band where the palms used to be, the lower dying palms that are of a faint brown color and limp, the middle of the palm tree where the branches are dark green and extent horizontally casting a great uniformed shade zone just like an umbrella would do. The last of the zones is a top of the palm. Here grows the new branches, and they are young and tender extending up in an erect fashion to the sky above. I then notice that there is a pine like tree that stands next to it. This pine towers over the palm, yet their branches extend towards one another like the handshake of a neighbor. These trees share homes to many of natures beautiful creatures, and as the wind picks up the branches of both trees sway in harmony rustling out the bird that live within. The birds swoop down to the grassy knoll where I lay and peck at the ground in a quest for food. A few minutes pass, and birds come and go, yet they eventually will return to their homes of the neighboring trees.

Montana de Oro

I was planning a trip to Montana de Oro today, and along the way into the park, I just had to stop and take in such an amazing view. I pulled my car off the road, and hopped out and went and perch myself on a timber fence. As I looked to my right I could see the three smokestacks of Morrow Bay, then Morrow Rock, and the bay. My eyes were so captivated with so many things for it to comprehend. I then followed my eyes along a strip of sandy beach that separated the ocean from the bay which lead up to the beach below me. It was still a long ways away from where I was because I was so high up on the hill. I could hear the constant gentle roar of the ocean’s waves beating down on the coast. The sets of waves coming in were incredible. I was able to count at times as many as five waves all waiting to crash into the shore, and continue to let people know they were there. As I watched the water I began to see some movement between me and the ocean below. I refocused my attention, and saw horses walking on the winding paths above the dunes. Then I saw a hawk circle and swoop down into the brush below. It was odd watching a bird fly from above. It felt as if I was being taken out of my body. The wind blew and the air began to chill a little bit. I then was going to head back to my car to get a sweater when I noticed an unusual plant. The plant looked to be a dead tree or brush, but there were many of them. The bare limbs were silver and black color in the shade. The branches appeared to be vine like, woven and twisted together like twine. I wanted to know more about them. I moved into the land and finally reached one plant. I gave it a little tug to see if they were alive, and the plant held together strong. The branches of the bush were bristly like a gorilla hair bark, but firmer. The particular tree had no leaves on it. Maybe it was just not the season for it to be in growth, but it sure began to stick out even more in a landscape of light greens and yellows. I worked my way back up to my car and then continued on my trip down to the beach.