The usual San Diego trail workout begins with the requisite warning. Charleston has its copperheads and alligators (yes, ask Patty about the snake that was living under her sofa), San Diego has rattlesnakes and mountain lions. Torrey Pines Reserve just behind my house has the rattlers and coyotes but no lions. Mountain lion places are to be avoided since the big fire of 2003 wiped out much of their habitat. They're hungry guys these days.
Ellen Browning Scripps had the foresight to establish this preserve, one of only two locations in the world where the Torrey pine grows. The other is Catalina Island. Any first grader here can tell you a Torrey pine is identified by its five needle cluster. We are proud of our Torrey pines, until one blocks our view of the ocean.
Today the agave are blooming and, not to be outdone by Patty's wisteria, I have to take lots of pictures. Anyone who says San Diego doesn't have seasons is out of touch with the bloomings.
Patty says I'm the only person who can get lost in her own back yard. Today is no exception, what with all the talking on the phone and taking pictures while trying to run. Where did this trail come from? Never seen it before. Turn back? Keep going? Is there a life lesson here? Before long a bridge appears; unfortunately it looks as though the recent rains washed out about four feet between the cliff and the bridge. Keep going anyway with a running jump. Patty stays on the phone because she thinks I'm going to get myself done in back here.
Finally, the end of this trail - where was this sign when I needed it?Coming to the beach. Patty says I'm on my own now - she's getting off the phone because she has better things to do than save me from myself. Change to the iPod. Nothing like Mana's Amar es Combatir (To Love is To Fight) to keep the pace up...
I take in some Zen...
Pass some other ladies in their outdoor gym...
Climb the trail to the other part of the Reserve...
I'm feeling ...
So home to make some 2" high biscuits... a very Charlestonian thing to do.
6 comments:
Is that link in the title to Joan's blog how you wanted it?
I want you to start packing a Taser with the iPod, Toots!
Your photos are definitely better than my wisteria shot. I can almost see those 5 needles...
And what's the Zen stuff?
#1 The dots are very clever, but how does an ordinary person know what they do?
#2 The peace and harmony of this pair of rocks, can't you see it? There is a famous Zen garden in Kyoto, a rectangle with sand and 13 rocks. No matter how you locate yourself, only 12 rocks can be seen at any one time. Everyone convinced they are the one who will see thirteen rocks spends hours looking at the garden from different angles. By that time, their arrogance has become peace and harmony. I will look up the picture for a blog.
#1 Good point. I'm an ordinary person and I can't tell there's a link embedded in the title. But I couldn't figure out how to do the other option. I clicked "no" to answer Google's question "Was this explanation helpful?".
#2 I got the peace and harmony part. What I was missing was that the black things were rocks. But I'm at peace with it.
Wow, I didn't know that about the Kyoto temple. Although I can totally see a bunch of monks from ancient times trying to make that. "Hey, Masuyuki! Stand over there, how many do you see now?!" I'll have to look that up.
Beautiful pics. I miss Charleston even though I was only there for one year.
I'm still looking for those Kyoto pictures. It was amazing to see how many people would stand around thinking they would be the one to see all 13.
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