December 3

Thursday, Remi, my wife, Caroline and I hiked at the 36-acre, George F Canyon Nature Center and Preserve, 25 miles southwest of Los Angeles, California on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The early afternoon weather was sunny with a temperature of 73 degrees and no wind detected in the shelter of the canyon. Leaving the car, we stopped at the trailhead to read a list of guidelines that included “beware of rattlesnakes.” Starting out, following an earthen trail north, I spotted a familiar plant called Coastal Prickly Pear Cactus growing on the bank and an unfamiliar bird called a Yellow-rumped Warbler with its winter plumage fluttering through a dense thicket of Arroyo Willow. As the trail turned west along the edge of a shallow ravine, I spotted the bright red fruit of an invasive shrub called Brazilian Pepper and the bright red blossoms of Bougainvillea. Ahead of me, my wife caught a glimpse of a 3-inch Western Fence Lizard scurrying across the path in front of her. Further along, I paused by a dry creek bed and noticed the lush green leaves of Mexican Fan Palm and Bigleaf Maple. Continuing west toward the ocean, I occasionally noticed outcrops of rock common to this area called Catalina Schist. After turning around to retrace my steps, I stopped to watch a honeybee feeding on a Bush Sunflower blossom. Finally, we found the car and headed back to our rental house in Redondo Beach.

There’s wisdom in wind

That blows from the sea

There’s awe in the sight

Of a Redwood tree

There’s inspiration

In an ocean view

Condors soaring

In a sky of blue

No matter where

I’m pleased to find

Nature’s beauty

For the eye and mind

D. DeGraaf