February 8

Wednesday, Remi, my wife and I returned to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to hike in the Vicente Bluffs Reserve next to the Interpretive Center. The mid-day weather was mostly foggy with a temperature of 64 degrees and a slight ocean breeze from the west. Leaving the parking lot, we hiked west to the edge of a steep coastal bluff and paused to take in the sights and sounds of the shoreline shrouded in a dense fog called a marine layer. This weather phenomenon develops off shore as the bottom layer of a warm air mass, cooled by the ocean water becomes trapped by the less dense warmer air above it. Fog forms in this layer where the humidity is high enough and cooling sufficient to produce condensation. As air over the warmer land surface rises, the marine layer moves ashore blanketing the coast in foggy, cool air. Fog lingers until the heat of the sun becomes strong enough to evaporate it, often lasting into the afternoon. Turning north, we followed the path along the bluff where I spotted the yellow blossoms of Bush Sunflower and the tiny pink blossoms of the invasive ground cover called Herb-Robert. Further ahead, I paused to observe a pair of Northern Mockingbirds perched on a Lemonade Berry Bush as well as a Say’s Phoebe perched on a leafless shrub. Following the circular trail inland, I stopped to observe the pale pink blossoms of Black Sage and smell the aromatic leaves of this herbal shrub. On the ground near the sandy path’s edge, I noticed a 4-inch long, Western Fence Lizard warming itself. Returning to the trailhead, we paused once more to view the rugged shoreline where the sun was beginning to penetrate the thick Marine Layer. Finally, we found the car and headed back to our winter abode.

Early February

Noon of the day

Land meets sea

Nature’s array

Breaking waves

Rumble and roar

Pounding surf

Hammering shore

Silent seconds

Momentary lull

Concert continues

Shriek of a gull

D. DeGraaf