Monday, August 13, 2007
Debbie and I took our usual morning walk with our dogs (Lea, Miki, and Mo'i from left to right in the left-most photo below), but just a little bit later than usual. The sun was just barely peeking over the mountains to the northeast of us, and gave us a very pleasant morning light to walk in.
The first photo I took on the way up our local hill; it's looking south and uphill. The second I took on the way down; it's looking northwest and downhill. Behind Debbie you can see Cajon Mountain, a prominent local landmark about 12 miles northwest of us. The colors in the chaparral are the “summer colors” – lots of browns, washed-out greens, and grays, along with a few greens as well. When I first moved out here, it looked to my eye (used to the lush greens of the east coast) like everything was dead or dying here. Now it looks normal, and even attractive – our sense of taste and beauty adapts quite easily.
This photo shows our front yard. The “lawn”, as always for this time of year, is basically dirt and dead annuals – the only living thing is the damned mustard. In the foreground at left you can see our dark green acacia (not a native) that is thriving in our desert climate. Just behind to to the right of it, there's a rather nice manzanita (native), one of a group of five that is the showpiece of our front yard. Behind the manzanita and peeking up over its top is a fan palm (native); these normally need access to water, but this one is doing just fine with none at all. In front of and to the right of the manzanita is one of our native scrub oaks; I have trouble telling these apart. To the left of the manzanita is a liquid amber tree (not native, and so named because of its beautiful fall foliage); it's the only thing in our yard that resembles the deciduous greens that I grew up with…
The first photo I took on the way up our local hill; it's looking south and uphill. The second I took on the way down; it's looking northwest and downhill. Behind Debbie you can see Cajon Mountain, a prominent local landmark about 12 miles northwest of us. The colors in the chaparral are the “summer colors” – lots of browns, washed-out greens, and grays, along with a few greens as well. When I first moved out here, it looked to my eye (used to the lush greens of the east coast) like everything was dead or dying here. Now it looks normal, and even attractive – our sense of taste and beauty adapts quite easily. 
This photo shows our front yard. The “lawn”, as always for this time of year, is basically dirt and dead annuals – the only living thing is the damned mustard. In the foreground at left you can see our dark green acacia (not a native) that is thriving in our desert climate. Just behind to to the right of it, there's a rather nice manzanita (native), one of a group of five that is the showpiece of our front yard. Behind the manzanita and peeking up over its top is a fan palm (native); these normally need access to water, but this one is doing just fine with none at all. In front of and to the right of the manzanita is one of our native scrub oaks; I have trouble telling these apart. To the left of the manzanita is a liquid amber tree (not native, and so named because of its beautiful fall foliage); it's the only thing in our yard that resembles the deciduous greens that I grew up with…
