Friday, March 10, 2017

A broader view

Last week, after walking my own neighborhood, I decided to hike up the main road to take a look at the harbor from a higher vantage point.  I frequently see people, some obviously tourists, stopping at a particular spot along that thoroughfare to snap photos.  Before my knee started giving me trouble I used to walk that route daily but I don't recall being wowed by the view, although I suspected that tree trimming and removal in the area may have opened the vista.  I decided to check it out.

But before I walked up to the viewing spot, I took a brief detour down a nature trail that sits just feet beyond the turn-off into our neighborhood.  I've walked this route before but I don't think I've photographed it.

This sign right outside the nature trail's entrance refers to vehicle traffic down the main road

but the sign might as well have referred to the trail's path, which is far steeper than it may appear in this photo

There weren't many wildflowers yet but there were some

Much of the trail looks like this: muddy gullies over-run by grass and weeds.  In the lower right, you can see a pipe that directs rain water overflow from the homes above.  It must have been a mess during some of our heavier rains this season.  I wish more people would collect that rainwater for use during our long dry period.

The trail leads one along the outer edges of the properties of several of my neighbors.  This wide expanse of nasturtiums extends from the garden of my next door neighbor.  It's a fairly shady stretch and I can't remember seeing it in bloom during prior walks here but I'll have to come back next month to see if my earlier visits were just ill-timed.


As the path was nearly covered in foot-high grass and I'd already interfered with one jogger's run, I turned back in the direction of the main road not far beyond this point.  That took me by this:

This property off the main road is directly adjacent to the trail and not fenced off from it

Front view of the same structure: Needless to say I didn't trespass to see if there are still birds in that shed/aviary but I didn't hear any birdsong.  I remember seeing the warning on the back side years ago on my first trip down the trail.  My guess is that the aviary hasn't been occupied for a long time.


The view spot is a quarter mile or less up the road.  Late afternoon isn't the best time to take photos but here are the best of those I took.

View looking south:  I think all that green space is part of Friendship Park, a 123-acre public space which isn't usually nearly so green!

View looking roughly east, showing the city of San Pedro in the area surrounding the harbor and the city of Long Beach in the distance


Try as I did, I couldn't make out my own home from this vantage point.  We sit further up and farther to the west.  However, there was another, smaller view spot closer to our neighborhood road and, when I cropped that photo a bit, I was able to make out our house.  Do you see it?




When we moved in, after many years of living in a closely-packed beach city with neighbors literally on top of one another, we were thrilled by how much breathing space there was between us and our neighbors.  But although we may have more space than the community crowded around the harbor below us or the beach city we previously called home, it really isn't all that spacious as the photo above shows.

If you couldn't find our house in the jumble of roof-tops, here it is


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

24 comments:

  1. Everything looks so GREEN! Enjoy it while it lasts. :)

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    1. The green is the wonderful product of the rain, which now seems to be over. As temperatures are already climbing steadily, it may not be long before those hills are brown again.

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  2. Your long views never cease to impress, it's a wonderful outlook.

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  3. I did recognize your house by the beautiful Arbutus on the left!

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    1. That was the clue that helped me crop the house out of the broader view, HB!

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  4. Those nasturtiums make excellent ground cover don't they, it will look amazing if they do flower. Thanks for showing a broader view of where you live; you're right that from the images you show around your garden the other properties do look further away.

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    1. We get the illusion of more space by virtue of the fact that the neighbors on our right and left sides sit at levels below us rather than shoulder to shoulder. But you can't get around the basic truth that Los Angeles is a very crowded place!

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  5. Yep, the Arbutus and your windows/roofline caught my eye. What a view!

    I would be tempted to get a fake bird and put it near that scary aviary, just to see if anyone cared.

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    1. I've never seen anyone at the house with the aviary but that sign prevents me from setting foot anywhere near the aviary.

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  6. I actually did figure out which was your house. It does look a lot more spacious most of the time in your photos. Your spectacular view and the elbow room make the move worth it.

    This would be a great post for Winter Walk Off http://atidewatergardener.blogspot.com/2017/02/winter-walk-off-2017.html

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    1. I'd forgotten all about the Winter Walk Off - I'll check it out. Thanks Shirley!

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  7. Nice that you have a great place to walk not far from home. Sorry for your knee problem.I think aerial shots can be quite deceptive. I know when I see our house from above it looks as though the neighbors are on top of us when in fact we can't even see them. Thanks goodness. I am amazed at that bank of nasturtiums. Is it just the rain that has brought on such lush foliage. They make a great peppery addition to a salad.

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    1. The neighbor's nasturtiums in the sunny part of her garden are already in full bloom - I'll wait a couple of weeks to see if that shady section along the trail bursts into bloom too. It would be fantastic if they do.

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  8. Nice to go for a walk with you and see some more of your neighbourhood and the wonderful views.

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    1. I've been tempted to hazard a really long walk (the issue being not my stamina but my knee) to capture some of the views I pass as I venture down the hill into the beach cities areas. Unfortunately, there's no place to park a car on the main road out of here.

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  9. They are beautiful views, Kris, though the one from your backyard is always fabulous! And I love your neighbor's nasturtiums :) It's so nice that the topography gives you a little more "distance" than you would otherwise have.

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    1. I'll have to ask the neighbor one day whether she planted those nasturtiums on the bank bordering the trail, or whether they planted themselves. Whatever the case, it seems they're there to stay!

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  10. Nice view, but I really like the garden and harbor views from your home better! The nasturtium foliage is nice, but how lovely it would be in bloom.

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    1. I think I like my backyard view better too, Deb. And I don't have to deal with tourists illegally parking along the house to take photos either!

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  11. You're right, your view is even more appealing than those you hiked to see. How lucky that you only have to step out your door to enjoy such a sight! If you want more rain, you can have some of ours. The weather forecaster this morning said "The fire hose is aimed right at the pacific northwest" as she pointed to a map and shared her prediction of rain for the entire week.

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    1. I'm sorry that old man winter is continuing to beat you and others in the PNW with a stick, Peter. We could use some of that rain down here just to scrub clean the brown haze from the air!

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  12. It must be lovely to see all that lush green after this winter's rains. The CBS news tonight featured the amazing wildflower bloom of the desert east of San Diego. -Jean

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    1. Yes, not surprisingly it's a banner year for wildflowers here. I may be making a trip to one of the sites tomorrow.

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