our visit to Cyrstal Cove nature preserve

Katie and Sean suggested we visit the Crystal Cove nature preserve. That way we could see the ocean and I could take pictures of plants and flowers. Maybe it's because I'm a Social Studies teacher, the site of the Pacific Ocean always makes me think that I'm connected to McKenzie, Lewis and Clark or Balboa. I wonder what they must have thought when they saw its vastness. Probably was something like "we're going to need a bigger boat." But, I digress.

The nature preserve is filled with plants that I am totally unfamiliar with. I can pick out cacti. I can't tell you what kind they are and I know I can't grow them back home. Now that's a funny picture, giant hosta and giant cacti fighting it out for space in our back yard. It looked as if most of the bushes are dormant but there was life to be found. Some bushes were still flowering. I wonder if they flower all year long. The flowers looked as if I should know what they are, but don't. The dead heads are facinating. I've never seen such volume before.

I've lived in the Great Lakes basin all my life. I can't see across any of the Great Lakes, just like I can't see across the ocean. The big difference is the noise. I can't hear Lake Erie. I could hear the ocean from the parking lot. The other big difference between Lake Erie and the Pacific Ocean is I will never hear Katie yell "whales" when She and Sean visit Cleveland. While everyone else is asking "where, where," I'm looking around for Gregory Peck and William Basehart. The whales turned out to be dolphins, which is also really cool. We need to go back in the spring to see the plants in full bloom.