Catalina means pure.

the view is simply serene.

Nov 22, 2024

Santa Catalina Island (Channel Islands, California) autumn at dusk from the secret scenic lookout.

when in need a change of scenery,

this native Angeleno visits the coastline maybe once, twice a year.

a favorite book growing up was Island of the Blue Dolphins, a survival-adventure based on a historical account of a young woman separated from her family during relocation of the tribe from San Nicolas Island.

her eventual removal from her island home decades later the proximate cause of her death; she survived on the mainland for seven weeks.

mystery shrouds Juana Maria’s life on the island to this day.

archeological activities on San Nicholas Island were abruptly halted in 2012.

the island, currently a U.S. Navy weapons testing and training site, is off limits to the public.

relics of Juana Maria’s island life were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906; her feathered dress permanently misplaced by the Vatican.

was The Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island even real?

the book brought her to life in my mind.

the panoramic view of Santa Catalina Island reminds me of her adventures, resilience, resourcefulness and strength.

~~~

Catalina, her cameo outlined in sunset hues,

in profile she is unforgettable.

her calm silvery channel an ethereal moat.

twinkling lights of civilization dot the nocturnal coastline.

the dolphins must be sleeping.

the hillside falls perilously away from my path.

sage oils atomized of the dry chaparral brush perfume the cool onshore breeze.

short intense offshore gusts punctuate the calm; known for send flames licking up steep slopes with little warning.

California native matilija poppy needs a scorching to germinate.

the coyotes, foxes and possibly a mountain lion will be out soon.

I will return.

(views north to Palos Verdes Peninsula)

Happy Thanksgiving friends,

I am incredibly thankful for your companionship fellow travelers!

God bless you all!

Catalina in winter by artist Robin Hall.

Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri) almost became the California State flower. a coastal sage native, it also spreads by underground runners and can be useful in hillside erosion control.