TimeOut

We started our walk today at Pioneer Park, where my wife used to teach schoolkids how to run and jump.

From about 1870 to 1970 this was the resting place of thousands of San Diego citizens, until the city took it over from the Catholic Church and moved the headstones away to a corner of the park (leaving the buried bodies behind).  The kids would go over and look at the names, then run away squealing.

We crossed the road and started down the canyon west of the park. Exploring the canyons of San Diego is sometimes a risky pastime. You are unlikely to be attacked by wild animals (snake bite, perhaps). But you could get stung by one of these bees, living in a tree at the top of the trail. 

OR infested with chigger bites (like we did a few weeks ago) or stumble into some poison oak. But not today. We start down into the canyon on the dirt trail.

Heaven forbid, but on a stormy day a branch could fall on you (or you fall with it, if you were climbing that tree).

In fact, I took this photo after a storm, up at Pioneer Park.

Coninuing along the trail, I think only a lizard could make it through this cactus patch without injury.

Don't get me wrong, this canyon is not all doom and gloom and danger; there are some bright spots as well, such as random flowers scattered around. Pink!

Bright green and blue.

White!

Red! Okay, it's just sap oozing from a branch, but it caught the light and my wife's eye.

Mostly what caught my eyes were the huge mature gum / eucalyptus trees. Some have trunks that appear almost bare of bark

Some are shedding and messy.

This is "mature" part of the city has been occupied (or at least surrounded) for 150 years (when the cemetery opened). 

I'll intersperse the trees with shots of the path so you can see where we are going.

It's while you are looking up at the "Tall" that you misstep in a hole and "Fall"

Duck.Your. Head.

These trees have rough red bark like that on a pine or cedar tree.

Swivel your hips and watch your step.

We are coming to the end of the eucalyptus trees, but traversing another colony of cactus.

This large Torrey Pine is one of an endangered species that only grows near the coast in San Diego County and on Santa Rosa Island, near Santa Barbara.

About 5000 individual trees are considered to remain (although it is now possible to buy them commercially). We have about a dozen big old giants like this, over in our neighborhood.

I didn't forget to look for birds. They are a bit scarce this morning, perhaps due to the relatively "late" hour we are walking.

These two posed nicely, about 25 feet from me.

Safely above a clump of cactus.

Giving me a chance to work on my macro-taking ability -- almost down to the cellular level on those flower petals!

This scrub jay, like the other birds, was sitting still, not jumping around as they tend to do.

My wife called this a Robin. I don't know. But I liked the lighting.

I did see three hummingbirds but they were not very cooperative, as you can see from the only photo I got.

I noticed life-size painted cows on a garden patio. These crazy things were popular a decade or so ago. You can buy one on eBay for the price of a nice Seiko X Diver, but why? 

Here's a heavily-laden pepper tree, peppercorns ready to be picked, dried and used on a nice steak (from a real cow).

And suddenly we reach the end of the canyon. I see only one more thing that interests me, then we walk towards the car.

And then suddenly Whoa! That Porsche looks like fun! With matching bike too.

OK, so it's a Frankenporsche... I'd still like to hear it and maybe have a ride.

Thanks for walking with us today.

Cazalea

These were a couple miles from that canyon, so they could easily have flown over here...

Do I really need to tell my other readers to "Duck your head" ?

OR as the sign said in the low-ceiling-ed English pub: "Duck or Grouse"

Mike