Puya chilensis

 

It's not every day that you see Puya chilensis - to the best of my knowledge a very rare plant in the US - for sale to the home gardener. Seen at the Ventura Botanical Gardens.

the day of the dramatic clouds, part

the day of the dramatic clouds

 

Sulphur Mountain revisited

 

Actually it was revisited many times, but I like the way it looked this particular day after the rain. Above, our local valley doing its best impersonation of Europe. Below, a pair of flickers check out the scene.

tennis

 

Cajun Kitchen revisited

 

It had been a long time since we went here. Due to the pandemic we ate outside. The California Benedict was spectacularly delicious.

Century Lake botanical highlights

Among the botanical highlights of that walk around Century Lake were the first California poppies of the year - at least that I had seen - and the charred trunks of redwood trees, said to be some of the southernmost redwoods in the state.

Century Lake and Dam

On my way back from the M*A*S*H site I explored both sides of Century Lake. Since it's not possible to cross the dam, I had to do some backtracking, but I didn't mind since it's a nice combination of rock, water and greenery.

M*A*S*H site, part 2

 

M*A*S*H site

The M*A*S*H filming location, the way it looks today. Hiking here is a good way to experience most of what Malibu Creek State Park has to offer. The M*A*S*H site is tucked away in the backcountry, and although the creek flows through it, it feels dryer than the area around the visitor center.

nanday conure

 

Upon revisiting Malibu Creek State Park, I was able to photograph and identify the birds I took note of on the first visit. They are nanday conures, also known as nanday parakeets, a South American bird that has made Southern California its home. You can recognize them by their screeching and green-black coloration.

Malibu Creek State Park, part 2

A great little hike consists of following the main dirt road along the creek and through several oak alleys until you reach the visitor center, a beautiful old building that was part of the Crags Country Club (circa 1900), one of the first uses of the area after the Chumash Indians and the Sepulveda Adobe (destroyed in the Woolsey Fire of 2018). In fact "Malibu" is derived from a Chumash word meaning "the sound of the surf".

Malibu Creek State Park

 

It was great to finally visit Malibu Creek State Park, a gem of the California state park system which I had thought was closed due to Woolsey Fire damage and Covid restrictions. While there were signs of damage, the creek was flowing and the hiking delightful.

gulls at the harbor

Something about the harbor dredging, when in full swing, gets the full attention of these gulls. My best guess is that it stirs up food.