Autumn 2010
By
Connie Goldin, ©2010, Mom to Madre
It is the first part of October and I am thinking about the upcoming holidays. This is a beautiful time of year in Southern California. Even though our autumn changes are subtle, they are present. Because of the position of the sun in the fall sky, our natural lighting is more golden and has a special quality. We can see streams of sunlight, coming through our windows, highlighting objects in the house. All of a sudden, and for just a few seconds, the illumination can make the mundane become glorious.
Walking down to the cliffs above the ocean at sunset, the fall sunlight illuminates the entire cliffside. It is spectacular to see the reddish-brown striated cliffs shimmer in gold light.
Living along the coast, we are especially blessed to have great flocks of Brown Pelicans flying in V-formation over the sea, always more at this time of year. Even though I see this day after day, year after year, it never fails to thrill me. How do they choose their leader? Do they give a signal to glide or to flap their wings in unison? How did they learn to pull their wings up and close to their bodies to dive bomb on fish?
For the first time, this year I noticed the Red-Tail Hawks have a migration pattern, even locally. At the Cabrillo National Monument nearby, the Red-Tail Hawks were everywhere last Fall. You could spot them in the tops of the Cypress trees. They were plentiful and busy soaring along the cliffs looking for food. I saw one photographer, who was lying on his back to get a shot of something, get buzzed by a huge hawk, no more than six inches above him. The man said the experience was “Awesome!” No doubt–I was thrilled to have witnessed it.
Last December, on a Cabrillo Monument visit, I noticed that I didn’t see any hawks. Little by little, on my drives along the San Diego River via Sea World Drive or Friars Road, I came to realize that the Cabrillo Monument hawk population had relocated to this area, where they were easy to spot. I spotted a Red-Tail Hawk in a small tree, quite obvious to anyone. A man was sitting under this tree and seemed unaware of the magnificent bird a few feet overhead, or maybe he was just blasé. I was delighted at my hawk sighting.
It is pleasant to need a sweater in the morning or at night. I enjoy thinking about Thanksgiving, which I always host. My mental game plan begins weeks before the actual day. Pretty soon for Halloween we’ll put out the ugly set of vulture gargoyles to guard our house. We don’t get many trick-or-treaters, but we are always prepared. The little ones that come holding their parents’ hands are thrilled to get our goodies! It is so nice to be able to predict parts of one’s life. I predict that it will be a beautiful Fall. Autumn in Southern California offers many delights.
P.S. I’d like to thank my parents and grandparents for pointing out every bird, squirrel, interesting flower and plant they noticed, when I was a child. It made me a keen observer and has given me a lifetime of enjoyment. Nature is always around us.
Connie Goldin, ©2010, Mom to Madre
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