A Memorial Day Outing...Memorialized



"What are we doing for Memorial Day? my husband asked.  I want to go do something."

There is  not a lot of choices when gas is like gold. I gave it some thought.  We see Mt. Baldy every winter, its broad face filled with snow, yet in our busy lives, we never venture up. Now it is spring, and the mountain called to me. "I'm right here, right out your window...come on up, take a look."  (Well, something like that...).  As we took the short drive up to our local mountains,  both of us were taken aback at the fact that beauty and nature were really so accessible without having to pack up the car and spend a fortune.  Grabbing my camera and tennis shoes, that is all we needed on a perfect spring day.  It was not long before the wildflowers greeted us along the road.  Spectacular in color contrasted to the green hills, these yellow bursts of joy were a pleasure to view. According to our good friend Tony, from the Dept. of Forestry, these are called Yellow Scotch Broom. 

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." --Vincent Van Gogh



"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transfer a yellow spot into the sun."--Pablo Picasso

According to the website:http://www.squidoo.com/allaboutyellow
Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy as well as spark creative thoughts.


Effects of the Color Yellow

How yellow affects us mentally and physically:  It is mentally stimulating, gears up the nervous system, gets our memory going, and encourages communication. So, if you are having trouble thinking, moving, feeling, remembering  and understanding...I suggest you have a Yellow Day.  Go buy yourself a big bouquet of sunflowers, make some lemonade, get your MP3 player and listen to Cold Play: the song, Yellow,  while making several egg salad sandwiches with extra mustard and a bunch of  bananas for your road trip. Get out the Yellow Pages,  then hail a Yellow Cab to take you to Yellowstone.  When you get back home, everything should be right with the world!

Mount San Antonio, commonly known as Old Baldy or Mt Baldy, at 10,068 ft (3,069 m), is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, and the highest point in Los Angeles County. Mount San Antonio's sometimes snow-capped peaks are visible on clear days and dominate the view of the Los Angeles skyline.

Wikipedia

Geography

Mount San Antonio has two peaks: the main peak, with an elevation of 10,068 feet (3,069 m), and a sub-peak, West Baldy, at 9,988 feet (3,044 m). Nearby are San Antonio Creek and San Antonio Falls. The creek descends through a gorge and forms several waterfalls. The last drop has a height of about 75 feet (23 m).

Along our journey, we saw many families also enjoying the day, but the road was not crowded and the drive was great.  Going all the way to the top, we circled the parking lot of the Ski Resort and saw many serious bicyclists and hikers.  I have heard the hike farther up the mountain is a little tough if you are not in shape, and at that point with Ted's knees and well...my lack of balance, we passed.  We did though walk a little route down to the stream at two points to collect a few rocks and enjoy the water and sounds.

Some of us need a helping hand

Navigating down a steep hill, across the rocks, we found this serene place to watch the water and take pictures.  With more vegetation and water activity, it was hard to believe we were only a few miles from busy suburbia at home. 

If a tree fell in the forest and no one heard it...

 Walking back, I spotted this out cropping of bright green plants with these red dots clustered in the center. As I moved in closer, I discovered a massive amount of ladybugs.  What would you call that? A swarm?  No, sounds like a negative connotation. A  herd?  No,  sounds to large. A group?  No, sounds too organized.  How about a "League of Ladybugs?  Yes, I think I will call them a league.  (any entomologists out there, I welcome the correction).

 After viewing my pictures, this one inspired the poet in me. 

Lady bugs in a bunch

Enjoying a great big lunch

They’ll meet there for dinner too

But for breakfast, they’ll sleep right through.

I wonder if the whole world knows

That lady bugs have painted toes.

She picks red to wear each day

Her fashion sense is on display.

Lady bugs in a bunch

Ala carte or champagne brunch

Whatever is the soup de jour,

An aphid is the mealtime cure.

Coleene VanTilburg

June 4, 2011

Coming down from the mountain, we ventured just a bit over to Claremont Village for a wonderful Italian lunch of Pizza and cold drinks. 



DELICIOUS! 

 And we certainly can't forget what this day was all about, remembering our fallen heroes.

And some that are a little pooped out too.