Rancho Carrillo

A quiet morning. The weather was dull with drizzle. The Marine Layer has been very strong the past few days with low cloud stretching well inland. We hoped that the weather would improve as the day wore on so we did a bit of shopping and a lot of washing. We’ll go home with a suitcase full of clean clothes!

In the afternoon we drove out to the Bressi Ranch mall to Peets Coffee, we’ve been meaning to go there ever since we arrived. On our last full day we finally made it. From there we did a walk that we’ve done before https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2413600649817098268 on part of the Carrillo Ranch through relatively natural landscapes.

Most of Southern California was originally divided up into cattle ranches. In the late 20th and early 21st Century these ranches have been sold for housing and have lent their names to the housing subdivisions. Although most of the Carrillo Ranch has been built on, this small portion has been saved along with the original ranch buildings. (Which unfortunately are not open on Mondays)

“Vegetation in the open space includes riparian woodland, freshwater marsh, Baccharis scrub, and non-native grasslands. A seasonal creek within the drainage area of the open space corridor supports nesting habitat and protective cover from predators. The majority of wildlife in this habitat are small, commonly occurring mammals, reptiles, and bird species, including the California Gnatcatcher”

It’s always a pleasant walk, a little oasis for people like us, but hemmed in by development all around. It is however, good to see that more and more native ecosystems are being protected and trails developed through them and linked to other trail systems. The extras show a magnificent Bird of Paradise flower and some very striking trees which are all over the place. I don’t know their name. Chris reckons they don’t look much during the rest of the year.

Grandson and family came around for dinner and we spent an enjoyable few hours before it was his bedtime and they had to go. We will only see them for a short time tomorrow before we have to leave for San Diego and the long overnight flight back to the UK. Despite the initial problem on the night of our arrival, we’ve enjoyed the apartment and our time with the family. Always too short, always a wrench to leave them not really knowing when the next time will be.