La Quinta Cove

Humana sponsored several big fitness events over the weekend (14-15), all VERY well attended and inspiring…to live a healthy life.

Humana “WalkIt” along Bear Creek Trail attracted 6-700 people, plus kids and dogs: http://youtu.be/s29vXJ1ciK4

Humana “Fun Fair” at the Community Park featured healthy food by Trader Joe’s and Fresh and Easy, vendors and MANY kids’ activities: http://youtu.be/TzYQbxaGmx4

Want to see fitness for toddlers?  Take a look:  http://youtu.be/9OHTOxp0GJM

Did y0u get one of those great pedometers that hooks up to your computer to track your step and calories burned?  If you missed yours, and you’re going to the Humana Challenge (golf tournament), you can still get one there.  Daily prizes are given for the most steps each day, so register your steps, get healthy, and try for a prize.

These events are sponsored by the City of La Quinta, Desert Recreation District, and Humana health care.

A hardy handful of nature enthusiasts trekked across the channel to get their creative juices flowing last Saturday morning (17th).  Led by Michelle Hedgecock, the group “soaked” up the views, fresh air, and charm of nature.  Circular drawings, called “mandalas” were created in pairs, with each person adding a circle of design to the previous work.  Above are some samples.

As for poetry, each hiker listed a series of words that expressed an impression that rainy/misty morning.  Then the words were given to another, who fashioned a poem using the words.  Here are two:

A grey bareeze rustles sleeping plants./I feel quite within this rugged landscape/Until a wispy chill awakens me.

Staggering and swaying/we climb up through the glorious mist/seeking expression on paper/as we gaze across/a majestic explosion of gnarled brush.  Graffiti-tainted boulders/clash with the calm, gracefully-falling snow/on the distant mountain.

Aren’t you sorry you missed it?     A couple more poems are saved for a future posting…..

On a beautiful Saturday morning, Dr. Cameron Barrows led a group of about 20 on a Nature Walk, focusing on the geology of our area.  In this clip, he talks about our earthquake faults.  Pre-tty interesting:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0cmFyI7PqY

The smoke trees are in bloom in the Preserve and on a few lucky lots in the Cove.  They only grow in washes.  Why? because the seeds need to be tumbled by the flowing water before they can germinate.  Who knows the botanical term for that??

Sandy Swan, who led the Nature Walk last week. has sent the list of 20 species sighted during the walk.  Here goes:

 The Sahara Mustard plant is growing all over town!  If you see it, pull it.  That seed pod contains dozens of future menacing plants.  Please help by pulling the weed NOW, before it goes to seed.  This will happen fast, and then we would have thousands, no, MILLIONS of new plants next year. H-E-L-P——-

Brisk weather didn’t deter nature lovers from trekking across the storm channel to listen to “Stories from the Mountains” told through geology.  Katie Barrows, local naturalist, discussed how our mountains were formed, the effects of water on the evolution of our Cove, and the probable survival of the Cove during THE BIG earthquake.  Here, Katie tells about the aquifer and those disappearing sand dunes.

Not a creative bone in our bodies?  Not for long….  last SaturdayMichelle Hedgecock led a group of hikers through a series of creative exercises designed to give us a new focus to our walk. 

Exploring the desert’s color palatte:       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9zXxk6yrXc

Winding up the walk….view of the storm channel:       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeHWabMnSQ0