La Quinta Cove

About twenty people joined Jeff Smith for “Stories from the Early Days” last Saturday.  Although overcast at first, a rainbow (photo on the left, look closely) heralded sunshine well before the wind started to blow.  We got a great overview of the history of our community, and the evolution of how the city arrived at TODAY.  Next Nature Walk, February 18: “Wildflowers” so let’s hope for that rain!  Sponsored by the City of LQ and the Stewards of the Fred Wolff Nature Preserve.

Here’s a third “poem” from the December 17 Nature Walk:

The smell of creosote wafts through the air/as the tiny raindrops began to fall.  We began our walk into the layers of rocks/which form the base of these beautiful mountain ranges/ with the clouds covering the sun.  The usually colorful backdrop seems muted, yet serene.  As we march through this geologic wonder, the stories of ancient times flow through my thoughts/and I wonder how people in those days/could have survived this terrain/without all the modern day conveniences/of the current neighborhood/that I now see spread out below.

THIS FROM DAVID:

Has anyone else observed some strange lights in the mountains above the Bear Creek Preserve on the west side of the cove above the wash?  We first noticed them early Monday morning, fairly high in the mountains.   They were still shining last night and early this morning (Tuesday).  Viewing them with binoculars, they appear to be a series of LED lights, but we cannot make out the object which they are attached to.  They are not visible in daylight.  No evidence of small people up there.  Just wondering if anyone else has seen this UFO or whatever it is???

PLEASE HELP US GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MYSTERY…..

The City of La Quinta, Riverside Fire Department, CVWD, Burrtec, and the Department of Corrections is launching a project to clean up a very old dump at the very top of the Cove.  If you’re not a hiker, you probably have not seen it, but it covers several acres of desert.  Working with the Cove Neighborhood Association BLM, and an archaeologist, it is hoped that this area will be as beautiful as the other vast (pristine) desert we all love.  (Please excuse the windy sound  interference.)

Building and Safety Manager, Greg Butler:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLOfDMq2Srs

Public Works Department Steve Kochell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQrC8fuUgrA

Great turnout on Saturday for the Second Annual Tails on Trails sponsored by the City of La Quinta, the Cove Neighborhood Association, BLM, CV Trails alliance, PetSmart, Aqua Paws, animal Samaritans and Village Park animal Hospital, among others. 

This event is for community enjoyment, socialization of canines and humans, and education on safety and pet owner responsibility.

Getting started on the activities:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE84I3MqFeI

Introducing the canines:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyiQOplCbZM

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.

Katie Barrows led the group of kids and parents on the Saturday Nature Walk in search of the links of the desert food chain.  Here’s a bit of the introduction, before they started on their trek: 

Michelle Hedgecock, the leader of last Saturday’s nature walk has made the last exercise available for us to share.  Each participant contributed a written line of thought and together, they made a poem-like composition that reflected on the mornings experiences. 

Michelle writes:Thank you each for sharing your morning with me and for sharing your creative experience so openly as a group, I found your creative expressions and spirit so inspiring!

I wanted to be sure to share these two wonderful poems created by participants on Saturday’s “Creativity Hike;” nature truly inspires:

UNTITLED

A fresh breeze brushing the winter desert.
A palette of natural color.
Calming colors –
desert seems still, but signs of motion everywhere
footprints, erosion, growth.

I saw life from all the holes in the ground.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of animals are burrowed there.
I enjoyed different perspectives of the palo verde tree –
up close it is large and grand,
from a distance, small and solitary.

UNTITLED

I wonder about the many forms of life has passed where we are –
Going into Nature today is going into the best art gallery in the world.
Nature is so glorious, I can’t describe it well.
Lizard watching me watching him. Peace.
Sun moving, revealing new crevices, homes to local residents.
And then rubble piles that look like ancient ruins that completes the cycle.