From My Journal —
The Holman Vista Trail
by Debbie Teashon
Rhododendron macrophyllum
This is a rare day to cherish, as I walk the easy Holman Vista trail in near silence. Only the sound of my feet stepping down on the compacted path and the occasional breeze reminds me I am near the ocean. The wind is gentle today. To the west of me, it's not much more than a whisper. It sweeps through the grasses on the dunes, like a surfer on the crest of a wave.
I could turn and walk the dunes today, but the flora calls me to the east. When I reach the contorted, windswept Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), my eyes slowly botanize the scene. The wind sound turns to a whir as the foliage of Pacific rhododendrons (Rhododendron macrophyllum), silk tassels (Garrya elliptica), evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), and salal (Gaultheria shallon) gently touch each other.
Picea sitchensis
I turn my face upward to feel the coolness of the morning air. A mist settles on my skin. I stand still and let the sensation seep deep into my senses. There is no one here to share this awareness. I'm not lonely — the sound of another voice would shatter this mood like fragile glass. I want to live, forever captured in this moment, alone.
A few miles down and across the highway, cobra lilies (Darlingtonia californica) wait for an unsuspecting insect to enter their hood.
There, the only sounds come from insects buzzing in distress, desperately searching for a way out of the plant's crazy hood of mirrors. Finally, the frantic insect falls exhausted, down into the depths of the cobra lily's chamber of death.
That is there, and I am here walking in peace near Sutton Creek. A wall of Pacific rhododendrons looms ahead, showing off its spring blossoms covered in a sparkle of dew that gathered together in more significant drops. The salal's white flower urns look like someone dipped them in red paint.
Vaccinium ovatum
I know that the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) grows some of the world's tallest trees. Not here on the border of the sand dunes, though. The fierce coastal winds keep its growth in check. I look up into the contorted limbs encrusted with epiphytes — where the moss, lichen, and licorice ferns (Polypodium scouleri) make a living on these branches. Under the falling mist, the fronds appear to turn their leaves up. Much like I did, capturing the moisture, and basking in the coolness.
Gaultheria shallon
I'm in love with this place. I never want to go home.
Holman Vista Trail, just north of Florence, Oregon.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton