Small, sweet, bird, bell tones fill the clean atmosphere. Accents of sustained flutes, twitters, shrill toots, tiny trumpet fanfares and bird song coloratura answer to each other over the wetlands.

The primal symphony grows louder, as the ear tunes itself to nature’s orchestrations. This expansive outdoor amphitheater is carpeted with dry bushes and scrub sage.

The winter palette is somber; faded burnt umber, ochre, jade, sienna, moss green, and gray. The scent of the earth wells up from the rain. Drops of wet diamonds sparkle on the tips of grass fingers. Blanched trunks and limbs, of various shapes and sizes, drift here from four directions, and lay lightly on the marsh.

The wetland stubble circles a large sump pond with a multitude of inlets. Sea birds, black with red beaks, tip toe and rock on the gentle ripples from an unseen breeze. They float on the reflection of a periwinkle sky with tall columns of white cotton candy clouds. A red tail hawk glides with assurance and settles on an off duty fence post that is separated from the troop that lines the abandoned railroad tracks.

A faint whistle warns the wilderness in ascending blasts. The horn builds to a crescendo, then diminishes and fades out to the horizon, as the passenger train slides clacking into view, crosses the bridge over the lagoon, then disappears to the distance.

The cumulous clouds turn dark gray, close ranks, and then drape the lagoon in mist. Time lapse climate change silences the orchestra and feathered chorus. The relentless muffled roar of the Pacific Ocean drums on. The sun is escorted to the edge of the known world, and then slips into the sea. A white egret, standing alone, with a few seagulls, penetrates the gray.

A closed gate and sign announce the obvious “road flooded”. Only a bold intruder, willing to walk, gains access to the sanctuary.

Catalina
Copyright 2009 WavePoint Productions