La Jolla Shores

La Jolla Shores is a wide sand beach framed by cliffs at the south end and the Scripps Pier and more cliffs at the north end. Between our condo and the entrance to the beach it's around a 10 minute walk at most, along little streets with ice cream stores, markets, restaurants, boutiques, and outfitters who take people kayaking or on bike rides. I walked down there today and took these pictures.

As I walked, I found images popping into my mind from former stays in La Jolla, so just before I arrived at each place, I would remember what it looked like. Some things have changed, of course, especially the build-up of luxury hotels and zillion-dollar homes facing the beach.

At the edge of this beach is the site of our only time viewing of the famous sunset phenomenon "the green flash." This effect shouldn't actually be visible over the Pacific here, but somehow, one day years ago, it was.


The bird of paradise flower blooms in winter in southern California, and lots of them are planted in the gardens along the way to the beach. Clusters of green leaves produce one stalk after another that pokes up and produces the bird-like crest. If I remember correctly, the bird of paradise is finished blooming around March; that is, when the earliest spring flowers start to come up in Michigan. I think it's one of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen -- so bird-like.