I recently took a trip to Hollywood to search out secret stairs (Secret Stairs (Part I), (Part II), (Part III)) and found many other treasures. Some of these included:
A poinsettia that grew free and wild and unpotted.
A bird of paradise that looked as if it were about to take wing.
Trumpet flowers blaring their beauty.
Indian paintbrush coloring the hillside.
Balconies enough for an entire clan of Romeo and Juliets.
Castles in the air.
Tree trunks that looked as if they had been hand painted by a set designer for greater effect.
Tile work adorning the side of a house.
More welcomes than you can count.
And of course, the Hollywood sign.
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Pat Bertram is the author of the suspense novels Light Bringer, More Deaths Than One, A Spark of Heavenly Fire, and Daughter Am I. Bertram is also the author of Grief: The Great Yearning, “an exquisite book, wrenching to read, and at the same time full of profound truths.” Follow Pat on Google+. Like Pat on Facebook.
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January 24, 2014 at 7:34 pm
The tree trunk that you have pictured looks very much like the Australian Grey Gum, I believe that several million Australian Gums (Eucalyptus) were introduced to California back in the 1920’s.
Seeing these few pictures makes me regret not travelling down to Los Angeles/Hollywood on the couple of occasions I visited the US.. I got close, went to Steineck’s Museum which was a must for me but as I’m not interested much in movies I gave Hollywood a big miss,
January 24, 2014 at 9:43 pm
Thank you for identifying the tree. As for Hollywood, I never had any interest in the area, but I loved the idea of the secret stairs, which is why I took the trip. And I’m glad I did. These treasures made it all worth while.
January 24, 2014 at 11:33 pm
I’m certain they did.
The grey gum is the food source for the Koala’s (they’re fussy eaters). and the following description from Wikipedia seems to confirm my suspicions.
“The grey gum grows as a large tree to 35 m (100 ft) high, with bark of various shades of grey, white and orange hues, which sheds in large sheets, giving the trunk a patchy appearance”
January 25, 2014 at 9:39 am
Yes! That is the tree I saw. Too bad Koalas weren’t imported at the same time as the tree. Now that would have been a treasure indeed!
January 24, 2014 at 8:24 pm
So that’s what a poinsettia is. I always thought it was something you put on your kitchen table. And that house/castle looks like it should be the setting of a murder mystery for the wealthy and depraved. I think I just got some inspiration. Thanks Pat.
January 25, 2014 at 4:28 am
I agree that the tree trunk photographed is part of an Australian gum tree. I know there are Australian gum trees nowadays growing in places like California. Not sure about the origin of the trumpet flower but one of my neighbors has them in her front yard. Personally I think they look more like a plant’s interpretation of a bird of paradise than a trumpet.
January 25, 2014 at 4:31 am
Ooops! Okay! My bad. Re-read. Yes, definitely a bird of paradise plant style.
January 25, 2014 at 7:19 am
“Balconies enough for an entire clan of Romeo and Juliets.” I laughed so hard with that description of the photo.
January 25, 2014 at 11:10 am
We’ve shared enough tears. It’s good to be able to share laughter, too.
January 26, 2014 at 12:49 pm
I like the poinsettia picture a lot because that’s how the flowers grow in Florida. We had some in the back hard with flowers that reached the roof of the house.
Malcolm
January 26, 2014 at 12:54 pm
I somehow knew that poinsettias must grow in the ground, but still, it surprised me to see one. It must have been lovely to see such flowers climbing up the house. I’d have liked to see that!
January 26, 2014 at 1:57 pm
We’re so used to seeing them in grocery stores and florists’ displays during the holiday season, they often seem more like hothouse flowers than anything we’d find in our yard.
Malcolm
January 28, 2014 at 8:09 am
Running a little behind here, (ha-ha what else is new?), but in Re: the Poinsettia. They are native to Mexico and Central America. I’ve always been fascinated by them due to the fact the leaf is the actual bloom (or colored part as the case may be.) They grow wild in FL too.
Toodles ‘n Blessings
Ree`