East Santa Margarita Lake Drought Spring

Today being an Easter vacation Tuesday I had no classes to contend with and thus I went out to East Santa Margarita Lake with my brother by another mother, Big Mike. There I observed many beautiful things and felt myself unwind from my hectic life. I also got some meaningful prayer-time accomplished out in nature. It was nice reconnecting with a place I used to visit weekly for years as I "found" myself and healed on the inside. However, it was a bit disconcerting to notice all the manifestations of the ongoing drought despite this being April with its now-mythological showers alleged to bring May flowers.The fuel load out there is crazy in places and much dry heavy fuels and ladder fuels were to be seen in abundance.
Check out HERE what I found in the path during this walk. 

Purple Lupine

Gnarled old oak tree.

Note dead standing digger pine and dead or browning standing oaks.

Tequila getting a sip...

I'm a sucker for ruins.

Looking back along the southern footbridge over the swamp.

Tequila strongly dislike bridges of all sorts but took this one on and won.

Looking back along the northern footbridge over the swampy riparian area.

Note the dead reed stands in this easternmost extension of a partially-dry Santa Margarita Lake.

A foundation is all that remains of this once-farmsite.

Path to the root cellar

A devilish design for a hole in concrete.

I wonder function this building once served.

In the background is some of the most awesome-looking fuel-loading I have ever seen.

Note all the dead-brownness.

The purple lupine and brown oak fuels look incongruous.

One of the most magnificent oaks I have ever observed.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).