Lavender parted by blunt wind: the unkempt morning hair of a park's running path. Pale-green grass crawls up everywhere in tufts like a thousand lost toupées.
In spring cars, northbound from San Diego, packed with kids and camping tools or slimmer businessmen, get full view of it: a transient glance between La Jolla and Los Angeles, a moment of flashing color amid asphalt miles.