Santa Cruz, Between Storms

 Friends from all over the country, many whom I haven't seen for years, have texted to check on how I'm doing in the thoroughly battered Santa Cruz.  We've made national news and people got worried.  Our little homestead is fine, but many are not.  There was a break in the storms today, so I braved a walk along West Cliff Drive.  The huge waves were crashing wildly against the cliffs - putting on quite a show.  Lots of big logs were being tossed about in the surf.  No one was surfing the "Lane", and the "Toilet Bowl" was churning.  On the way back home, I cut through Lighthouse Field.  A couple of humongous eucalyptus trees blocked the path. They were uprooted by the windstorm the other night and crashed on top of a 74 year old man walking his dog.  Dozens of brightly colored flowers nestle on the craggy broken tree trunk in their memory.