Palm Trees

Under towering palm trees and smaller potted varieties scattered around this enormous complex of three pools and two hot tubs, dozens of empty reclining lawn chairs obscure a view of the ocean. My in-laws have brought us here to Newport Beach for a much needed vacation and I am so grateful for this time to be with family in such a do-nothing setting. We are having a great time, especially at the pools and the beach which is stunning. But I am curious about a place like this where natural beauty is sometimes subjugated by entertainment in the name of leisure. The design of this multileveled complex of bungalows and services need not detract from the irrevocable beauty of the coastline we are perched just above, but it almost seems as if it was forgotten. If I crane my neck I can see the immaculate blue of the sky dissolving into fog and clouds at the horizon. But the vast expanse of ocean and matching sky punctuated by diving pelicans is blocked by the wrought iron fence and the white lawn furniture that is as bright and distracting as a camera flash. Together they make a barrier between this civilized habitat of luxury and the beautiful California coastline below. Instead of clouds we see white umbrellas. Instead of the ocean waves we hear the constant tumbling of a fountain and piped in pop tunes.

As we were leaving the pool complex yesterday, the girls and I after an hour of frolicking in the water, we opened the gate to begin our descent down three long sets of stairs to our bungalow and there at the top of the landing stood a young couple. They were loitering on the small pad of concrete, no more than three feet square, wine in their glasses, enjoying the view. This was the only spot where you could see it fully. With nothing to sit on, they stood there, crowded by the gate behind them and the door swinging open by the likes of us.