My charming day as tour guide

STEVE KAWARATANI

“Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with

ourselves.”

-- Henri-Frederic Amiel

“Isn’t everyone a part of everyone else?”

-- Budd Schulberg

I had recited six times, the adverse impact on development from

October 26, 1993 [when a wildfire ravaged hundreds of homes which

were rebuilt with limited review], before I noticed the Tamarisk

growing along the side of upper Park Avenue. The same coastal sage

scrub, which provided much of the vegetative fuel for the Laguna

fire, was now harboring an exotic intruder. A small footnote among

many, filed away as a guide for the 33rd annual Charm House Tour.

Village Laguna’s mission statement is “To preserve and enhance the

unique village character of Laguna Beach.” Lofty goals, as we all

consider Laguna a special place to live or visit, and want to keep it

that way. Local landscape architect, Bob Borthwick, had asked me to

be a tram guide for the tour. I accepted, partly because I wanted to

see the homes for free, but also to share my perspective of over 50

years in Laguna. Prior to setting out with Dexter (the tram driver),

I gossiped briefly with fellow guides Toni, Eric, and Suzanne.

I was provided with an excellent script written by John Monahan,

featuring eucalyptus, a love triangle, and why Laguna doesn’t have a

First Street. These anecdotes and more kept my captive audience

intrigued or at least interested between stops.

Between stories, I enjoyed Laguna’s lovely, natural landscape,

particularly on Park Avenue.

Sycamore, platanus racemosa, adorns a number of gardens, just past

the intersection at Wendt Terrace. Native to our locale, these trees

are well-tended and graceful, like Catharine (my wife). Clearly,

their robust growth is attributable to irrigated conditions, as

further up the road, sycamores growing in wild space appeared

stunted.

Just beginning to display its pink blossoms is tamarisk, tamarix

chinensis, widely seen and disliked in the desert. Its aggressive

roots and invasive character displace native vegetation, and it’s

being eradicated in many scenic preserves, including the Grand

Canyon.

The colorful gold medallion tree, cassia leptophylla, from Brazil,

is not considered a threat to our native chaparral. Its deep yellow

flowers will be showy throughout the summer.

Two natives, blue elderberry, sambucus mexicana, and chaparral

mallow, malacothamnus fasciculatus, are blooming profusely up to

Hidden Valley. The elderberry has creamy flowers and will form

berries, which can be harvested to produce the famous wine. The

mallow has arching branches covered with pale pink flowers.

Toyon, heteromeles arbutifolia, is abundant on Park Avenue and

throughout the coastal sage scrub in Laguna and beyond. Small white

flowers are just forming, to be followed by red berries that persist

through the holidays. This shrub is an important food source for bees

and birds.

Indigenous people were said to have smoked the leaves of tree

tobacco, nicotiana glauca. Today, we know that the bluish-green

leaves are deadly if eaten (another reason to give up smoking). I

find the pale yellow flowers attractive.

Five hours later, my duties as a bus guide ended. Village Laguna

once again staged a successful tour of a few remarkable homes that

comprise our city. It was fun renewing acquaintances and making new

friends. Perhaps next year, we’ll visit a contemporary charmer or

even a home in Diamond Crestview. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is happily married to local writer, Catharine

Cooper, and has two cats. He can be reached at 949.497.2438, or

e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.