It used to be the Chili Cook-off grounds, and even before that a friend said he used to grow tomatoes there as his summer job when he was in high school. Now it's a really pretty park. It's divided into habitats and planted accordingly. There's a network of paths that wind around a stream and a big pond which, I guess because we're out of drought danger (but really, is Southern California ever really out of drought danger?) are both full these days. Cool mosaic statues of lizards and birds and coyotes and other local wildlife, shaded benches, informational plaques, and almost always a sweet breeze.

We're regular visitors here now because the other parks in town are closed. Beaches are still open but our entrance, under control of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, remains shut down. We have all called and emailed and the answer we get for being kept from the beach is that the entrance is supposedly too narrow for social distancing. That's nonsense of course. It's 12 feet wide and only eight feet long, and the breeze off the Pacific is steady and strong. Locals here agree it's just an excuse for the agency to not carry out its duties. Sadly there's lot of that going around right now.