{"id":39043,"date":"2023-07-08T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T07:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbarafalconernewhall.com\/?p=39043"},"modified":"2026-06-06T05:21:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T05:21:55","slug":"what-is-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server.stagingweb3.net\/barbarafalconernewhall\/what-is-beauty\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Beauty? It’s Seeing the World for the First Time — At Abbott’s Lagoon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is beauty? The meadow alongside the trail to Abbott’s Lagoon, just for starters. Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is beauty? Why does Yosemite Valley in its vastness make us dizzy with awe? Why does a ladybug in its miniature perfection stop us in our tracks? Why does a meadow high on a coastal bluff leave us wondering how such a place can even be<\/em>; and how is it we are standing in that place right now, today?<\/p>\n

Last week, as temperatures reached into the 90s, my hiking friend and I needed a trail that would be cool on the brow and easy on the knees. We decided on the reasonably level, three-mile round trip hike to Abbott’s Lagoon at Point Reyes National Seashore.<\/p>\n

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California poppies (Eschscholzia californica<\/a>)<\/em> were the first of the wildflowers to greet us at Abbott’s Lagoon. Those mysterious pink stalks? They’re the poppies’ seed pods, which will burst open when ripe. Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We slung our packs on our backs and set out, expecting a pleasant afternoon of fresh air and companionship, strolling the seaside patch of wilderness that is Point Reyes.<\/p>\n

What we got was — a bouquet.<\/p>\n

I know. Nature does not arrange itself into a thing of beauty for the pleasure of a pair of humans on a summer stroll. But what we got last week felt intentional. It felt like a reward for getting out of bed that day. A gift from — somewhere.<\/p>\n

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Next to greet us — a sweet pea that I’m guessing is the common Pacific pea (Lathyrus vestitus<\/a>)<\/em>, a California native.\u00a0Photo by Barbara Newhall<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meadow, marsh, lagoon, beach. As we made our way toward the ocean, the landscape shifted with each change in climate and terrain:<\/p>\n