L.A. Tree

L.A. Tree, originally uploaded by wgoodwin.

The jacaranda tree is the unofficial tree of Los Angeles. Every year, around this time, the city's avenues and boulevards suddenly erupt into a frenzy of light violet. As the weeks wear on, the blooms drop off the branches, a purple carpet for sidewalks and gutters. I thought I'd missed the best of the blooms until I found Raymond Hill. A small residential area tucked away in the heart of Pasadena, it's accessible only by tiny winding roads that are more reminiscent of a hamlet in West Virginia than the LA megalopolis. Beautiful trees and my flawed photography skills can't convey even a whit of their beauty.