(41) I find the spikes jutting out from this church vaguely disturbing. It's not quite the Church of the Shrike, but still...

(42) Here's a walking trail (dirt road, really) around the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve in Newport Beach, California.

(43) Much of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve was off-limits during my visit; there are quite a few endangered species living there, it seems, and for some it may have been breeding season. In the distance one can see a part of the surrounding city.

(44) I found this to be a good place to sit, look, and read. A plaque on an off-screen rock indicates that much of the area visible was used for salt works before being designated an ecological preserve.

(45) The Newport Beach Ecological Preserve has quite a bit of brush, grass, et al. It's an interesting variety, although -- at least here -- not as lush as other places, perhaps.