In Spite of i

Monday morning, I slept free from my dream attacker.  Much relief.  But that is not to say that I slept easy.  Not exactly. I chuckle now thinking about it.  I dreamt (it seemed for hours and hours) that I was simplyfing radicals with a pencil on a yellow pad of paper – negative radicals using the imaginary number called i (or the square root of negative one).  Whoa!  Nightmare, not.  In fact, I woke with a full liking, acceptance and appreciation of the number that in my mind does not really exist.  (Now, not so much so, as I’m left with that same awkwardness I always had with the concept).

Crazy dream?  Perhaps.  But I just thought I’d put that out there since I’ve blogged recently concerning my nightmares.  ANYWAY, after this mathematical extravaganza of a night, I lackadaisically got myself out the door for a quick drive to some local trails off of Las Ramblas in Dana Point.  The weather was super cold compared to what I’m used to, probably somewhere near 40 degrees farenheit.  My goal:  hike to the flag.

Plenty of other hikers had the same goal in mind.  Though when I reached the flag, only two others were present.  Dozens of fresh cut flowers lay at the post base.  And in an upright mailbox was a red composition book that I signed on one of the last pages.  Before heading back I took in the cities below – San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point, and delighted in looking for the places that I know well.  It always amazes me to see how the cities are laid out from above.  Landmarks aren’t right where I suspect they are in relation to other places, roads go into areas that I didn’t know existed (kinda like i).  And the number of trails intertwining below that I never see from the flatlands is mind boggling.  The ocean seems endless.  Catalina is like a mountain range floating upon it. Thousands upon thousands of cars rush by on Interstate 5.  It’s marvelous up there.  It really is . . .  in spite of the fact that there is no real solution to the square root of negative one. 

Looking down on San Juan Capistrano with The Saddleback Mountains in the distance:

Overlooking Dana Point with the Pacific Ocean in the distance: