Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

1743

Abstract

e id="db70"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>The Canary Island date palm in Santa Barbara, photo by Mark Tulin</figcaption></figure><p id="d5e2" type="7">palms make me think of a tropical dream a warm Caribbean breeze sometimes they stand alone or in clusters or pairs spreading their fronds catching rays from the sun</p><figure id="935c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>Palm collections by Mark Tulin</figcaption></figure><p id="a1aa" type="7">On the West Coast, stars hang over palm trees, crescent moons display a gentle tilt, nights grow shorter, tides move further out to sea…</p><p id="744b">Excerpt of<i> Daybreak Rises </i>from my collection of poetry<i>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9390601061?tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&geo=en_US&doi=2019-2-4&o=APN12175&p2=%5EEQ%5Ech30us%5E"></a></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9390601061?tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&geo=en_US&doi=2019-2-4&o=APN12175&p2=%5EEQ%5Ech30us%5E">Rain on Cabrillo</a>.</p><figure id="7e28"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>A huge cactus and me outside of Phoenix, AZ, photo by Alice Tulin</figcaption></figure><p id="2605">As I finish up this photo story, I am in the process of moving again (the fourth time in nine years). This time from the Central Coast to Palm Springs, the sea to the desert. I hope the palms are just as friendly in the arid land and the cacti greet me with open arms.</p><p id="5feb">© 2021 <a href="undefined">Mark T

Options

ulin</a></p><div id="1c14" class="link-block"> <a href="https://mftulin.medium.com/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Join Medium with my referral link - Mark Tulin</h2> <div><h3>undefined</h3></div> <div><p>undefined</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*gMnnF4JpD_oGdtnt)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5c86">Two more Snapshots by Mark Tulin:</p><div id="7e1c" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/dogs-on-the-beach-pictures-74d8dbbffd6e"> <div> <div> <h2>Dogs on the Beach Pictures</h2> <div><h3>Fetching, splashing — and hanging out</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*mN1KAGbEgkHgonZdxebb9A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="b8eb" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/pictures-in-the-side-view-mirror-56f35ce8ff19"> <div> <div> <h2>Pictures in the Side View Mirror</h2> <div><h3>A photo essay</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*[email protected])"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Palm Trees in California

A symbol of a life in transition

When I look up into the clear blue and see a palm tree, I know I’m no longer living in Philadelphia. There were rarely clear skies. It was usually overcast, with frequent showers or snow squalls. And occasionally, I’d see a palm tree, but they were plastic and usually outside a gas station or a Hawaiian restaurant. Today, looking into the sky, the palms are real and always seem to be watching over me. They symbolize my new life. A life that changed the day I left Philadelphia in late 2012, seeking to recreate myself after my first marriage ended and a long and tiring family therapist career.

In 2012, I started a new life in Santa Barbara with a California girl who eventually became my wife. I didn’t know what to expect or whether it would be a good transition. I knew I had to try. My intuition pointed me to the West. Despite a rough transition, the palms seemed to encourage me to stay, overcome many obstacles, and discover more things about myself. Today, I’m happy I did. The climate and the landscape inspired a writing career and a more laid-back personality, not so neurotic.

my bodyguards, strong and tall, although they waver rarely fall they surround me, act as my shade when all else fails

The Canary Island date palm in Santa Barbara, photo by Mark Tulin

palms make me think of a tropical dream a warm Caribbean breeze sometimes they stand alone or in clusters or pairs spreading their fronds catching rays from the sun

On the West Coast, stars hang over palm trees, crescent moons display a gentle tilt, nights grow shorter, tides move further out to sea…

Excerpt of Daybreak Rises from my collection of poetry, Rain on Cabrillo.

A huge cactus and me outside of Phoenix, AZ, photo by Alice Tulin

As I finish up this photo story, I am in the process of moving again (the fourth time in nine years). This time from the Central Coast to Palm Springs, the sea to the desert. I hope the palms are just as friendly in the arid land and the cacti greet me with open arms.