It was planned as a hot summer day escape. And I found a gondola, a fragrant plumeria tree, drought tolerant plantings, and a Captain Morgan statue — all along the Rivo Canal that cuts through the man-made Naples Island in Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.
Naples is a man-made island with canals running through it. The canals are lined with very expensive homes.
My intention was to escape the 95 degree F (35C) heat in the Los Angeles foothills where I live. But it turned out to be not much of an escape: it warmed up and became hot and muggy in Long Beach, too. Nonetheless, I took a walk along the sidewalks lining the Naples’ canals.
Here is some of what I saw. It was definitely a mix of this and that.
This diver’s equipment and yellow breathing tube means he/she planned a prolonged dive without cumbersome air tanks on his/her back. Maybe repairing something underwater? Neither the boat nor the small dock looked damaged, but perhaps simply inspecting.
Many gardens along the canals used to be filled with tropical plants, like this white plumeria. Drought tolerant plants have replaced many of the plantings, but the plumeria trees persist, no doubt because they are incredibly fragrant. Love them!
In the mix of gardens along the walkway beside the canal I came across a fig tree. These Tiger Striped figs are close to being ripe.
Some unserious decorations
Years ago the tiny gardens along the canal were filled with tropical plants. In this one small patch, most of the plants are drought tolerant ones, except for the pink and very fragrant Plumeria. I liked the little boy statue hidden among the plants and the Statue of Liberty behind.
Beach homes used to be unserious, inexpensive places to visit in the summer and people placed silly ornaments and statues around them. Even though all these homes are now expensive at least one homeowner continues this tradition of silliness with this Captain Morgan statue. The last time I walked along this area there was also a Bob’s Big Boy statue on another dock, but it seems to have vanished.
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