The palms that watched it all
The wind was wild that day, the kind that bends even the proudest California palm trees into slow, graceful arcs. From the ground, I looked up, and the tallest one above me swayed like it had been doing this forever... which, in a way, it had. These palms are more than just postcard props; they’re witnesses. Year after year, season after season, they stand in the same place, quietly watching everything unfold below.
I couldn’t help but imagine the stories this particular palm had seen. Early mornings, like today, when the air was crisp and smelled faintly of the ocean, its fronds would dance in a brisky, fresh green glow, catching the first light over the rooftops. Midday, when the California sun blazed overhead, those same fronds would shimmer gold, their edges tinged with hazy orange as tourists strolled beneath, looking for shade. And then, at night, they’d turn into dark silhouettes against skies painted in purple and navy, quietly keeping watch while the city settled in.
These palms have been there for first kisses, for kids learning to ride bikes down the street, for surfers racing with boards under their arms to catch the next set. They’ve been there when friends laughed too loudly at sidewalk cafés, when tourists snapped their “California lifestyle” selfies, when someone stopped mid-walk just to look up and breathe. They’ve seen vacation bliss, bittersweet goodbyes, and the calm rhythm of everyday life.
And maybe that’s why I was so drawn to capture this one in my art. A palm tree might seem like a simple thing, but when you’ve lived under them, or even just visited once, they become part of your own travel memories. They hold the light, the colors, the mood of a place you never want to forget. In a way, they’re a living souvenir; rooted, yet touched by everything around them.
In the end, the palm swayed back into place, the wind easing into a gentle breeze. The city kept moving, people kept laughing, and somewhere, I thought, someone was making a memory under another palm just like this one. And I knew, I’d already captured this one for you, in a way you can take home.
