We can see the surf, when I feel Mother's presence in the car.  I look at Kaye.

"I invited Violet. She wanted to put her feet in the water," Kaye says.

I am not here to tell you that I have turned into a California moon-gazer. The Summerland part of the Califia search has been manic, but serious. We always gave the supernatural its due, and no more.  I did not expect that this would happen.

Now I am thinking that even if I can get Comet Cement off the Liebre Springs land, I will not put up houses and sell them. Or install windmills. Or build another amusement park. Maybe the land just needs to sit there, worthless, with the jackrabbits and the sage and the Joshua trees, the broken cliffs, silver streams in the canyons, old rock paintings.

Maybe I need to consider another line of work.

I did not expect that Calvin would suggest to Kaye that she move in with him.  I did not expect that Kaye would mention the words adopting a baby.

I did not expect to see Mother's footsteps forming in the sand and walking into the surf.  I did not expect to understand the way the spirit of the past is always with us.