Glorious evening here. This view never gets old for me.

I found out about Pope Leo this morning when someone leaned over during a Coastal Commission meeting and whispered, “American Pope!” I’m not even Catholic but I’ve been excited all day.

The magenta flowers in my photo below are Carpobrotus edulis, aka ice plant. They were brought here in the early 1900s by the California Department of Transportation to slow erosion by stabilizing soil along railroads and highways.

But they ended up making things worse. The plants hold too much moisture, make slopes heavier, and crowd out native plants that naturally do a better job with stabilization.

The meeting this morning was about coastal erosion, a perennial topic. One proposed option would have people leave their homes. Another would buy time with sea walls that often move the damage downshore.

The can gets kicked a lot because it’s hard for people to decide what to do. Not an easy choice, but one that needs to be made eventually.