Nearby Capitola Village is as familiar as my back yard; I've even painted it many times.

Imagine my surprise, then, to discover that when viewed from the cliffs beyond, the village buildings seemed to glisten like the Emerald City of Oz.

I returned to paint. The long wooden pier divides the ocean into gemstone color swaths; pinks and blues shimmer in the town. It was as though I was seeing Capitola Village for the first time.