Curious!

 

This morning Bob T. and I were actually looking for River Otters in the Ponds but, failing in that endeavor, we accepted the little Pocket Gopher's invitation to immortalize his/her visage. The gopher hole was right in the middle of the hard and rocky service road! Why there? Ya gotta ask the architect. The Ponds area is just a treasure-trove of animal life. Hurrah!

 

Bull

The older ones among you will remember Tom Lehrer, the Harvard math professor turned satirist, of the 50's and 60's (he is two months older than moi). One of my favorite Lehrer songs was Lobachevsky. Here's the best part ~

 

Plagiarize,
Let no one else's work evade your eyes,
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes,
So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize -
Only be sure always to call it please 'research'.

 

Once again at Tomales Bay State Park, I saw this bull, outlined against the sky. An exact replica of a large painting I had seen at Toby's Feedbarn in Point Reyes Station. Tom Lehrer's song came to mind and I seized the opportunity. Just don't tell anyone I stole the idea!

 

Tomales Bay State Park

This was the scene that met us at Tomales Bay State Park the other morning. The sun was shining further south, while it was overcast and a little nippy by the bay. A perfect photo-opportunity.

 

Frittilaria - Mission Bell - Chocolate Lily

 

Bob H. and I always seem to find something new on our walks. The other day it was the beautiful Chocolate (because of it color) Lily, also known as the Mission Bell (for obvious reasons). The official name of this somewhat rare flower is Frittilaria biflora - the "Cleopatra of the Frittilaries", also because of its color. The bulbs of this flower used to be cooked and eaten by the Native Americans.

 

Bob and I discovered the plant at the  Tomales Bay State Park. As we were leaving, three ladies arrived and asked us if we had seen any Chocolate Lilies. Proudly we were able to answer their question.

 

Note that the Tomales Bay State Park is one of the parks threatened by closure for budged reason. Drat!

 

A Kiss is just a Kiss!

"You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by"

The lyrics from the wildly popular 1931 song "As Time Goes By", reintroduced in 1942 in the film "Casablanca", and reenacted in my picture on Monday at the Tomales Bay State Park.

 

Sparrow

Sometimes a sparrow is just a sparrow. At other times it is a great work of art.

 

Wood Nymph

This morning, hiking in the Tomales Bay State Park, Bob Hollingsworth and I encountered a Wood Nymph, or Dryad. Known from Greek mythology, these half human and half plant goddesses of the woods tend the flora and fauna of the forest with tender loving care. The shy, wild animals trust them completely because they know they can always depend on them for kindness and understanding

 

Pastoral Scene

You all deserve a respite. So here's a pastoral scene. This is the St. Vincent property, as seen from the Las Gallinas Sanitary District.

 

Anasazi

The Anasazi Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico is a fascinating place. It is here that you will see the Ancestral Pueblo Cliff Dwellings, carved into the rock. These were inhabited from the 12th - 16th Centuries. The Indians used ladders to climb up and down from their "apartments". I had the good fortune of visiting Bandelier years ago.

 

My picture shows a dead tree trunk, totally pitted with holes, probably the result of erosion. It is located in the King Mountain Open Space Preserve, rat here in Larkspur.

 

Another long and costly trip becomes redundant!

 

What Fun!

Yesterday at the Corte Madera Marsh!

 

Arboretum

Today I visited the Stryberg Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. While I normally refuse to send you pictures of cultivated flowers, I am making an exception today. This South African flower was just too striking to pass up. The plaque read:

PROTEACEAE

LEUCOSPERMUM

CORDIFOLIUM

'VELDT FIRE'

I tried to do some Googling but got thoroughly confused, especially with 'Veldt Fire', which has something to do with the Boer War of 1900. So, unless you want to do your own research, let's leave it at "gorgeous flower"!

 

Senior Prom

I was taking pictures for the Mill Valley Herald at the Senior Prom at the Redwoods Retirement Home, where students from Tam High School celebrated with the oldsters. My picture proves that a 100-year old lady, and a 99-year old gentleman, just having been crowned queen and king, can still get in a raucous laugh! Standing beside them is Cynthia Glinka, a well-known Bay Area Dance Hostess and Entertainer.

 

Tasty Morsel

Great Blue Herons are strange birds. They will stand, absolutely motionless, for minutes at a time, scanning for prey. A couple of days ago, in Sausalito, I waited for a good half hour, to see some action. Finally my patience was rewarded, as the bird snapped up a tasty morsel. It looked like a slug, wiggling in the heron's bill.

 

Retirement be praised!

 

Taj Mahal

Once again, the stupidity of world travel is exposed. You have to cough up $5,000 from San Francisco, to go on a tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, admittedly one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. The flight is arduous, the food challenging, and the weather uncomfortable.

 

The smart and seasoned traveler heads for Sausalito, a stone's throw from San Francisco, instead. Here is another Taj Mahal. No stress, no mess. It's a lavish houseboat, at the end of Pier A, rarely occupied. It reportedly sold for over $1 million not long ago and pays rent on the half-dozen slip spaces it occupies! After your visit you can have a leisurely lunch at Poggio's on Bridgeway. I took this picture yesterday afternoon.

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day ~

 

Seeing as I'm a foreigner, I didn't expect to run across a leprechaun in downtown Sausalito. But there, as you can see, he was, big as life. Meanwhile the Chicago River was dyed green today, in honor of Saint Patrick.

 

Corte Madera Marsh

Corte Madera Marsh this morning with a rather high tide. Note the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the background.

 

Moth

Yesterday I took some pix of a friend's kitchen and bathroom in Sausalito. Then I hopped over to an art exhibit in San Rafael, and finally took pictures at the Senior Prom (the oldest honoree was 100) in Mill Valley. Today I was at the Big Peace March in San Rafael, then headed over to the Brewfest (yes, lotsa beer) in San Anselmo. What to send send out in my Daily E-mail?

 

Coming home after all the excitement, I found the pictured moth, patiently waiting for me outside my door. In recent weeks Marin County has been agog at the appearance of moths. A battle over spraying has evolved and both sides are fighting mad. After much deliberation I picked the moth for my E-mail.

 

Red-Winged Blackbird

Bob Towler and I saw this guy at the Ponds a couple of days ago. I really like Blackbirds but I think the Red-Winged ones are the prettiest. How did Mother Nature ever come up with this design?

 

Lucy-Lou

I think it's about time for me to venture out on a new career. Children-Photographer is what I have decided upon. There's probably nothing more rewarding than capturing the look of absolute innocence in the face of a toddler. To prove my point, here's a shot of Janet Bodle's granddaughter Lucy, also known as Lucy-Lou, taking a well-deserved nap in the back of Janet's car after a hard hike/run this morning. Lucy turned two last Christmas Eve.

 

Diego

Now in its 24th year, the annual Bouquets to Art is on at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Today was the opening and I hurried over to see the exhibit. It is really about the art of flower arranging, where local florists create flower arrangements, each designed to complement a painting or sculpture of the museum's permanent collection. It is also the one opportunity each year, when photographers are allowed to use a flash. Officially just of the flowers, but in fact everything goes!

 

My picture shows a floral arrangement in front of one of my favorite Diego Rivera paintings.

 

Due to the temporal nature of the flowers, the exhibit runs for only five days, closing on Saturday, March 15. So you Bay Area residents get on your bicycles and hurry to the de Young.

 

Antlers

I followed the immortal words of Alfred, Lord Tennison, "Mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do and photograph". Thus, while I could not help but wonder what this morbid jumble of bones and antlers was doing at the Audubon Ranch, I found the display very artistic. I'll let you be the judge.

 

Bolinas Lagoon

Being a nice guy, always ready to please, I give in to my landscape lovers once in a while. I took this picture of the Bolinas Lagoon this morning, standing just inside the Audubon Canyon Ranch. A month from now a colony of Egrets will be nesting in the tall trees and the Ranch will be packed with bird-lovers equipped with scopes and binoculars, there to observe the birds from a lookout across the canyon. And I'll be one of them!

 

And, as usual, I will be in Bolinas (Bo-Bo to the natives) on the Fourth of July to cheer the tug-of-war, hear Annie Crotts sing the National Anthem, and watch the parade!

 

Hanging Around

These two pairs of boots have been hanging around Point Reyes Station for years. I've photographed them before, but this is a new angle. As seen yesterday.

 

Question Mark

The closest I could come to identifying this butterfly is Question Mark. But don't bank on it, I am notorious for incorrect labeling!

 

I saw the little gal/guy on a hike with Bob Towler on the Bear Valley Trail this afternoon. For your information, photographing butterflies is not an easy task. We chased after the critter fro quite a while before it finally settled down on a fern, posed and smiled.

 

Mount Tamalpais

Turkey Vultures circling, with Mount Tamalpais in the background.

 

Each year, on Labor Day, the Hill Climb takes place. This footrace, organized by Roger Gordon, starts in Mill Valley and finishes at the Lookout Tower, visible on my picture. While the course is only 2.6 miles long, runners must scramble up 2,571 feet! Last year, with 114 runners, the winning time was an unbelievable 31:52, the second fastest time since the race was first run in 1984!

 

Mushrooms

Tradition is important! And when my hiking friend, Margie, and I walk along the Bear Valley Trail on Tuesdays we never fail to stop at a big log, capped by a large, heavy, piece of bark. One on each side, we carefully raise the bark to check on what Mother Nature has in store for us this time. We have discovered large centipedes, pill-bugs, spiders, and big ants. And I have sent you pictures of most of these.

 

Yesterday we found mushrooms growing on the underside of the lid. They were not really rooted, but just stuck to the bark. Since my guide book depicts only 386 species of mushrooms, I was unable to identify our find. But here it is, for you to admire!

Tree at the Bench

After our Tuesday morning run/hike in Point Reyes we pick up goodies at the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station, and then sit on the bench around the corner. This is where I photographed the little tree and its shadow. Later in the year the tree is solid blossoms. Cherry tree perhaps.

z-z-z-z-z

I, too, have been known to fall asleep while reading! This was on 24th Street in San Francisco.

Shadow

Sitting at an outside table at the Tartine Bakery, on Guerrero and 18th in San Francisco the other day, I was intrigued by the shadow across the street.

24th and Capp Streets

Another one from my Mission jaunt. I thought this lady, waiting for her bus, looked like a queen sitting on her throne, holding her scepter.