Landing

Canada Geese coming in for a 3-point landing. When Bob and I arrived at the Ponds this morning we saw no more than a few dozen geese there. Before long, however, and heralded by ear-splitting honking, hundreds of the birds arrived. I've never seen so many. I love to watch them land - feet first, then brake with the tail!

 

Bike and Shadow

You are absolutely right. It is, indeed, a bike and its shadow. No more, no less. At a shop on San Anselmo Avenue.

 

Ducks Crossing the Road

While the age-old question, of why the chicken crossed the road, remains unanswered to this day, we have a new question, this one concerning ducks! To be quite specific, these ducks were crossing the trail that circumscribes the Ponds. It happened on Monday, August 3rd.

 

How Times Have Changed!

I took this picture at the Classic Car Show in San Anselmo a couple of weekends ago.

 

Lucy

I think that, if I had my life to live over again (fat chance), I would become a children-photographer. What could be more beautiful than three-and-a-half-year-old Lucy? A little uncertainty in her eyes! Not quite sure she wanted her picture taken! Totally innocent! Yesterday afternoon.

 

Mount Wittenberg Trail

Never let it be said that I am completely deaf to the pleas and entreaties of my constituency. Sometimes I bow to the wishes of my admirers. Such is the case today, as I present a landscape.

 

I took the picture yesterday, on a hike on the Mount Wittenberg Trail in Point Reyes. It was foggy and the colors were muted ~ a thousand different shades of green! I was reminded of the romantic paintings by the Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793 - 1865). Something for you to Google!

 

Botta's Pocket Gopher

What to many may be a garden pest, to me is a cute Point Reyes resident (Botta's Pocket Gopher). This gal/guy was really busy shoveling dirt this morning, near the Visitor Center. I say "go pher it"! Note the big buck teeth.

 

Oyster-Shell

Here's another masterpiece by your favorite sculptor, photographer, raconteur and general bon vivant. Who sez oyster-shells don't got personality!

 

Great Egret

Friday at the Ponds also yielded this beautiful Great Egret in flight. How do they do it?

 

Synchronized Diving

 

Some of my fans may not be aware of the fact that, among my other responsibilities, I am also President of the R.S.D.F.T.O.G.O. (Remove Synchronized Diving From The Olympic Games Organization). Synchronized diving is not a sport, is boring, and should not be allowed in the Games. How do I know? I have consulted with the Olympian gods, in charge since 776 B.C., and they all agreed with me.

 

White Pelicans, on the other hand, are a different story. They dive for food; fish, to be specific. I'm not exactly sure why the synchronize their dives, but they know what they are doing.

 

My picture dates back all the way to yesterday morning, when Bob T. and I combed the Ponds for photo ops.

River Otter

Only the second time in several years that I managed to take a picture (not a great one) of River Otter in the Las Gallinas Sanitary District Ponds. As you can see, the one on the left really scored! I took the picture from the bridge right next to the parking lot.

 

Deer

I'm sick and tired of all those schmaltzy YouTubes of a cat and a white mouse, or a duck and a dog, living together in perfect harmony. Species are species and remain species. And I'm also sick of YouTubes ascribing human behavior to animals.

 

It is in this spirit that I present my picture of a couple of deer (I believe they are does). They were not kissing. Deer don't kiss. What they were doing was grooming each other, especially around the face, neck and shoulders. Grooming helps to maintain bonds. And as they groom, deer also remove external parasites from each other.

 

All this took place, once again, right across from my trusty kitchen-window. The deer were very skinny. I'm afraid that the 350 goats-for-hire, which I welcomed with open camera a few weeks ago, didn't leave much food for the deer!

 

Harbor Seals

Harbor Seals, resting on the mud flats in the Bolinas Lagoon; a common sight from Highway 1. The seals also give birth here. The estuary is a true treasure and I feel very fortunate to live nearby.

 

Sunflower

Sunflower, this morning at the Gospel Flats Farm on the Olema-Bolinas Road in Bolinas. Add a little Photoshop. All organic.

 

There's a little unattended vegetable-stand outside the farm and it's fun to watch cars pull up, one after the other, housewives alight, pick out some veggies, and drop money into a box. Should I move to BoBo, as it is lovingly called by the locals?

 

Click on this ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmCnZqm_fak

 

The Eyes Have It!

The Eyes Have It!

 

This morning at the Ponds.

 

McNear's Beach

This morning I was out at McNear's Beach in San Rafael, taking pictures of a Stand-Up Paddleboard Race. I didn't know what that was either. It's what the name implies. The contestants stand on a board, very similar to a surf-board, and paddle with one oar. If you want to see a picture, let me know, and I'll send you one.

 

Today's picture, however, is of a sailboat and a dredge. I just liked the way the two were outlined against the sky.

 

Beetle

Here's another find from my Bolinas Lagoon trip. I'm almost certain it's a Spotted Cucumber Beetle. I discovered that this critter (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect which eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucumbers, soybeans, cotton, beans and many others. I may have my information all screwed up, but it's not supposed to be found in California. Good citizen (a.k.a. busybody) that I am, I called the California Department of Food and Agriculture to alert them of my discovery. The away-message on their answering machine informed me that, due to Governator Schwarzenegger's economy measures, the Department was furloughed every other Friday!!!!! I wound up leaving a message. I pray that my gal/guy won't do too much damage by the time my message reaches its destination!

 

And now admire my photograph!

 

Art Nouveau

Art critic I am not. However, I am pretty familiar with Art Nouveau, and have a fair number of books on the subject. Marginally I should also mention that the sight of Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, never fails to make my heart tingle.

 

So imagine my surprise when, on Tuesday morning, on my Bolinas Lagoon walk, I ran across three Nasturtiums that were an exact replica of an Art Nouveau painting, firmly imbedded in my mind.

 

This morning I spent an hour, first, unsuccessfully trying to find the painting in my library. Next, trying to figure out how to spell Nasturtium! I tried my usual sources ~ Google, then friends, but drew a blank. The second florist I then called, mercifully helped me out! I credit San Marin Flowers in San Rafael!

 

By the way, I like to munch on Nasturtiums!

 

Flycatcher

Yesterday I was between and betwixt. I had to make a momentous decisions. Wilson's Warbler or Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Pacific-slope Flycatcher or Wilson's Warbler. I decided on the Warbler. After a sleepless night, I woke up with a solution to my problem ~ send out the Flycatcher picture today! We often hear the beautiful song of these little gals/guys while walking in the woods, but we rarely see them. I hope everybody is happy now!

 

Wilson's Warbler

Today, my tireless search for new material to present to my adoring fans, took me to the Bolinas Lagoon Open Space Preserve. There I stumbled upon a group of five Point Reyes Bird Observatory volunteers. They were banding and examining little song-birds which they had caught in nets that were stretched out in several areas. Of course, they were meticulously recording their findings. While I was there, they were carefully, and what I thought was, lovingly, examining three little birds. Done with one of them, they released it. I was very impressed by their activity.

 

Before I forget ~ the bird in my picture is a Wilson's Warbler. Another bird, being worked on, and which I photographed, was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher.

 

Etnic Oyster Shell

Here is a picture of an extremely rare Ethnic Oyster Shell which I found on the shore of Tomales Bay on the 28th day of July, in the year of Our Lord 2009. Oysters have been known since Roman times, but how this one got to the Point Reyes Peninsula, and who it depicts, is a mystery.

 

Kelso

One of the fringe benefits of having gorgeous grand-daughters is that they make great subjects for proud grandfather photographers. This is soon-to-be-twenty Kelso (aka Kelsey).

 

In the near future I hope to brag with a picture of recently-turned-ten Danika.

 

A Touching Scene

This Touching Scene met my eyes at the Farmers' Market at the Civic Center on Thursday. Aren't the cute?

 

View from the Beach Chalet

After our Victorians tour, Marti and I had lunch at the Beach Chalet along the Great Highway. We scored a table by the window and could almost see China. Almost. But what we actually did see was a huge containerized cargo ship and we were speculating on how, in high seas, these ships don't capsize. I was a sailor-boy in the late 40's, years before containers were born. However, the wheel was already in use.

 

If you've never been to the Beach Chalet, and live in the Bay Area, you owe it to yourself to pay that wonderful building a visit. The 1930's WPA frescoes by Lucien Labaudt are unique.

 

P.S. Don't miss the surfer at the left bottom of my picture.

 

Shadow #462b

Shadows remain one of my favorite subjects. This one on the staircase of one of yesterday's Victorians.

 

Painted Ladies

Thank you for the applause! I really appreciate it. However, except for the inclusion of the people sitting in the grass, I don't deserve the accolades. I took this picture of the so-called "Painted Ladies" this afternoon from atop Alamo Square in San Francisco. Marti A and I participated in a walking tour of Landmark Victorian houses, and my picture is the standard post-card shot with the City in the background. But thank you again, you have warmed the cockles (what's that?) of my heart!

 

Sunflower, Bee and Phtoshop

Each year some beautiful sunflowers appear at the intersection of Center and Redwood in Fairfax (or is it San Anselmo)? I think they are planted by a flower-loving altruist. Today, on my way back from Point Reyes I stopped to take some pix of the flowers, when a bee alighted on one of them. I didn't waste any time. Back home, I let Photo-Shop add a little pizzaz!

 

Egrets

On a solo hike (where was Bob T?) around the Ponds this morning, I was jes fix'n to take a picture of some egrets, when a buck got in the way. Being in a charitable mood, I thought "what the heck", and took the picture anyway. Buck an' all.

 

PVC?

Pipe, ready to be used in the construction of the new gym at the College of Marin. Is it Polyvinyl Chloride, commonly referred to as PVC? I hope not! PVC products are dangerous to our health, releasing poisonous chemicals. Fortunately safe alternatives are available.

 

But, as you already guessed, I took this picture for its artistic appeal, not as the basis for a lecture.

 

Marin Century

Je regrette, mais c'est ne pas la Tour de France. C'est le Marin Century et Mount Tam Double Century. I was there this morning, taking pix for MARINSCOPE, having positioned myself near Big Rock, the highest point of Lucas Valley Road. There were hundreds of riders, for six different distances. All very confusing but laid back, since it was not a race.

 

I remember doing the 100-miler in my younger days, and crawling up that hill, my speedometer reading an embarrassing 4-5mph!