Another Spider

Another tiny, unidentified spider. This one, quite gutsy, ran across my desk a couple of days ago, wanting to make sure that I wouldn't forget Halloween. Amazing what's out there, if you only take the time to look!

 

Halloween

Halloween is all around us as evidenced by this spider, which appeared a couple of days ago. What you see is the underside of the guy/gal, as I was shooting through the glass of a widow. As, usual, I was unable to make an identification. All I can tell you is that the creature was no larger than half and inch. Note the red marking.

 

Cloud Formation

I was struck by this cloud formation as I was driving home the other day. I stopped, got out of the car and took the picture. The wind made the clouds look like waves.

 

Great Egrets

I saw these beautiful Great Egrets the other day in the Bolinas Lagoon, not far from their birthplace at the Audubon Canyon Ranch.

 

Calligraphy

Clover's Chinese name is Liu Cui Ying (last name always comes first), and she hails from a city near Beijing. Yesterday we hiked to Tennessee Valley Beach and I asked her to write her name in the sand for a picture.

 

Professor

Here's der Herr Professor at Tennessee Valley Beach this morning.

 

Turkey-Vulture

This is really a dual-purpose photo. On the one hand, I took it because it seemed like a nice composition, on the other, because of the posture of the Turkey-Vulture. Here I quote from the SIBLEY GUIDE to Bird Life & Behavor.

 

"Sunning. New World vultures, such as this Turkey Vulture, all spend time sunning their spread wings. They apparently adopt this posture to warm the body and to dry nighttime dew from the feathers. The posture may also help them realign their flight feathers, which can become misshapen while soaring."

 

I took the picture last Friday, at the Bolinas Lagoon on Highway 1, looking back toward Stinson Beach.

 

My friend Bob H

My friend Bob H

 

Another one of my kitchen-window pictures. The young buck and I stood motionless, looking at each other for several minutes. This lovely animal is an example of why the word "venison" upsets me. As do words like ham, bacon, fryer, steak, etc. A hundred years from now people will look back at their ancestors in amazement, not understanding how they could actually have eaten animals. End of sermon.

 

Rude Behavior

It was very foggy at the Corte Madera Creek this morning, as we ran across a crow screaming loudly at a Mallard couple to get lost. I thought the behavior was rude and uncalled for; the ducks weren't doing anything to annoy the crow. But then, crows aren't noted for their politeness.

 

Dragonfly and Pumpkin

Our Dragonfly took a strange interest in this one, particular, pumpkin, and kept coming back to it. Is there more going on here than meets the casual eye? There is so much to learn about insect behavior, and, relatively speaking, so little time.

 

Ariolimax columbianus

Ariolimax columbianus, commonly known as Banana Slug, appeared on the Bear Valley Trail in Point Reyes this morning. I think that, after a short introduction, it tried to smile for the camera.

 

Hmmm?

Old guys should probably leave young technology alone, but this is too much fun! Bob H. gave me a tiny Logitech camera to connect to my computer to use with Skype. Well, the camera can also be used to snap pictures of yours truly. It was raining this morning, so I didn't take my camera along on my little walk around the Ponds. When I got back, I started fooling around with the Logitech camera, and here is the result.

 

Shadow

This morning, the image of a famous photographer quite mysteriously appeared in the shadow picture of the gate of the Marin History Museum in San Rafael. In this business ya jes' never can predict what'll turn up next.

 

Paddle-boarder

The sport of stand-up paddle-boarding is not new, but in recent years it has gained in popularity. Once I took my eyes off tracks in the sand, I shifted my gaze and camera toward the sea. There's a lot of activity in Santa Monica. Bicyclists (2-wheelers and 3-wheelers), Bikes with sails, runners, walkers, skateboarders, surfers, kite-boarders, people doing yoga, or shadow-boxing. The list goes on as everybody is doing something.

 

Gull Tracks

Gull Tracks at Santa Monica Beach.

 

Tire tracks on the beach in Santa Monica.

 

Tire Tracks

Tire tracks on the beach in Santa Monica.

 

Of course I only wanted to see if anyone would notice that the Phoenixes were actually Cranes!

 

Thus far only one response!

 

Origami Phoenixes

On Saturday I was at a wedding in Santa Monica. The outdoor dining area was decorated with Origami Phoenixes. I took my picture in the afternoon, before the decorating began.

 

If you want to know how to fold one yourself, go to ~

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM1r7gz8yQQ

 

Ferris Wheel

Ferris wheel in Santa Monica - a few days ago.

 

Walter & Friend

Walter is the owner of the hand, the caterpillar is the friend, picked up by Walter to be transported out of harm's way. Near the famous bench, around the corner from the, even more famous, Bovine Bakery, in the heart of downtown Point Reyes Station.

 

Loosely quoting Will Rogers "Walter was just a friend we hadn't met yet", until the caterpillar episode, of course.

 

And briefly I forgot all about the economy, health care, Iraq, and even Afghanistan.

 

All I know is that it's a moth and that it was sitting outside my door this morning.

 

I'll be gone for a few days, returning on Monday, October 12. Try to manage without my Daily E-mail.

 

Young Buck

I thought the young buck, outlined against the dry grass in the early morning sun, was beautiful. Yesterday on the Bear Valley Trail.

 

The Smuin Ballet has an eight-day engagement at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco. There are three parts to the beautiful performance, the last one being "Sinatra swings!" I ushered on Saturday and Sunday. My picture shows a very poor likeness of Sinatra in the theater lobby; someone said it's on loan from the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Behind him are two ladies, probably copies of 1915 sculptures, created for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition, possibly by William Merchant.

 

I sit to be corrected on any, or all, of the above. I just liked the juxtaposition of the figures, kitsch though they are, and made a point to bring my camera on the second day!

 

Chickenpox?

Can trees come down with Chickenpox? Your favorite sleuth detected these two leaves in the Ponds parking lot this morning.

 

Twins

Could anything be cuter than these dizygotic (fraternal) twins which I photographed by the alligator pool at the California Academy of Sciences this morning. I told their father that I would send the picture out to my friends and he was in accord.

 

Crissy Field

A friend, knowing I was heading into San Francisco today, alerted me to a pink tent city that had been constructed in Crissy Field. It was not easy to find a place to park, and I had limited time, both factors leading to a less than great picture. Driving back to Marin across the Golden Gate Bridge later, I saw hundreds of walkers, many in pink T-shirts, walking toward the City. Once I got home I went online to learn what the event was all about. No problem, I thought. Wrong! I struck out completely! Well, it's a pretty picture anyway!

 

Mist Rising

The mist was rising as I arrived at Divide Meadow on the Bear Valley Trail in Point Reyes last week.