Danika

I end the year with another portrait of Danika, my twelve-year-old granddaughter, residing again in Lancaster, PA, after a few months in Marin. Isn't she beautiful?

 

Au clair de la Lune

Au clair de la Lune.

 

Hard to believe that man has actually been there.

 

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler, yesterday, at the Ponds.

 

Chance Meeting

I think that's a Willet in front, passing a Black-necked Stilt, neither paying the other any heed. Why am I reminded of my neighbors?

 

Foggy Morning

Yesterday saw a foggy morning at the Ponds as a skein of Canada Geese took flight. Ten minutes ago I would have called them a "gaggle", but something in my brain (haha!) made me consult Wikipedia. And sure enough, when geese are not in flight they are called "gaggle" (if there are at least five of them), but once they are in flight, they are called a "skein". We live and learn.

 

And, of course, you knew all this already.

 

Reflection

Reflection of pole in LGVSD pond this morning. I thought it was "like wow"!

 

I don't have a Dog.

Yesterday morning I started out on a walk on the main trail at the Indian Valley College, when I was stopped short by a sign (see attached photograph). Apparently I was required to have a dog if I wanted to continue on the trail. Courageously I ignored the sign and went on, all the while alert to the possibility of being arrested on a charge of "doglessness".

 

It takes some audacity for Americans to laugh about Chinglish when, even on official signs, we are unable to use our own language correctly.

 

Snow

This is a picture I took up in Yosemite many years ago. I have used it as a Holiday card and am still fond of it. So I wish everyone a Merry and a Happy!

 

It's a well-known fact that Swans rank high when it comes to grace and beauty. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is one of these magnificent creatures, posing for us a few days ago, at Ellis Creek.

 

Symmetry

It took over an hour for the cormorants to kapish what I meant by symmetry, but finally they got it. Here's the result.

 

Is the Grass Really Always Greener on the Other Side?

I've been coming to the ponds at McInnis Park in San Rafael almost every Monday for about three years. Twice, during that time, I spotted a buck with a large rack, on the island located in the middle of one of the ponds.

 

This morning, Dick C, and I saw a deer swimming toward the island. Excited, I took several pictures. Later, walking on the other side of the island, we again saw the deer, this time with two friends, foraging on dry land.

 

Once again I am puzzled by animal behavior. What makes the deer want to cross over the water? Did one of them decide to do it and the others followed?

 

I have heard of deer swimming from the Tiburon Peninsula, across Raccoon Strait, to Angel Island, but I never witnessed it. In fact, today was the first time I ever saw deer swimming.

 

Tree at Ellis Creek

This tree catches my eye every time I go to Ellis Creek in Petaluma.

 

The Old Barn

Driving on Platform Bridge Road, on the way to Point Reyes, we always pass by this old barn. For a long time I have wanted to photograph it. Finally, last Saturday, I did exactly that.

 

Reflection

Then quite suddenly, without any warning, you discover that you've turned into an old man, and have a granddaughter, soon to turn twenty-two. How did it all happen?

 

Deer

I never tire of photographing deer. And as the holiday-season approaches, these gals/guys are depicted everywhere. Though, as everyone knows, it's Reindeer, not Black-tailed Deer, that pull Santa's sled through the snow from the North Pole.

 

Whatever the case may be, I took the picture of the Black-tailed Deer this morning out at Point Reyes. As usual, I talked to the animal and she/he posed quite willingly.

 

Sparrow

I think it's a Sparrow, but maybe it's a Finch. I love to take pix of birds but I don't claim to be an expert. What drew me to take this picture was the composition. So there you have it!

 

Woodpeckers don't fool around. They really mean business. What really amazes me though, is a) that they don't suffer major brain damage from all that pecking, and b) that they remember where they hid all those acorns!

 

My picture shows a dead branch on the Woodpecker Trail.

 

View from the Woodpecker Trail

This is a view from the Woodpecker Trail in Point Reyes. Though really beautiful, it must be one of the least used trails in the Seashore. On my three trips there, I haven't seen a single human being.

 

Mergansers

Mergansers discussing the latest in head-feather grooming. This morning at the LGVSD Ponds. (My choice is the one on the right).

 

Pt. Reyes Revisited

Jennifer (Jennie) J. is a long-time (never say "old") friend of mine. Every once in a while she has her way with one of my Daily E-mails. Such was the case when she fiddled with last Saturday's "Point Reyes" picture. I think the result is amazing. Jennie uses Picnic.com. I believe today's picture involved some infra-red manipulation. Interesting.

 

Hmmm?

I never know what my fertile imagination will conjure up next. This image appeared yesterday on the Woodpecker Trail in Point Reyes. If I hadn't had my trusty camera along, I wouldn't believe it.

 

Pt Reyes

This morning on the Woodpecker Trail in Point Reyes. Not a soul around, just me and the deer. I stood in awe of the beauty and serenity. A big "thank you" to Mother Nature!

 

Purtie Colors

 

Swans Again

Back to Shollenberg Park, back to Mute Swans. I could not have posed them any better, and, of course, I could not resist taking their picture. But I do wish that they would swim in cleaner water!

 

Mount Tam Once Again

Just can't get enough of Mount Tam. The only spot you can get the view as shown on today's picture is from Highway 101, heading south, near the Northgate Shopping Center turnoff. Dick C was driving, and I waited for just the right moment to click the shutter.

 

Not Our National Emblem

This bird is not our National Emblem (the Bald Eagle).

 

Instead, my picture is of a Turkey Vulture, a bird with a 6ft wingspan, that has been around since prehistoric time. It very important as nature's recycler and scavenger. TVs (as the Sierra Clubbers like to call them) do not kill their food, they eat animals that are already dead. To find their meals, they use their keen sense of smell.

 

The attached picture shows a Turkey Vulture sunning itself. The sun provides Vitamin D and increases the body temperature before flight.

I shot my picture this morning, at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma.

 

Anise in the Fog

 

Early Morning Magic

Early morning magic on the Bear Valley Trail in Point Reyes.

 

Lots and Lots of Snow Geese

Well*, I don't expect to win any awards with this picture, it merely serves to give you an idea of what a lot of Snow Geese, all in one spot, look like.

 

* Now to well. 73.68% of all sentences uttered in the US begin with this word. If you've never noticed, just listen to people speak. And think how much time (TIME = MONEY) could be saved if the word was retired. I don't think there's an equivalent to well in any other language.

 

Back to the Snow Geese

Ten Snow Geese + one Coot.

 

Respite from Snow Geese

Waldo Tunnel is the unofficial name of the tunnel on 101 between the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito. It is named after Waldo Point along Richardson Bay., which in turn is named after William Waldo, who ran unsuccessfully as a Whig candidate for governor of California in 1853.

The first bore of the tunnel was completed in 1937 and the second in 1954. The archways at the ends of the bores were painted in rainbows by a Caltrans employee, Robert Halligan, and for this reason the tunnel is usually referred to as the Rainbow Tunnel.

I took the picture a couple of days ago, returning from San Francisco. No, I was not at the wheel!