Pas de deux

Members of the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Ballet performing at the Ponds this morning.

 

Legion of Honor

This afternoon I visited the, less-than-great, "Cult of Beauty" exhibition at the Palace of the Legion of Honor. Here's a picture of the colonnade at the front of the museum. The museum is a 3/4 scale version of the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur in Paris. It sits on what used to be a potter's field.

 

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Here's another picture from the visit to the rookery in Santa Rosa. By a slip of the pen (!) I committed the unforgivable sin of calling the "Black-crowned Night-Heron" a "Black-crowned Egret"! The hate-mail was not long in coming!! Fortunately a few of my more adult friends did have the decency of overlooking my minor faux pas, while comparing my picture to Picasso's Peace Dove! Thank you!

 

Great Egret

Undaunted by the Nation's economic slowdown, there is a building-boom on 9th Street in Santa Rosa. Here Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Black-crowned Egrets can be see hauling in building materials for the approaching population increase.

Owls

Mama Owl is back with two new youngsters. I'll keep you posted on their progress.

 

Call the Cops!

A scuffle between two Canada Geese sends a couple of Avocets scampering out of harm's way.

 

It happened yesterday morning at Shollenberger Park.

 

Miracle!

This may not be my greatest photographic achievement, but I felt compelled to follow up yesterday's "Motherhood" picture with one of just the eggs. It boggles the imagination (or at least mine) how nature works. Just think ~ eleven eggs, each one perfectly shaped!

 

Motherhood

Bob T and I were just about to sit down on "our" bench at the Ponds this morning, when we noticed a female Mallard sitting in the grass behind the bench. She didn't move as we got closer to take a picture, making us wonder whether she was sick. Finally she flew off. Surprise! There was a nest with eleven (11) eggs! Bob and I got out of the way, shortly mama returned, and I took the attached picture. I hope the family will be safe. Eleven eggs! Holy moley!

 

Paddle Surfer

This morning at the Headlands.

 

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), stand up paddle boarding, or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he'e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of students, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint. This increased visibility of what was going on around them such as incoming swell.

 

Wave

Not quite Hokusai!

 

Birds of a Feather ...........

The expression appears to have surfaced in the 16th century, allegedly a literal translation of Plato's Republic. In 1545, William Turner wrote a version of the expression in The Rescuing of Romish Fox: "Byrdes of one kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together."

 

This morning, at the Ponds, I saw Pelicans on the left and Great Egrets on the right, each group doing their own thing. What do birds think when they see other birds in close proximity? On the surface it seems that they don't give a damn!

 

Honore Daumier Lives

I believe you know, that, as a rule, I like my pictures to be oven-fresh, taken the same, or, at least, the previous day. But now and then I come up short and am about to throw in the towel, when, quite unexpectedly, Lady Luck smiles upon me. As was the case this afternoon. When I took out the trash I discovered a beautiful portrait on the garage floor. Here it is.

 

Dimitri Sklavapolous

Greek god dons Tamalpa Runners tank-top and takes pictures of Earthlings.

 

Rock

Face or Fish? All I know is that it's a rock with a little assist from that famous artiste!

 

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican with Cormorant honor guard at Marin Headlands.

 

Shadow

SHADOW

 

#END

 

"The City"

San Francisco as seen through the Golden Gate Bridge. I took this picture this morning from Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands. But note, this is one of my rare postcard pix.

 

My Kitchen Window Again

Born in an apartment in Vienna, and raised in an apartment in Shanghai, I guess I'll never get over seeing a deer from my kitchen window, only a few feet away! You frontier Americans just have to put up with me! Today's visitor appeared as I was having breakfast.

 

Sculpture

I think that what we have here is a Wilkins Reduced Pressure Principle Assembly Backflow Preventer. In other words, I don't have a clue! If you must see the original in person, you will have to head for #2 Shoreline Parkway in San Rafael.

 

I, on the other hand, simply quote Rhett Butler, and say "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn". Because to me, the device is simply a beautiful sculpture. No more, no less.

 

Robert Kennedy

Here's another one from my files, and then it's back to the present again.

 

I took this picture of Robert Kennedy, in downtown San Francisco, in 1968, just a few days before that horrific June 6, when he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, at the Ambassador Hotel, in Los Angeles. When I saw Kennedy, he appeared so vital and energetic, that, when I heard the news of his death, I could not believe he was gone.

 

Here's a picture I took of Janis Joplin in the sixties, at Speedway Meadow, in Golden Gate Park. And that's James Gurley on guitar. Janis lived from 1943 - 70, after just a four-year career. Her music still sends chills down my spine. It doesn't seem possible that there are some among you that have never heard of Janis! But if there are, Google and Youtube her without delay!

 

Opportunity

As a rule, I don't send out advertisements. However, when I saw these boots in a store-window in Mill Valley's Lytton Square today, I decided to give you a heads-up, before they were gone. Real show-stoppers I thought!

 

HAPPY EASTER!

 

Important Sign

I just can't wait!

 

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge doesn't get much press, unless there's an accident. In fact, though, it's a handsome structure worth note, as today's picture will illustrate. This, on a little walk, while waiting for my car to be serviced at Marin Honda.

 

Beautiful

I saw this plant at Lake Lagunitas the other day. I don't know what it is called, but think it is really beautiful. Elegance in simplicity!

 

Midges?

On Monday, at the Ponds, Bob T and I were beset by swarms of insects. They looked like large mosquitoes and I think they were midges (which breed on water). The good news was, that, while the air was really thick with them, they got out of our way and left us in peace. Attached is a picture of what we saw, with an inset showing an enlargement. The only puzzle ~ how come last week's Swallows were absent on Monday?

 

Mea Culpa!

Re: The "Trio" Blog

 

Shoulda read "species", rather than "specie". I actually looked it up, but screwed up anyway! So sorry please!

Trio

American Avocet and two Black-necked Stilts. This morning at the Ponds.

 

One of the things that fascinates me about birds is how they adhere to a strict code when it comes to keeping an invisible boundary of personal (?) space around their bodies. I'm speaking of birds of one specie (on a wire, for instance). And birds will fly away when humans enter a certain boundary (though this differs with birds accustomed to being fed [bad idea]).

 

That having been said, it is interesting to note, how close birds of one specie, will allow birds of another, to wander without batting an eye (ha)!

 

"Bark!"

I hope the command "Bark!" did not mislead you!

 

What we have here instead, today, is the beautiful bark of a tree I could not identify (no surprise there). This on yesterday's walk around Lake Lagunitas. And yes, I do confess to a leeetle help from Photoshop.

 

What Drought?

Here's the wooden spillway coming down from Lake Lagunitas. Part of the year it is completely dry.