Anise Swallowail

Walking around the Ponds this morning, my lovely companion, Fran, pointed out this, almost as lovely, Anise Swallowtail to me. It was very windy and the butterfly kept fluttering its wings and flying from blossom to blossom. It's a miracle that I managed to wind up with not just one, but three fairly sharp pictures of the little guy/gal. Obviously the Force was with me!

 

I clearly and desperately need a tutor to teach me where to place commas in my sentences.

 

Marine Mammal Release

Yesterday I took pictures for the SCOPE of a Marine Mammal Release. Three California sea lion pups and five elephant seal pups, that were rescued and had been nurtured back to health at the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands, were released back into the wild in honor of World Oceans Day.

 

I took pictures at the Center, and then at Chimney Rock in Point Reyes. My picture shows the five elephant seal pups catching their breath after the long journey. In the background are some adult elephant seals.

 

Here's another recent one from the Greenbrae Boardwalk.

 

And a correction of yesterday's E-mail. One of the closest advisors on my team correctly identified the "beetle" as an engorged tick! For more on the subject go to  http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1I7GGIC_en&oe=UTF-8&q=engorged+tick+picture&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=J7kNTO6iNoyyNtyriLYE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQsAQwAA

 

Perhaps from another World

It happens every time. Just when things begin to get boring, and I think that I'll return home with an empty pixels pouch, something exiting pops up. Returning to the bridge, by the Ponds parking lot this morning, one of the Dancing Girls (but that's another story) exclaimed "look at that bug". We all looked, and there, for all the world to see, was a coffee-bean with legs, eyes and antennae! I could not find anything even close to this beetle in my Funk and Wagnalls (rather Audubon). Perhaps it was the first of a zillion invaders from another planet!

 

Skype

I'm awed by modern technology. Here's my friend, Kilian, this morning from Germany, via Skype. The quality of the transmission blew my mind. When I recovered I grabbed my camera and photographed the screen (no flash). I think that Skype, which doesn't cost a penny, is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I can't understand why anybody wouldn't have it. I just checked and there are 12,677,142 people on line right now! It's simple to open a Skype account. The only thing you have to remember is to be clothed and your hair brushed when you get on-line!

 

I met Kilian when he worked as an intern at a printing plant in the East Bay, at least seventeen years ago. Kilian, a real techie, helped me get started on my first computer! And he was the creator of my E-mail address. He is now a vice-president of Heidelberg, the largest and most prestigious printing-equipment firm, located in ~ you guessed it ~ Heidelberg!

 

Greenbrae Boardwalk

As a result of yesterday's moi E-mail the number of my fans took a disastrous dive South. Hey youse guys ~ it was just a picture which caught me in a pensive mood. And I happen to like it! Alright?

 

This morning I took a little walk on the Greenbrae Boardwalk. The folks that live in the houseboats along the boardwalk are pretty creative. Here's a painting on one of the boxes that grace the boardwalk. I believe these boxes house some of the electrical connections feeding to the houseboats. What is striking about this painting is that it is of the old railroad trestle which you can see in the background.

 

moi

When I turned off my computer last night, I saw a familiar image in the, now dark, computer-screen. 'Twas none other than moi! Stealthily I took my camera in hand and, before the image could escape, took a quick picture (no flash).

Being a very modest guy, I will not speak about handsome-, or wise-looking. I will leave the accolades to you, my faithful fans.

 

Pacific Gopher Snake

This morning Bob T and I encountered a Pacific Gopher Snake at the Ponds. It measured about 3 feet. Our presence did not bother it at all.

 

When threatened the Pacific Gopher Snake often mimics the behavior of a Rattlesnake. It will inflate its body, flatten its head, and vigorously shake it tail, which may produce a rattling sound if done in dry vegetation. Gopher Snakes are generally good natured. They are carnivores.

 

California Academy of Sciences

Yesterday I visited the California Academy of Sciences. You could easily spend a week taking in all the exhibits. My picture shows a diver in Scuba gear swimming in the world's deepest coral reef exhibit. Outfitted with an underwater microphone, the diver answered reef-related questions while cleaning the tank windows and feeding the fish and anemones.

 

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, are able-bodied, but have not yet visited the Academy, you deserve to be spanked.

 

Primitive Art

This huge head (7 feet 2 inches) appeared on my doorstep this morning. Together with my daily Independent Journal. Not a trace of the artist (perpetrator). I decided to lug it in. It wasn't easy to get through the door but I finally succeeded. So here it stands, in my living-room, with its true-blues following my every move. I'll have to see how this is going to work for me.