A Full-time Life

OUTSIDE AGAIN -- on land and water

  

 

Morning at the Caloosahatchie Nature Preserve. 

  This County Park is next door to the snowbird resort where we live here in Florida.  This majestic Live Oak tree marks the start of a walking path  through the Preserve.     Live Oaks are fairly common in this part of the country  --  its  acorns are great food for wildlife.  

 

 

 I have read a little recently about "Forest Bathing", the concept of immersing yourself in quiet natural surroundings.   I agree that a walk in nature brings calm and joy.   It's a different kind of forest here in SW Florida -- foliage is low and except for the few Live Oaks on the edge of this preserve, the trees are thin and sparse compared to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.    But it is green and quiet.   (And certainly  warmer here this time of year.)   So it works for me.

 

 

 Mocking Bird

 

Although this mockingbird posed beautifully along the path, on this walk I heard many more songbirds than I saw -- and certainly more than I could photograph. Some I didn't even try to take pictures of were the dozens and dozens of robins I saw and heard in a clearing.      Robins are extremely common where we're from in Oregon, but those were the first ones I'd seen here in Fort Myers.  It's migration time  -- I guess they were headed back "up North."  

 

 

 Even though I've walked the paths in this preserve many times, there is always something new to see.  Like those robins or these interesting fungi growing on a fallen tree along the pathway.      In past seasons, I walked here more often because the park could be accessed from the back of our resort via a short path.  This year, apparently for security reasons, the gateway to the path has been locked off.   This makes it pretty far to walk to the park from home and would mean a walk along the busy street in front of the resort.   So now we have to drive to the visitor parking area like everybody else, which is kind of a bummer after years of feeling like the Preserve was part of our own  backyard.   But it is still close enough to do often.

On another day last week, we took part in the Boat Club's February outing and lunch.   It was nice to get out on the River again.

 

 

The picture above is our Canal, taken from the back of our boat just as we got out into the Caloosahatchie.   Our Boat hasn't gotten a whole lot of use yet this season -- either because of stormy weather, projects keeping the Captain busy, or being sick.  Or all of the above.   It was a lovely day for this event and nice to get back outside.  

 

 

 

The next day was stormy again -- heavy wind and some rain.  We were lucky that Thursday, the scheduled date  for the boating event,  was such a good one!   It's nice weather again this weekend.  We are thankful for that and looking forward to more playing outside -- on land or water  -- in the weeks to come.

 

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities:

Thank you to all of the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;   and   SATURDAY CRITTERS 

THE JOY OF ORDINARY DAYS

 

Skies are blue, the sun is shining, and my cold is gone!  

 

 

Sky view from our front yard Sunday morning.

 A bit of "off" time is a good reminder to be grateful for  the joys of every-day life.   

 

 

 Lots of Vitamin C at the local Farm Market.  No wonder I feel better!    All of these crops are growing here right now.  Hard to remember sometimes that  it is still Winter.   

 

 

Bill's about a week behind me in getting over that summer Winter cold, so we didn't go far from home at all last week.   I stopped by Butterfly Garden on my way to the Farm Market.  Lots of butterflies, but it was too late in the day (too warm) to get good photographs. They were too flitty -- you have to go before it warms up to get them when they're sitting still.  

 

 

All of these flowers are good food for the butterflies.    Most are native plants for this area.  

 

 

Dune Sunflower

 

The demonstration garden is meant to encourage people to plant to provide habitat for butterflies and bees.  It's a part of Manatee Park on the Orange River.  Manatees gather here when the weather is cooler, because the river water here is warmed by output from the nearby power plant.

 

 

 

Blanket Flower

This time of year, the Manatees are out in the Rivers at least during the day.   The water there is warm enough for them now.   

 

 

Blue Mist Flower

I try  to learn the names of  wildflowers, but I have a long ways to go.

 

Orange River at Manatee Park

Our River water is coffee or tea colored.  This is from the mangroves, which are an important part of the ecological system.

 

 

February's snow moon -- certainly mis-named for this part of the country.  The pictures are from our porch.  I was still under-the-weather the week the moon was full and that was about as far as I got.   I was happy to have the view and the warmth then, but am even more grateful to be well for it!  

 

 

Linking this week to the following:

THANK YOU to all of the hosts!!  

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; MACRO MONDAY ;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY  BLISS   

THE WEEK THAT WAS ...

It was one of those weeks --  full of the petty little annoyances that seem to come in bunches (my mother always said things come in threes.)   However we word it, I hope we are finished with that run for  little while.    Here's an old but happy picture that cheers me up just by looking at it:   

 

Butterfly Park, Fort Myers, from the archives
(taken in January a couple of years ago)

It would have been a great week to go for a nice long walk or two, but one of the annoyances was a bad head cold.   That coupled with windy and changeable weather kept me indoors.  I was going to post  all archived photos this week (as the one above is).  But this morning we got a taste of early Spring in a text from our daughter.  She said I could share the joy.

 

Oregon morning

I haven't been waking up nearly as early as I used to -- whether here in Florida or when we were in Oregon.   So this Oregon sunrise from Cyndi was a real gift.    

 

 

The first crocus in Cyndi and Jeff's backyard.   We don't see early Spring flowers (or really any typical Spring flowers) here in subtropical SW Florida.  

 

 I do miss the flowers.  But the frequent chilly, rainy February days, not so much.

 

Violets

 

Their violets are remnants from  years ago when our "kids" first bought their home in the country and we too still lived "full-time" in Oregon.  Bill and I  cut our own firewood back then and after one expedition wild violet plants came home on some of our logs.   Cyndi and Jeff were happy to get new plants then (as you do when you buy a home on five acres where the yard had been completely neglected by the previous owner.)  We transplanted the violets, gave them several bunches and planted some in our own flower beds too.  Before long, parts of both our lawns were more violet than grass.   

I'm glad I had those colorful Spring pictures to share because below are the archived ones I was going to share -- pretty much the only color in them is a fluke of photography.  Both mosaics are from last summer's trip to Washington State.

 

 

These pictures are from the Dismal Nitch rest stop near Astoria.     All three are straight out of the camera with no editing (except to put them in the mosaic of course).  I almost always take too many pictures of everything and once in a great while, my camera puts some of them into different shades.  I honestly have no idea how it happens,  but this one time I didn't throw the fakes away, because it was kind of interesting to see some color instead of ... well ... the true dismal gray.  

 

The Lewis and Clark expedition was stuck here in November 1805 by a perfect storm.   

We stop at Dismal Nitch Safety Rest Area whenever we drive that route.   It is always windy and cold, even in the summer.  That and the excerpts from the 1805 expedition journals  make you grateful for warm clothes and transportation fast enough to mean you will never have to spend a week camping out in that kind of weather.

Thank you to Cyndi for all of the cheer from Oregon!  And for the memories.   Grateful for my archives too.  And grateful that the small glitches were solved by Bill before he caught my cold.  (I'm better and sorry that I generously shared the germs.)  

Thank you also to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

LASSEN NATIONAL PARK

On our Autumn roadtrip we spent a full day in California's Lassen Volcanic National Park with a short stop on our way  at nearby Burney Falls State Park.  

 

Burney Falls State Park (California)

The Fall colors at the State park were beautiful and Burney Falls itself is spectacular.   We had the Roadtrek Camper Van and had planned to spend the night there, but the Park was absolutely deserted, with all camping areas roped off.   The visitor center was closed.   We never did find out why -- mid-October seemed early for the season to be over.    We had a little walk around the area, took lots of pictures and then found an unexceptional motel near the National Park.  

 

 One of the informational signs at Burney Falls.  I've always loved waterfalls but at seeing this sign realized I had never even given a thought to how they are formed.  Science and Geography were not my best subjects in school. They say it is good for aging brains to learn new things -- and that is easier to do when you missed a lot of learning earlier in life.

 

 Summit Lake, Mt Lassen National Park

This view looks calm and peaceful, but Lassen Park is an active volcanic site and is home to all four types of volcano -- plug dome, cinder cone, shield, and stratovolcano.  Scientists continually monitor the area, especially since Mount Saint Helens (also part of the Cascade Mountain chain) blew up in 1980.   The National Park Service has developed an emergency plan to protect the public in case an eruption threatens.

 

Bumpass Hell Trail and  Sulfur Works

 

Hydrothermal sulfur mud pots boil along the trails in the park.   In appearance (and "aroma") they  rival those in the more well known Yellowstone National Park.   Lassen is one of the least visited National Parks -- it gets around 500,000 visitors annually, compared to Yellowstone's over 4 million.   

 

Rocks "painted"  by sulfur and other deposits 

 

Brokeoff Mountain (Mt Tehama)

 

Brokeoff  Mountain was an active stratovolcano around 400,000 years ago.  It would have been 11,000 feet high.   After the volcano stopped erupting the mountain slowly eroded and crumbled.   These are remnants.  Volcanic activity in the area shifted toward the present Mt Lassen.

 

 

 We are honored to have visited 41 of the 60 National Parks in the US and are grateful to the dedicated people who work for the NP Service.  I can only hope that these parks (and other natural wonders here in this country)  will still exist by the time our great-grandchildren are old enough to visit them.

 

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to all of the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY  BLISS;   

 

 

FLORIDA WINTER

 

Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, Fort Myers

 

It was a beautiful day for walking Friday at Six-Mile Cypress Preserve.      Birds were a little scarce, but I had fun chasing woodpeckers around their trees (with my camera, from a good distance).  I saw red-bellies (the one above)  and downies.   Also lots of warblers flitting about including a very nice sighting of a black-and-white (but no pictures), and a hawk or two.  

So, yes, Friday was a good walking day -- but it was cold (for Florida) earlier last week.  How cold was it, you ask?  It was so cold ....  

 

Obviously not my picture.  I (virtually) clipped it from a website

 

.... that the Iguanas fell out of the trees.    Iguanas become cold-stunned when the temperature drops into near-freezing.  Their breathing slows and they enter a state of torpor which causes them to lose muscle control.  They live in trees and when that happens to them, they fall.    People are reminded not to pick them up or move them  -- they are not dead and when it warms up, they'll be off and running -- well, moving anyway.)

 

This is an original -- from my Florida archives --an  Agama lizard, not an Iguana

But it wasn't really quite that cold here -- we live in NW Florida  and although we woke up to temperatures in the low 40s on a couple of days, it never actually got down to freezing here on the Canal.    Still a little chilly in the mornings, but the sun warms things up during the day.  I don't think our lizards had much to complain about.  Neither did we.

 

Wood Duck Pond, Six-Mile

 

Like all reptiles, alligators don't generate their own heat.  When it gets below 70 (F)  they've already slowed down and stopped feeding.  In really cold weather, they will burrow into a den in the bank and go  dormant until it warms up.  They can even live under ice while in a dormant state (according to Google -- I've never seen an alligator where there was ice.  And don't want to.)

 

 

Wood Duck Pond

 

The Alligator on Wood Duck Pond was sharing the same log with other critters -- quite a group of turtles and an Anahinga drying its wings at the other end.  (It was just a little above 70 degrees -- all critters were safe!)

 

 

Brown Anole at Six-Mile

 

It's rather reptile-heavy around the blog today, isn't it?  Apologies to those who think they're a little creepy.  Personally  I find them  fascinating in all their prehistoric glory.  But I wouldn't get real close to the larger ones.     This brown anole is definitely not one of the large variety.

Through the magic of a zoom lens, it's possible to get better pictures -- but it can also distort  our perception of size.  This guy is very tiny -- about the size of my little finger.    That Alligator above was around eight feet long.       The Agama Lizard in my archival shot was probably around a foot.

 

Cypress Knees in the Slough

 

There was a lot of water in the slough -- and that's a good thing.   The Cypress Knee families were happy.  (They look to me like hobbit people.)

 

 

Six-Mile is one of my favorite places.   It's part of the reason we have been happy to come back for all these years -- the natural beauty of this State (so green) is not what people who have never been here usually think of when they think of Florida.    We certainly learned quickly that the Pacific Northwest doesn't have an exclusive corner on emerald green nature.  

 

The same patch of sky -- looking down and looking up.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities:  Thank you to all of the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY  ; WANDERING CAMERA;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

WORK and (mostly) PLAY (now and then)

 

 

Except for the first two rows, this week's pictures are all from last Summer and Fall.  But like the best second meals from the same day of cooking, it's not just leftovers served because there's nothing else, but rather "planned-overs."  In this case,  good experiences that we really want to remember.

Here are the new servings:

It was a beautiful day for the January Boat Club lunch.  Above, the Captain is bringing our boat in to the dock in front of the restaurant for a passenger pickup.  Bill's piloting and our friend is ready to help.    I'm always happy to cede  first-mate duties to someone more experienced -- and we enjoyed the company during the "voyage."    The spouses formerly known as first-mates were waiting at the dock.  It had been a  long walk to the place where we'd tied up during lunch and we were happy for the water-taxi service.

But below is what that Captain was busy with for most of the week ....

 

... which explains why there were few new experiences to blog about.   "We" are putting in a second bathroom  at one end of the Florida Room that we added a few years ago.  It's in  a very small space planned for this purpose -- but finishing it requires not only  skill but also  acrobatic ability (neither of them mine, although sometimes I stop blogging and go hold something or fetch something as requested.)   The addition of this bath and then renovation of the existing one are the last parts of the remodeling project begun when we bought the "Canal Cottage."   

Now onward -- or backward -- to last season when we were in Oregon.

 

Late November 

The picture above is a view of the Willamette River from one of the walking paths we can access easily from our apartment.   Autumn is  beautiful in Eugene and we are happy with our location where we have the ability to walk these natural surroundings as often as we wish.  

 

Early November
Birds and a Bat!  

 

All of the above critters were seen on the same day as I walked through residential areas on the way to the river.  There were dozens of robins on the grass behind our apartment complex -- perhaps a migration stopover (although Eugene seldom gets too cold for them -- maybe this was their final stop).  There are always ducks -- but the center picture was a big surprise.  It was taken behind our apartment complex, an area where the sun had not yet reached, on the same walk where I photographed some of the many  robins.   I have to admit that I didn't realize I'd taken a picture of a Bat until we downloaded the pictures -- what a surprise that was.

 

 

Burney Falls, California

October

 

Burney Falls was the first California stop on our October Road Trip.  We were in the area to visit  Lassen Volcanic National Park -- which is another "planned-over" for a future post.

 

September

 

This is Parker, our daughter and son-in-law's dog.     He is half McNabb Terrier and half Mastiff.  This big puppy thinks he's hiding behind that tree.     There's a family tabby cat as well and one of my photo goals is to get a good picture of Parker and Chloe playing together.  They really do like each other -- and the great part of it is that the two have almost the exact same coloring.   Some day I'll get that perfect picture.

 

August

Swallows migrated through our area in August -- I caught a few of them in a very rare moment resting moment.   

 

 

 Auto-correct is one of my pet peeves,  so I had to laugh at this sign seen in a coffee shop somewhere on our summer travels.   This is dedicated to every blog friend who has ever wondered what the heck it was I meant to say when I didn't catch an error in a comment before I hit "send".    We won't even talk about text messages.

 

October -- Mt Lassen area 

Beautiful blue skies from our Autumn Road Trip -- and at the lower row corners, what I can fairly confidently say is the only snow we'll see this season.         

Thankful for memories this week and for the new ones we're making -- of both work and play  -- today, last season,  and always!     

 

LINKING this week to the following:  Thank you to all of the generous hosts. 

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;   SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS;  SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

HOLE IN THE HEAD ...

....  and other follow-up from Bodega Bay. 

 

California -- The Golden State

 

 

Pictures above are from somewhere on the road between Bodega Bay and Arcata Marsh, during our October road-trip to California (from our home in Oregon).

 

Hole in the Head, Bodega Bay

Before the arrival of Europeans, the  Bodega Bay Headlands was home to Miwok Indians -- there was fresh spring water, sea water, and abundant land and sea life.  Early settlers followed for the same reasons.    In the late 1950s,  PG&E (Utility Company) bought land from a local rancher and planned to turn the area into the nation's first commercially viable nuclear power plant.    This would have destroyed the habitat and local residents and other concerned citizens mounted a campaign to halt the  construction.   It dragged through legal channels until it was stopped for good in 1964 -- the environmental destruction alone should have been enough, but the fact that the Headlands lies on the San Andreas Fault was actually the deciding factor.   

The Hole in the Head is   a 90 by 120 foot deep hole dug by PG&E during the initial construction phrase.  The "hole"  is constantly refilled by the fresh springs that drew Native Americans and early settlers  to the area.  It provides safe habitat for a variety of birds and wildlife.  (Information from signage at the headlands, with some of my own thoughts inserted.)

 

 

I posted about Bodega Bay earlier HERE --  (only a few weeks ago -- I'm still way behind in blogging) .  Above is another picture of some of the Marbled Godwits that we saw .  Thank you to the generous birders who verified my identification in their comments.  Your help was  much appreciated.  

 

Possibly descendants of  early movie stars?

 

A few comments on the earlier post mentioned that famous movie filmed in this charming little town.  For entirely different reasons, I appreciated those comments as well.     I knew a little  about "The Birds" and there were are still a few signs and reminders of it around the town, but we'd  never seen the movie.  (It was released in 1963 -- by  November of that year, we had four children under the age of six.   Movies were  low on our list of things to do.)  Too bad we didn't have streaming services available back then (although I'm sure I'd have fallen asleep in front of the TV just as well with it!).  We did use that modern service to watch it just recently -- it was definitely dated and only the opening scene looked much like the Bodega Bay we saw.  It was fun to watch though  ---   and I still love all kinds of birds.    

 

 

This sign is along Highway 1 just outside of Bodega Bay.  The Chanslor family owns a big ranch and this wetlands area.  The sign on this fence said that hiking was allowed with permission and that minors must be accompanied by an adult at all times.   Seemed like the prickly  tangle of weeds would do a good job of keeping anyone young or old out of this protected area.   But we walked along the edge in front of the fence and soon came to a great photo stop where we could actually see the water.

 

 

I think, but am not sure, that the water is Salmon Creek.   There was the largest flock of Mallards here that I've ever seen.  These are just a small part of them.  It's an extremely common duck but it was interesting to see so many of them together.  And they are handsome! 

 

Grateful ...

 

 ... that we were able to travel to this fascinating area and for all that we learned.   Thankful for the people who saved the Bodega Headlands.   

And thank you for visiting and especially for your comments.   And, as always, thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities.    

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;   SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY  BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

OUR DECEMBER IN FLORIDA

 

This is a collection of our December activities, not including the un-photographed ones involved in getting the Canal Cottage livable again (we arrived here on the 5th of the month) and not necessarily in order.        

 

Anastasia State Park, St Augustine 

 

The beach was lovely, but chilly -- that warning flag was blowing like crazy.

 

 

Ollie's Pond,  Port Charlotte

 

It looked like the Black-bellied whistling ducks  were admiring the beautiful pink spoonbill who had somehow appeared in their midst.   The whole walk around the pond, we saw only the one Roseate Spoonbill.  And dozens of the ducks.

 

 

Holiday sparkle in St Augustine.  The whole city was beautifully decorated, but all in sparkly white lights which didn't photograph too well (by me at least).  The colored ornaments were in a restaurant.... the palmettos outside the window added a definite Florida touch!  

 

 

Peace River Wildlife Center

We visited the Wildlife Rehab Center in Punta Gorda on our way back from Port Charlotte, but the Great Egret was wild and could have been photographed anywhere.   It makes me smile when we see wild birds in rehabilitation places.  I always wonder if they are there to visit friends.

 

Ollie's Pond

 

A few more of the whistling ducks, a ground dove,  white ibis -- and I think the bird hiding in the reeds is a common gallinule.   We dashed up the freeway to Port Charlotte early in the month because the kind of sunglasses I needed were on sale there.   Somehow, I lost mine between Oregon and here (unless they are still on the table in our Oregon apartment ... it was zero dark thirty when we left there!!)   

We had a lot to do at home at that point, so I was surprised and more than happy when Bill (the person who did not lose his sunglasses)  suggested a couple of bird-y stops on our way home -- and I'm happy to have good sunglasses too, needless to say.     

 

 

Upriver Sky

 

We've had some rain and cool-ish days, but there is sun in between -- and warmth.  (And even cool-ish isn't really very).  

 

New Year's Eve Sparkle, downtown Fort Myers

 

With our good boating buddies from the resort, we spent three nights at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin (the city marina).  A good  time was had by all. 

 

December is always a busy month for us -- as it is for just about everybody.   Nowadays, it's  a different kind of busy than it was over half-a-century ago when we played Santa -- or even thirty years ago more or less when we hosted Santa-believing grandchildren (and their parents, and aunts and uncles) for part of their holidays.   We're thankful for all of those good memories, but also more than grateful to be here to enjoy this stage of life.  

Happy New Year!

 

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities, with thanks to the hosts:

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; TUESDAY TREASURES;  SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  WILD BIRD Wednesday;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING

 

 

WARM HOLIDAY WISHES

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our Florida Canal Cottage.

(This post is a re-run, but the sentiments and the pictures have not gone out-of-date.)

 

 

 

Wishing you a Joyful Holiday Season ...

 

 

...  And light even when the days are dark.

 

 

Celebrate the Season, wherever you may be...

 

 

... and be thankful at the end of each beautiful day.

 

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 THANK you for visiting!  

Taking a Holiday Break to catch up ... Another post in a couple of weeks.   

Comments for this post are closed.

 

 

Wishing you a Joyful Holiday Season ...

 

 

...  And light even when the days are dark.

 

 

Celebrate the Season, wherever you may be...

 

 

... and be thankful at the end of each beautiful day.

 

##

 

 THANK you for visiting!  

BODEGA BAY, CALIFORNIA

Bodega Bay, mid-October

We're alive and well and enjoying real life in Florida.   But still living in the past here in Blogland.    These pictures are all from a roadtrip we took back in mid-October.  

 

 

Our destination was a new-to-us coastal area -- Bodega Bay in Sonoma County, California.    We traveled from our Oregon home in our RoadTrek RV (camper van).     We'd only been back home for a few days when that part of Northern California was devastated by wildfires  and power outages.    I've not been able to find much on-line about what happened in the coastal town of Bodega Bay, but we hope that it was not severely damaged.  

 

 

  I hope the birds in the picture above are (mostly) Marbled Godwits.  But I could be wrong (and any corrections are more than welcome)  .... in any case it was great happening upon an evening feeding frenzy of these busy shorebirds as we headed back to our RV Park after a day exploring  Bodega Head.

 

 

Same general area, but all by itself -- this little guy was able to find a quiet dining spot away from the company of bigger birds.

 

 

Some color on the hillsides above the Bay.  There were so many great viewpoints.    I'm always thankful to spend time exploring nature and this really was a beautiful spot.    

 

 

 

One of the above is not like the others.

.

 

Bodega Head

On the other hand, each of these is pretty much exactly like all the others.

 

Another person watching the activity on this offshore rookery told me these were Brandt's Cormorants.  As always, I depend upon the kindness of strangers (and blog friends) for birding help.  Cormorants are not my favorite bird and they're not very photogenic, but a rookery is always interesting.  (The inset is highly cropped --   I used it to compare with my bird book description -- Brandt's looks right to me, but again .... ) 

 

This could be any seaside town in Florida, but it really was taken in Bodega Bay California.

  Can't go to the Coast without enjoying the Pelicans (and it doesn't matter which coast we're on).  

 

This was a great roadtrip -- we learned a lot about the area and I do have other pictures and information for a later post.  But since our posts have been a bit lacking in birds this whole past summer and fall, I'm making up for that shortage this week.   

 

 

 

We drove a lot of interesting roads on this trip.  

This picture also shows the dry conditions that prevailed prior to those terrible fires   -- California needs rain.  

 

Thankful to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities (and to everyone who visits and especially those who comment):

MOSAIC MONDAY;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; SAY CHEESE; WILD BIRD Wednesday     MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;  SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS;   SATURDAY CRITTERS;  and RATHER B' BIRDING