Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Monday, June 29, 2009

Dublin Monday

5:53 AM


My sister is off to work and I'm off to the hills around Dublin.






The top of one of the hills west of Dublin.


The head of one of the canyons above Dublin.












Lots of stickers in my socks but a fun hike in the hills above Dublin.
I was back to the house by 8:00 AM. Yesterday afternoon the temperature reached 102 degrees! Summer is here!




Sunday, June 28, 2009

Doing more Dublin

We went for an early morning walk around the Dublin area looking for fun photo opportunites.


Or mirrored windows.






Dancing under the underpass!!
A great series of murals.


A channelized ditch but bucolic just the same .

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Walking Dublin

Computer access! You know what that means..... Time to Blog!!
Here's a shot of MY sister and I doing an early morning walk around her neighborhood.
Her neighborhood! Lots of hills for a good work-out.

A snail also out for its morning hike as evidenced by its shiny trail in the early morning light.


A doe and her fauns, also out enjoying the morning.
Nice!

All went well at the VA. I'm good for another year.

Friday, June 26, 2009

A couple sketches

I did these sketches during our Skunk Track Trek.

"Camp 31" we named our first night's camp near the 31 Mile Post alongside the tracks and away from the mosquitoes.

Camp 20 was our camp near the halfway point; the second night of the trip.
This sketch features my "The One" tent by Gossamer Gear, a big redwood and the Noyo River.

I'm going to be gone this weekend. First my visit to the VA in San Francisco and then off to Dublin to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Dublin, California that is!
Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Harumpf

The cats are starting to ignore me.

The dogs are behind closed doors.

But here's the Poppy in a crack I mentioned the other day.

I spotted this in one of the antique stores on Franklin Street.
Funny, the same thing happened in Coupeville, Washington!

And these antiques remind me I have a Bone Density Scan and an Urology appointment at the VA Hospital in San Francisco tomorrow. Yes, they are related but not the way you think. Jeez!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tourist Season.

High on the current list of coastal visitors are folks in search of the elusive Abalone. Here an early group of hunters heading for Glass Beach.
A fare amount of early morning walkers have crossed the the Pudding Creek Trestle as evident in the morning dew.

Residual foot prints on the Pudding Creek Beach dunes.

Yet early morning has its beauty and solitude for those who seek it.

A yearling White Crown Sparrow awake in his new world.

A splendid "Butterfly Garden".
*****************
I have posted a slide show of our Skunk Train Trek from Willits to Fort Bragg.
Click this link and then "Backpacking the Skunk" and then "Full Screen" in the upper right hand corner. There is a slide show "speed control" in the upper left.
Hope it works for you!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A mixed bag plus Roger's bird list!

I specifically decided to look for cats during this mornings walk.

And I found a few.

Enjoying the rising sun.

But then got sidetracked by the medical helicopter lifting off from our local hospital and happened to catch a Raven in the frame.

And couldn't pass up this snail and his/hers, its? shadow!

As for Roger's list of birds spotted during our Skunk Train track trek....
Let me mention, we walked from Willits to Fort Bragg NOT from Fort Bragg to Willits. It doesn't change the 40 mile distance but it does change the progression of bird sightings.

Saturday June 13, 2009
01 American Robin
02 Common Raven
03 Spotted Towhee
04 Red-breasted Sapsucker
05 Nuttall's Woodpecker
06 Swainson's Thrush
07 California Quail
08 Wrentit
09 Western Scrub-Jay
10 Brewer's Blackbird
11 Turkey Vulture
12 Black Phoebe
13 Pacific-slope Flycatcher
14 Dark-eyed Junco
15 Steller's Jay
16 Lesser Goldfinch
17 Bewick's Wren
18 Band-tailed Pigeon
19 Barn Swallow
20 Ash-throated Flycatcher
21 Red-shouldered Hawk
22 Cassin's Vireo
23 Black-throated Gray Warbler
24 Pileated Woodpecker
25 Sooty Grouse
26 Western Bluebird
27 Western Kingbird
28 Violet-green Swallow
29 Acorn Woodpecker
30 Oak Titmouse
31 Chestnut-backed Chickadee
32 Hermit Thrush
Sunday June 14,
33 Western Tanager
34 Winter Wren
35 Wilson's Warbler
36 Orange-crowned Warbler
37 Song Sparrow
38 Allen's Hummingbird
39 Black-headed Grosbeak
Monday, June 15,
40 Belted Kingfisher
41 Nothern Flicker
42 Cliff Swallow
Tuesday, June 16,
43 Mourning Dove
44 Brown Creeper
45 Eurasian Collared-Dove
46 Warbling Vireo
47 Mallard
48 American Goldfinch
49 House Finch
50 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
51 White-crowned Sparrow
52 Osprey
53 Marsh Wren

Thanks Roger.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Back to Walking and Gawking

We had a good time at the Kalamath Fly-in and Camp-out. I brought my radio controlled airplanes home in one piece which is always a good sign and have resumed my early morning walks around Fort Bragg. It was a nice sunny morning for walking and gawking! (The sun cleared the coastal hills at 6:05 AM)!

This sign has caught my eye before but today I finally documented it! Nice!

Yellow on yellow. Couldn't pass it up!

Nor this interesting combo.

The sun was just right to highlight this flower. No idea what this flower is besides beautiful.

And an ubiquitous shopping cart. I had to add it to my shopping cart photo collection.

Any guesses as to what's under the bag? Almost looks like an Enterprise Ad.

And Poppies! What's up with Poppies? Where ever there are poppies there are always more. There were offspring growing in the cracks of the street gutter nearby. I shoulda documented them!

These flowers accent a split-rail redwood fence.

And cats. Nothing like early morning sunshine to bring 'em out!

It's good to be back.