tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50126974172762889732024-03-18T21:29:31.878-07:00Martha's MusingsThe Adventures of Ranger DuckieMartha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.comBlogger609125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-36471892156053122292023-10-23T10:50:00.004-07:002023-10-23T19:12:49.286-07:00My Adventures in Boston<p> <span> </span>At age 78 and with a spouse with advanced dementia, it is natural that I might worry if my own cognitive abilities are declining. When I was invited to attend a wedding in a Boston suburb I decided that this would be a good test, both of my problem solving abilities and whether or not I wanted to travel on my own.</p><p><span> I spent considerable time </span>planning, I chose a hotel adjacent to the end of a "T" line that ran into Boston but wasn't far from the wedding venue. It went well, I learned to use the T and negotiate routes that required using several trains. I learned to use the Lyft app and got a ride to the wedding venue.</p><p><span> On Saturday, Oct 21 I used three trains to get me to the Amtrak station for my planned train trip across the country. I settled into my compartment and the train started to pull out of the station. Then it backed back into the station. An announcement said anyone going beyond Albany, NY needed to get off the train. I was certainly going beyond Albany as were many other passengers. It seems that a mudslide had damaged the track, not the track we would pass over but the track on which the New York train, and with which ours would merge needed to travel. For some logistical reason that was not made clear it meant that our train could not proceed beyond Albany.</span><br /></p><p><span><span> What to do? I looked at flights for that day but it was getting late and I was not at the airport. I decided to get a room at an airport hotel. It was raining and the nearest Lyft was 15 min away so I decided to take a cab. He must have been the most clueless cab driver in all of Boston. I told him what hotel I needed to get to, he had no idea whereto go. He needed the address. So I put the name of the hotel into the app on my phone and got him the address (he </span></span>couldn't do this himself?). When we got to the airport complex he drove right by the sign that pointed the way to my hotel and started to go around in circles. Finally I pulled up google maps on my phone and guided him to the hotel. Once settled I booked a flight home.</p><p><span> I'm reassured that the old girl still has it. I used the Delta app, the Amtrak app and the Lyft app, found my way around Boston and did some problem solving. I'm still not sure how I feel about traveling on my own, I do miss my companion of 57 years but now I feel confident that I can do it if I want to, at least for now.</span></p>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-78876253791841603732023-04-30T20:38:00.003-07:002023-04-30T20:38:48.074-07:00Ranger Duckie at Point Reyes part 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCop1fqlL4t5IWfixurGGdLzsLOTb6_ghv238gyfP398eqj-2iE5wxXz72OfWaMB7TWFMbgjlXtec1wy9S0dKm3DCyNqHpjWUiAnIKSYnlrrgvxHZ3FZfIccox9L0iNUabY25s-_maMcyNje0tpOHHQfPo86bD0Z-Hd4Lw5JLggiQflxu-S22ybOX/s2640/Iceplant.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCop1fqlL4t5IWfixurGGdLzsLOTb6_ghv238gyfP398eqj-2iE5wxXz72OfWaMB7TWFMbgjlXtec1wy9S0dKm3DCyNqHpjWUiAnIKSYnlrrgvxHZ3FZfIccox9L0iNUabY25s-_maMcyNje0tpOHHQfPo86bD0Z-Hd4Lw5JLggiQflxu-S22ybOX/w400-h266/Iceplant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Point Reyes National Seashore is a good place to view how man influences nature and how nature influences man. Here I am viewing an introduced plant, ice plant that had a significant and negative influence on the coastal dunes.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVoubiQAJZRjzGq_PffuHpUQ4NyH0MCu7JqZVyd0hE9nPrGGJXvu1eWNgwN6nPHLION74vrohnioSKQw4Bo3e7cEUU11rIhEEfMBw66XtJQ8fDxlL4b_ZG0TK_J6tqYs4J20EP4MpB5jB87ZozT9BrsProZ6pDb2jtov-yEciDLpyeRSTQlqbPj9r/s2640/sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2149" data-original-width="2640" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVoubiQAJZRjzGq_PffuHpUQ4NyH0MCu7JqZVyd0hE9nPrGGJXvu1eWNgwN6nPHLION74vrohnioSKQw4Bo3e7cEUU11rIhEEfMBw66XtJQ8fDxlL4b_ZG0TK_J6tqYs4J20EP4MpB5jB87ZozT9BrsProZ6pDb2jtov-yEciDLpyeRSTQlqbPj9r/w640-h520/sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An exhibit at North Beach explains how the invasive ice plant and European beach grass are displacing the native plants and keeping the normally shifting dunes stable. Stable dunes may sound like a good idea but I think we need places where we can see nature at work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLoVmyEa6LAil1noVj72DfnYuRxidruTx61j9E1CbjXZDXA9fF4gyRSuZo4FYAOqXsXJG_bFtc5ygEAT5VEUlvi9RBqR18Xc9q8FRGqFQQ_slaLIYhzbIj15dMjiUKiojOyoqwvVjlwdy93xTo2xPc6tMM1uJXTYkw1VLQHhQUyQN1Qc-fe5XMpAn/s2640/iceplant%20piles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLoVmyEa6LAil1noVj72DfnYuRxidruTx61j9E1CbjXZDXA9fF4gyRSuZo4FYAOqXsXJG_bFtc5ygEAT5VEUlvi9RBqR18Xc9q8FRGqFQQ_slaLIYhzbIj15dMjiUKiojOyoqwvVjlwdy93xTo2xPc6tMM1uJXTYkw1VLQHhQUyQN1Qc-fe5XMpAn/w640-h426/iceplant%20piles.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you can see piles of ice plant that have been pulled up while some of the native plants are reestablishing themselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aeoY_EYcxlBps7VT-Pkd7QTn3Oto5yo8zmxFfKcGHnhX1zG09RrLLFG3JNu-32wbVC7AQDH5lKzib3clth8C0gMudMZLuoVnccG1YtFPxUc9qKDV-cg2z9HwtYqg-2puWU6V_NanLWxweDirhbzKC6jC0XmPBQAzu0_LOkvLTL1O7UGaJEsbYvsl/s2640/flower%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aeoY_EYcxlBps7VT-Pkd7QTn3Oto5yo8zmxFfKcGHnhX1zG09RrLLFG3JNu-32wbVC7AQDH5lKzib3clth8C0gMudMZLuoVnccG1YtFPxUc9qKDV-cg2z9HwtYqg-2puWU6V_NanLWxweDirhbzKC6jC0XmPBQAzu0_LOkvLTL1O7UGaJEsbYvsl/w640-h426/flower%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beach Primrose</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUXuq8ueGzpEQ5bT5CRm0bgxQA2D9fqBUOP7wu2wyVDD5lZ4u1IrCzFZp11w_PjOouHtx7AcXGVJNwEruoeaBRogi24CatwEiYmj7MSanVRFqydfOS47eX5jCwnmtCzlDNpnK4WDy38E_2E-orhVcCi6Wh9lZ18ZEXql-ooC9ub1dtYot0YsHNCsp/s2640/seaside%20daisy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1729" data-original-width="2640" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUXuq8ueGzpEQ5bT5CRm0bgxQA2D9fqBUOP7wu2wyVDD5lZ4u1IrCzFZp11w_PjOouHtx7AcXGVJNwEruoeaBRogi24CatwEiYmj7MSanVRFqydfOS47eX5jCwnmtCzlDNpnK4WDy38E_2E-orhVcCi6Wh9lZ18ZEXql-ooC9ub1dtYot0YsHNCsp/w640-h420/seaside%20daisy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Seaside Daisy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBYvS3X-TdIoi3h8AQ0mvJ06249DqOF5BPgUAItmX3RkyzrqwdnxRj7Q432LBWtoWWUAmzcKJCYt4YoiZIVfwxuaUeGOJAsu_3q8zUe5qotKDvb_8V3Cg9QVk7zCF7rRUo9CbI6fNFeaHLrKqlKO9yJgB6BUzBQ_d4cBw_LmiuMFd4gDDVBPefenN/s2640/sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="2640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBYvS3X-TdIoi3h8AQ0mvJ06249DqOF5BPgUAItmX3RkyzrqwdnxRj7Q432LBWtoWWUAmzcKJCYt4YoiZIVfwxuaUeGOJAsu_3q8zUe5qotKDvb_8V3Cg9QVk7zCF7rRUo9CbI6fNFeaHLrKqlKO9yJgB6BUzBQ_d4cBw_LmiuMFd4gDDVBPefenN/w640-h320/sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Near the visitor center we can see how nature can have catastrophic effects on man. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake ran right through Point Reyes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9TdT9Euh0-kq9U2xwYAFiJNeBPfmHDg27uZIsKDuhv9j1M80DNsqKD-uSqo9gda2EuOyIBgpHQllTve6qZr0_uGUO26j6dQsmNKNir-_u21z9SBECFsTbgKNTAFZG1jkxmwbEs_JKSdlqbfD4Xtu7CNP6wIYdSV9HaEaKYUQN-0DbZEY_IW4NhdZ/s2640/fence.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9TdT9Euh0-kq9U2xwYAFiJNeBPfmHDg27uZIsKDuhv9j1M80DNsqKD-uSqo9gda2EuOyIBgpHQllTve6qZr0_uGUO26j6dQsmNKNir-_u21z9SBECFsTbgKNTAFZG1jkxmwbEs_JKSdlqbfD4Xtu7CNP6wIYdSV9HaEaKYUQN-0DbZEY_IW4NhdZ/w640-h426/fence.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The offset of this fence shows how far the earth moved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNhoybNRE0N__1sScTRFd3OFxCgLzyfgwxgf_Z8SiS5Jc-i30qEzuZ9MVfulvjcHYtBytQsEmWhzv7GpVRdL_2sGPNsIctIW6W4v08Ms8PoJAMBPiQKlrIQhWKkNGFOy5PXKgRaTbpnuypKHB-B3AWFTjv4Z678F6zDERuAK5TNeNXoNBLMKeFPNZ/s2640/posts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2640" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNhoybNRE0N__1sScTRFd3OFxCgLzyfgwxgf_Z8SiS5Jc-i30qEzuZ9MVfulvjcHYtBytQsEmWhzv7GpVRdL_2sGPNsIctIW6W4v08Ms8PoJAMBPiQKlrIQhWKkNGFOy5PXKgRaTbpnuypKHB-B3AWFTjv4Z678F6zDERuAK5TNeNXoNBLMKeFPNZ/w640-h374/posts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> The line of posts on the hill above the fence demarks the San Andreas Fault.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhciXd_M9HnQkkFh36hJgszf3pdsjSEl9Fd0FoSMkRSYuBFO3krBjWOjrT8OjrA_XyBrBT-_VnKpyF5RG0BKHVobepomCNv_hwcSkPnpCvSmnn2VcFUMeykAm_4SNJ_TzQt-zhWhelzXCUZbWsnhl3365JwOGtYxMWvkC5Y8QOiNjuQi_2FSmZIg_e/s2640/Tomales%20bay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1682" data-original-width="2640" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhciXd_M9HnQkkFh36hJgszf3pdsjSEl9Fd0FoSMkRSYuBFO3krBjWOjrT8OjrA_XyBrBT-_VnKpyF5RG0BKHVobepomCNv_hwcSkPnpCvSmnn2VcFUMeykAm_4SNJ_TzQt-zhWhelzXCUZbWsnhl3365JwOGtYxMWvkC5Y8QOiNjuQi_2FSmZIg_e/w640-h408/Tomales%20bay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fault runs through Tomales Bay, in front of the lodge where were staying. I wonder what it would be like to be there when the earth moves again.</div>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-46357361746259623252023-04-29T19:12:00.002-07:002023-04-29T19:12:59.512-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fvfuD1fb7KorqQqlBnbvbJ3vPxqF0-Y0CwcmRjgdfCHjVjS5tedHpmowWQIo195j8zHYX3pG3Eo5k9hZ23FTXhyOtQ-XXpxKRV7gy9jfyWevjr4UORtgNWHUTC0PKFiSyhzNYzirjbSWvVggEVPi6hhSLbL7dzOkV12AMVde7rD_yitoEWWf5SvI/s2640/tide's%20out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fvfuD1fb7KorqQqlBnbvbJ3vPxqF0-Y0CwcmRjgdfCHjVjS5tedHpmowWQIo195j8zHYX3pG3Eo5k9hZ23FTXhyOtQ-XXpxKRV7gy9jfyWevjr4UORtgNWHUTC0PKFiSyhzNYzirjbSWvVggEVPi6hhSLbL7dzOkV12AMVde7rD_yitoEWWf5SvI/w400-h266/tide's%20out.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> Mom took me to point Reyes National Seashore. This is a place filled with both human and natural history and lots of great places to hike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxfZHtAf3MCmpmx_5g1CSiXP10htLUXb81AoAw5bNehouFxOShPT0MWvcXVLZwVkCPIM5gue5KN6_AfNumKWOPVjQ-kree8OvofJfpaOnsAFOba9ZEy1_BtDBmvA-GjXZJ-Kv-0JRFv6ePD3_mat30YNzJzOaMoyE2XbpCcQfvRMWloIf-SbjNwdo/s2640/untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1812" data-original-width="2640" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxfZHtAf3MCmpmx_5g1CSiXP10htLUXb81AoAw5bNehouFxOShPT0MWvcXVLZwVkCPIM5gue5KN6_AfNumKWOPVjQ-kree8OvofJfpaOnsAFOba9ZEy1_BtDBmvA-GjXZJ-Kv-0JRFv6ePD3_mat30YNzJzOaMoyE2XbpCcQfvRMWloIf-SbjNwdo/w640-h440/untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Our first hike was the estero trail. The first section goes through a grassland where we saw a variety of wildflowers. Here I am checking out some blue eyed grass and coast lotus.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yiLm_wX9ixJZhOmwF4K1Oa197Zy0kcwzFQJ3FcpZsHnhkOLyVxgGcBqaxo3VgQbdHPNBumo9rMjw1SHZUO3kcpKT9b1lqAJMe66V-djBay1PszIc8TUzQnGhLiY_5rrTg_kAEq98_FQXREhabsLeI-7VtVSKXGJJ2jrPRcPD0YKDLpqMtwTVagLC/s2640/iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2616" data-original-width="2640" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yiLm_wX9ixJZhOmwF4K1Oa197Zy0kcwzFQJ3FcpZsHnhkOLyVxgGcBqaxo3VgQbdHPNBumo9rMjw1SHZUO3kcpKT9b1lqAJMe66V-djBay1PszIc8TUzQnGhLiY_5rrTg_kAEq98_FQXREhabsLeI-7VtVSKXGJJ2jrPRcPD0YKDLpqMtwTVagLC/w400-h396/iris.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Douglas iris was common almost everywhere we went.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rql-jgoTr6teB29dhaoboZ-hxBMd2zTpGW5pM-hY7ZZv8Fi6TOHSTeo-xs4wSXEKtnTJUDPqCtHGKi5w3yYjKnolyo9YGk0sw1-SzO_d5UL4IFahX73HaH8qMuwT4rqfyRurRiqYyZzQg3PoYg1bsvxPKKzxgKqbPpDl_6aLQsRadrPDDm_wn2DY/s2640/suncup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2640" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rql-jgoTr6teB29dhaoboZ-hxBMd2zTpGW5pM-hY7ZZv8Fi6TOHSTeo-xs4wSXEKtnTJUDPqCtHGKi5w3yYjKnolyo9YGk0sw1-SzO_d5UL4IFahX73HaH8qMuwT4rqfyRurRiqYyZzQg3PoYg1bsvxPKKzxgKqbPpDl_6aLQsRadrPDDm_wn2DY/w400-h276/suncup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sun cups.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnkW3u5vNbK_P41mg07LkAwg9RZU2s1TvfptBSHhj45SCBXXUfwDsfKZd_Dg9XUcjF-ksNYzgM9kLv9yM168bnU0wpMI_4uuJSXk3OE7Etj1JBD4ZDGkVozpEocvAEFze6mAQdHtgouxIzDOkqSBTckiYkKckQ4xGPxDJ_zEjSokfovDdADpP5ZPL/s2640/trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2640" data-original-width="2628" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnkW3u5vNbK_P41mg07LkAwg9RZU2s1TvfptBSHhj45SCBXXUfwDsfKZd_Dg9XUcjF-ksNYzgM9kLv9yM168bnU0wpMI_4uuJSXk3OE7Etj1JBD4ZDGkVozpEocvAEFze6mAQdHtgouxIzDOkqSBTckiYkKckQ4xGPxDJ_zEjSokfovDdADpP5ZPL/w399-h400/trail.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The trail leaves the grassland and winds through an abandoned Christmas tree farm. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigL9DdCnECIBTJFTFmzqekR8VxtJ7QaXyjhHSmmsMVW3QYrMQv9jmvpwsb2PbsKW5VJ_75dEoauu3SFnvcOCUiiOZlcHo8xm1uibP3norRTF7at_DKBlF14KmByev57LHjPcmXKMQEDanSZhKzSKqq8fp4xby_0pOj2RmIx8d2T5nDv7963ZuZhyl/s2640/texture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigL9DdCnECIBTJFTFmzqekR8VxtJ7QaXyjhHSmmsMVW3QYrMQv9jmvpwsb2PbsKW5VJ_75dEoauu3SFnvcOCUiiOZlcHo8xm1uibP3norRTF7at_DKBlF14KmByev57LHjPcmXKMQEDanSZhKzSKqq8fp4xby_0pOj2RmIx8d2T5nDv7963ZuZhyl/w640-h426/texture.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>When we reached the estero the tide was out and Mom liked the texture in the sediment as the retreating water left braided rivulets behind.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMPwXOv87mLXLVjUhKpIS9O_7vM6JDNZTEOAEOkdk16a60xw3Zpjjv1impMcGyC5DK_6YmtgGbH8hcjCbTQwZ8MYwu-JqwpnU-cQWGUyohAbdFO3uCwGO8D00-IlG9awG5kIeiV2tifTAMc5TbCO-G2O9qqWOxXTIWjwZqJC4OvXE-113p_3vmk4V/s2640/ceonothus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1870" data-original-width="2640" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMPwXOv87mLXLVjUhKpIS9O_7vM6JDNZTEOAEOkdk16a60xw3Zpjjv1impMcGyC5DK_6YmtgGbH8hcjCbTQwZ8MYwu-JqwpnU-cQWGUyohAbdFO3uCwGO8D00-IlG9awG5kIeiV2tifTAMc5TbCO-G2O9qqWOxXTIWjwZqJC4OvXE-113p_3vmk4V/w400-h284/ceonothus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In this area we saw a variety of shrubs like this ceanothus, </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnSBqPkCgy-nrc0f5u40KlEb0H9EaHQiYA1Nv7z3uKd7Qug1taxUPe3flznc3gA8h3KV8YrNAHOdj_hfAa764JjIuLpbHBic6j9bxtwygVy3QvoO_19jWd5AdDsWtUL5UBNxULJDoZen-SDhX4gzI_tp1WN4Jx9HoND2OsA3D48cweJ7sJheeMYQW/s2640/unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="2640" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnSBqPkCgy-nrc0f5u40KlEb0H9EaHQiYA1Nv7z3uKd7Qug1taxUPe3flznc3gA8h3KV8YrNAHOdj_hfAa764JjIuLpbHBic6j9bxtwygVy3QvoO_19jWd5AdDsWtUL5UBNxULJDoZen-SDhX4gzI_tp1WN4Jx9HoND2OsA3D48cweJ7sJheeMYQW/w640-h392/unknown.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>and this plant that Mom was unable to identify.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVW8B-vHapuIBTf7Gx7PFHIGAQ1BfMOwMxb0fxRCSG5ShyGvIWcEkqpVFdg2R4vxtQabCTQJ-BCiZtvR9kJhixmlKDNwGjFwL0hc9T0Sr5ApdrEs8hsnJ8XyxtAYuHmMKchSwmacYkKgJANS8JK58Jew8MrulaePpWW7lbCH4ro-1B7VRRBylcY0_/s2640/bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVW8B-vHapuIBTf7Gx7PFHIGAQ1BfMOwMxb0fxRCSG5ShyGvIWcEkqpVFdg2R4vxtQabCTQJ-BCiZtvR9kJhixmlKDNwGjFwL0hc9T0Sr5ApdrEs8hsnJ8XyxtAYuHmMKchSwmacYkKgJANS8JK58Jew8MrulaePpWW7lbCH4ro-1B7VRRBylcY0_/w640-h426/bay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Finally we reached a place where we could see the open water of Drakes Bay and we turned around and retraced our steps.</p>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-80073708706030345712023-03-28T21:18:00.000-07:002023-04-29T19:11:09.278-07:00Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley part 3<p> The next day began with a trip to Zabriskie Point</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaJu8WGQdu40EB02dIPmFGYE5TS1rbQ7NWGsK2V-24dN3s-KWe8y_HHEvdSYn7NVW97vizHEzv0gEYgIWuoJ5bUs_LmbCRIJpyUIJIvihelzeZdTF4iUyWVhnxUpWFuIN0hEqpiZKcVmtVVZMbTQQgwVqmhhMcaFIvGvbvJmj02xaWAHZvpPqF686/s2640/zabriski%20point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaJu8WGQdu40EB02dIPmFGYE5TS1rbQ7NWGsK2V-24dN3s-KWe8y_HHEvdSYn7NVW97vizHEzv0gEYgIWuoJ5bUs_LmbCRIJpyUIJIvihelzeZdTF4iUyWVhnxUpWFuIN0hEqpiZKcVmtVVZMbTQQgwVqmhhMcaFIvGvbvJmj02xaWAHZvpPqF686/w640-h426/zabriski%20point.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The view here is amazing, across the badlands and Death Valley to the Panamint range.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wHNSgj3nXyxZ0LN7W_1oRETDg-RGu8UKPcxkTQyfluLYkBEdYaueeBNEzCssCjmRWBC-Jgc3u9Ub7lSdL7CBKfuRXRjfn3TskGj7YRUY9NkNcasnf0xlPKMiL52JJ8RbXTmOrlNzY8pCjM-dd5UBBvQSBEKQzV0u9XWHTE-W3-wqJsx6tm0HHiEn/s2640/Badlands%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wHNSgj3nXyxZ0LN7W_1oRETDg-RGu8UKPcxkTQyfluLYkBEdYaueeBNEzCssCjmRWBC-Jgc3u9Ub7lSdL7CBKfuRXRjfn3TskGj7YRUY9NkNcasnf0xlPKMiL52JJ8RbXTmOrlNzY8pCjM-dd5UBBvQSBEKQzV0u9XWHTE-W3-wqJsx6tm0HHiEn/w640-h426/Badlands%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Mom hiked down into the the badlands</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAvJeSAmKxLiOVV9Ub7UjuCWAgIpW4PPSj0SINk25lS1O4MUJYLsFTjeUxQeJoEgfkYV1vnrzbqFRW6ZsLJMf23NdCu4T0Qtz3BNl7kjzxaioInoTYzGQ4Hg6oW1WcvPj0LSi2jJdil9UmX53IoXX06klqShFwU_GjnAQaundKmm3Tj29rnasA1Bf/s2640/Badlands%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAvJeSAmKxLiOVV9Ub7UjuCWAgIpW4PPSj0SINk25lS1O4MUJYLsFTjeUxQeJoEgfkYV1vnrzbqFRW6ZsLJMf23NdCu4T0Qtz3BNl7kjzxaioInoTYzGQ4Hg6oW1WcvPj0LSi2jJdil9UmX53IoXX06klqShFwU_GjnAQaundKmm3Tj29rnasA1Bf/w640-h426/Badlands%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>She saw few people on this quiet and other worldly trail. There is a unique beauty in this rugged landscape, one sees the very bones of the earth.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeknarbjrQwQadVP0I9wAT_LqTHPCXKeIO1HORC2ooNSjEw1egFL1zg1u8DA9zngFKDJfF79pXuRWDb_Mu3VFpUvEwkuFZmxKCFLWJfy91mUP5coteYsOCVOOEYjP4MH4PHWFIRYylBXvRHLuZO0hv6WyAKiUIG2r5A9OUKcfQb9rd4jgfev2hzxfI/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%20Trailhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeknarbjrQwQadVP0I9wAT_LqTHPCXKeIO1HORC2ooNSjEw1egFL1zg1u8DA9zngFKDJfF79pXuRWDb_Mu3VFpUvEwkuFZmxKCFLWJfy91mUP5coteYsOCVOOEYjP4MH4PHWFIRYylBXvRHLuZO0hv6WyAKiUIG2r5A9OUKcfQb9rd4jgfev2hzxfI/w640-h426/Golden%20Canyon%20Trailhead.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">In the afternoon we hiked up Golden Canyon</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzuPlQQlj5ZHuw8pttv0H52_3EVZwkZC1piOn8aXk2gXB0Ls4szbo9n-FteFj-nQcdWWMLf7C7uWkHL2ZwDr0f3njeIDIeJTTS7DVWosNBg9CUKJ8IY6SFyFgWhLQFA55JUNo2CuZgxOqRIzcIg3ySu447mAQ7PGwKyg6wvcBmqHs55BJxzmJyxdO/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzuPlQQlj5ZHuw8pttv0H52_3EVZwkZC1piOn8aXk2gXB0Ls4szbo9n-FteFj-nQcdWWMLf7C7uWkHL2ZwDr0f3njeIDIeJTTS7DVWosNBg9CUKJ8IY6SFyFgWhLQFA55JUNo2CuZgxOqRIzcIg3ySu447mAQ7PGwKyg6wvcBmqHs55BJxzmJyxdO/w640-h426/Golden%20Canyon%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There had once been a road up the canyon and you can still see remnants of it here on the right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbxCBFhpKC39PUixfak6skSDnIeFfTs_iHmYb2NOLgg275PoR5ZPSacxiHvcGq1BnLjFKFLsGisG-98eTHHVJY1xu9i_wdNHQHUHmZfARzWQv0dXAXaaTQp4g7Hl8GqfrzuYz6s0tX7z6zUnyX7JqTrC_T8jwcPzEhdW__sdIbzqd_vg9_gIrW0Py/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbxCBFhpKC39PUixfak6skSDnIeFfTs_iHmYb2NOLgg275PoR5ZPSacxiHvcGq1BnLjFKFLsGisG-98eTHHVJY1xu9i_wdNHQHUHmZfARzWQv0dXAXaaTQp4g7Hl8GqfrzuYz6s0tX7z6zUnyX7JqTrC_T8jwcPzEhdW__sdIbzqd_vg9_gIrW0Py/w640-h426/Golden%20Canyon%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Looking up a side canyon we saw more of the spectacular colors as we saw on Artists Drive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAD7bt0NwJ8RK7Dxv7VuuH5g1lOy6NLALc06fs1yxkl6VninyoPRwtkezUgnk_ppOluLS4kCpYz16hCEf2VqQQLNrg1xSkxwDCIntY1kqOViNrKfVP2JbkpAiyylBGfqLtHM-LbPD2Ww_X0gISyYci_LfYRIS73aFrB8D5fcqrWf70tL1V8wyQVnZ/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAD7bt0NwJ8RK7Dxv7VuuH5g1lOy6NLALc06fs1yxkl6VninyoPRwtkezUgnk_ppOluLS4kCpYz16hCEf2VqQQLNrg1xSkxwDCIntY1kqOViNrKfVP2JbkpAiyylBGfqLtHM-LbPD2Ww_X0gISyYci_LfYRIS73aFrB8D5fcqrWf70tL1V8wyQVnZ/w640-h426/Golden%20Canyon%204.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Farther up the trail we get a good view of the red cathedral formation</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPb5z0G35OIOrGpDis-UznqSE1ai1a25c4IHKjhIi2PuetjTyk1z-o169H2VLg7jCdV8Q16ivUenWamd9C1h9yXVr9c2cH7dzjrF_6UMGbe8tFLMB2l-DbjSTziZrC6iQ1Wdy2JCqczNapIgTqzyc2zcAGJxFgyTGbXXKSOUHOKu1ymPVZSktvkMUK/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%20Manly%20Beacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2640" data-original-width="1760" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPb5z0G35OIOrGpDis-UznqSE1ai1a25c4IHKjhIi2PuetjTyk1z-o169H2VLg7jCdV8Q16ivUenWamd9C1h9yXVr9c2cH7dzjrF_6UMGbe8tFLMB2l-DbjSTziZrC6iQ1Wdy2JCqczNapIgTqzyc2zcAGJxFgyTGbXXKSOUHOKu1ymPVZSktvkMUK/w426-h640/Golden%20Canyon%20Manly%20Beacon.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> <span style="text-align: center;">Instead of going up to red cathedral we could have taken the trail up around Manly Beacon here and up to Zabriskie point. Maybe another time.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7cb-tSMzhmLlFWsclUtuUpJB48uY2Q2B5LHB__KgztbacVz8PaMadTbXjk-sQbBvx6Z6bZtCZWMaNylXLK5tbdvVNy8CeHoKpP4G3QQAJPMycRd_e1qgO4pmnYi1QFjPIMMuLDvSVlE6_JFWhSOxR0gzQdZxwQbEFk8pAka9BBa6mJ7-urY5kv1v/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7cb-tSMzhmLlFWsclUtuUpJB48uY2Q2B5LHB__KgztbacVz8PaMadTbXjk-sQbBvx6Z6bZtCZWMaNylXLK5tbdvVNy8CeHoKpP4G3QQAJPMycRd_e1qgO4pmnYi1QFjPIMMuLDvSVlE6_JFWhSOxR0gzQdZxwQbEFk8pAka9BBa6mJ7-urY5kv1v/w640-h426/Golden%20Canyon%205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">We left Golden Canyon and the next day left Death Valley a day earlier than planned. Another strong winter storm was forecast and there was concern that the way home would be snowy and icy. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oxlqVtK8vlVwLd_WSGZLxwR1jkS95nN1_on110lH3p0s29fygExnINEITkzN3Gqn_dn6Csr2meQBHvgpLKM9wDa_E2Z8wJvHnI54oqX8v0E1HQvEw49atOYdBT6jKOYQnG-ysBuOpWIsVEQlWIYX_Tlb-rdqevtcvaIdifGEtXxjrTzaKC6NKNyB/s2640/Golden%20Canyon%20Manly%20Beacon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-10265149214305239382023-03-28T19:52:00.006-07:002023-03-28T19:52:57.432-07:00Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley part 2<p><br />After our visit to Badwater we took the Artists drive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW-bTtpPXE3ogFP2WploxrEECRidPekrpzVA3JOlCJnJDdg8-7vFTXeq7UukFSx6smRmSaDKRlZwVsOOJ3snOZdLr-5872_LOhRZRTFg2oh3wx48NHyYUD_5ymI3CBOi9qYpsNmwNk-r1FcBV0DtY6VIKgMohmcazn_aOM_ft0LVpNuikjA_aMJFY/s2640/duckie%20at%20artists%20drive.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisW-bTtpPXE3ogFP2WploxrEECRidPekrpzVA3JOlCJnJDdg8-7vFTXeq7UukFSx6smRmSaDKRlZwVsOOJ3snOZdLr-5872_LOhRZRTFg2oh3wx48NHyYUD_5ymI3CBOi9qYpsNmwNk-r1FcBV0DtY6VIKgMohmcazn_aOM_ft0LVpNuikjA_aMJFY/w640-h426/duckie%20at%20artists%20drive.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7eLwd28U8Sg5lMD1LfGDuiIwFEUsPJ91VbRFEVO4qxhrTlH4AHY4ph_vPtBRrOkCs6khUoLKZn46T87ttejKwNjK7eaHBS10B5UwTOp7aIzySYQFSzVhjrUyQ-UuYsNfq1GvumRo882Cmp4qwCDQSDcgSzaTqUTZPgu60x6Aomh9ez0nZ7U81MNV/s2640/artists%20palette.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="2640" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7eLwd28U8Sg5lMD1LfGDuiIwFEUsPJ91VbRFEVO4qxhrTlH4AHY4ph_vPtBRrOkCs6khUoLKZn46T87ttejKwNjK7eaHBS10B5UwTOp7aIzySYQFSzVhjrUyQ-UuYsNfq1GvumRo882Cmp4qwCDQSDcgSzaTqUTZPgu60x6Aomh9ez0nZ7U81MNV/w640-h374/artists%20palette.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">The amazing colors here sent Mom to a geology book which said the formation owed its color to the presence of iron</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Our next stop was Harmony Borax Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmoweMQJWiaPiuUMhIuxNpKGYkkr82vQhuuJ5CoUt-zTgdkKdgrLanJA5spNlfjHtsQk1WBojbRnFuVw9jiIR5NW6gzzb-XL_GJtzwfF8eu-bISCnCGRWKN4V5JxwK_LMeRTiDRp2UVYB09Vuu6LTFLNfb8Nxo05sNCXDHqxDJiB1wQJOHCsZi4MC/s2640/Harmony%20Borax%20works%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmoweMQJWiaPiuUMhIuxNpKGYkkr82vQhuuJ5CoUt-zTgdkKdgrLanJA5spNlfjHtsQk1WBojbRnFuVw9jiIR5NW6gzzb-XL_GJtzwfF8eu-bISCnCGRWKN4V5JxwK_LMeRTiDRp2UVYB09Vuu6LTFLNfb8Nxo05sNCXDHqxDJiB1wQJOHCsZi4MC/w640-h426/Harmony%20Borax%20works%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div></div>The borax works only operated from 1884 to 1888 and produced 3 tons of borax daily except during the heat of summer.<p></p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDvN6KqyYpZsbcD6MZVc4sH17ZxC607xOr3aQDVw5-fF-wUH0_VttIFqUKVgDCrW3DVtsnrcxMul0M9bEtgLFWnxLcHlwmMA9sB1J0zZ4d7-UsHnEYVtteyurQT9W4HIAJkd-8NapzZ3ncjJjtJbtQWNec1UydEkKeDIeXSMdQeOWDvl4FEuGoT8E/s2640/Harmony%20Borax%20works%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDvN6KqyYpZsbcD6MZVc4sH17ZxC607xOr3aQDVw5-fF-wUH0_VttIFqUKVgDCrW3DVtsnrcxMul0M9bEtgLFWnxLcHlwmMA9sB1J0zZ4d7-UsHnEYVtteyurQT9W4HIAJkd-8NapzZ3ncjJjtJbtQWNec1UydEkKeDIeXSMdQeOWDvl4FEuGoT8E/w640-h426/Harmony%20Borax%20works%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Getting the borax out of the valley was no easy feat in those days and required the effort of teams of 20 mules hence the phrase "20 mule team borax" Glad to see that much of the weight they pulled was water.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the reasons Mom wanted to visit here was that she was hoping to photograph star trails and this was said to be a great spot for night photography. When we arrived at night we encountered two problems. There were clouds to the north and a ranger was giving a star talk. We enjoyed the talk but gave up on the photography. Next time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mom has found that you can get decent star trails even in suburban Lincoln.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc2O8DueUsNUFV-HetecevhXghC5UxNEB_PpTwDnq18XHvQMNEvNXVz4LjJF7aTomp-XmXL7zQM1A0Xxe5ONFsKAGizis0Pp5a_7_MgwPiMxLqK_7ZUH9t7LB2CdnyO1UlnZ0DBm9UEsv2bc9x2Vl5A_bC0EXT6E8aVfpnB6VAepeAA7mr344x1aM/s2640/startrails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1716" data-original-width="2640" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc2O8DueUsNUFV-HetecevhXghC5UxNEB_PpTwDnq18XHvQMNEvNXVz4LjJF7aTomp-XmXL7zQM1A0Xxe5ONFsKAGizis0Pp5a_7_MgwPiMxLqK_7ZUH9t7LB2CdnyO1UlnZ0DBm9UEsv2bc9x2Vl5A_bC0EXT6E8aVfpnB6VAepeAA7mr344x1aM/w640-h416/startrails.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> We don't know what the artifact on the right is, perhaps a homemade rocked? The trail fades as it rises so it went up rather than down like a meteor.</div><div> We will continue to seek out dark skies. The family is considering a trip to Zion in the fall, we'll see what happens.</div>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-27271348880523079362023-03-19T16:47:00.000-07:002023-03-19T16:47:03.183-07:00Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley: part 1<p> Hi! I'm Ranger Duckie. I'm kind of like a Junior Ranger except I'm a rubber duck. Mom got me several years ago in Yosemite but she never took me traveling. Recently she decided I would be good company and, besides, I am very photogenic and like all good rangers I'm adventurous.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLR6UNy8uZ5ueQkuECDWymMpHFWH4OZuTOHVmT25c0kyvPAW1lqCyiO1wHtzaEwJxbE1eM_vcsiHOk2LgTvg47WHEr--s8AfVP5Laz2oYb4RwXy8mIiACt0hJdQ6Kul4zBD6WzLwyAZjqRVh-wSHCrcbTCvNBUZ_xA-L25l30uJ7l3xQucyPGu8RGo/s2640/Mono%20Overlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLR6UNy8uZ5ueQkuECDWymMpHFWH4OZuTOHVmT25c0kyvPAW1lqCyiO1wHtzaEwJxbE1eM_vcsiHOk2LgTvg47WHEr--s8AfVP5Laz2oYb4RwXy8mIiACt0hJdQ6Kul4zBD6WzLwyAZjqRVh-wSHCrcbTCvNBUZ_xA-L25l30uJ7l3xQucyPGu8RGo/w640-h426/Mono%20Overlook.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It's a long drive from our home in Lincoln, CA and we drove through some much colder territory. We stopped at the Mono Lake Overlook and looked over a very white scene. Brr!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHUTLHFu0nawPl7lLsk3U9YPTYO1p-qppRvLEvozwPvzDGMYvSxZx149Ekc57o02q7SkQYB_pMl_i_nZz9DbVc6cd7GVpGe8zV3T9qBDrtdHAJXadSnUlJr3LyfC5XOSxpSKyXBdYcQJJlLHaCc9atUaNodQ2O1cLPE73hpWE-0x2ZX5ubOQXkiiS/s2640/Duckie%20at%20the%20dunes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHUTLHFu0nawPl7lLsk3U9YPTYO1p-qppRvLEvozwPvzDGMYvSxZx149Ekc57o02q7SkQYB_pMl_i_nZz9DbVc6cd7GVpGe8zV3T9qBDrtdHAJXadSnUlJr3LyfC5XOSxpSKyXBdYcQJJlLHaCc9atUaNodQ2O1cLPE73hpWE-0x2ZX5ubOQXkiiS/w640-h426/Duckie%20at%20the%20dunes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Our first stop was at the mesquite sand dunes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNJ2aC6sE_i-hahb79yTpi6LkChh-1FV58xXup6RYimCfCcRr40aKbJt57-vaFmO5EuVIdGGXt720YcfLdKtqGUJxyBO2-UxO89Wj8MaysdUd1mAL30iWJHl9V_TVlqOJM4kgc_WLKhpkKugxx3W8M3RnAMGnviocMLF5qqxA9bLdVG2ASS2QH_7f/s2640/Mesquite%20Dunes%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2640" data-original-width="1760" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNJ2aC6sE_i-hahb79yTpi6LkChh-1FV58xXup6RYimCfCcRr40aKbJt57-vaFmO5EuVIdGGXt720YcfLdKtqGUJxyBO2-UxO89Wj8MaysdUd1mAL30iWJHl9V_TVlqOJM4kgc_WLKhpkKugxx3W8M3RnAMGnviocMLF5qqxA9bLdVG2ASS2QH_7f/w266-h400/Mesquite%20Dunes%202.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPFbPGkJ0PfxqIJES5dyDCI-XzgMV-GyE0uMnlVKoghVztNMF7DrWS_oIOiB_2jHXpEHKhvYgcTSSsvzkhgnbJDndYmSGlFQXJ9T14j_zPtDY7IZ11mO9_ta_rfVp8PTyVrYhxxI5NjhNe7jgrFiUUZL7miTUmIMdmSpUT00HPzPXVAHJMnMqfZaH/s2640/mesquite%20dunes%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2640" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPFbPGkJ0PfxqIJES5dyDCI-XzgMV-GyE0uMnlVKoghVztNMF7DrWS_oIOiB_2jHXpEHKhvYgcTSSsvzkhgnbJDndYmSGlFQXJ9T14j_zPtDY7IZ11mO9_ta_rfVp8PTyVrYhxxI5NjhNe7jgrFiUUZL7miTUmIMdmSpUT00HPzPXVAHJMnMqfZaH/w640-h384/mesquite%20dunes%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Later that day we went down to Bad Water.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL360VN3Qmu9qJTZ6pr1pzz2y33xIUNdIJeoJDChkKnDo3iiKoSRanVcwCxKh0wRE-eEciok6DoE82i0nIUO373LZJ5ecaeh0z65GHLP-xndZo3YOKIJ85qI8vJx02grVze86CvJHMvsIcqeuxUMFgYxg-gOtw1lg5iatQrIu8L5jSppIhVLYwwWE2/s2640/duckie%20at%20Badwater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL360VN3Qmu9qJTZ6pr1pzz2y33xIUNdIJeoJDChkKnDo3iiKoSRanVcwCxKh0wRE-eEciok6DoE82i0nIUO373LZJ5ecaeh0z65GHLP-xndZo3YOKIJ85qI8vJx02grVze86CvJHMvsIcqeuxUMFgYxg-gOtw1lg5iatQrIu8L5jSppIhVLYwwWE2/w640-h426/duckie%20at%20Badwater2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKmwGqrVBOUHkgbnYuU7TXn-FShDKNGFuDxp8fLA8XYFOlaVyCCMYju2f7oVZWBzYeGNO8mA1PCb9fbR-A9JmUzcKJjqFAjPSyfImwfnTxFUrnwv52VmWV37OyLsakTPcaR-NHQroud7gasYOmjOhapMjVNRJhu9UI-DG2V5F7MSW8lsV8HUeA6vD/s2640/duckie%20at%20Badwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKmwGqrVBOUHkgbnYuU7TXn-FShDKNGFuDxp8fLA8XYFOlaVyCCMYju2f7oVZWBzYeGNO8mA1PCb9fbR-A9JmUzcKJjqFAjPSyfImwfnTxFUrnwv52VmWV37OyLsakTPcaR-NHQroud7gasYOmjOhapMjVNRJhu9UI-DG2V5F7MSW8lsV8HUeA6vD/w640-h426/duckie%20at%20Badwater.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Everywhere I looked, salt and the geologist say it is one to six feet thick. That's a lot of salt! The weather was pleasant, in the 60's when we were there but it can get up to 130 in the summer! I might melt!</p><p>Well, that's it for now, next time Harmony Borax works, the badlands and Golden Canyon.</p>Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-30961210296742064182019-05-05T20:56:00.005-07:002019-05-05T21:05:13.405-07:00Emerald California<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A wet winter has gowned California in emerald sprinkled with gems of many colors. Before it could return to its "Golden State" of brown grasses we headed over to the coast and Point Reyes National Seashore.</div>
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Told that the Chimney Rock trail was a good place to see wildflowers, that was where we headed. It didn't disappoint.<br />
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Blue gems were the Lupine, Douglas Iris and Blue eyed grass.<br />
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Among the yellows were, of course, plenty of California Poppies along with Mule Ears and Yellow Bush Lupine.<br />
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To represent the pinks we saw Checkerbloom, Cow Clover and Beach Morning Glory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu6JZduF9n_TxG1TazQBGr3L324IPAkx54XainwsFBk7CXUxFYkdnNHlV3kSqH-b9MiL8bCCXoQokh8T1fPAgvdrulnklt4zJoza8zm5VnT-dJ52DyDO3Pv-X07pVGPEhYKV68JaSJ6Y/s1600/Green+California-0772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu6JZduF9n_TxG1TazQBGr3L324IPAkx54XainwsFBk7CXUxFYkdnNHlV3kSqH-b9MiL8bCCXoQokh8T1fPAgvdrulnklt4zJoza8zm5VnT-dJ52DyDO3Pv-X07pVGPEhYKV68JaSJ6Y/s640/Green+California-0772.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
I mustn't forget the Indian Paintbrush.<br />
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This is a sampling of what we saw on one of several walks we took. I'll show you more of Point Reyes in another post.<br />
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You can find other views of our wonderful world at .<br />
<a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World Tuesday</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-46307371303619463612019-03-30T10:20:00.000-07:002019-03-30T10:20:01.025-07:00Which Way is Up?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We were back to our favorite place, Yosemite, recently and I took my lensball to the bank of the Merced River.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis3jPDFklC_5ZzSR1Q9llVo7i-KgfmltwNlloAZqZH0NN3L73fb1JIz2Y0pWMi08s8W9cyOClwNpBGTYvlkYxoXDXzDgc1ZZMdiYQ0OzJbGc0LaY94pXaDqTnn6LxDKBeaF6vxkeumxQ/s1600/which+up+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="1600" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis3jPDFklC_5ZzSR1Q9llVo7i-KgfmltwNlloAZqZH0NN3L73fb1JIz2Y0pWMi08s8W9cyOClwNpBGTYvlkYxoXDXzDgc1ZZMdiYQ0OzJbGc0LaY94pXaDqTnn6LxDKBeaF6vxkeumxQ/s640/which+up+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The reflection of the trees in the river which would be upside down is now right side up.</div>
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When flipped in post processing the image is less confusing to the brain. Which is right? Whichever the viewer finds most pleasing.</div>
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In this view towards Half Dome the inverted view of that iconic rock seems a bit hard to pick out but the blurry image in the background can only be Half Dome.</div>
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When inverted the blurry image becomes just a shadow but Half Dome is obvious in the lensball. I recall an experiment I once read about where subjects wore glasses that inverted the image. Eventually their brains accommodated and turned the image right side up. I don't think I would like a topsy-turvy world but in photography it can be interesting. </div>
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The lensball is a fun addition to my camera bag but will never replace my Canon lenses.</div>
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You can find more reflections at <a href="https://weekendreflection.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Weekend Reflections.</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-78496784386477374062019-03-03T20:24:00.000-08:002019-03-05T20:13:41.400-08:00Some Local Birds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It really isn't necessary for me to go out to the rice fields as I did for an earlier post. We have wetlands right here in Sun City and Jules and I took a walk there to see who we could find.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhn6XBtxHiEd9TJArRYauZVeFpspudkIsGvUupJvxfDvu06B0eZ-Jp7NXOtr3geBjQxo2NrMHlt4WCPjoUeHN44gprnTL14IXq0tFzte2pJXdpq6iK-8faVdMaTvnQczX1_YDVktmfec/s1600/flicker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhn6XBtxHiEd9TJArRYauZVeFpspudkIsGvUupJvxfDvu06B0eZ-Jp7NXOtr3geBjQxo2NrMHlt4WCPjoUeHN44gprnTL14IXq0tFzte2pJXdpq6iK-8faVdMaTvnQczX1_YDVktmfec/s640/flicker.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Flicker</td></tr>
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Many birds were perched in the trees at the edge of the wetlands.<br />
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Don't know who this little guy is but it sure is cute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbzyd5wPbzpEKzGPLCfqnYKopMfwLejN4LA3bqaUgKeUpg-BYeOUSxkupuFPt2I3ppA1HoKEj9GipXMwIGZqT_aVHzOodOyHORdHHJnRBlk9smYMhizS-QAjD8eIPBZ_hhZGtQxmKTFI/s1600/yellow+rump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="840" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbzyd5wPbzpEKzGPLCfqnYKopMfwLejN4LA3bqaUgKeUpg-BYeOUSxkupuFPt2I3ppA1HoKEj9GipXMwIGZqT_aVHzOodOyHORdHHJnRBlk9smYMhizS-QAjD8eIPBZ_hhZGtQxmKTFI/s640/yellow+rump.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm pretty sure this is a yellow-rumped warbler.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU0q0ARoF_oFWE0UHQYeYlD6vDcSijy-spNKir9xNkZG9HsCv0t9MzhPub01Vx5kh8jxIs_tyNWoyr_KCSXFEKQbcemMuOBE_RuN-r9qam3qJOJFWknvW2tQo3Eezw5-r_DvwW9ak66U/s1600/robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU0q0ARoF_oFWE0UHQYeYlD6vDcSijy-spNKir9xNkZG9HsCv0t9MzhPub01Vx5kh8jxIs_tyNWoyr_KCSXFEKQbcemMuOBE_RuN-r9qam3qJOJFWknvW2tQo3Eezw5-r_DvwW9ak66U/s640/robin.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSPerruQbjTyCq-2XwKd5c_YkrTpzedx-VhO9_Xn8gT-Jk0L58NuhHgaIAMMmBWiKYOx0oiTwGvrY2EZS4YEyZywgaNreVhM2qW6a7AvfRWo9jaNVWygPCkgD4tNyZQ__bq6KDlM61k8/s1600/hawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSPerruQbjTyCq-2XwKd5c_YkrTpzedx-VhO9_Xn8gT-Jk0L58NuhHgaIAMMmBWiKYOx0oiTwGvrY2EZS4YEyZywgaNreVhM2qW6a7AvfRWo9jaNVWygPCkgD4tNyZQ__bq6KDlM61k8/s640/hawk.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Nothing unusual about these two, robins and hawks can be found everywhere.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYsu7X3cYrl52B02ATKHfEmvu2V1l59vIbOqI4g-JR0SHhbOe-uD_m2KCowl19xjS92wtj78Do-TnhNXDqNIfVOplL3Z_Wx2iH-OeD3-kepwW6dGhzxEY4XyndUQUkcLqDbzU-V_IWx4/s1600/heron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYsu7X3cYrl52B02ATKHfEmvu2V1l59vIbOqI4g-JR0SHhbOe-uD_m2KCowl19xjS92wtj78Do-TnhNXDqNIfVOplL3Z_Wx2iH-OeD3-kepwW6dGhzxEY4XyndUQUkcLqDbzU-V_IWx4/s640/heron.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Heron</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It is the birds of the wetlands that I most enjoy. Growing up in Los Angeles I had little contact with birds like these.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvfuJbczjTZ1RoSyfg-H2ngIsttd5IcVx-zGQIbPwrcun-RGFZs38dfDd6SS8Gnm709WFhpPinDJ4nh_s5C9u1rv-_9ewB-05Mvyzj1lT9xf0dxZSsbhxWzsXe9UuWRhNhG_rU1U1xmI/s1600/Bufflehead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1400" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvfuJbczjTZ1RoSyfg-H2ngIsttd5IcVx-zGQIbPwrcun-RGFZs38dfDd6SS8Gnm709WFhpPinDJ4nh_s5C9u1rv-_9ewB-05Mvyzj1lT9xf0dxZSsbhxWzsXe9UuWRhNhG_rU1U1xmI/s640/Bufflehead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">female bufflelhead</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptAMj10s1Ey37Dr5rhTZX3Z5ZoxL9FSnS0zbOyRyMNkgY49s_rSdqvGfNqjsSVNSP32MEsXPaF0sXnEZM11U9SxTSZ5Mke6QAn1anUEDsfo_PYLA_GndH5PEmYbHrOcD-QBQ9bXEzSts/s1600/greebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="840" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptAMj10s1Ey37Dr5rhTZX3Z5ZoxL9FSnS0zbOyRyMNkgY49s_rSdqvGfNqjsSVNSP32MEsXPaF0sXnEZM11U9SxTSZ5Mke6QAn1anUEDsfo_PYLA_GndH5PEmYbHrOcD-QBQ9bXEzSts/s640/greebe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pied-billed grebe</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPsQ_ENN0mdxhQ4F6S2DgZsLz2s6dC1RGXiOvCTanjxaB_hI-Rm2gLY2ow31G-i5G_uMBUVIBuf7u93v_DT3aaasOF1F6WmC90xPuxVjIGA43ThBAor0ihNHP61RqKKp9cB_RXqzB4L8/s1600/IMG_2306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1400" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPsQ_ENN0mdxhQ4F6S2DgZsLz2s6dC1RGXiOvCTanjxaB_hI-Rm2gLY2ow31G-i5G_uMBUVIBuf7u93v_DT3aaasOF1F6WmC90xPuxVjIGA43ThBAor0ihNHP61RqKKp9cB_RXqzB4L8/s640/IMG_2306.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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It was a cloudy day and this group was on the far side of a pond so it was hard to get a good shot. In addition to the ubiquitous mallards I spotted northern shovelers, American wigeons, and green-winged teals.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzDAzyHCXuv0HAm5PXTuxHePRLuG6v9arDY5bEWQ1Vv5Bd42Kgekbk0bwl0JDsORTSWnltxF0pbPmdcxXVoOpSDc9p6OXw8OgdZq9upDmvW6FdTf_OZyrN3637TEEMfhZ9LUvmCEou9k/s1600/teal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzDAzyHCXuv0HAm5PXTuxHePRLuG6v9arDY5bEWQ1Vv5Bd42Kgekbk0bwl0JDsORTSWnltxF0pbPmdcxXVoOpSDc9p6OXw8OgdZq9upDmvW6FdTf_OZyrN3637TEEMfhZ9LUvmCEou9k/s640/teal.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Of all the birds I saw that day, the one below would be worth the walk even if I had seen nothing else</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCRlMh1UXTZjl7zsCfvipUqMGpcMyGw7Mp12cv3-Pj7UthUkZmad8AN0xj48_39THCAuTuZC4X3ZMKTODHP1H-RUqNWlYregLvG5JmkwUwNC2v8leOLHovFsqvAzGtUekUPqUyCTSviU/s1600/green+heron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="840" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCRlMh1UXTZjl7zsCfvipUqMGpcMyGw7Mp12cv3-Pj7UthUkZmad8AN0xj48_39THCAuTuZC4X3ZMKTODHP1H-RUqNWlYregLvG5JmkwUwNC2v8leOLHovFsqvAzGtUekUPqUyCTSviU/s640/green+heron.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This green heron was hunting just a few feet from the path. He slowly rotated allowing me several views.<br />
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Find more views of our amazing world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World Tuesday</a>.<br />
Find more birds at <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wild Bird Wednesday.</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-44999036842113226432019-02-28T15:31:00.002-08:002019-02-28T15:31:27.350-08:00Rainbow and Lenses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We
have had a lot of rain lately. Californians learn to welcome all rain
but I have been hearing a bit of grumbling lately. I was glad to see
this rainbow a few days ago, it didn't signal an end to the rain,
though. If you notice some distortion on the image it is due to rain
falling on the lens.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9osbsYoDoXue00QZJBGj4980YTO0FczTcMg63CphETFPXotzDkuKBvswGRRiYNqEtxtaZ9RK13LTt09mu2P9DTaVFtKIdRyJ5qkj4MAtSbwApB5mb9gB_RLNmsu9_YTumszMBJFQIRU4/s1600/rainbow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9osbsYoDoXue00QZJBGj4980YTO0FczTcMg63CphETFPXotzDkuKBvswGRRiYNqEtxtaZ9RK13LTt09mu2P9DTaVFtKIdRyJ5qkj4MAtSbwApB5mb9gB_RLNmsu9_YTumszMBJFQIRU4/s640/rainbow.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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It is unusual to see a rainbow come all the way down to the ground. No pot of gold, though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YdeQl0sqSKbi7ok9VACzcXpJ5L6oaSG5TfJWNJdtT8Qc9a2oJp0KSGwGZXsMND3RA02MtqcX3OCSQnubTIQS07lHiDkyI-zTqGYbr3g3euRW1nPz-2nyq-wD3IWlUkL7PXPrLf-tdBQ/s1600/rain+drop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YdeQl0sqSKbi7ok9VACzcXpJ5L6oaSG5TfJWNJdtT8Qc9a2oJp0KSGwGZXsMND3RA02MtqcX3OCSQnubTIQS07lHiDkyI-zTqGYbr3g3euRW1nPz-2nyq-wD3IWlUkL7PXPrLf-tdBQ/s640/rain+drop.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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A raindrop on the pluot tree acted as a lens.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCkTgnDGSa6YR0mmq3bqCDTYOIo1UBajRBxSBVa3Zd2DuDEkbNFSFPknMwxTXpewaOKiQJ3ZrfKTrkPSmMVnfS_cKg2SKYw_fVbjYzDVgGIiL4EKDYM_kj6X50MheK_gu3ODxvfKRKVM/s1600/lens+ball.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1400" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCkTgnDGSa6YR0mmq3bqCDTYOIo1UBajRBxSBVa3Zd2DuDEkbNFSFPknMwxTXpewaOKiQJ3ZrfKTrkPSmMVnfS_cKg2SKYw_fVbjYzDVgGIiL4EKDYM_kj6X50MheK_gu3ODxvfKRKVM/s640/lens+ball.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another lens is this new toy of mine, a Lensball. Thank you Alan for introducing me to this neat toy.</div>
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Find more views of the sky at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Skywatch Friday</a>.</div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-25547372683938290182019-02-25T09:03:00.000-08:002019-02-25T09:03:25.236-08:00Winter Visitors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One nice thing about living in Lincoln California is the proximity to both urban conveniences and rural habitats. Jules and I recently took an 18 mile loop in search of the birds that winter in the rice fields west of town. We were almost too late, last week I heard a flock of sandhill cranes as they flew over my house on their way from Lodi to their northern breeding grounds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxGsh33cCG-t6Ug1w1H9-41NbyJ01UQ0Y5DVee87R1J7UMlASHxKX736EBObhd0pKtC18rVxznnGEm-f_LUlv_q42TnrrEFaQqr69_2KDotus2VH9Ldp_AsBwJPWECNnZZBspEmbJnyQ/s1600/taking+flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxGsh33cCG-t6Ug1w1H9-41NbyJ01UQ0Y5DVee87R1J7UMlASHxKX736EBObhd0pKtC18rVxznnGEm-f_LUlv_q42TnrrEFaQqr69_2KDotus2VH9Ldp_AsBwJPWECNnZZBspEmbJnyQ/s640/taking+flight.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Our first encounter was not waterfowl but a hawk, hard to tell from the angle but I think it is a red shouldered hawk.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLws_RU8Qnnpt8OkDIWM3-VNaWueH9PJr-lYQY_LXMJNwM7imH4hiFrbICz8hoGq3_ZAhPLLLbyLNaD50hVo_LTk2vvnNWmNrVAap11ct5hmyIz_qWVE41sb2XcvsqfqjVIhmmOBA6oGA/s1600/flyinbg+hawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLws_RU8Qnnpt8OkDIWM3-VNaWueH9PJr-lYQY_LXMJNwM7imH4hiFrbICz8hoGq3_ZAhPLLLbyLNaD50hVo_LTk2vvnNWmNrVAap11ct5hmyIz_qWVE41sb2XcvsqfqjVIhmmOBA6oGA/s640/flyinbg+hawk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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He didn't want to pose so we moved on.</div>
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We found a rice field with tundra swans and white fronted geese. Many rice farmers keep their fields flooded in the winter providing habitat for the wintering birds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6fsEZ2DaG12rwnaAXQEZuJWPtqkxJPFDjMRCbrLF0ylM0C0Xty_lCMQntCbN5pbTvXeoTiRJutskiMOJPos95hlsPdiDU8JPZXuoi65dQW2sM9h2tpv5JNl34vmWP_5ItBFhzqT6DFU/s1600/swans+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6fsEZ2DaG12rwnaAXQEZuJWPtqkxJPFDjMRCbrLF0ylM0C0Xty_lCMQntCbN5pbTvXeoTiRJutskiMOJPos95hlsPdiDU8JPZXuoi65dQW2sM9h2tpv5JNl34vmWP_5ItBFhzqT6DFU/s640/swans+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love looking at the swans but I had also hoped to see a flock of snow geese but all I saw was this lone goose swimming with the swans.</div>
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So we said goodby to the birds of the rice fields. Spring migration is starting and I don't know if we will get out there again this year.<br />
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This is a view of my world, you can find more views of our wonderful world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World Tuesday</a>.<br />
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See more birds at <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wild Bird Wednesday</a>.</div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-42012535004991332382019-02-21T10:35:00.000-08:002019-02-21T10:35:21.989-08:00Super Moon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I found a new (new to me) photography app called Photopills. Strange name but it is a great help for planning shots of the sun, moon or milky way. I tried it out with the recent Super Moon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXf5STO6-CaafAHKSCHFkgbQke5CjCtBWtAKTh5TaJr3KRS6GceZQ-CKq2fF1tDMUgjmK2HtNbtlvCqoFCJUDTuPIAMFLy_S0_YxBwdiF0AzWQDXvPMYJ8IdtG8lwu9JojlLFrPOQrV0/s1600/super+moon-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXf5STO6-CaafAHKSCHFkgbQke5CjCtBWtAKTh5TaJr3KRS6GceZQ-CKq2fF1tDMUgjmK2HtNbtlvCqoFCJUDTuPIAMFLy_S0_YxBwdiF0AzWQDXvPMYJ8IdtG8lwu9JojlLFrPOQrV0/s640/super+moon-.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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It definitely helped me to plan my shot of the moon, the hawk was all luck. I look forward to using it in the future. Unfortunately there is only one full moon a month and there is too much light here to shoot the milky way or star trails.</div>
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Find more shots of the sky at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Skywatch, Friday</a>. </div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-77950892786283363662019-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:002019-01-14T07:00:02.333-08:00There is Always Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While we were in Los Angeles for the holidays, our son took me walking in an area that had been burned by the Woolsey fire.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDGEAJqhyphenhyphen8QzFu4La1zURL-d-0fOJK-e3pGZGh0FwkT9zJyHKx1qroM255SFuhT6-06zB3lGOma4sCNnns_f62mnc3obETA-WRi6GYG3-l-gPkiIE_pm8oaGD1Kl7FJ803hyphenhyphenusWbuxJg/s1600/Hope+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDGEAJqhyphenhyphen8QzFu4La1zURL-d-0fOJK-e3pGZGh0FwkT9zJyHKx1qroM255SFuhT6-06zB3lGOma4sCNnns_f62mnc3obETA-WRi6GYG3-l-gPkiIE_pm8oaGD1Kl7FJ803hyphenhyphenusWbuxJg/s640/Hope+Tree.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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We encountered this little tree, newly planted, lovingly tended. </div>
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Many years ago in another burned area someone planted five oak trees. When hiking in the area we sometimes saw him bringing water in gallon jugs, in a wheelbarrow, up a steep fire road until the little trees were firmly established.</div>
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This is one view of our world, mind others at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"Our World, Tuesday"</a>.</div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-46954055986838450312019-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:002019-01-10T09:11:13.760-08:00Various Points of Viewing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've observed the sky from several viewpoints over the last month.</div>
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A beautiful sunset from my home in Lincoln, California</div>
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Early morning sun peaking through the clouds, highlighting the Santa Monica Mountains from my son's home at the edge of the San Fernando Valley.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDantd_DFcZF0Ao4j6sSU_gS4tbrliSZdzM1kbSwxamkqynmIR8Af4gEWk_bdJNQ_BYpbtodo_-V9jsCv43ZzfvqIkH0NjiUtkYRMhRKfoYfXkxFoSdJNNjuW4-QHHLvstUYOlSXdnxao/s1600/cambria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDantd_DFcZF0Ao4j6sSU_gS4tbrliSZdzM1kbSwxamkqynmIR8Af4gEWk_bdJNQ_BYpbtodo_-V9jsCv43ZzfvqIkH0NjiUtkYRMhRKfoYfXkxFoSdJNNjuW4-QHHLvstUYOlSXdnxao/s640/cambria.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Sunset at Cambria, California<br />
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Find more views of the sky at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"Skywatch Friday"</a>. </div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-33255080803845279762019-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:002019-01-06T20:10:06.786-08:00Elephant Seals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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December and January are two of the best times to visit the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. We have visited the rookery several times but this was our first visit at this special time. Unlike the rookery at Ano Nuevo, here no reservations are required. A large parking lot and viewing walkway are on a bluff just above the beach.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2q1kHxN0yLSYdamnaXon5Ns-RpHMC-8lMY34eUlg_kiO4JVijSsK-WKacZgYqmKYqxrldiqSCY3si-2_hDFz4k81beiVs943b1RPn0mEzXCFyd3zWycw0GNxOHTE3h4xA67EgxwPzBY/s1600/IMG_1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2q1kHxN0yLSYdamnaXon5Ns-RpHMC-8lMY34eUlg_kiO4JVijSsK-WKacZgYqmKYqxrldiqSCY3si-2_hDFz4k81beiVs943b1RPn0mEzXCFyd3zWycw0GNxOHTE3h4xA67EgxwPzBY/s640/IMG_1946.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are two beaches at the rookery. On this beach are the males who failed to win breading rights.</div>
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They posture and fight with one another but it will do them no good. The females are on the other beach where the dominant males have staked their claim, fighting off the competition.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFdzLDGdnMoT5UdUulJ1InjKTQv3e4iznmce8B6qMjWdMLguA8zZs47u80N9tz4lKplQ9Gjcnm3HvDynxLG42yAREnCBECZxP0Z0tX2pq_nk9zqG3JuRM9-IYj7YsXAB8yX3gZsFooJM/s1600/IMG_1960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFdzLDGdnMoT5UdUulJ1InjKTQv3e4iznmce8B6qMjWdMLguA8zZs47u80N9tz4lKplQ9Gjcnm3HvDynxLG42yAREnCBECZxP0Z0tX2pq_nk9zqG3JuRM9-IYj7YsXAB8yX3gZsFooJM/s640/IMG_1960.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On this beach are the females and the new pups.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlCTYhsCFAQsm7nu2_6bPBiQ-TJO5unHwCYZfbezHCz5z8YKV5lUmOInsKCij_lJTyWTtvvxO98A7tazaEmLxT0joJ1zDq3-1idCfzB9u2r1dRGqTdUUgfi5H7t8kH2KD3vGb1iRhqVQ/s1600/IMG_0270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlCTYhsCFAQsm7nu2_6bPBiQ-TJO5unHwCYZfbezHCz5z8YKV5lUmOInsKCij_lJTyWTtvvxO98A7tazaEmLxT0joJ1zDq3-1idCfzB9u2r1dRGqTdUUgfi5H7t8kH2KD3vGb1iRhqVQ/s640/IMG_0270.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The lord of this section of beach, a dominant male.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfATQIdsk9Fc0LW0QsThRZ-FVDPk5m6jKfF-ZvZuCZQORilgQrgd8tUDRWciTsM2E7BWCVmsb2EDL1fum0bX_4-hRv8GKEh7SXzuBBIvluIiVSGBqmLn9z3ddhdjHA5vo9eIpNAbEP1U/s1600/IMG_0316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfATQIdsk9Fc0LW0QsThRZ-FVDPk5m6jKfF-ZvZuCZQORilgQrgd8tUDRWciTsM2E7BWCVmsb2EDL1fum0bX_4-hRv8GKEh7SXzuBBIvluIiVSGBqmLn9z3ddhdjHA5vo9eIpNAbEP1U/s640/IMG_0316.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The pups will nurse for about four weeks then the mother will mate with one of the dominant males and leave. The pups will remain on the beach for 8 to 10 weeks, fasting. Eventually they will make their way into the water. </div>
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To learn more about the elephant seals check out this <a href="http://www.elephantseal.org/theseals.htm" target="_blank">site</a>. Here you can find more information, the best times to visit and a webcam so you can see what is happening now. Once nearly hunted to extinction these creatures are now found in several colonies. They are a part of our world.<br />
You can find other views of our wonderful world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"Our World, Tuesday"</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-76539653274734757172018-11-14T14:01:00.000-08:002018-11-14T14:01:18.171-08:00Burning California skies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This has been a terrible week for people across our state. Wild fires have burned so hot and so fast that some people literally had no where to run.</div>
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Our son took these shots from his back yard. They are from the Woolsey fire in Southern California. Although the fire came quite close at times, the winds kept it moving to the west, away from his home. </div>
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Here in Lincoln and throughout the Sacramento Valley the air is filled with smoke from the camp fire in Paradise. You can see in this shot from my yard the sun shining weakly through the haze, most outdoor activities have been canceled.</div>
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For us it is merely an inconvenience, for the people of Paradise it is a catastrophe. So far 48 people have been found dead and over 200 are still unaccounted for. Thousands are now homeless in an area that already had a housing shortage.</div>
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Our "Dear Leader" has chosen to blame the people of California citing poor forest management ignoring the fact that most of our forest lands are managed by the federal government and the Woolsey fire is in an area with few trees, mostly grass and brush. Perhaps it would be better if he would acknowledge climate change and establish policies to reduce global warming.</div>
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You can find more views of the sky (hopefully more pleasant ones) at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SkyWatch, Friday</a> </div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-54427128613243046132018-11-12T07:30:00.000-08:002018-11-12T07:30:07.183-08:00Fall Color in Yosemite<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We missed the fall color in the high country but a visit to Yosemite at the end of October made up for it.</div>
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I'm afraid my images don't do justice to the beauty.</div>
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Some of the best color was "drive by" in places I couldn't stop or easily walk to.</div>
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Maples were yellow, gold and orange</div>
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Dogwood were turning from pale green to yellow to scarlet in the valley sun.</div>
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They were more purple up in the Sequoias.</div>
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Dogwood is a double delight with their white flowers in the spring and their fall color.</div>
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It was a delightful visit to one of our favorite places.</div>
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See more views of our marvelous world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World, Tuesday </a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-26551960145521899382018-11-08T07:30:00.000-08:002018-11-08T07:30:03.571-08:00Autumn Sky in Yosemite<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Summer fires that made the air so toxic that much of Yosemite was closed for a few weeks are now gone. Blue skies and a few high thin clouds greeted us on our recent visit.</div>
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Clear blue sky at the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias.</div>
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The sun shining clear and bright in the valley.</div>
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See more views of the sky a <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Skywatch, Friday</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-73526702413579039832018-11-04T13:12:00.001-08:002018-11-04T13:22:33.199-08:00The Night Godzilla Ate Our Shed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm in the process of organizing my image files and I came across this one, a scanned image dating to the the early 1990s.</div>
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At this time my husband was working at a hydroelectric plant in the Owens Valley on the Eastern front of the Sierra Nevada. To operate the power plant water is sent through a very large pipe, called a penstock, to a turbine that in turn turns a generator producing electricity.</div>
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On the night in question Hubby was at the power plant and I was home, soaking away the cares of the day in a hot bathtub. Suddenly there was a loud "BOOM" followed by a sound I could only describe as like a giant creature was tearing apart the aluminum shed in the yard. This was followed by the sound of rushing water. Now, the housing at the power plant was in a narrow gorge, downstream from a dam holding back a large reservoir. To say all of this was alarming is an understatement.</div>
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So I got out of the tub and headed over to the plant, picking my way through mud and debris to find out what was happening and see if I should evacuate. It was dark, our access road was washed out but I was assured that there was no danger and we would have to wait until morning to asses the situation.</div>
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So, what had happened? The "BOOM", that was a water hammer caused by the abrupt opening and closing of a value at the plant, it blew out this section of pipe. The sound of crumpling metal? Well, have you ever held a finger over the end of a straw and sucked on it and had it collapse? That is what had happened to the penstock. When the water rushed out a vacuum was created up above a place where the pipe narrowed called a venturi. </div>
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The company quickly repaired our access road and meanwhile the residents could use a road normally used only for official business. Repairing the penstock took a lot longer. I don't recall the distance of pipe that was damaged but I think it was over a mile and this happened at the end of the first gulf war where this large heavy gauge pipe was needed to repair the oilfields. It wasn't just the generation of electricity that was at stake, this was a major source of water for the city of Los Angeles!</div>
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A temporary work around was found to continue sending water downstream and a source was eventually found for the pipe. Men worked long hours to repair the damage but they got the job done surprisingly quickly.</div>
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Going through old files can be a walk down memory lane. This was my world many years ago, a place where I could hike and ride bicycles and have an occasional adventure. </div>
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Find more views of the world and maybe more stories at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World, Tuesday</a>.</div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-54654065178579580372018-11-01T14:13:00.000-07:002018-11-01T14:13:10.800-07:00Morning Sky<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I leave the blinds open at night so that I can awaken to the sunrise. This morning I was rewarded with this!</div>
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See more views of the sky at<a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Skywatch Friday.</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-53541423386412378872018-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:002018-10-27T08:00:10.966-07:00Changing of the Seasons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We were late getting to the Eastern Sierra to close the cabin. The aspen were well past their peak.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got what color I could then looked around to see what else I might find to photograph.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhjeE_8pi8K8FJIQdVT24hhcKJUiVDzHq-phNA9YZaCrKlUn_G1TXXZuFfI7Gjk6SCkSr5bDLtY516cEWGFVPQuKky8_biGMKDbbPQC3kjgLlFsMymRmKwYQT9QtpQp_IddHI62qrboY/s1600/ice+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhjeE_8pi8K8FJIQdVT24hhcKJUiVDzHq-phNA9YZaCrKlUn_G1TXXZuFfI7Gjk6SCkSr5bDLtY516cEWGFVPQuKky8_biGMKDbbPQC3kjgLlFsMymRmKwYQT9QtpQp_IddHI62qrboY/s640/ice+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Over at the creek I realized why we had such a hard time heating up the cabin the previous night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_sRdM2L66hECM3qMAMKR1IMZWFz-AbNsornj5RfMNAoVCfWnIzDzdjHTPppqmHvH_FQvg01lO6yKunqtPQnGQfz-fy6Gtt26_3EOqcf6rh2tALh64o19Zm2CDDPivnDZQ8lczCav70s/s1600/ice+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="625" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_sRdM2L66hECM3qMAMKR1IMZWFz-AbNsornj5RfMNAoVCfWnIzDzdjHTPppqmHvH_FQvg01lO6yKunqtPQnGQfz-fy6Gtt26_3EOqcf6rh2tALh64o19Zm2CDDPivnDZQ8lczCav70s/s640/ice+4.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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There were some wonderful ice formations along the creek.</div>
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The next day I decided to check out a small cascade up by the lake. The sun was in the wrong spot for the easy shot. The sun flare wasn't nearly as pleasing as in the shot of the aspen. To get in a position to put the sun to the side I would have clime around and up the large rock the water was flowing over. Is this old lady still spry enough?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRP3gk4caElmIJvqqtmVztdZz11A8EVvgR4fOSNyPZBb8b4mgup7vVJxXaf_ghaaCC8hUT5LaAAivDxiT3QCx364B5wk92J9hLUgYtrEaA149Z0YysYaEypnOIc9oJdTcIsBcyQCH0vs/s1600/ice+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRP3gk4caElmIJvqqtmVztdZz11A8EVvgR4fOSNyPZBb8b4mgup7vVJxXaf_ghaaCC8hUT5LaAAivDxiT3QCx364B5wk92J9hLUgYtrEaA149Z0YysYaEypnOIc9oJdTcIsBcyQCH0vs/s640/ice+1.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Of course!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCJCg-Veeisl7ztIavF7VIo1MjUx8F9AVKRAOdG5nHtsN5z_CGUUHQQYigOcPQh6pRIJn4tcQpXGzhA6Kmo7lZQ2AOhNjhiN5nl_snE3REo7Sv4byaicCZZZ7oclzWEL-yR21i-mP7Go/s1600/Ice+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCJCg-Veeisl7ztIavF7VIo1MjUx8F9AVKRAOdG5nHtsN5z_CGUUHQQYigOcPQh6pRIJn4tcQpXGzhA6Kmo7lZQ2AOhNjhiN5nl_snE3REo7Sv4byaicCZZZ7oclzWEL-yR21i-mP7Go/s640/Ice+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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And, of course, my lens cap and my foot wound up in a pool of water. I rescued the lens cap and my shoe was just a little damp. </div>
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Find more views of our world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World, Tuesday</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-43832929132679877292018-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:002018-10-26T13:06:07.123-07:00The Sound of a Different Era<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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From time to time I hear above me a sound that I associate with WWII moves, it sounds like a squadron of old prop planes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62smwoeRFy5_TfA9wKnOMmS5EJ3NYZYhEhbQJJlrdIJtvlwqZla4D67TEHObe3p_FQTU-vjtI4rARvuYuansopSMIDERRZv3zJ44JKZ9h9oxQPb1xvZul_nsUuTSmPTTIP1_5fABGt4E/s1600/group+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="875" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62smwoeRFy5_TfA9wKnOMmS5EJ3NYZYhEhbQJJlrdIJtvlwqZla4D67TEHObe3p_FQTU-vjtI4rARvuYuansopSMIDERRZv3zJ44JKZ9h9oxQPb1xvZul_nsUuTSmPTTIP1_5fABGt4E/s640/group+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I assume they are coming from our local airfield, perhaps residents here at Sun City since they fly mid day, mid week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifev0biDuiGS-HCegrHPAm3DX0giipskwzSi3GWIM34DSfIXeWMxCwAFL3gvCorDAWbrz7pS7bnG7wm4jmujI-HAVa_6OGQ2yp7k1LvHuzpk6juOg-NgpOLl-yEmM8PnOYWCbptTUiIAE/s1600/group+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="875" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifev0biDuiGS-HCegrHPAm3DX0giipskwzSi3GWIM34DSfIXeWMxCwAFL3gvCorDAWbrz7pS7bnG7wm4jmujI-HAVa_6OGQ2yp7k1LvHuzpk6juOg-NgpOLl-yEmM8PnOYWCbptTUiIAE/s640/group+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sometimes the cute little red biplane seems to have trouble keeping up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MvalGsBWCc9KgWkRvQs7IK0_Fq0GPuYkEQ7MRk4Xv-pzfismj7Upp6pTamhdBNcbDx7lQLXBP09r6cGQW6eO0tGwEc9JeNtm5hQsSLNbZAdNM7YtM2PnYQfbgkQJFMEoeSWRxpuho3o/s1600/biplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="875" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MvalGsBWCc9KgWkRvQs7IK0_Fq0GPuYkEQ7MRk4Xv-pzfismj7Upp6pTamhdBNcbDx7lQLXBP09r6cGQW6eO0tGwEc9JeNtm5hQsSLNbZAdNM7YtM2PnYQfbgkQJFMEoeSWRxpuho3o/s640/biplane.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know if they are practicing for some airshow or just honing their skills.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPM0w3yw0N9ONWKblR60Y7VJ1cEQav8vF0MvJzWZ0FthxkNvpkwLRjj2_JQhyAne3pM1mup-4Z5quGy1gKiQtGBXkkha7ifhZdNlPHbuVD-tsxcmaMLItZg6GfWvtpi9d8aKyTSVWn-Q/s1600/missing+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="875" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPM0w3yw0N9ONWKblR60Y7VJ1cEQav8vF0MvJzWZ0FthxkNvpkwLRjj2_JQhyAne3pM1mup-4Z5quGy1gKiQtGBXkkha7ifhZdNlPHbuVD-tsxcmaMLItZg6GfWvtpi9d8aKyTSVWn-Q/s640/missing+man.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Their final maneuver as they headed away was a missing man formation as this plane pealed off and the others flew on. </div>
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I always enjoy watching these old planes, common when I was a kid but not so common to see today.</div>
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Do you remember the skywriters? </div>
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See more views of the sky at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Skywatch, Friday</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-75658178460111121022018-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:002018-10-22T08:00:14.948-07:00Along Moonstone Beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Moonstone beach is a wonderful spot to stroll. Whether one stays on the boardwalk along the bluff or ventures down to the water's edge it is well worth a trip to Cambria, California.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tIkEoc9EAya32EU3yUfEfhvjcientygHyneNnsmM5KFw1FjZIQVqmDY893EZZVWDRW7jEQPH0MyK8gqg8OsRIxccv-3i0yHEq2dvTkn288IelaozWeotblUzSRLHuwQKSRu6bM5T7wU/s1600/bluff+teepee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tIkEoc9EAya32EU3yUfEfhvjcientygHyneNnsmM5KFw1FjZIQVqmDY893EZZVWDRW7jEQPH0MyK8gqg8OsRIxccv-3i0yHEq2dvTkn288IelaozWeotblUzSRLHuwQKSRu6bM5T7wU/s640/bluff+teepee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Up on the boardwalk you can get a great view of the ocean and beach. There are several of these driftwood structures down on the beach.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiimkau24csQnjVv_i4wnSV_lbTVddR36Z4CkPBnIxn_Ax_UAZlBA4xkz-S05ZhstGnEYtDKmVBF3LgnmDKuaHGa88S8GJdykGRSoNLgzk6k57rj-GRkZ6Crj0xwmOOW7b_Sq2hyEJg8U/s1600/mosaic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="875" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiimkau24csQnjVv_i4wnSV_lbTVddR36Z4CkPBnIxn_Ax_UAZlBA4xkz-S05ZhstGnEYtDKmVBF3LgnmDKuaHGa88S8GJdykGRSoNLgzk6k57rj-GRkZ6Crj0xwmOOW7b_Sq2hyEJg8U/s640/mosaic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I wish I knew what this plant is. They were common along the boardwalk, some not quite finished with their bloom others dried out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03V4SRxJSLnIWjSoL89pUD5YlAHToOM4hTkYmKOLWuvntB_Wmsa5SW9qUJoTHZ1z3Dg-Nm9QVt34zjhyphenhypheno0rpxBFo0fB06t1oR75G90W0Cfuzae_MvnOHRDaIQqxfk83qqPd4xQTrJLoo/s1600/juniper+berries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03V4SRxJSLnIWjSoL89pUD5YlAHToOM4hTkYmKOLWuvntB_Wmsa5SW9qUJoTHZ1z3Dg-Nm9QVt34zjhyphenhypheno0rpxBFo0fB06t1oR75G90W0Cfuzae_MvnOHRDaIQqxfk83qqPd4xQTrJLoo/s640/juniper+berries.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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The cypress trees along the walk had lovely mature cones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjyFaXUdxmj50nD1VHy-vb_PcJPPlPv4jdG0dP1eziYQcshk3nPs2NHfn02-2jCnruF8T2S0SQN_UjnS_6y4StMEuoPig8XXINkl2zMtbfdrKGFY4LIwpa6F-PtzD9N96M-9fv7Ck5Ms/s1600/feather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjyFaXUdxmj50nD1VHy-vb_PcJPPlPv4jdG0dP1eziYQcshk3nPs2NHfn02-2jCnruF8T2S0SQN_UjnS_6y4StMEuoPig8XXINkl2zMtbfdrKGFY4LIwpa6F-PtzD9N96M-9fv7Ck5Ms/s640/feather.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jules found the footing too uneven to venture onto the beach so I went alone to view its treasures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f68MAjde2Lv8jeoaMrfaaT-1Uc5-xO3Ck9enWlH9RfuDPrkzBGs0s6b2ltC0-Pb9LDIwm9VEXite4TZ2BgaX9XewxwcZTxl2N5ha0rM9OJePc2wNjb5h3KL1ODDTFmL320H8Kog8Z6c/s1600/tide+pool+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f68MAjde2Lv8jeoaMrfaaT-1Uc5-xO3Ck9enWlH9RfuDPrkzBGs0s6b2ltC0-Pb9LDIwm9VEXite4TZ2BgaX9XewxwcZTxl2N5ha0rM9OJePc2wNjb5h3KL1ODDTFmL320H8Kog8Z6c/s640/tide+pool+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tide pool always lure me to explore.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby3hK6KNCOe8SQsuFlUcN1-7jN8SEjJvz2CWJXE04Hi1eVsWpUyM_T1UkS31Gmm9y1Q6IiuiAlmK8CYbziP9HknnKdbz7JpCfZoNAppj8IC_M5xKPpU4f9OWR-P8P-hxusyzyRJ90N_4/s1600/anemone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby3hK6KNCOe8SQsuFlUcN1-7jN8SEjJvz2CWJXE04Hi1eVsWpUyM_T1UkS31Gmm9y1Q6IiuiAlmK8CYbziP9HknnKdbz7JpCfZoNAppj8IC_M5xKPpU4f9OWR-P8P-hxusyzyRJ90N_4/s640/anemone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I saw lots of anemones</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiN2xzHZoFT6dop5hGCiiTTGML94-p56Fu5axdUa4flOrlIcz_KuzVppR8Bw5ZCCRw-Nn-Pw5jSvXezQ0Kz89P8Q_cmosCWaYhkh99geS4hR6azSeNs8QPMO8fQjkDQinv3NYqaQX5sU0/s1600/starfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiN2xzHZoFT6dop5hGCiiTTGML94-p56Fu5axdUa4flOrlIcz_KuzVppR8Bw5ZCCRw-Nn-Pw5jSvXezQ0Kz89P8Q_cmosCWaYhkh99geS4hR6azSeNs8QPMO8fQjkDQinv3NYqaQX5sU0/s640/starfish.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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but only one seastar. This one was covered with snails and hermit crabs occupying snail shells.</div>
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If you find yourself in this part of California try to make time to walk along Moonstone Beach.</div>
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Find other parts of our world at <a href="http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our World, Tuesday.</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-74465921848607207682018-10-10T20:36:00.003-07:002018-10-11T09:13:30.277-07:00Coastal Skies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Low clouds and fog are common along the California coast.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf5HBSyx2jN8g_8tNlFUSpyONmKOFXkXKQKpeHWB9xtelYZeTJGD-FVrc41xqkDXO-LTNFelpF6bhw4B_GG2RO9hSnQUjWxO7P7QCCq3QDIcVJoL9rzFzfqtJPm2eLcaMvaiZtjyKywI/s1600/bixby+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1050" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf5HBSyx2jN8g_8tNlFUSpyONmKOFXkXKQKpeHWB9xtelYZeTJGD-FVrc41xqkDXO-LTNFelpF6bhw4B_GG2RO9hSnQUjWxO7P7QCCq3QDIcVJoL9rzFzfqtJPm2eLcaMvaiZtjyKywI/s640/bixby+bridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The sky was clear enough as we headed south from Monterey to get a peak at the Bixby Bridge although we were unable to find parking at the more popular view point.</div>
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The clear sky allowed the beautiful blue of the pacific to shine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2LqrHFJeixeHlCjODpUX8B0xU8T63ddtyWGS73fPY7v1XWjsII-TG5OkegjJ8M8eTM6gqpES9k9k94nBQvRciQqjyQGW-rYd5xT1S85tAqS6Ut0axwq-HNq9i4EFAo3elwcLK-3Jhpc/s1600/foggy+coast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2LqrHFJeixeHlCjODpUX8B0xU8T63ddtyWGS73fPY7v1XWjsII-TG5OkegjJ8M8eTM6gqpES9k9k94nBQvRciQqjyQGW-rYd5xT1S85tAqS6Ut0axwq-HNq9i4EFAo3elwcLK-3Jhpc/s640/foggy+coast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The next morning and farther down the coast we could barely make out the ocean.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim31BxqoQD7thanwmMzTkPApUtrSpcYsqLA-1jmlgLDfZ-iJdb1UpwUtLD7C6HEUhyphenhyphenCuQvj5Xig28rnHkyVgn99aoVOI_q75LbuJT26NowJYQhbPBWWnGU_PgReTkz1w5lE3j1cHIQRoQ/s1600/clearing+fog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1000" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim31BxqoQD7thanwmMzTkPApUtrSpcYsqLA-1jmlgLDfZ-iJdb1UpwUtLD7C6HEUhyphenhyphenCuQvj5Xig28rnHkyVgn99aoVOI_q75LbuJT26NowJYQhbPBWWnGU_PgReTkz1w5lE3j1cHIQRoQ/s640/clearing+fog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With a little patience the ocean and cliffs appeared but the sky was still missing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRM9FsJqs0Y1a4lh0iMgKhWMOeTEFdc9oTYvrKXgY1QIcpfcMoxf0CN_9rMmcDvkNsk4jwaDFZVctM8s62yMZ9o7ylYTqDWLKAaEfFSEh0ewoijebnXcnAkOCUh_G_9DXQBKdMdFcpSM/s1600/sunlight+on+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRM9FsJqs0Y1a4lh0iMgKhWMOeTEFdc9oTYvrKXgY1QIcpfcMoxf0CN_9rMmcDvkNsk4jwaDFZVctM8s62yMZ9o7ylYTqDWLKAaEfFSEh0ewoijebnXcnAkOCUh_G_9DXQBKdMdFcpSM/s640/sunlight+on+water.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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As evening approached the sun tried to peak through a few holes in the clouds giving a sheen of molten silver to the sea.<br />
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See more skies at <a href="http://skyley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">SkyWatch Friday</a> </div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5012697417276288973.post-52717479314481532342018-10-09T14:43:00.001-07:002018-10-09T15:14:38.285-07:00Birds Along the California Coast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I showed some of the sea mammals <a href="https://dailycalifornia.blogspot.com/2018/10/sea-mammals_5.html" target="_blank">(here)</a> I saw on our trip down the coast highway but we also saw a lot of coastal birds. Moss landing is not just a place for spotting sea otters it is also a great birding spot.</div>
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We watched these terns and pelicans for awhile, they were hanging out near the otters.</div>
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Then we moved to an area with shallower water to see some wading birds like these two egrets, a great and a snowy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ0vqOoJI_kV9NSMMZ4cpHoB5ap-2YEr8qcZ8YQPVoHNYZ7GUk6HnQydovyGw6Bc0ZCullHO_XeNvBeFW3Iyl5_F-H4vQaUYxg_G4esYQe6rU5TcnNNX8wVeAv5YcKnYajp70tls1LuU/s1600/sand+pipers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1400" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ0vqOoJI_kV9NSMMZ4cpHoB5ap-2YEr8qcZ8YQPVoHNYZ7GUk6HnQydovyGw6Bc0ZCullHO_XeNvBeFW3Iyl5_F-H4vQaUYxg_G4esYQe6rU5TcnNNX8wVeAv5YcKnYajp70tls1LuU/s640/sand+pipers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I managed to catch a shot of some sand pipers in flight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafj0Z3jL74dSJyU5TNLqQgOu2HsKvb6FDs7MWilhIf6L-4IXVwxg0XCUgaKHq0aUGvVyG7J_dERsXTlHVh32w5hNdFC89hXWoMmRlpNj6iwF9LlkZu1q_QPzlDgQKMxVRKJUMb0eXxDw/s1600/curlew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafj0Z3jL74dSJyU5TNLqQgOu2HsKvb6FDs7MWilhIf6L-4IXVwxg0XCUgaKHq0aUGvVyG7J_dERsXTlHVh32w5hNdFC89hXWoMmRlpNj6iwF9LlkZu1q_QPzlDgQKMxVRKJUMb0eXxDw/s400/curlew.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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This curlew posed nicely for me and gave me a nice series of images. </div>
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For some reason it made me think of a ballerina. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwvYTmPxXWdrOEg8NxyNX2qTk_fx3VDeZtpLQJLepABmNkuxLku6sv4yrvUhPAG0fFw4V_0orIfa1JcAGIekA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
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Down at Cambria we saw a regular feeding frenzy of the pelicans. They dived straight down into the water. </div>
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Find more birds at <a href="http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wild Bird Wednesday</a></div>
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Martha Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.com3