Inspiration

"One shouldn't be fooled by how quickly they startle. Bluebirds just like open spaces, that's all. Open fields where they are free. And when they find a place, they come in hoards, and they keep coming. They're faithful little settlers. They know when they have found a place of beauty."

~Ashley Clark

Paint And Nectar

Just a splash of color, on a cold, dark, rainy day. I hope to see a lot of more, Western Bluebirds, through this spring. They are one of the most beautiful perching birds in the valley. I count on them for inspiration. 

Look Deep Within The Big Picture

 

"May you soar on Eagle's wings, high above the madness of the world."

~ Jonathon Lockwood Hule

Okay, so on the surface, things may seem scary as shit, but deep down, below all the muck, there remains the magic of life. There is a lot to look forward to, and Trump can't steal it. Take for example, the picture you see above. I took it on Friday, on Desmond road, at the Cosumnes River Preserve. I was looking for a Cinnamon Teal, we had captured one the day before, but I wanted another one that showed ducks beautiful orange eyes a little better. The photo came out hopelessly blurry, due to fog and misty rain, but if you look carefully in the background, you will see the magic! A Bald Eagle, sitting in the water, having a meal! I didn't see it when I took the picture! It was only on closer observation of the details of the photo that saw it. You can't even imagine how happy I was!

I saw an eagle, fly over the same space in the spring of 2022, and managed a photo of the bird in flight, but never saw one there again, until last Friday. I was treated in 2022, to seeing it soar low to the water of the preserve, it was so majestic it took my breath away, and I never saw it on, or over Desmond road again. I thought perhaps it was a one off! Then the next time I saw one, was when one flew over the bay, in Bodega Bay. I got a fairly good photo of it sitting in a Eucalyptus tree. That was a wonderful experience too, and just like the other day, for a little while the world was fine on it's own, I didn't have to drown in the muck.

It's Monday, so back to reality everything goes, but I will be okay. I plan to chase down a Common Yellow-throat, that hubby said he saw, at Stone Lakes Preserve. It's a beautiful bird, but quite fast and quite wily. It loves to hide on the ground. So wish me luck. Who knows, maybe I will go looking for the yellowthroat, and find an Osprey, or a Merlin. I would love a Merlin, I have been searching for one for years, and have just never been in the right place at the right time. I also need a Red-bellied Sapsucker. There are so many birds left to find. I am currently on bird number 55, so much more to discover. 

So, the lesson is, don't believe what's on the surface of the big picture, look deeper into it. We will be out from under all this stress, one day. But in the meantime, don't ignore what's right in front of you! We have the right, at least for now, to be as happy as possible, and I intend to choose happiness!

MAGIC!

It's January 4th...

 

"Who are these masked birds? Not Robin Hood's for they live in open woods. They only deal in stolen goods. Like berry futures, cedar cones and sweet, sweet fruit, but leave the stones."

~Janet Yolen

Cedar Waxwings Unmasked

... and there is an elephant in the room. A big, bloated, shitgibbon of an elephant. But there's nothing I can do about his machinations. Just keep watch and hope for the best! Yes, I am stressed out. Sometimes it feels like having any kind of hope for the coming mid-terms seems completely irrational and ill advised. Right now is one of those times. But I am trying to focus on the things that heal me up inside, like birding. One of my favorite birds to photograph, the Cedar Waxwing, showed up in Louis Park a couple days ago. They are beautiful, and challenging, and that's just what I need to get me through... something of natural beauty, rather then all the manufactured drama that fills every single day! So enjoy this little gallery of the delightful little drunk birds, the Cedar Waxwing.

The Beauty Of A Dark Winter Day

 

"At this season of the year, darkness is a more insistent thing that cold.

The days are short as any dream."

~E.B. White

Essays Of E.B. White

Tired. It's been a long couple of days, and I am tired. But I have even better news, and I will share soon. But today I want to enjoy some football games, and not think about things that are too much for my tired brain.

So for now, don't you just love cold, dark January days. Naps. Hot Chocolate. Snuggles with cats, and really good days with a camera, birding, these are some of the things keeping me sane.

1, 43, 26

"Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me

 what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive."

~Marty Rubin

Yesterday was day 1 of our birding year. Yep, we begin on January 1st, and it's perfect, because we encounter more birders, then the annoying, rude, downright nasty and dangerous who speed right by us, as we enjoy the birds. You might think I am being nasty myself, but it gets a little old when you are standing on a narrow road, which also serves as a narrow street that runs through the preserve, and some guy in a truck whizzes by doing 60, when the posted speed limit is 35! 

aqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqwwwww.

By the way, the above sentence isn't me speaking in obscenities, it is, however, Tyler's take on things. Naughty kitty got on Mommies desk. Naughty Mommy forgot to turn her keyboard off before leaving to do errands.  LOL. We are having a good time in 2026, so far, and I am thinking more positive then ever, so to heck with speeding drivers, more naughty kittens is what we all need. And encountering birders on our travels. I have 43 new birds in my 2026 folder, and I am adding more tomorrow. My new favorite numbers are, 1, 43, and 26, so perhaps I should play the Lottery!

I'm Beginning 2025 On A Happy Note

"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels,

 in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed."

~Ansel Adams

For some sill reason, this photograph has been liked, as of the composing of this post, 151 times, on BlueSky! I can see all kinds of technical errors, the lighting, the foreground, it's not perfectly straight, there is a telephone pole keeping it from being a perfect landscape, but somehow... they liked it! It's the second to last picture posted to the photography community on BlueSky for 2025 and the first to this platform for 2026. I like that. And hopefully, it's a sign of good things to come! Here's to thinking positively!

Well, THAT Wasn't On My Bingo Card

 

"Not only do we have the D.C. jail which is the D.C. gulag, but now we have Nancy Pelosi's gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do, spying on our staff, spying on the American people."

~Marjorie Taylor Greene

February, 2022 

A lot of things happened in 2025 that were not on my bingo card, both in my private life, and in the world at large. Doge obtaining our personal information, with no oversite on what he was doing with it! Donald Trump nearly crashing the world economy with his tariffs, and "Independence Day" of fuckery. The murders of Charlie Kirk, and Rob Reiner, the Epstein Files rocking Washington D.C., the loss of my beautiful cat Hendrix, only 9 months after I lost Dylan. But nothing surprised me more than Marjorie Taylor Greene, growing up, right before our eyes! She found her real voice. Her honest voice. I guess. I mean... imagine that! I should have expected someone in congress to lose their mind and finally locate their brain, I mean, after all, Dick Cheney did! But MTG? Will her new found attitude hold? Will she extend her mea culpa in 2026 to reflect a better Christian walk? Time will tell! Personally, I wish her luck. I wish her success in her attempts to change from a politically toxic princess, to a mature seeker of truth. When the truth wins, we all do better.

Read the, New York Times, profile article here.

A Few Of My Favorites...

 

"You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, all the books you have read, the music you have heard, and people you have loved."

~Ansel Adams

Photography means a lot to me, but I sometimes sacrifice the quality of my photos, so I can get a picture in the moment. Bird photos sometimes have to be taken, before you think about whether the opportunity will be for the art, or whether it will be to build your yearly bird list. I try really hard to bring the two together, but oh boy, there are challenges. Weather. Birds that seem to fly at the speed of sound. I am getting older, so I am having a bit of a tremor in my hands, which might be from arthritis. There are a lot of factors. But here I want to share the ones I got right, or at least, okay. There is a lot of emotion here. They reflect happiness, sadness, serenity, wonder. It has been quite a year, filled with, you know LIFE. Each year I try to get a photo good enough to enter into the Audubon Photography Contest. Hopefully, 2026 will be my year!

My Year End Favorites

I Saw The Sign

"If you had a million days to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world."

~J. D. Salinger 

I saw that sign the other day, and it reminded me of the song from the 90's. I immediately began humming it, and I have been humming it since! Don't get me wrong, I love, Ace Of Base, but I can't get the song out of my head! Of course if you drive around Stockton you will see all kinds of signs. Some seem more like omens, rather than a perplexing. The city of Stockton really needs to do better about things like this... and the crime rate. It's apparent the powers that be have missed the sign!

Speaking of missing the sign... folks really need to stop doing this. Park the damn car in the space. The hashmarks are not part of the space! This is becoming one of my favorite pet peeves. As a handicapped person, I have lost the ability to park in a space, because of fellow handicapped people engaging in this behavior. JUST PARK IN THE DAMN SPACE! To be fair, I see non-handicapped people parking in these special spots as well. Sigh. All I can say is... READ THE SIGN!

It is, what it is!