Autumn Leaf Of The Day #58

 

"The Fall will always be yours and mine... "

~Jennifer Elizabeth

Autumn Naps

 

“November is usually such a disagreeable month...as if the year had suddenly found out that she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it. This year is growing old gracefully...just like a stately old lady who knows she can be charming even with gray hair and wrinkles. We've had lovely days and delicious twilight's.”

 

~L.M. Montgomery,

  Anne of Avonlea

 

 As days of birding in Bodega Bay goes, this day was not one of the best ones I have ever had, but we still managed to leave with four new birds, and some shots of some gorgeous ornamental plume grasses, like these. These particular ones line the bay, and  makes the place look even more serene than it already does. Watching them sway back and for always makes me want to take a nap, which I guess could be a bad idea, since my napping urges seem increase with the gold of the season, and we live about 2 hours away, depending on traffic! I could nap on the way home, but I like to assist Alan with staying awake, as the road can be somewhat hypnotic! The plumes sit along the same side as where Mitch Brenner's house, from the film The Birds, would have sat.

 

 I am going to have to check the movie the next time I watch it, to see if there was this kind of grasses seen in the movie. Of course it was filmed in 1962, so I am thinking probably not. The next time I visit, hopefully sometime this month, I will get there with enough time to be able to do some photos from around town, and maybe do a before and after, and show what was filmed in town and what was filmed on a sound stage. In between looking for birds, that is, November is always a good month for searching for birds along the coast! The Brandts and about 4 or 5 different kinds of gulls are in, as are ducks and grebe. There is all sorts of waders, and there's even a bald eagle that haunts a line of eucalyptus trees that sits directly behind these plumes!

Yawn. For now I am going to go catch a nap, and plan my next trip. I will get in at least one more trip to the Clifton Court Forebay next week, and next Wednesday also we are venturing up to the top of Mount Diablo in search of a pair of California Condors that have been spotted near the summit. It would be great to spot them, and coincidentally we spotted one in Bodega Bay, quite by accident, during the autumn of 2005! We were in front of the Potter Schoolhouse, when we saw a large black bird fly past us and land on the top of a telephone poll. Low and behold, it was a rare California Condor, who at the time was fairly close to being an endangered species!

Bodega is magical that way, and especially in autumn. So never take for granted what bird you might spot in Bodega Bay or Mount Diablo for that matter! That seems to be the way things go with birding, you go out looking for one thing, and comeback with something else, just as cool! Yawn. I think I need a nap now, I have a lot of dreaming to do for next week! Or maybe just for my own well-being. It's been so stressful this last month or so. Sigh. X continues to be filled to the brim with hate, just the way Elon Musk loves it, and Trump continues to suck every bit of energy right out of me. I know it will all get better one day, and I have my my hubby, and my birds to help me though it all. And naps. And baking. And so much more! All is not lost.

 

 

Blue Skies, Smiling At Me And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #63

 

"Once in a while I am struck all over again

 by just how blue the sky appears on wind played autumn mornings, blue enough to bruise a heart."

 

~Sanober Kahn

 

The sky has been amazingly beautiful lately. Of course I credit the leaves with that. Just look at those bright orange leaves. But wouldn't any color standout against a sky that blue? Well, maybe, but in all fairness to blue, I think God chose the right color to put in the sky. All the variations of blue are so beautiful,  and it's keeping my eyes focused upwards, into the sun's warm light. Blue is also the color of my love's eyes. He has the most beautiful eyes, although it was his sexy knees that first caught my eye. He was a high school athlete, track, to be exact, which explains his gorgeous knees! Anyway, his blue eyes have also encouraged me to focus upwards, in mood and in life in general. That means everything to me.

 

 

~Me

First Autumn Rain Is The Sweetest

"It was a beautiful autumn day, with air like cider

 and a sky so blue you could drown in it."

~Diana Gabaldon

Outlander

Blue Skies

Thursday November 22nd 2018

Thanksgiving

Home

The rain finally arrived on Wednesday, and it was a was such a welcome relief, it was almost as if Mother Nature gave Northern California a gift and something to be truly thankful for! And believe me, we were, and I am betting everyone shared in the joy of those raindrops! We can finally breathe clean air again, and as of last night, the Camp Fire, in Butte County is 95% contained! While that is truly something to be grateful for, the folks of Paradise have a long way to go before their lives will be back to any semblance of normal! It will a hard climb, but we in California are tougher than we seem, and there has been some incredible generosity directed at that community. Prayers really do help, because it's always good to know folks care enough to take it to God, or send some positive energy, when one is down and out. 

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday. Alan, the boys, food in my cabinets, and love in my heart for humanity. The midterms was pretty great too! Politics makes the world go around, and now we have the Congress to keep Trump in check, which makes me feel a whole lot safer! I also have my leaves to be thankful for! I have seen so many lovely leaves this year, that it isn't even possible to photograph them all for this project, but I hope to finish this year, with one big burst of color, that so far, hasn't made it into my postings. I want to celebrate the beauty that is all around me. The beauty that is sometimes in my own yard! I am happy. Really happy. Now, is life perfect? OH HELL NO! There are still some serious financial matters hanging in the air. I have NO idea if we will be here next year, but I do know that with Alan's love, and the boys snuggles, we will be alright. 

 Thanksgiving Dinner

Thursday November 22nd 2018

Home

A Perfect Autumn Leaf

November 17th 2018

Stockton California

 

And another gift of beauty from autumn!

And another...

 #63 Leaf Of The Day

November 23rd 2018

Stockton California

Samsung

~Mood: Thankful

~Me 

Three Seasons Away

"It was a beautiful bright autumn day, 

with air like cider and a shy so blue you could drown in it."

~Diana Gabaldon

Outlander

Sometimes, when I see a part of California that I have never been to before, I wonder about how it all must have been before it was developed to death. Progress is a good thing, but seeing a beautiful hillside filled with colorful trees, or an untouched stream just flowing along, with every color possible framing the banks, I just feel alive and happy, almost like I am a part of the land itself! My trip to Yosemite last week had a true and profound affect on me. I want to see it in all the seasons now, but I just know that seeing it in autumn will always feel like I am coming home, because that was the season I was in when I saw it the first for the first time! 

Next autumn seems like a very long time away.

And it is I suppose.

I always wonder if I will make it to see one more autumn.

I sure hope I do.

But one never knows what life has in store us. 

Next autumn is 3 seasons away.

 Leaf Of The Day

November 18th 2016

Mood: Quiet

~Me  

We v They

"Only one valid law: never belittle others, never belittle yourself."

~Marty Rubin

Yesterday, I needed to take a little trip down to Oakland, to the County Assessor's office to look up the property description for the apartment... um... illegal apartment I am living in. What I found pretty much confirmed things, my apartment unit does not appear in the official legal description of the property! So, it seems that my little cottage will indeed be torn down sometime in the not too distant future. But I found out an additional piece of information, the two units next door to me on the property also don't exist, so that means that this mess is going to displace at least 3 of our neighbors, and possibly more, because now there is some fear that some recent renovations done on yet another unit, the duplex in the front of the property, may have been done illegally as well! It's beginning to seem more and more like the entire property is pretty much going to have to be torn down to the dirt.  Soon it will be a LARGE empty lot, in the middle of the hills. Lonely, and lifeless except for the gopher that loves to dig around in my yard in the back of my cottage. I am going to miss Murray.

So, while this whole thing is pretty awful, and really sad, and completely scary, it's also pretty damn insulting! The property management sent us a notice to vacate in 30 days, which is also illegal. I have lived her 14 years, under the law I am entitled to 60 days notice. Any property management that can read and chew gum at the same time, should be able to look that up on the Internet... or do they think I am stupid? Yeah, I think they probably do, but I am not. I have contacted an attorney, who is reassuring me that we will get through this, and we might even be able to recoup some of our losses and moving expenses. All I want is what I am legally entitled to. Since living here we have paid over $100,00 in rent, on an apartment that was never legal. And now, because of the sudden expulsion from my home, I have been put in a situation where I may have to face giving up my cats. I don't know what is going to happen in the next 2 months, I am just holding on, and taking it like Kimmy Schmidt does, in 10 second increments.

Mood: Hanging In There

~Me :)

Saturday's View Of Autumn

"In Heaven, it is always Autumn"

~John Donne

Autumn weather has finally arrived in the Bay Area! We had rain Saturday, on and off, just enough to make the whole world seem fresh and full of color and life. It snowed in Truckee, California, so it should be amazingly beautiful when I visit next week. Well, unless my plans change. This vacation has been all about the Plan B! I am a big fan of staying flexible. 

One never knows what amazing opportunity is just waiting to surprise you!

I am so ready for the wild, windy, rainy days to begin.

 I love the dark. 

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Everyone Knows It's Wendy

"I fully appreciate the ability of trees to attract kites. They have special powers that way."

~Charlie Dunton

Everyone knows it's Wendy! LOL. I decided to have a little fun with my photo editing program by making a GIF of my beloved kite Wendy. I have owned her since January of 2007, and I adore her, but I haven't had many opportunities to fly her. I am hoping to take her to Ocean Beach next week, now that the weather is beginning to get really warm. Ocean Beach is a great place for kites! On any given day you can see all kinds of sizes and styles of kites! Now that Alan has that gorgeous dragon kite, I should be able to do a lot of photography while I am there! Okay, I will admit it, the summer does have it's charms!

The Association... "Windy"


"Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy"


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Blue Skies, Smiling At Me

From For Ellipsis

Blue Skies

By Irving Berlin

I was blue, just as blue as could be
Every day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a - knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore

Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see

Bluebirds singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds all day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days, all of them gone
Nothing but blue skies from now on

I should care if the wind blows east or west
I should fret if the worst looks the best
I should mind if they say it can't be true
I should smile, that's exactly what I do

-Carly

Summer Is Coming!

Summer Is Coming
By Dora Goodale

Summer is coming! the soft breezes whisper;
Summer is coming! the glad birdies sing,
Summer is coming! I hear her quick footsteps;

Take your last look at beautiful spring.

Lightly, she steps from her throne in the woodlands:
Summer is coming and I cannot stay;
Two of my children have crept from my bosom:
April has left me but lingering May.

What tho' bright summer is crowned with roses.
Deep in the forest Arbutus doth hide;
I am the herald of all the rejoicing me? She cried.

Down in the meadow she stoops to the daisies,
Plucks the first bloom from the apple tree's bough:
Autumn will rob of all the sweet apples;
I will take one from her store of them now.

Summer is coming! I hear the glad echo;
Clearly it rings o'er the mountain and plain.
Sorrowful spring leaves the beautiful woodlands,
Bright, happy summer begins her sweet reign.

Ok, I know, I know... summer is still a little over a week away, but it was a lovely nearly summer's day yesterday, and I just had to show you what I saw from my bike. :) I am seeing the most amazing things lately. I liked this scene very much. The angle, the color of the day... and oh the flowers. I turned a corner, and there they were in a small patch. They were tall and strong, and seemed to be reaching for the sun. Yeah... they were reaching for the sun!

;)

-OndineMonet
"Summer Is Coming"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
June 14, 2008
Afternoon