By The Ocean Blue And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #38

 

Half Moon Bay, California

October 25th 2022

 

"A soul that smiles in empathy is a soul that blew away the sadness as the wild wilds blew. A soul that parts it's lips is a soul that smiled away the sadness, as the autumn leaves flew ... ."

 

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

 

The pelicans won the day last week, they were everywhere. They were out here in the valley in bigger numbers than I have ever seen, a fairly large group were tucked around the corner in Tiburon, in Marin County, and there were impressive numbers along the coast of Half Moon Bay, Bodega Bay, and Santa Cruz. I have become fond of watching them play. They seem to be an easier bird to get along with, as opposed to, say, a gull or maybe Scrub Jay. Pelicans are so photogenic, that I planning on photographing particular. There was something about seeing that large group of White Pelican's flying over the condo, earlier in the month, that enchanted me. I enjoy all birds so much, I guess we will have to see! 

 

Santa Cruz, California

October 25th 2022
 

~Me

One In A Million And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #36

 

"You return, like autumn, and I fall every time."

 

~L.S.

 

We visited Santa Cruz yesterday, and as you might imagine, it was beautiful but it wasn't the only stop we made, we also stopped in Half Moon Bay as well, and in addition to it's beauty, it held quite a surprise! I was hoping to see some Black Oystercatchers, but I didn't see even one, however I did see about a million (not really a million) pelicans. I saw mostly Grey Pelicans, but I am sure there was a few white ones mixed it, however the big surprise was a single Blue Heron sitting right in the middle of one of the larger groups present. It was one in a million moment, or moment a where's waldo? If you look very close you can see him. The pelicans were making a wonderful sound, so were the gulls. I am still doing some research because one of them was making a laughing sound, and then I began to chuckle a bit, and laughter is the best medicine, right?

 

~Me

 

Late Summer Birds And The Leaf Of The Day

"Those who live by the sea can hardly form a single thought

 of which the sea would not be a part."

~Hermann Broch

Seagulls, Pelicans and Cormorants

Davenport, California

September 2nd 2018

Nikon

 For my whole life, whenever I just couldn't stand another moment of the real world, Alan and I would hop in the car and head to the beach, or for a ride down the coast. I love the smell of ocean air. I love sitting at the lighthouses that dot HWY 1, and I love the sea sounds of the birds! There are so many, and together they make such a beautiful noise! On this particular day, September 2nd of this year, it was clear that summer was on it's way out early, and that thought made me very happy! I was also delighted to discover among the Seagulls, Cormorants, and Pelicans, where some Blue Buntings, and I was lucky enough to be able to photograph both a male and female.

I posted the two males on Twitter, just after my trip to Davenport, but this is the first time I have posted the female. Lovely in her own right, I was thrilled to add both of them to my birding file! I have been astoundingly lucky this year to find several new birds on my outings. I am going to do my very best on vacation to try to set a couple days aside, specifically for searching for new birds. Perhaps visiting the Delta, the Sierra or maybe the North Bay. There are lots of shore birds I haven't photographed yet, so I think it will be fun, and very therapeutic, to search them out. There is a lot to look forward to on this vacation, and any excuse to be near the Delta or the Pacific, makes me very happy. It's all good! 

But I do miss living by the Ocean.

Male Blue Bunting

Davenport, California

September 2nd, 2018

Nikon

 Female Blue Bunting

Davenport, California

September 2nd 2018

Nikon

And Now The Leaf Of The Day

#14 Leaf Of The Day

October 5th, 2018

 Cull Canyon, California

Samsung 

~Mood: Excited

~Me  :)

Late Summer Album 2017

"Autumn is the time of year when Mother Nature says, "Look how easy, how healthy, and how beautiful letting go can be."

~Toni Sorenson

This set of photos were taken a few days before the end of the summer of, 2017. It wasn't officially autumn, but autumn was definitely making itself known. The light was autumn. The air was autumn. The sky was autumn, and all of it came together in one of the loveliest sunsets I have ever seen along the California coast! I'm thinking about the transition of seasons, because we only have a little over a month to go, before winter comes roaring in.

 There is a fair amount of snow coming into the Sierra this week, as it usually does about this time every year, so I will probably make my way up to the Sierra to photograph it, but I will still be holding onto autumn in my heart until the very last moment. Winter will bring it's own special beauty, and I will be happy to photograph it, because letting go is a good thing, after all, I need to begin planning for next autumn. There will be places to go, and leaves to photograph, and that takes planning! But for now, here is a look back at late summer 2017, by the Pacific Ocean.

Late Summer Album

September 2017

(Some photos where previously posted in September)

#16 Leaf Of The Day

November 16th 2017

Cull Canyon

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Late Summer Twilight By The Pacific Ocean

"The pacific is my home ocean; I knew it first, grew up on it;s shore, collected marine animals along the coast.

 I know its moods, it's color, its nature."

~John Steinbeck

Travels With Charley: In Search Of America 

Saturday was a lot of fun! I wasn't sure at first I would be going because the my orange monster cat Dylan gave one of his early morning meowing concerts... LOUDLY! He is the most beautiful cat I have ever seen, orange like a coastal sunset, but he is also bossy, quirky and one of the great pet loves of my life. A curse, and a blessing all rolled up into nine pounds of fur!

Anyway, we left Stockton at about 1:00 PM, and made a couple stops in the East Bay, before heading to Half Moon Bay, and then to Pigeon Point Lighthouse and coastal overlook, which is about 30 minutes north of Santa Cruz. I did some shots of the lighthouse, but the lighting wasn't great so I am planning to revisit next month while we are on vacation.

It was a good day. I was in pain, so I didn't do as much with the camera as I would have liked, but Alan and I did a lot of talking, and a lot of laughing, and listened to a LOT of 80's music! We pretty much sang all day! God, we are old ones now, and eyeing retirement in a few years, and I am sure when that day comes, there will be a lot more photography, and music, and dancing around in my granny panties at the ocean. Well, probably not that last one!

The best part of Saturday was the complete lack of political obsessing by me. I didn't check my phone to see if there were missiles on their way from North Korea. No fretting about the last or even the next stupid thing he might be planning or doing, nope, the day was all about the music, the creativity, and the pure fragrant smells of being by the Pacific Ocean!

Where do the days and the years go?

Wasn't the 1980's like 15 minutes ago?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

 

The Buffet In Half Moon Bay

"Such days of autumnal decline hold a strange mystery which adds to the gravity of all our moods. Every step that Time takes imprints upon the fields as they grow bare and brown."

~Charles Nodier, Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail/Trilby: The Fairy of Argyle, 1822

 

The birds were amazing in Half Moon Bay yesterday. There was an estimated 600 birds, and I counted at least 5 different species, maybe more! They were flying about in all kinds of mania, feeding on anchovies I think. All I could see was a million tiny sparkles in the water. It was a bit spooky, and a bit magical all at the same time!

 

Is it possible for something to be magical and spooky at the same time?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #181: Two Truths One Lie

"The greatest enemy of any of our truths, many be the rest of our truths."

-William James

Weekend Assignment#181: Present three facts about yourself. Have two of them be true. Have one of them be false. Encourage people to guess which one is the false one. When do you reveal the false one? On Monday. In a new entry (I'll be linking to your original post). You'll get two visits for the price of one!

Extra Credit: Have you lied about something today (aside from the Weekend Assignment)? You don't have to say what the lie was. Just whether you've lied today. Little white lies count.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Jeepers, I have been blogging over four years John, there may not be anything new to learn about me. Hmmmmm. Scratching my head...Oh... I know...

Two Truths And A Lie

1. I am the youngest of three children, and my spouse is also the youngest of 3.

2. My favorite bird is the pelican.

3. My eyes are green with little flecks of purple.

Alrightly then readers, have you been paying attention? Do you know which ones are true and which one is a lie? Guesses anyone? As John instructed, comeback here to Ellipsis on Monday, to read the reveal. :)

Extra Credit: Nope, I cannot tell a lie, I did no lying yesterday. :) Nope, not me!

"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident.

-Arthur Schopenhauer

Click here to read my follow-up entry. :)

-OndineMonet
"Pelican Cliff"
Pismo Beach, California
October 12, 2006
Late Afternoon