Happy Thanksgiving

 

Be thankful for the beautiful moment.

Be thankful for the gift of today.

Be thankful for how far you have reached.

~Lailah Gifty Akita

Think Great: Be Great

From Our House To Yours...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Little Laws

 

“The more complicated the law the more opportunity for scoundrels.”

 
~Robert A. Heinlein,

  The Door Into Summer

 

Laws about using the crosswalk, and the penalties for jaywalking, are pretty straightforward, sometimes one just needs to be reminded that if you let the little laws go, the big ones will follow. I am really proud of this gal, she is a wonderful example of how to live your life. For safety sake, always walk within the lines. By the way, in California, the fine for jaywalking prior to January 1st 2023 was $196. As of that date it became legal to jaywalk. However, obviously, if you dart out into traffic you can be cited for creating a dangerous situation. 

So definitely don't do that.

 

The Art Of Turning Over New Leaves

 

“There is October in every November and there is November in every December! All seasons melted in each other’s life!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

In late spring, we begin to see pheasant, quail and turkeys, all over the valley but they are at their loveliest when I see them running through the vineyards and orchards.Their feathers remind me of the rows autumn leaves they're are moving in and out of. I don't even know how many times we have just stopped and watched them! This particular group stays near the vineyards off Franklin blvd, in Galt. It sits about 500 feet from the bridge where I went to observe the Mexican Free-tailed bat, late last summer. The two more than likely have nothing to do with each other, but it's a fun coincidence that there is so much life right there. It's also the area where I spotted a large group of swallows last spring, and the Bullocks orioles in early summer. There is something for everyone right there, and just a few hundred yards up the road from there is the visitors center at the Cosumnes River. And if that isn't enough beauty my new friend, Boris the Spider, built a really nice mansion for himself, just about 3 miles northeast of this spot, although I am afraid he has moved on.

 

As I said a few posts back, I haven't seen him in weeks, all that's left is a few heavy silver strands of spider silk. The cold was probably getting to him, same as it's getting to me. Or maybe a bird swooped him up and had a snack of him. I don't want to ponder the situation too much. I am happy to believe he is merely at his winter home, lazing by the pool, and I will see him again next April, when the earth turns once again to the warmth of spring and summer. Yes, Autumn has sent him off to simply live in the moment among different leaves. Autumn is teaching me to live in the moment as well. I guess I'm turning over a new leaf, and as turning over new leaves go... living in the moment feels a lot healthier than setting rigid expectations and goals for myself. I mean who thought a year ago that not only would I make a spider friend, but would be waiting for summer to come back around so we could visit one another again? Thank you, Autumn!

 

The Birds Of Autumn 2019

"How can you understand something is really beautiful?

 Very simple: When that thing comes out of your life,

 you start desperately waiting for it to come back! 

And autumn's beauty is such a beauty."

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

I love doing some bird hunting while on vacation, and one thing about the vacation that went right this year, was my adventure spotting birds.  In fact, I spotted more birds this year, than in past years! I was particularly lucky to spot a Great Blue Heron, out here in the valley, in Tracy, California. That was definitely a high point, and one more thing that made the vacation a little more redeemable. It wasn't a complete disaster, thanks to so beautiful, if not always cooperative, birds.

 Wild Turkey

September 21st 2019

Skyway park

Livermore, California

Nikon

Black Finch

October 23rd 2019

San Francisco, California

Nikon

 

Robin

Tilden Park

Berkeley, California

October 8th 2019

Nikon

 

Great Blue Heron

Tracy, California

October 23rd 2019

Nikon

Song Sparrow

San Francisco, California

October 23rd 2019

Nikon

Absolutely beautiful. Every one of them! I am going to continue to seek them out through the rest of autumn and then into November. I am hoping to add at least either more birds.Wish me luck!

 #51 Leaf Of The Day

November 12th 2019

Photographed October 20th 2019

Stockton, California

LG Stylo 5

~Mood: Happy

~Me  :)

 

Walking In Tilden

"There's something about Fall that makes me feel alive... that life somehow starts on that Indian summer, when leaves dance to kiss the ground, filling the earth with stars and the rustling leaves beckons me to wander and get lost in it's beauty."

~Mystqx

Walking around Tilden Park, in Berkeley, is downright dreamy in autumn. The leaves are beginning to change. There are, wild turkeys and deer, all over the place, and the breeze from the bay makes me smile, because it's cool and ticklish on my skin. I love Berkeley, but if I could only have one little piece of it, for all of eternity, Tilden Park would be in my little corner of Heaven. 

 Autumn Leaf Of The Day

#19 Leaf Of The Day

October 11th 2019

Berkeley, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy
~Me   :)