Through The Autumn Fog

 

"She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language.

 And birds fluttered around her, writing "Yes" on the sky."

~Monique Duval

There is so much wrong with this photograph, but at the same time there is something about it. Something really good. A kind of natural sadness to it. Or maybe not so much sadness or depression, but rather a pure melancholy that matches my current mood. Fog. Mist. Rain. Heavy thoughts. The kind of beauty that only comes from acknowledging all the moments, not just the good ones. Then letting them take flight, to make room for making new ones.  

Autumn Birds, On Woodbridge Road

"There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy."

~Ralph H. Baum

I was having so much fun photographing this gorgeous Great Egret the other day! I was on Woodbridge road, to see if any new birds had migrated in. And yes, some had indeed come home for the season, and while I have some fairly nice new photos, it was the birds that are here all year, that I had the most fun with. The Egrets, the Kingfishers, and the Blue Herons were being very accommodating to my photography! They are all such gorgeous birds, it made my day to be able to see beauty everywhere! As great fun as they were, the arrival of the snow geese made me warm inside. I guess you could say, it was a very good day!

Sandhill Crane In An Autumn Sunset

 

"It's amazing the places that love will carry you. 

It's astounding to discover just how far you're willing to go".

 

~Jillian Owens

Practical Magic

By Alice Hoffman 

 

 “If a year was tucked inside of a clock,

 then autumn would be the magic hour.”

 

 ~Victoria Erickson

 

 

Gotcha!

 

“What we find changes who we become.”
~Peter Morville 

 

 These, pheasant, are the hardest damn birds to find! I spent all of last year searching for one, to add to my bird album, and the only one I managed to see and photograph was on it's way, the HELL away from me. I got a blurry photo, with just enough detail to know it was a pheasant, but definitely nothing to brag about. But the other day, as we were speeding along Woodbridge road, there it was! A large male pheasant standing along the road, looking around, as if it was no big deal that I drive myself insane attempting to spot them! It's really difficult to not believe the birds openly mock me. Not really, I kid the birds, but one thing is for sure, it was a wonderful, exhilarating experience, and I am so pleased I got to see this beauty! Was it a late winter gift? Or was it an early spring gift? Either way, I smiled for a couple days just thinking about it!

We Are Family

 “But you can't plead with autumn. No. The midnight wind stalked through the woods, hooted to frighten you, swept everything away for the approaching winter, whirled the leaves. ("The North")”

 
~Yevgeny Zamyatin,

  We

 

The mating dance of the Sandhill Crane. It's one of my favorite things about the birds. I get to see the ritual as it unfolds, and speaking of unfolding, aren't their wings impressive? That is a picture of two adult cranes with a juvenile in the center. I am hoping to get more photos of the kid cranes, but as yet I haven't spotted many. This has been a strange time for spotting birds. They just aren't coming in very fast. I spotted just a single snow goose the other day, and the mergansers haven't arrived in Smith Canal yet. I haven't read anything about the avian flu that struck the birds in the last year, in a while. I suppose I should go have a look see. Although, I am sure I want to know what the article might say.

 

Smith Canal And Pixie Woods

 

“The river this November afternoon
Rests in an equipoise of sun and cloud:
A glooming light, a gleaming darkness shroud
Its passage. All seems tranquil, all in tune.” 

~Cecil Day-Lewis,

  The Complete Poems of C. Day Lewis

 

Smith Canal, across from where I live, is beginning to finally show it's colors. Mostly beautiful orange and tiny lemon drops of yellow Cottonwood. And there is a park that runs along Smith Canal, Lewis Park Pixie Woods, and it too is starting too burst with color! The trees look so lovely next to the boats and yachts across the canal. They are a dream come true for a leaf peeper like myself. Last Autumn was really stunning, so I have great expectations for this year, but last years atmospheric river did a lot a damage, I am crossing my fingers.

 

One New Year's eve last year, it was so rainy and windy I thought we might just blow away, and when I woke up to the news that Desmond road had flooded to the point that there was, in affect, no road to be seen, my heart broke. It was a couple months before things really got back to normal, forever in birding, and it left just Woodbridge road to do our birding on, but I have to admit, Woodbridge certainly provided plenty of birds! we got 40 birds in just 3 months on Woodbridge.

 

 Losing Desmond road was quite a blow, but I found out that my little park, just across the street, was pretty nifty for birding as well, so all was not lost! I'm going to explore the park a little more in the next few months. It's pretty there, but as someone once said, "Its a park in Stockton. Its great in the daytime, just don't go there after dark." LOL. Christmas day, 2021 began with the discovery of a dead body, lying on the end of the road, one street over, facing the park, was depressing and scary. Ugh. I had just got Covid, so it was all completely surreal. But I had just moved in, and moving was absolutely off the table!

 

 Two years later, I am happy in my condo, we have decorated it really nice, and best part of all, I feel grounded, safe and my situation is stable. Bad things happen everywhere. I will just do what I always do, be aware of my surroundings. I have a cell phone, and I am not afraid to us it. Plus I have Hubby to walk with me. Smith Canal is worth exploring, and explore I will! I know there will be a lot to photograph, and from there, exploring around Stockton will come next. The Old buildings.The University of the Pacific. The Miracle Mile. The Bob Hope Theater its all waiting, and doesn't that all sound fun?

 

Now someone give me the courage to climb out of my grieving. 

Please.

 

 

Stay Tuned.

Fruitful, Lusty, Wild, Revealing

 

“Fruitful. Lusty. Wild. Revealing. Every day a brilliant reminder of how nothing stays the same, every day an exercise in variability, resilience, and trust. I love seasons, live for the changing seasons, could not imagine my life without seasons, but, I must admit--at the risk of offending the others-- autumn is my very favorite one.” 

~Shellen Lubin 

 

Mine too.

 

 That's it.

 That's the post. 

 

 

Heaven, I'm In Heaven

 

“She'd always imagined an autumn wedding.

 Russet leaves and black velvets and dancing to Fred Astaire.” 

~Hazel Gaynor

  The Cottingley Secret

 

Sandhill cranes are such romantic characters. They dance and spruce up their feathers to entice a future mate, and then when they find one, the pair will mate for life, but they continue to jump and dance for each other throughout the seasons, and their lives, to strengthen their bond with each other. They are beautiful birds, with a beautiful story, and I am constantly fascinated and delighted by them. How romantic! While their life together is forever, they actually continue to work on their marriages, by being the very best versions of themselves possible. Cranes in captivity have been known to live up to 80 years, while cranes in the wild live up to 30 years. I have been lucky to be married to a guy who loves me unconditionally, and who still behaves in all circumstances as the best man he can be. Married 33 years now, I guess we are just an old pair of Sandhill cranes! We could have a worse example to live by. Cranes do a similar dance and jump to ward off predators, which is very romantic in it's own way. You can read a little more about these terrific birds, here and here.

Cheek To Cheek

By Irving Berlin

 

Heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Yes, heaven, I'm in heaven
And the cares that hung around me through the week
Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to climb to mountain
And reach the highest peak
But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to go out fishing
In a river or a creek
But I don't enjoy it half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Now mama dance with me
I want my arms about you
That charm about you
Will carry me through

Yes, heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek
Take it Ella swing it

Heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Heaven, I'm in heaven
And the cares that hung around me through the week
Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to climb a mountain
And reach the highest peak
But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to go out fishing
In a river or a creek
But I don't enjoy it half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Come on and dance with me
I want my arms about you
That charm about you
Will carry me through

To heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Dance with me
I want my arms about you
That charm about you
Will carry me through

To heaven (heaven), I'm in heaven (I'm in heaven)
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek
Cheek to cheek
Cheek to cheek
Cheek to cheek

 

 

A Walk In Nature

 “When the autumn meets the tranquillity,

 there you can see the King of the Sceneries!” 

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

It's been quite a week, and I imagine the hits will keep on coming, but that's okay, I have my friends to keep me company. There is nothing like a walk in nature to clear all the head noise. I love their beautiful sound. It makes me very happy. Autumn is now one month old, so we are a third of the way through my favorite season. It's going by way too fast. I wish it could slow down a bit. The video below is one I found on YouTube, but I think I will be doing one of my own soon. I enjoyed doing the video of the bats over the summer. Maybe I will do that on Family day... or Family day, observed. There is plenty of time.

 

Haunting Desmond Road

 

"It was that time of dusk when there is a—deepening of the interior shadows. It is a melancholy time: all you need do is switch on one lamp and the inside and the outside will separate, held apart by the reflections in the glass, and evening will begin.” 

 

~Rudolph Delson

Maynard And Jennica

It was getting dark, so it could have been most any bird that haunts Desmond road, but I really believe it was the Red-winged Blackbird, that was sitting on that fences post being silhouetted against that dimming light of day. Photogenic, and singing so beautifully. I have come to love those birds, who are always the highest in numbers of the perching birds. Spring fills the air with the sounds of the last migrating birds, and then becomes deafeningly silent for those depressing summer months with nothing to do, but dread another day taking place. I think I have mentioned this before... I hate the spring and summer with a great passion! The upside, however, is that we are a season away from autumn! I don't count the season I am in when counting. That sounds a lot better than it's 4 months away. 4 is more than 1. Anyway, here are some other photos I have done along Woodbridge and Desmond roads and on a recent trip to Knights Ferry.

 

Woodbridge Road

Desmond Road

Knight's Ferry

It's really lovely out here, but I wish it was already autumn.

23 And Me (Part One)

 "It's not like I planned it. It's not like I woke up one day and said, okay, world, today I am gonna spaz."

 

~Shannon Celebi

After Spring Comes

 

23 And Me...

(Part One)

 

 

Sigh. Okay, I meant to do a post on New Year's Day. I really did. But... you see... a big storm came knocking at the door. An 'atmospheric river' if you will. Both literally and figuratively. A REAL series of storms has been pounding California for a couple weeks now, knocking down trees, knocking out power, and basically turning rural roads such as Woodbridge into small lakes and rivers. Great for the birds, lousy for humans. As bad as Woodbridge is, Cosumnes is a lot worse. Flooding so bad we can't even think about venturing down Franklin, Desmond or Bruceville roads. The Clifton Court forebay has been one of a handful of places still available for birding, and Woodbridge is now sufficiently passable, but Yolo is still under water as is the Cosumnes Visitor's Center. The forecast has improved, however, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. With any luck, the roads may be open late next week. We'll see!

 

Oh, and I guess we are buying the condo.

Oh, and as of yesterday, I have 75 birds for 2023!

 But I will save all that for another post! 

 

2023 is off to quite a start!

 

 

He's Home, And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #6

 

"I've always marveled that geese can feel a call stirring, rise on hardy wings to engage it, and without contemplation, compass or map complete the feat. And could it be that they achieve this astounding accomplishment because far too often contemplation. compass or map rob the call by sterile analysis when we should liberate the call through expectant obedience."

 

~Craig D. Lounsbrough 

 

He's home! My favorite of the species of goose. The king himself. The Greater White-fronted goose has finally arrived in lower Sacramento county, after a long trip from Siberia. I have been checking, pretty much since the end of August for it, at all the usual spots. Cosumnes. Woodbridge. Stone Lakes. Even the Clifton Court Forebay, with no luck at all, but on Sunday, there he was, relaxing in the water off Desmond road. Visiting all those places paid off by awarding us at least one new bird each time. And if there wasn't a new bird for this year's file, there may have been more than one moment of deep cute, such as a mother Grebe, floating happily in the water, with one of her babies on her back. Sigh. But knowing he is back moves me a little more toward normal. I am thinking about my projects, and not about painful memories. I am planning to set a new goal to find. The Caspian Tern, or maybe a Black Oystercatcher. So many birds await!

 

Clark's Grebe with baby.

 

 

~Me

It's Narcissus Not Narcissist, Dummy!

 

"Rare indeed is the seed who can bury its nightmares

 and still stem and blossom into it's wildest dreams."

 

~Curtis Tyrone Jones

 

 

I could say a lot about the opening arguments of Trump's Impeachment trial, but fuck me,why? I'm so sick of this stupid nightmare. He's out of office and he's putting on a laughable defense all the while inciting, Insurrection: The Sequel, for March 4th. This could have all been over with before he left office, but McConnell held out for this week. Why did McConnell do that? Perhaps to help gin up March 4th? What's March 4th? Apparently that's the day all real presidents are sworn into office. It's history, look it up, LIBTARD! Sorry, I was channeling a Qanon idiot for a moment there. As I mentioned, he is out of office, this Impeachment trial is expected to last a week or so, then there is whatever fresh HELL is about to take place on March 4th. After that, I hope the name Trump will simply go live on a farm in upstate New York, where it can roam free and live happy, like pets and humans, all do one day! If you get my drift.

But in the mean time...

 

Paperwhite Narcissus 

Woodbridge Ecological Reserve

Lodi, California

Nikon

 

~Carly 

A Moment Out Of Yesterday

 

"Nobody has ever taken a photograph of something they want to forget. We can build a wall of happy Kodak moments around ourselves, a wall of our Christmases, birthdays, baby showers and weddings, but we can never forget that celluloid film is see through, that behind it, all the misery of life waits for our wall to collapse someday."

 

~Rebecca McNutt

 

On Thornton road, between the Woodbridge ecological Reserve, and the Cosumnes River Reserve, sits this picturesque old barn. I absolutely love it. I can think of about a hundred stories I could make up about it. Some spooky, some sweet and enduring, some that just make you scratch your head! The real history about this barn probably isn't all that profound. It's a barn, pure and simple. Most often barns are things of practicality... right? But every once in a while a truly wonderful story comes along that requires a barn as a co-star to it's main protagonist. Unfortunately, I am not a writer. I can barely write this blog. I am not sure what is wrong with my wiring, because I can write stuff in my head, but I have no talent for making it make sense of paper, or the pages of Ellipsis. As frustrating as that is, I am pleased to simply enjoy photographing cool structures like this barn, and let the bits of a 100 or so different stories bounce around my brain. Creatively, I am a visual person, but sometimes I wish I could write a story about a haunted barn, or a witch spending the night in an old barn because her broom was out of gas. Or maybe even something homespun, like The Waltons. You get the idea.

Mumpfh.

I wonder what the real story is about this gorgeous old barn?

 It's a really cool moment out of yesterday,

 and I'd like to know more about it!

Winter Orchard

~Carly

 

Woodbridge And The Cosumnes RIver

"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence."

 

Robert Lynd 

 

Northern Mockingbird

Woodbridge

Lodi, California

January 3rd 2020

I happened upon my new hobby of, watching and photographing birds, kinda by mistake. It was this past November, and it appeared that we in, San Joaquin County, were going to be asked to stay indoors as much as possible, because of the surge of Covid-19. I was also anticipating autumn ending soon, and with it my Autumn Leaf project, so I did a quick search online to see what my options were. Purely by accident I found a link to an article about delta birds, and the Sandhill Crane in particular. A bird so revered in my area, that it has it's very own festival, held annually in November, in Lodi! Well, as you might imagine, the festival for 2020 was cancelled, due to Covid-19 concerns, but the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve was open, and nothing was mentioned about it being off limits.

 

White-crowned Sparrow

Woodbridge

Lodi, California

2020 kicked my ass, and the ass of most folks I know. My nerves have felt shot. Too much Trump. Too much tragedy. Too much self whining. Too much! I wanted some peace and quiet, so it sounded like a fairly nice place to visit as a change of pace. A real chance to get out of my own head for a little while, and besides, there might be one or two new kinds of leaves to photograph! I never would have guessed how much joy that place would bring me, on that late autumn day. It was quiet, except for the sounds of the hundreds of different birds and water fowl, and the occasional human who had no clue about how successful bird watching is best done with eyes open and mouths closed. Humans! Oh well, I am happy to say, that birders and fellow photographers get alone nicely. Politics doesn't come up, when you are too busy sitting on a bench listening to a nearby bird, or watching the majestic sight of a large flock of crane returning home from wherever a crane goes for the day, or watching a sunset over Mount Diablo. 

 

 

I started keeping track on day one of the beautiful birds I was photographing, and from there I discovered the Cosumnes River Wildlife Reserve, in next door Galt, California. And as of the new year, I am now keeping a Google album which I hope to fill with at least 300 new bird sightings for the year. That's my goal anyway. Between the two different reserves, I am well on my way. Realistically, I will only be able to visit there on the weekends, but there are always a ton of different types of birds at both places, and sometimes on power poles between them, to add to my album. Just last Sunday, I photographed about 25 or so, distinct birds. It was thrilling. I like having a new subject to photograph, and new places to visit. I have read that the coastline from Point Reyes to Bodega Bay is a birders paradise. I can't wait to visit, later this year, possibly in the spring, because it's also a photographers paradise. And don't tell anyone, but you can find a lot of autumn beauty just inland, at the wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties. 

The quiet has never been so beautiful.

And look, there is a little autumn left to make me smile!

 

Oak Tree

Cosumnes River Wildlife Reserve

Galt, California

 

 

~Carly