Old Picture New Autumn Leaf #24

 "It's like summer wear the world out,

 and by October everyone is just ready for a nap."

 

~Ta-Nehisl Coats

The Water Dancer

 

That's about the best explanation as I can think of to describe it. The summer, with temperatures that rage in the triple digits for days, and sometimes weeks, can only be described as the anger of a year, wears one out, and isn't that just the way it feels after you get angry? Tired. Maybe even sad that it had to come to that? It's only the 15th of October, not even one-third of autumn has gone by, and I am already mourning it's passing, because I know I am going to have to face all the color drain from the year, followed by a burst of spring color, that not only am I am not ready for after months of darkness, but which has always been just a little too giggly for my liking. It's like having someone tell you, "get over it" before you are really ready to.

 

 I know when all is said and done, having all that light around will do is force me back into my summer seasonal depression. My emotional, heartbreaking anger, where I carry my regrets and mourning, and all the sad negativity we humans aren't supposed to share in the open, will live inside of me for 6 months like a parasite. Loneliness lives there too. As does fear. But right now, in this October, I am okay, I will just need to stay on track. Frankly, I am surprised I am doing as well as I am doing! After spending most of the year unable to eat, I am finally getting back on a more normal path to eating properly. The birds will help, and have, as tools to my recovery, as will the movies and my reading. The tools are are here, it's just a matter of taking the old picture, and putting it in a new frame. Not very many frames have worked in the past, mostly it's just been trial and error, but that's the road to recovery isn't it?

~Me

Desmond Road In Farm County And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #23

 

"His eyes reflected the open grey of the autumnal sky."

~Juliet Marillier

Daughter Of The Frost

 

The farm country added some new ducks to it's various ponds this week. Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Ring-necked ducks, Green-winged Teal, and mallards all showed up in the pond on Desmond road. It's a happy feeling to see the birds enjoying autumn as much as I do. Soon, I hope, the Snow geese will arrive, and after that, who knows? All I know is I enjoy the annual migration of birds, and I can't help but marvel at their ability to survive and thrive. I didn't sit and count how many different species of bird flew past me today, because I was too busy enjoying the sounds of farm country and the world of Desmond road, in Galt, California.

 

 

~Me

Happy Anniversary And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #22

 

"So, I love you because the entire universe

 conspired to help me find you."

 

~Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist

 

32 years ago today I married my best friend. We were 11 years in admitting we were in love and then 2 additional years reaching the alter, but we eventually did and it's been quite the adventure. It's been the best time of my life. We have had fun, tragedy, deep sorrows, deep love, and times when it all couldn't have gone better or worse. Through it all, and at the end of the day, we have never gone to bed with a grudge or with dark feelings of parting. Our adventure continues a year older, as it should, with two people who see each other as they did on their wedding day, not as the elderly couple they are. He doesn't look a day older to me, and he continually tells me I am beautiful. 

 

I guess we are in love.

 

💓 

 

 

~Me

The Common Raven And Leaf Of The Day #21

 "Farther west, a raven floated down the road like an escort,

  a companion, making sure I got home okay."

 

~Rick Bass

The Sky, The Stars, The Wilderness

 

When I think about ravens, I don't generally think of comfort. I think of the poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe. Although, from time to time, I think about the raven that lived in Herman and Lilly Munster's clock, who always quoted that famous poem with, "never more, never more." Which seems fairly morose or, perhaps, I don't know, bleak. At the end of the day, I think it's just a bird, doing bird thing. I did spot he, and his mate, at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, where there are birds. Shock. Awe. Or maybe I am about to be hit by a nuclear missile. I mean a lot of other folks will be there with me when it happens, but that kind of thing always seems so personal when it plays out. Don't you think?

 

 

Great bird for October.

 Good Omen bird.

 I mean good bird to associate with bad omens.

 Sigh.

~Me

I have To Admit I'm Getting Better Every Day And Autumn Leaf #20

 

"When autumn meets tranquility,

 there you can see the King of Sceneries!"

 

~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

It's just a fact, I am feeling like myself again. I have a lot of learning about my new camera, and autumn light, but one irrefutable fact is that I am getting healthier every day, and that makes the learning easier! I ate a sandwich today that had mayonnaise on it, and while I felt a bit queasy afterwards, I didn't get sick. That is REAL progress toward being finished with Long Covid. I'm crossing my fingers about things, but hey, it had to happen sometime, right? And yes, that is a Sandhill Crane, not a seabird, but Bodega Bay is still on this week's schedule, as is the Sierra. My faith in things needs a little work. Every day when I get up, I promise myself I will try a little harder, to remember who I once was, and move on with the best part of me focused on the future and whatever time I have left on earth, because there will never be enough time to watch, and appreciate, the beautiful things in my life.

 

Greater White-fronted Geese...

~Me

 

 

On A Misty Evening In October And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #19

 

"Night, which in Autumn,

 seems to fall from the sky so suddenly, chilled us... ."

 

~Jules Burber D' Auervilly

 The Crimson Curtain

 

Forgive me, but it was a beautiful evening at Woodbridge. Life is very good when I am there. I feel like I can breathe when I am there. But happily, today, if all goes well, I won't be in Woodbridge, I will be in Bodega Bay, and points south along the coast, such as Point Reyes Station and Lighthouse, and if we decide to stay along the coast, we could spend some time in Terra Linda, where the best canolli in the world can be found. Cannoli from Gaspare's Restaurant can fix any bad day, like an old friend who drops by for a visit and a meal. Only I guess I am visiting their house. I have loved that restaurant since Woody Allen filmed a scene from Blue Jasmine there, and we decided to try it out. Delicious. But if we don't end up there, we will soon. It's autumn after all.

 

Gaspares Restaurant

San Francisco

~Me

Name That Bird! And Autumn Leaf #18

 "I look. There it is. I feel it. The insistent pull to the heart that the hawk brings, that very old longing of mine to possess the hawk's eye. To live the safe and solitary life; to look down on the world from a height and keep it there. To be the watcher; invulnerable, detached, complete. My eyes fill with water. Here I am, I think And I do not think I am safe."

~Helen McDonald

 

Isn't that bird magnificent? That is a red-tailed hawk. They live throughout the Central Valley, so finding them is not difficult. At all. The problem is, lots of hawks in the valley look very similar to each other, especially as they mature. So, it helps to have the right guides for learning about the birds. Currently I own the, Audubon Field Guide To Birding (Western Edition) and the Sibley Birds West. I purchased the Sibley guide just this past week, and I have already fallen in love with it's gorgeous illustrations. Audubon has a unique layout that I enjoy, and it's color photographs are great for IDing.With the two guides, I am hoping to do a lot better when it comes to cataloging.

~Me

 

 

Buzzzzzzzed And Auntumn #17

 "Why should I wake when I am half passed dead?"

 

~Emilie Autumn

 

Isn't it weird? But if that chair needs a little caffeine, to feel more like the inner bar stool that it really is, who am I too laugh or deny it a little something to kick the day into existence? 

~Me

 

 

I (Heart) Clark's Grebe And Leaf Of The Day #16

 

"Summer rolled into autumn

views of this world fall away."

 

Meeta Ahluwalia

 

The grebe is such a lovely water bird. It makes a strange barking sound, so if you just heard it's sound but didn't see the bird itself you might think there was some kind of monster in the pond. A small monster. But when you see the grebe, happily fishing, or floating about in the mid-day sun, you might think that whatever sound it makes, it would be properly British. You see, it's head reminds me of a British bobby hat. I am beginning to really love these guys! Sometimes I am very happy inside.

 

~Me

 

 

Great Ergret And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #15

 

"It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with 

air like cider and a sky blue you could drown in it."

 

Diana Gabaldon

Outlander

 

Isn't this a stunning sight? A scene so mesmerizing that all I wanted to do was walk into the water and swim around with the grebes, egrets, and cormorants. Look, it's so clear and so reflective you can see the details in the egret's under wings. The sky really was so blue you could drown in it. A sky that screams, autumn, but indeed, October. And a there's a bit of colorful algae to make the picture have a little color, but not so much algae that the ecosystem was an unhealthy mess for the birds. While on my visit to the Clifton Court Forebay, yesterday, I was able to see a number a beautiful sights, so don't give up on me, I can't wait to show you the beautiful things I see!

 

~Me

With A Twinkle In His Eyes And The Autumn Leaf Of The Day #14

 "Ah, lovely October, as you usher in the season that awakens my soul, your awesome beauty compels my spirit to soar like a lead caught in an autumn breeze and my heart to sing like a heavenly choir."

 

~Peggy Toney Horton

 

Today would be my father's 104th birthday. He is buried just down the road, in Lodi, but it's not really him there, he lives all around me, every day. He is just as amazed as I am, that I live in Stockton. I think mostly about the good days we had, not the sad or abusive ones. I still laugh at some of his jokes, or how most excellently he would lay down a righteous burn or goof on someone. He could make my day, or kill me with the pain only he knew how to inflict. I don't want to think about the bad times anymore, I have made my peace with them. I just want to think about my dad, and be glad that he was my dad. I just wish he and I would have had more time to discuss the beauty of the San Joaquin Delta. But I, in my youthful arrogance, would never entertain the nightmare of living here.

Be careful of the things, and people, you take for granted.

 

~Me

 

 

 

 

No really I am. Seriously, I am. Seriously. And #13

 "I cannot endure to waste anything so precious

as sunshine by staying in the house."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

The American Notebooks

Seriously, I am going to write about something other than birds and leaves, now that I am back to blogging for the next six months. Other things do actually exist for me. Like what you ask? Well, like baking and using my new air fryer that we bought around/near my birthday. I haven't actually used it yet, but my sweetie husband has made a steak and some sweet potato fries that were to die for! Yum. So, he has inspired me to make something soon. Also, the bread maker is finally unpacked and ready to be used. You remember how much I used it was used in my former life on Alturas.

 

 At one point I think I made some kind of baked item at least every couple days, but until I am less obsessed with birds and leaves, I am afraid this is the course I am on. But hey, it's October, which means vacation has officially begun for 2022. We will be going here are there, and then there is Movieapalosa. This year, I think we broke a record, on DVD purchases. There are at least thirty new movies, just waiting to be seen. Most are horror movies, but we also added some comedies too. Maybe that will be a subject of an upcoming post, how I overspent on vacation. I bet you can't wait! So, into the autumn sunshine I go, and hopefully I will see, and photograph, more beauty than I did the previous day!

 

Click Photo To Enlarge

Tuesday's Leaf Of The Day... #13

~Me

Looking Deeper Into The Photograph And #12

 

"It was one of those perfect autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."

 

~P.D. James

A Taste For Death 

 

 

Clifton Court Forebay

I photographed this amazing Osprey on September 22nd, just hours before autumn was to begin officially. I was giddy with pure joy at the promise that the long, stupid, hot summer was finally over. The golden sun was shining in a cornflower blue sky and there was a surprisingly cool breeze blowing really gentle, it was just enough to cool you, but not to insult you. And there he was... a really big bird I had never seen before. The Osprey. And he was eating a fish, but I didn't notice until yesterday, while going through some photos, because I had been concentrating only on him.

 

His yellow eyes. His impressive size, especially when his wingspan (5 feet) is out fully. I NEVER saw the fish. There is a real lesson in that, as photographer must ALWAYS be aware of the backgrounds when doing a photo FULL STOP! I neglected to do that, so lesson learned! That was something Steven tried to impress on me, and I really try to do it, but in this case that bird was so amazing, so challenging, so wickedly beautiful that I was completely focused on preserving the moment that the osprey and I made eye contact. It's not an excuse, but it is a reason. Now, isn't it fun that a little autumn magic came into play?

 

And now a little more autumn magic...

 

 

~Me

 

 

A Tale Of Two Roads And #11

 "September days have the warmth of summer in their hours, but in their lengthening evening a prophetic breath of autumn."

~Rowland E. Robinson

 

Desmond road

Galt, California

Spring, 2022
 

I speak a lot about Desmond road, and the Woodbridge Wildlife Preserve in, Lodi, California, so I thought it would be nice to give them their own post. I have enjoyed them very much this year! I saw, and photographed, my first bald eagle on Desmond road, last spring, and another moment I will never forget was seeing was a small flock of Sandhill Cranes flying in circle over my car on Woodbridge road, on the very day they returned to Lodi. It was so soul stirring I think I aged backwards at least two years! Birding has been good for me, I hope I can see all the birds on my list this year, but it's okay if it takes me ten years to find them, because it will always be the ones you didn't count on being there, that fill those little parts of my heart that needs healing the most. That's the way it is with bird watching. It's kinda like a treasure hunt. Even if there are no birds to be found, there is always a beautiful pier, park, forest, or just a gorgeous road, in the middle of nowhere, that's discovered along the way, and if you are lucky, you just might see a bald eagle, or a Sandhill Crane!

 

Desmomd road

Galt, California

September 2022

 Woodbridge road

September 2022

Woodbridge road

September 2022

 

And...

 

 

 

 ~Me