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

Advice For The Practical Witch And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #37

 

"Keep calm and carry a wand."

 

 ~A. W. Jantha

Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel

 

 

Isn't she a beauty? Purple is my favorite color to wear when I go flying on my broom. Although sometimes I wonder if it clashes a little too much with Mini Cooper broom, but Cooper and I don't much care what other witches and warlocks think, not at my advanced age. I am finally here... 60. I can cast any spell I want, and that feels good! Although with that advanced age I am a little more like Aunt Clara then Samantha, and I am well past the age of most Supreme witches, but that's okay too, I am here for any consultations necessary, just like the Owens' aunts, Jet and Frances. That's just where life takes you. As Sally Owens says, "Always throw spilt salt over your shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant Lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can." That I can do. Alan and I tell each other how much we love each other every day. We even send lovey texts to each other. When it comes to kitchen magic, I am starting an indoor Herb garden real soon, so who knows what magic might happen! I am considering making some holiday candles, with the essential oils I bought last summer. It's all quite magical if you remember to, "keep calm and carry a big wand."

~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

 

The Mothman Lighthouse And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #35

"Mothman flew away from town, like a giant bat,

 and then disappeared from sight behind a thicket

 of skeletal autumn trees."

 

~Don Roff

Heebie-Jeebies: Volume One

 

October carries fear under it's wing, no doubt, and what is spookier than a hauntingly beautiful lighthouse, just late enough in the day to cast all sorts of ghostly shadows? I love lighthouses, but this one is on my all time favorites list. Pigeon Point Lighthouse. It sits on the cliffs of Pescadero, California, lighting the way for man, and birds, for just long enough to earn adding ghosts to it's history. More to come on this subject, but for now, enjoy gazing into the photo. Oh, you could say, Pigeon Point lighthouse, three times and see if something otherworldly appears! Like a giant moth! Or not. Who would know?

 

Bwahahahahahahahahah! 

 

~Me

My Favorite Tree And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #34

 

"Fall has always been my favorite season. 

The time when everything bursts with it's last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

 

~Lauren DeStefano

 

My favorite tree is having a difficult time letting go of summer this year. That's okay, it just means I will get to have some of it's gorgeous leaves a little longer. Cull Canyon is an excellent place to do some birding. When I visited last week, the  app registered everything from the Oak Titmouse, to the Hairy Woodpecker, neither of which we have. The hunt goes on.

~Me

 

Autumn Rose And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #33

 

"The tints of autumn... a mighty flower garden

 blossoming under the spell of the enchanter frost."

 

~John Greenleaf Whittier

 

 

A little beauty, for a coolish autumn day. I grew that rose, well, me and all that the natural world has endured this year. It has really been a metaphor for what I have been through. The Covid left me with deep depression, and an almost complete lack of creativity and the ability to concentrate. It's called Brain Fog, and it apparently affects those over 60 who suffered from the original Omicron variant. It has been a difficult time, but things seem to be getting better. I am beginning to handle stresses better, and I think I have a better outlook for the feature, and as you might have noticed, I am embracing joy again, not fearing it. I don't know how much credit I can take for my rose, they are such hardy plants, but I did know how to care for it. And I know how to care for myself, I just needed to remember what to do.

Hot Cocoa Rose

Berkeley, Ca Autumn 2012 

 

I really miss that garden in the Bay Area. It broke my heart to learn Sandy L. had tore it, and my Japanese Maple tree, out of the garden, out of nothing more then old fashioned spite. But that is her problem. I cared for my roses and that tree, but all she did was make her property worth less money. It's okay. I am not going to spend time thinking about it, because there is nothing I can do about it, but I have the knowledge that I know how to grow a beautiful, strong, spicy rose, and I will always have that happiness inside me. This yellow rose smells like a baked sweet potato with extra clove, cinnamon and honey. Next year, if we find ourselves extending our contract for the condo, I might consider adding another rose or two to the front porch rose garden. Maybe a brand new color I haven't tried before, like Pumpkin Patch or maybe Sterling, but I really loved the Hot Cocoa rose I grew when we lived in the studio. In any case, I want them to look pretty in autumn.

 

~Me

Horned Grebe And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #32

 

"What could be more exciting than an October day?

 It's your birthday, Fourth of July and Christmas all rolled into one."

 

~Peggy Toney Horton

 

More and more of the Sandhill crane are coming in now, but so are many of the other birds. I was on Desmond road when I took this photo, Thursday of last week, and not only did I get to see these magnificent birds closer than ever, but just down the road, in the pond closest to the railroad tracks, were a pair of Horned Grebe. Really? On Desmond road? See, I am always learning new things. And that's a great feeling! There is way too much to learn, but I will do my best!

 

 

~Me

Least Sandpiper And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #31

 

"It was one of those days you sometimes get latish in autumn when the sun beams, the birds toot, and there is a bracing tang in the air that sends the blood beetling briskly through the veins."

 

P.G. Wodenhouse Jeeves And The Old School Chum

 

More from my visit to San Francisco, and Marin County. The tiny, yet fierce, Least Sandpiper, which is also the smallest of all sandpipers. So beautiful in flight, but then what bird don't I enjoy seeing flying? Especially in autumn? But there is something about these little birds. I am not sure why I feel so much affection for them, but I do know why I respect them so much. The oldest lived to be 15 years old, which is kinda stunning for something so fragile. This little 5 inch bird has survival power! Strength like that gets my love.

 

~Me

American Avaocet And Leaf Of The Day #30

 

"The birds will wing from the weather,

 while I stand still as the harvest, with the sound of the fall in the air."

 

~Carolyn Kizer

 

Aren't the majestic? They are American Avocet, and I spotted them at a new spot for birding, Shorebird Marsh Overlook, in Corte Madera. The park had every kind of white bird. Pelicans, egrets, Least Sandpiper, you name it! I will be going back. I am not sure when, but probably on a Marin County day. A day spend enjoying the drive up Mount Tam, and riding along Paradise drive and the ridge just over the Golden Gate bridge. You know, a day in an autumn daydream.

 

 

~Me

One Month, A Million Little Joys Plus Autumn Leaf Of The Day #29

 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

 

L. M. Montgomery

Anne Of Green Gables

 

Fuzzy little autumn creatures. What's there not to love? And it's even better that I spotted it in October. My favorite month gives me everything in just 31 days! My anniversary. Halloween candy. The turning autumn leaves. The Pacific Flyway, virtually at my front door, as I know the mergansers will show up in the channel eventually. The smell of cinnamon and clove is everywhere. Spumoni. Halloween costumes. Scary movies. And that first cool breeze. One month, a million little joys. October.

 

~Me

Beauty In The World In Autumn And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #28

 

"If, of all the seasons, there is which a person completely forgets himself and constantly watches the magical environment, it is undoubtedly autumn."

Mehmet Murat ildan

 We made it out to Woodbridge yesterday, early, and were treated to a magnificent sight. Hundreds and hundreds of them were playing, well actually, eating, in the fields across from Woodbridge preserve. The gorgeous grape leaves made everything just autumnlicious. No, not a word, but definitely a feeling. It's the feeling of contentment, serenity and happiness.

 

 

Oh Hi Doggie

 

"His beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face. His cheeks were apple-red. He looked like a friend; like someone you had known all your life."

~Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things: Short Fiction And Wonders

 

It was a day. Yesterday we spent the whole day in search of birds in Bodega Bay. First, however, we were treated to the sights along the way in Napa, Sonoma and Solono counties. Just little roadside oddities and small bites of Northern California Americana. It felt nice to be back in some of my old stomping grounds. We will visit more now I think. It's best to not plan this stuff too far in advance. Just flow with the rustling leaves.

 

 

~Me

Mating Dance

 

"October, crisp, misty, golden October,

 when the light is sweet and heavy."

 

~Angela Carter

The Magic Toyshop

 

Another beautiful group of Sandhill crane, along Desmond road. But this time I was in for a treat. Alan and I pulled over to check GoBird and I was adjusting my camera, when a fellow birder altered us that there was a mating dance going on, a little further up the road. We got there in time to see a bit of it, and now I hope to be able to observe it again. It was fascinating. The males splashed in the water, and then flew up into the air, flapping their wings in a grand style. They were out to impress the only female I saw there. The bird with the outstretched wings clearly impressed the young lady, and the other males took to flight. A little while later the male and female left for their Saturday evening day, and hopefully, some serious necking!

 

 I love birding!

 

 

~Me

Damn Those Vampires

 

"Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym."

 

~Stephen King

 

He's just a lonely vampire. Flying around northern Nevada. I spotted him one bright, beautiful October morning, while on vacation in 2005. Life had been difficult for a while. Five or six years of pain and deep uncertainties, but one day the veil lifted and life became worth living for, and I found myself on a car ride with Alan, and a camera in my hand, off on a car ride. Sometimes it happens that way. Life can throw some awful curve balls your way, then over time a person does a reset, and life is back on some track. You don't feel the same, but you are okay with where you are. That's how I feel right now. I hope to get out soon and see some Halloween decorations here and there, maybe even in northern Nevada. We will have to see where the gas prices go. Back in 2005 gas prices were $2.89 a gallon, today it's   I suspect the prices will go down after the mid-terms. If only I could just climb out of my coffin, put on my cape, and soar into the sky, like gas prices are right now. Sigh. Maybe later in November at least some of life's vampires will be back in their coffins.

 

Damn vampires.

 

 

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