Tag Archives: Mendocino

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A trip to the town of Mendocino is always fun. The shopping and the restaurants are fine indeed. But don't miss a hike on the Mendocino Headlands, a State Park, as they are spectacular! Ron LeValley captured some of the scene.

mendocino-headlands-by-ron-levalley mendocino-headlands-by-ron-levalleyTo learn more about Mendocino Headlands State Park, here is the link: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=442

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/

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Ann Beckett had a fun sighting. She wrote, “Jerry and I came across this [bug] outside the Mendocino Market in Mendocino Friday. He’s huge: 2 ½ inches plus long. He flies like a berserk helicopter, a herky, jerky flurry of yellow wings taking him a few feet. We thought it might be a beetle, cicada or even a roach, but it’s a Giant Water Bug.”

Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus americanus, by Ann Beckett

Giant Water Bugs are members of the order Hemiptera, true bugs, and they are the largest true bug in the US. They usually are found in water. Ann points out there is a pond at the Kelley House, which is likely its home. There are many fascinating facts about this big bug. One of them is it has breathing tubes at the end of its abdomen that act as snorkels.

Ann writes further, “It could have been a model for a Star Wars creature or an inspiration for the design of an armored military vehicle.”

Thanks to Ann for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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A strong storm hit the Mendonoma Coast late yesterday afternoon. High winds and drenching rain were finally the story of the day. This morning we had a rainbow day. I waited until the rainbow reached Fish Rocks.

 There's a hint of a second rainbow on the left.

 And a photo of some of the dramatic clouds this morning.

All of these were taken from the front deck of Rick's and my home in Anchor Bay. The Pacific Ocean is very turbulent and loud. The sound of crashing waves can be heard even inside our home and we are a half mile away. Amazing!

We received 1.4 inches of rain. That was enough to get Quinliven Creek going again. With the lack of rain over the past two months, there were several places where creek went underground. We're used to that happening in May, not February! We are very thankful for the rain.

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I was sitting on our deck reading when a fairly large bug flew into the side of my face. It flew down to the brick deck and rested in the mortar between two bricks. Rick and I had never seen anything like it before. The antennae are longer than the bug's body.

I sent my photo to bug expert Will Ericson. He wrote back, "Oh, that's cool. I haven't seen these in Mendocino before, always a pleasant surprise. This is a Monochamus sp. in the family Cerambycidae." Will told me they are wood-boring beetles and act as essential decomposers of dead trees. They are also known as Sawyer Beetles.

I thought the photo below was interesting with the shadow.

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As rain approaches, you can see the swells in the Pacific ocean laid out as if like corduroy. The ocean is in full throat today. While we worry about events on the other side of this beautiful ocean, this afternoon we cherish the warmth of the fire and the nearness of love ones.