The surf has been dramatic lately. Rick and I were at Gualala Point Regional Park last Thursday and the surf was big. It is mesmerizing to watch and hear the power of the sea. Paul Brewer recently photographed a beautiful crashing wave.
You can almost hear this wave, can't you?!
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Ken Fischer noticed a tiny pink mushroom with white pleated gills growing out of his wood storage. Bev Vogt identified it as a Pleated Marasmius, Murasmius plicatulus.
If Walt Disney had seen this little beauty I wonder if he would have included it in Fantasia. That movie is where I saw Fly Amanitas for the first time and they were dancing!
Putting fanciful thoughts aside, I thank Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Craig Tooley was out with his camera when he spotted this beautiful Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, just lifting off the ground. She's magnificent!
This Hawk is a year round resident here on the Mendonoma Coast. Northern Harriers use their ears as well as their sight to spot prey. They fly low over the ground looking for small mammals such as mice. They also eat frogs and small birds. To hear the call of this hawk, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/sounds
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his wonderful photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's photography, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/
I love it when the sunbeams pierce through the clouds, creating spotlights on the ocean. The remnants of a cold storm gave us a beautiful sunset last night.
Bettye Winters got an even better photo of a sunset several weeks ago.
It seems like no two sunsets are exactly alike. It's a wonderful thing to see the sunsets from the Mendonoma Coast. Thanks to Bettye for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
The dark of the forest is brightened with the sightings of Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum. As I learn more, I pay attention more. I had noticed the red stems earlier this month with the leaves closed like hands praying - that's if one had three hands. As the days went by the leaves slowly opened to reveal the exquisite white flower. Here's a photo from our place in Anchor Bay that shows three stages of development.
You should never pick these wildflowers as it seriously sets the plant back. The leaf-like bracts by the flower provide food for the next year. Just enjoy their loveliness in their natural habitat.
We are having a wild and cold storm today on the Mendonoma Coast. The rain is very welcome. With the storm cells marching across the Pacific Ocean, there might be some wonderful sunset photos to share with you tomorrow. And I almost can't believe my eyes when I just now looked out the window and saw it was snowing! That's an extremely rare occurrence here.