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One of the easiest waterfalls to see is the one at Stengel Beach on The Sea Ranch. Amy Ruegg went to check it out on Saturday after the big, juicy storm we just had. It did not disappoint.  You can almost hear the waterfall.

Here's a photo Amy took from the bluffs, showing paintbrush in bloom with the waterfall behind it.

Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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We got 8.1 inches during the "river of rain" event which ended yesterday, Saturday. The seasonal creek that crosses our property was doing its best impression of a mighty river. Here's Quinliven Creek during the tail end of the storm.

When we get a lot of rain, a hidden grotto with a cascade is revealed.

Here are two videos of the action.

Flooding at Quinliven Creek by Jeanne Jackson

Quinliven Creek by Jeanne Jackson

And today is sunny and oh-so-lovely. The Pacific Ocean is all riled up from the storm with big waves crashing against coastal bluffs and beaches. It's a great time to be on the Mendonoma coast!

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We have had 6.56 inches of rain since the storm started last night. Lots of flooding, trees down and power outages. How fun is that? Tomorrow may bring us beautiful rainbows, such as this one taken a few weeks ago by Paul Brewer

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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Catherine Miller found these lovely native wildflowers growing on the bluffs in southern Mendocino county - Mission Bells. They are also called Checker Lily.

These flowers are members of the Lily family and their scientific name is Fritillaria affinis. Promise you will never dig up one in the wild.

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

We have a big, juicy storm headed our way. Batten down the hatches!

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Paul Brewer has a front row seat to watch for marine life from his home in Gualala. He recently saw a lone Gray Whale and got this photo.

It looks like Paul has photographed a juvenile Gray Whale. It doesn't seem to have many barnacles and its head is rather stubby. We have a small group of juveniles staying along the coast of Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Another time Paul capture these two tails of Gray Whales.

This photo makes us wonder if Paul photographed one of the first mother/calf pairs, but we don't know for sure. It's always exciting to see the mother/calf pairs arrive up here. And we should see the first ones pretty soon!

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. Another photo of the first Gray Whale will appear in this week's Independent Coast Observer. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/