Just a few sprinkles came down but the clouds were amazing. Here's a photo I took from our deck in Anchor Bay just before sunset.
Quite unusual cloud formations filled the sky, while the horizon was clearing. I saw a double green flash at sunset.
We have more rain in our forecast, which is welcome news after the nearly dry months of January and February...and March hasn't been much better. Let's do a rain dance!
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.
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.
Thursday's sunset was beautiful with the leftover clouds from a storm. This photo was taken from our deck in Anchor Bay.
Earlier that day, Rick and I - with our golden retriever, Huckleberry - walked along the Gualala Bluff Trail. The river was closed to the ocean by the sandbar. You can see the river has turned "Steelhead" green. When the river opens Steelhead will enter the river. Catch and release fishing will then be the order of the day.
To see a photo of a Steelhead in the Gualala River, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/09/01/adult-steelhead-photographed-by-peter-baye-in-one-of-the-reaches-of-the-gualala-river/
Turkey Tails, Trametes versicolor, are fruiting in the forest. They are quite beautiful as you can see by my photo. They are fruiting on a downed Tan-oak on our property in Anchor Bay.
Turkey Tail mushrooms, found all over the world, have medicinal qualities. A soothing tea can release their polysaccharides. Studies are ongoing regarding their use as an immune system booster in breast cancer patients. There's a fascinating article about their medicinal qualities on Huffington Post at this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/mushrooms-cancer_b_1560691.html Could a mushroom growing in abundance in the forest be the answer to someone's prayer?