Tag Archives: Craig Tooley

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Even inside my home in Anchor Bay, one-half mile away, I can hear the roar of the Pacific Ocean. Huge swells are hitting the Mendonoma Coast and the crashing waves create a salty mist that drifts across Highway One. The swells are also creating some great surfing conditions.

Yesterday morning I photographed a nearly full moon in the western sky at sunrise. You can see the swells, one after the other. One friend described this as the ocean looking like corduroy.

 As Craig Tooley likes to say, the edges of the day are a great time for photography. Below is the setting sun shining on the ocean. It's a golden staircase to the unknown.

And what it looked like last night as the sun set into clouds. Beautiful, don't you think? No sunset is alike!

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Craig Tooley was up early to take advantage of the light of dawn. He calls it taking photos on the edges of the day. He caught a Great Blue Heron with the dawn light reflected off of its body. Just a spectacular photo! Craig calls it, "Greeting the dawn."

To see more of Craig's coastal photographs, here's the link to his web site: http://ruffimage.com/

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We are experiencing high surf and crashing waves here on the Mendonoma Coast. Craig Tooley has been out with his camera and he caught a wave alright - a beautiful wave with iridescence.

And another spectacular shot. These were taken from The Sea Ranch.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share these with you here. Here's a link to Craig's web site to see more of his work: http://ruffimage.com/

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Scarlet Waxy Caps, Hygrocybe punicea, are fruiting on the forest floor. These mushrooms are found in Northern Europe and are suppose to be edible there. But the ones in North America are not edible, causing adverse reactions for some. Golden Waxy Caps, Hygrocybe flavescens, have also appeared. I think of these small mushrooms as the "flowers" of winter and I just enjoy looking at them peeking out of the duff of the forest.

Craig Tooley recently photographed one and has kindly allowed me to share it with you here.

Craig has more mushroom photos on his web site, which you find using this link: http://ruffimage.com/

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Craig Tooley got up early this morning to photograph the Dawn of the New year at The Sea Ranch. Just lovely!

And to start 2012 off right, perhaps you'd like to toast the year's first sunset with a Green Flash Cocktail. Allen Vinson has been on a quest for the perfect recipe, which you will find below. Here he is with the winner:

To see a photo of an actual green flash at sunset, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/28/the-green-flash-its-not-a-myth/

Green Flash Cocktail Recipe
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
3 oz orange juice
3 0z sprite
ice
1. mix ingredients together, serve over ice.
2. garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry
3. lean back, savor the sunset and enjoy