Tag Archives: Mel Smith

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Several coast photographers got fantastic photos of the recent Northern Lights which occurred on January 19th. Mel Smith photographed this from his home in Point Arena.

Rozanne Rapozo caught this magic near her home on The Sea Ranch.

Kate Bloch used The Sea Ranch chapel to set off the lights in the sky - beautiful!

Ben Angwin's photo of the aurora, which also shows the Milky Way, will be in the Independent Coast Observer tomorrow, in my Mendonoma Sightings column.

Thanks to Mel, Rozanne and Kate for allowing me to share their wonderful photos with you here.

We had a storm yesterday which brought 0.65 inches of rain, the first rain in nearly three weeks. It was a gentle rain with not much wind - just the way we like it!

 

 

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Mel Smith was hiking alongside the Gualala River when he came across this Redwood stump amidst second and third generation trees. Mel titled it "Still reaching for the sky!"

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

Today is a perfect autumn day here on the Mendonoma Coast. Sunny with a few clouds and a light breeze.

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A week ago Wednesday, a sundog appeared off Point Arena. Mel Smith captured the beauty.

Sundogs are a type of halo that appears when sunlight refracts off ice crystals in the atmosphere. These ice crystals are usually hexagonal and are often found in high-altitude cirrus clouds.

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

ooo, it's hot at Rick's and my place today but it's perfect right on the bluffs. Bonus sighting: Humpback whales have been seen in numbers!

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Mel Smith was out photographing a rather rare sight. He wrote, “Here is the new Moon and the planet Mercury on the 26th of June 2025.”

Mercury is often difficult to spot because it's close to the sun. It's still a little hard to spot it in Mel's photo - look to the left of the Moon. If you click on the photo, you will easily see Mercury. Mercury was relatively high in the evening sky when Mel got his photo.

Thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo with you here!

Foggy this morning and sunny this afternoon, temps in the high 70's.

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I love the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. With all the rain, there is this beautiful waterfall to find as Mel Smith photographed. Hint: It's closer to the north end.

Mel noticed some cracking, some erosion on the southern end of the Lands. He brought his camera and young granddaughter to observe what was going on. A new blowhole has been born! Here in the link to Mel's video:

New blowhole at the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands by Mel Smith

Amazing! Thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo and video with you here.

Lots of overhead clouds have poured in this afternoon but no predicted rain. Temps in the high 50's.