September 25, 2013

Autumn equinox at the beach . . .





Squid egg sac





Watercolor sunset



Teaching opportunity


I've watched this immature California gull pester it's mother for food for days now. The common tactic of the mother gulls is to present the food and let the offspring figure it out then ignore further pleas for a meal (my take of course). This mother gull seemed to be more patient than any other I've witnessed. She drug the crab beyond the waters edge and presented it to her offspring several times. Her 'child' attempted to eat for a moment and then gave up crying and begging. It's mother then ripped a leg off the crab and presented it; same crying and begging.  Often times I'll see the mother gull get bored or disgusted with the whole thing and fly off, leaving it's frantic offspring to figure it out. This mother persisted in her attempt to get the whiny bird to eat on his own. She repeatedly fended off mature gulls that swooped in to grab the prize. During one of these grab attempts, the ocean lapped up and pushed the whole crab (minus 1 leg) right to the feet of another waiting gull. The opportunistic bird promptly grabbed the crustacean and took flight. It was only then that the mother flew a short distance away leaving her offspring crying in helpless despair. 

As I watched this drama unfold it brought to mind my own parenting dilemma . . . when to assist and when to let your child fail and hopefully learn, seems to be a never-ending conundrum . . .

August 4, 2013

June 21, 2013

Summer solstice . . .

Summer solstice officially began at 10:04 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time June 20th this year. Robert Bigelow at Clark Planetarium writes, "While the solstice is commonly called the longest day of the year, it is not the date of earliest sunrise or latest sunset. The earliest sunrise occurs about a week before the solstice and the latest sunset about a week after. This results from a combination of Earth’s changing speed as it orbits the Sun and the tilt of its axis."


Kenai Penninsula, Alaska June 2003 . . .


2003 Net setting for salmon feast ~ Kasilof, Alaska


Removing salmon from the net


Horrified by the carnage, my 7 year-old son looks away as salmon are removed and clubbed



Cousin Lauri filets salmon for salmon sushi



2003 Summer solstice party ~ drumming circle


Fire finally dying down at about 4 a.m.



Rapidly receding glacier

Cousin Lauri and my son ~ Summer 2003

Bunkhouse accommodations ~ Hesketh Island on Kachemak Bay, Alaska




Winding down by the fire ~ Hesketh Island

Ten days of Alaskan adventure with my cousin Lauri and her life partner, Greg. Memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Wish we were there  .  .  .

Note: If you've always wanted to experience wild Alaska at it's finest, check out Porter's Alaskan Adventures.

These photos were taken with a 2 mega-pixel, point and shoot 10 years ago. I suppose I shouldn't complain about my little upgrade anymore.

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April 7, 2013

Tall Ships, Big Waves . . .

A ship load of visiting voyagers on a fog soaked day in Bodega Bay
With swells up to 10 feet, the surfers were out at sunset
Misty, gray, raucous ocean . . .
Brightened up to a steamy gold sunset as I ended my walk


I am where I want to be . . . 


Click here for 'Dark Side of the Lens' . . . a beautiful award winning video not to be missed . . 

 

February 18, 2013

Plastic Obsession . . .


This shouldn't give us more excuses to use single-use plastic, but I love Levi's strategy of marketing our mindless use of plastic. 

Click on this link for the YouTube video ~     
8 bottles. 1 jean. Waste less.