Today (April 21) is Earth Day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about dandelions lately. That’s partly because I recently finished reading Hannah Holmes’ Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn (Bloomsbury, 2005). I was attracted by the cute squirrel on the book’s cover, but as I read I also learned terms like “Freedom Lawn,” and “grass-farming” — I haven’t […]
I can always be pretty sure of spotting Western Fence Lizards (also called Blue-bellies) on my outdoor adventures during the spring, usually perched atop sun-warmed rocks or old logs. Sometimes it takes sharp eyes to spot their camouflage. Still, for all the many times I’ve seen and photographed these little guys, I never knew until today that they have the […]
When I made this year’s first trip to Phoenix Park last week I was hoping to see a lot of wildflowers after all the rain storms we’ve had. I was a little surprised that the various pools didn’t seem to be overflowing, although I know that only the earliest flowers are blooming right now. All in all, it was a […]
Looking back at some images from March seven years ago, documenting the change of the season from winter to spring in my area. I don’t believe I’ve shared these before — or at least not for a long time. I was finally starting to realize how much fun it was to photograph wildflowers and colorful blooms in people’s yards.
For the last few months of his life in 1993, our Zack (also called Zeno) was an only dog. He had a tough time getting used to the loss of Phoebe, the pitbull who was like a mother to him. Despite his lifelong health problems, we always took Zack on outdoor adventures, and he would follow the Big Guy everywhere, […]
I’ve always loved to hear the call of the Red-winged Blackbird, described in the National Audobon Society Master Guide to Birding as conk-ka-ree or ok-a-lee (no “Okily-dokily!” Ned Flanders jokes, please!). I went for years without enjoying the sight and sound of these handsome birds, partly because of local habitat loss and partly because I wasn’t spending time in the […]
Today I’ve been so busy I still haven’t checked to see the groundhog’s weather prediction for the next six weeks — although locally we’ve been alternating between sunshine and rain. I did have a small surprise when I realized it was seven years ago today that I had my first and only experience with indoor skydiving at iFly Sacramento. I’m […]
