The loop trail through the Pygmy Forest forms a huge contrast from previous sections of the Ecological Staircase at Jug Handle State Reserve. Leaving behind the deeply shaded coastal redwood path and soft forest floor, I found myself on a narrow boardwalk in full sunlight lying above highly acidic, poorly draining soil. I was surrounded by a profusion of trees […]
I was reading this morning that rockslides have temporarily closed great sections of Highway 70 through the Feather River Canyon to Highway 89. And although I don’t think I’ve ever traveled along that particular route, I was reminded of a couple of road trips up to Eagle Lake via the roughly parallel Highway 32. Our course took us through the […]
Yes, I did shoot an awful lot of photos on my hike up the Ecological Staircase at Jug Handle in Mendocino County; I used three different cameras and walked very slowly. And even though several of my images were not good enough to share, that still left me with plenty of pictures I’m quite happy with. Today, I present a […]
If you’ve ever felt like just staying in bed all day (and really, who among us hasn’t?) this one is for you. I went to the Legion of Honor museum expecting to see some great works of art, but I never dreamed I would find such a comfy looking bed! Of course, these days we can only look, not touch. […]
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, […]
Yesterday ‘s post featured a visit to Iwasaka Images of America, a Southern California company that produces extremely realistic and delicious-looking samples of food, mainly for the restaurant industry. I’m not sure if the food images I saw last summer in the window of this restaurant were created by that same company, but it’s quite possible they were. The cafe, […]
There are so many beautiful places to wander within the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg! It seemed to me that most of the other visitors while I was there last October headed for the bluff trails to enjoy the views of the ocean. I preferred the woodland areas and had them mostly to myself — with only birdsong, […]
One of my favorite YouTube videos recently is a 12-hour soundscape of ocean waves; I frequently use it to lull myself to sleep. When I gaze at these images from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg, it’s easy to summon up the boom and crash of waves along a rocky shore along with the fresh salt air on […]
Our Christmas holiday didn’t go at all the way we had expected this year, but all in all, it could have been a lot worse. The Big Guy spent five nights in the hospital at Baylor Grapevine (including two in the ICU) and we didn’t get back home until December 30; we also missed out on his family’s Christmas Day […]