Today I’m looking back at September 28, 2022, during another of our trips to the Sonoma and Mendocino coast. We were staying in a beautiful little house in Sea Ranch, up on Timber Ridge Road — no ocean view from there, but we were in the middle of a wonderful coastal redwood forest. And there were hiking trails that took […]
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 […]
As I wandered around an abandoned and overgrown portion of Spanish Flat Campground at Lake Berryessa, I found an oak woodland covered in foxtails and invasive vetch as well as a surprising variety of flowers growing wild alongside forgotten pieces of roadway and cement pads. I can only guess at what this hilltop headland looked like in its prime; these […]
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 […]
Spring is an excellent time to explore around the shores of Lake Berryessa, as we recently did on our day trip during the first week of April. I discovered this unobtrusive trail near the Lupine Shores campground — guarded by a rather suspicious ground squirrel — which took me around the headland in a wide loop. I found the peace […]
After recovering from a drop in numbers some 25+ years ago, Ospreys seem to be thriving again in Northern California. I see them frequently whenever I visit Clear Lake or Lake Berryessa — especially in February through August, when they’re always busy nesting and raising their young. On our recent day trip to Steele Canyon at Lake Berryessa, I noticed […]
Yesterday I paid a visit to my newest favorite suburban greenspace, along Miners Ravine in Rocklin. I only stumbled upon this tiny oasis last spring, so I was eager to get back out there and see how the creek looked. As you can see by the image above, it looks pretty good right now! Since I love photographing whitewater (although […]
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 […]
A couple of days ago I drove over to Lake Berryessa with the Big Guy, and we spent the day at Steele Canyon Campground, near the south end of the lake. There is so much to explore all around this gorgeous lake that anytime we go over there, I find something new! Of course, my very favorite time of year […]