Sun! Spring!

More rain, more blossoms

Actually the rain is letting up, after days and days of clouds and downpours. When it rains in Northern California it's often of the monsoon variety, which helps make up for the entirely dry summers we have. So, although waterlogged, I managed to squeeze off a few of this lovely tree in downtown Walnut Creek this weekend. And now--the weather gets mild.

Your daily blossom

New Mt. Diablo photo book promises to be beautiful

The Contra Costa Times has a feature on photographer Stephen Joseph's new book "Mount Diablo: The Extraordinary Life and Landscapes of a California Treasure," published by the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Joseph will be signing books throughout March and April, and presenting a slide-show at the Walnut Creek Library on April 13th. The article lists the dates or you can visit his site here.

The slide-show in the article is small in scale, but the photos still look extraordinary. The Mt. Diablo color gallery on his site will dazzle you, especially the panoramics.

Let's listen to frogs

It's soothing, funny and odd all at the same time. From Castle Rock Park at the foot of Mt. Diablo. The creek is currently full of frog song.

Castle Rock Park in Technicolor

I know it looks like an episode of "The Simpsons" but the colors were truly this intense today. I finally got outside after a round-robin of cold viruses for the past five weeks. And what a day. Two coyotes met me on my path and stared me down for a bit before heading toward Borges Ranch. Making the loop, I guess. Anyway, they were not afraid of me, that's for sure but they wouldn't stand still long enough for a photo. I think I saw an eagle flying away from me from a nearby tree. It was either that or the biggest hawk imaginable.


Note the difference in landscape. This is private land where cattle have been grazing for decades, decimating the native tree-sapling population, leaving nearly barren hills with a few lone oaks standing.
While right across the trail, the city park side is in its natural state and full of trees.
Looking through a wind tunnel.

Egret at dusk

My pal, the white egret, foraging at Heather Farm Park.

Borges Ranch - Shell Ridge, Walnut Creek

The camera phone can't handle direct sunlight. Well, most cameras have trouble with it as well. Sometimes this works in mysterious ways, making impressionistic images or just a mess. I like a good mess.

Castle Rock from above

I haven't been able to get out that much for the past month due to an ongoing cold that keeps mutating and surviving within my system. Here's a view of Mt. Diablo with Castle Rock visible in the middle ground from a Shell Ridge hike with some friends. A beautiful day a few weeks ago. I had forgotten my camera so it's from a the camera phone.

Outside in the sun

It's really warm and sunny this week. The geese keep flying around, honking, like they're heading somewhere important, but they're just traveling from park to park. They never leave in the winter because it's like Florida here for them. I'm home with a cold, so I'm mostly sitting in the back yard or trying to work at the computer. I wish my "Daria" Netflix would arrive...

Nature Life

Jackson's drawing for our online silly art class. He had to incorporate some already drawn squiggles in his final artwork. The rest of the instructions were done in order and he calls it "Nature Life" (with chubby hamster).

Sunny enough for shadows

Lucky to be in California.

One Leaf - Five Shots

I'm taking an online art class that's fun and easy to fit into my semi-busy schedule. Last week's assignment was to pick an object smaller than a car and take 20 photos of it. Then pick out your favorite five. On my walk in Heather Farm Park, I found this awesome leaf and the rest was easy. Here's my favorite five, which was hard to narrow down since I ended up taking more than 30 shots all together. When you find a good subject, go with it.

Music From A Tree

My friend Audrey posted this on Facebook today and it's worth sharing. The title says it all.



Composer: Diego Stocco

Connecticut Sunset

Lords Point, Stonington, CT.

Sandy Beach - Stonington, CT

Stonington, Connecticut - blizzard 2010

We've returned from a week of visiting family on the East Coast. Stonington is just up the road from Mystic, which you might remember from the cute and somehow universally seen 1988 film Mystic Pizza. This is an area rich in colonial, Portuguese, fishing and ship-building history. It's like walking around in a history textbook, but prettier. We landed just before a huge blizzard struck, managing to take a short drive through the woods before the 30-50 mph winds hit (for the next three days and nights--dramatic). I've been on the east coast a few times in the winter and I must say, this weather front was most impressive.






Note: the stone walls in the last two shots are property markers that have been around for centuries and are made completely of carefully balanced stone and nothing else. How did those farmers do it?

Snowy Egret - Heather Farm Park

Walking around the bird sanctuary today, I saw more types of birds than usual. A green heron squawking and flying around. At least three giant egrets sunning themselves (one in a tree--hardly ever see that around here). And the usual gang of cormorants, ducks and geese, several who were getting chased by a naughty little child whose dad probably never got pecked by brutish geese before. Otherwise, he would have put a stop to that. Plenty of birdwatchers too with their binoculars and giant camera lenses. They would never chase a goose being too busy pointing out the graceful hawk perched in the tree overhead.

Diablo Foothills Regional Park - Walnut Creek, CA

A beautiful foggy day hiking through Castle Rock Park and the Diablo foothills. An easy walk that's quiet, with sandstone pinnacles and wind tunnels full of hawks that fly overhead.

Cactus - Ruth Bancroft Garden

I revisited Ruth Bancroft Garden today but last week's freakish and unseasonal cold spell has zapped the garden in a frostbitten manner. I'd say half the more delicate succulents and cacti are beneath tented plastic at this time. Now, if you like gardening, you'll actually appreciate all the nicely made wooden frames with clear plastic staple-gunned all over in dozens of variations and sizes, including a walk-through greenhouse-sized awning over the central succulent garden by the pond. But if you're a regular plant-lover who just came to witness dry-garden layout at its finest--wait for the temperature to regulate around here.

Here's some cactus that are doing quite well.


It's worth seeing throughout the year.