Inspired by Pluvialis’ post on the finback whale skeleton exhibited at Cambridge, I took this picture of a blue whale mounted in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on this planet. I have been fortunate enough to see several from boats in …
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Overnighter Continued
Blogger limits the amount of material you can put in a post, so lately we have been breaking up some photo-heavy posts to get everything in. This will conclude a post I started last week. Sorry for the break. I was up the next morning to fix coffee, break camp, and head down the hill. …
Cute Puppy Pics
Exactly what I said– no comment on my part necessary!
Rain
Rain in arid country is a difficult phenomenon for those in better- watered terrain to understand. We obsess over it, and always hail it despite its destructive force. Who cares if the roof leaks a little? In such climates all but the newest always will– heat and freeze and dry and wet will see to …
I’m Baaaack!
LONG week or so– many (delightful but many) guests, puppy insomnia, and the notorious Magdalena Old Timer’s (New Timer’s, Alzheimer’s) Fiesta with hordes of oddly- dressed tourons making the dogs bark about 20/ 7 all have conspired to make me a bit tired… But good news: for the first time in two years we have …
Matt’s Ten Birds Part 3
Common Yellowthroat [Geothlpis trichas]Photo from: http://www.notason.com/oiseaux/id329.htm It’s sort of a Black-eyed Susan: widespread and so common they made that part of its name. But the flower and the bird are two of my favorites, in large part because they’re commonplace. Why should beauty be rare? This early migrant is among our first, a few arriving …
Overnighter
A week ago Saturday, I decided to make a quick overnight camping trip up in the Los Padres National Forest. I hadn’t been out in a while (too much work) and I enjoy taking regular campouts, just car-camping. I’m fortunate in that there are some beautiful campgrounds along the Santa Ynez River about 15 – …
Artichokes in the Wild
Connie and I are somewhat strange (maybe it comes from growing up in Oklahome and Tennessee?) in that when we drive cross-country we spend an inordinate amount of time discussing what crops are growing in the fields and orchards we can see. California always blows me away in that there are such a huge variety …
Cactus Ed
A note today from our friend (photojournalist, falconer) Anne P. Hocker included this link to a selection of letters by Edward Abbey, published by Orion Magazine, in which Abbey provides this essential autobiographical statement: “I am six feet three and weigh 190 pounds, sober.” There’s a lot of great stuff here! I could pick dozens …
Bio-bloggosphere
Some recent blogging within the Q.Community (which could as easily be called the Three Martini Community, or the Fretmarks Community or on and on…) in appreciation of this unique medium. Take a look-see: GONNA BLOG ABOUT BIRDS, GONNA BLOG ABOUT BATS: Wildlife artist Carel Brest Van Kempen Fellowship across the web, or “I didn’t know …