Like Living in Paradise

I took a drive along the seashore at the point where the Monterey Bay opens to the Pacific ocean.  It was such a dramatic afternoon.  I didn't have my camera, but just like everyone else, I had my cell phone with its camera. Remembering the adage that the best camera you own is the one you have with you, I stopped and took a picture.  I hadn't seen the kites until just before I snapped the shot.  Lucky me!

In bocca al lupo. m

Atmosphere

A week ago the photography group I'm with headed out at sunset with the intention of shooting for "atmosphere". That's what these past few posts have been showing, my results.  We chose a place where the river meets the sea.  This one is "The Shallow End".  The next one is
Bordo di un Sogno.

The surface of the water as an abstract composition.

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Sunset Walking

A man and his dog walking along at sunset.

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Peaceful

A Willet at sunset.

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By the Sea

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Sunset after rain

Yesterday's sunset in Carmel after some much needed rain.

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More Fog

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Today 3/30/15 Apple Trees, Fog, and a Rescue

Sunrise in the apple orchards of Corralitos, California.

Fog along the jetty in Moss Landing

And a reminder that this is a world in crisis.

Warmer waters are possibly the cause for so many stranded sea lion pups this year; the most in recent memory.  Normally the cold currents infiltrate the bay, causing an upwelling of nutrients from the bottom which attract fish into the bay making for a cornucopia of delights for all manner of marine life. They also create the winds that we usually experience in the month of March.  No winds.  No replenished food for the marine animals and mother sea lions are having to travel further and further to sea to find nourishment. This is happening up and down the coast of California, not just the Monterey Bay. Marine Mammal Rescue was alerted to this little fellow's plight and hopefully he'll thrive under care.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Today 3/26/15

Before first light. The neighborhood is just waking up.  I'm learning about long exposure shots and this is so fun!  A few days ago I posted a color shot of a gas station along the Monterey/Salinas Highway.  I have a black and white version that I like a whole lot better:

It's just timeless.  I can see Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts stopping to fill up their truck before heading out

A group of us took a tour at Asilomar the other day.  It's a beautiful and unique state park. 

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Today 3/8/15

Transparency.  Late Winter.

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Today 1/22/15

King Tide season

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This Morning 11/27/14

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School in Session

A group of fish do not expect other fish to pick up after them.  We have a lot to learn.

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Summer Afternoon

 "Summer afternoon-summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language"~ Henry James

The latest Fine Arts...

...and baseball on the radio

                               ...and missing v with all my heart...

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How Can I Help?

How does ocean acidification effect shellfish?  As the pH of the oceans decreases with the huge amounts of CO2 that are dumped into them daily carbonates are less available.  Carbonates are what shellfish rely on to develop their shells, without it the shells become thinner, growth slows, and the animals die.

How can we help??? Stop blaming and start changing...just a little at a time.

Turn off the lights
Buy less plastic, period.

Consider quality over quantity--more is definitely not better.

Have a weekly evening of reading or conversation instead of TV or video games

Encourage your children to put on their own theater productions for you and your friends
Gather together for potluck evenings
Support Farmers' Markets and buy produce grown locally and in season
Make do and mend--that's an old saying from the days of rationing, but why not be creative?
Go to the library
Play in the park
Use reusable (and washable) bags for shopping
Walk to our destinations whenever we can, or
Ride a bike to school, the market, work (if possible).
Share rides.
Demand better public transportation! Two hour commutes of only a few miles is not encouraging people to "ride the bus"!
Support Light and High Speed Rail development.

Just a few thoughts, please add your own.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Wolf Eel

The elusive wolf eel in the Kelp Forest at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We can go weeks without sighting him and then there'll be a magical day when he is out swimming.  He looks like a pewter colored ribbon as he gracefully sweeps around the exhibit.

He's a favorite for visitors.  I recently had a great discussion of marine life with a remarkable 8-year-old boy.  He was very well informed, however as we were winding down our conversation he remarked in a world weary voice: "I don't think the aquarium really has a wolf eel.  I know there's a picture of one, but I don't think there is one really here."  I was just so pleased to be able to point out the eel resting in a crevice between the rocks.  I'd spied him just before meeting that young man and his mother who confided that they'd been in just the day before looking for that eel.  It feels so good to assist adding to an eight year old's "life list".

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French Grunt

This little guy is called a French Grunt.  The name is from the sound the little fellows make when they chew.  They are found along the eastern seaboard off of the Carolinas to Florida and beyond; a frequent victim of bycatch, though I read they are also popular in aquariums.

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Blue Sea Star

A blue sea star like other stars will regrow an arm if it is somehow lost.  It can also regrow a central disc making it nearly immortal...

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The Sentinel

I just had to post this shot.  An icon of the Monterey Bay, the sea lion basking in the sun on one of the boat harbor buoys.

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Late Spring in Monterey

Views from Monterey.  We're all trying to hold onto those blue skies that are oddly rare in summer around here.

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