Peaceful

A Willet at sunset.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

By the Sea

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Still being lazy...

Pulling random shots from the past year starting with my friends' beautiful cats.

We remember Buddy Webster

Schilling

Maya

And favorite walks at the beach

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Today 1/22/15

King Tide season

In bocca al lupo  m (no v)

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.

In bocca al lupo.  m (no v)

Morro Bay

Last week we took a really nice drive down Hwy 1 to Morro Bay and these are a few of the pictures.  I did a sunrise walk and the photo above is of our shadows at sunset.  It was so nice to just get away for a couple of nights and the drive down Hwy 1 from Carmel to Morro Bay is one of the most beautiful drives in the world.  Going down we drove late in the afternoon and coming home we chose early to mid-morning.  Perfect both ways. It's always best not to have the sun in your eyes.  We stopped at one of my favorite eateries, Linn's, in Cambria for dinner on our way down.

This is a Marbled Godwit I met while taking my sunrise photo walk on the beach.  He was working on his breakfast.

The birds were so intent on grabbing these hapless crabs that I didn't seem to bother them in the least.  The last shot for this post is the reflection of Morro Rock in the wet sand.  I was so fortunate to head out that morning. The next morning the coast was socked in with fog!

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Good News

Still working on some design ideas, this is part of the Beaches series.

CT results for v were very encouraging. They usually have been. However, this time the doctor made the comment "...of the tumors still remaining...".  Still remaining? Some have actually gone???  Yes, several per the doctor.  There are a few small ones outside of the liver area and a few remain in both lungs, however the largest (which had always been the largest) has diminished to around thumbnail size and had started out silver dollar sized.  Although the CT cannot perfectly visualize the esophagus it does show the area and that area appears normal.  So v is taking a break from chemo. He'll start again in September.  We took a celebratory getaway to Morro Bay to take some pictures for the current project.

We have now decided that both of us have gotten way out of shape.  Hiking sand dunes about did us in.  We've concentrated so much on his weight and preserving energy that we lost sight of something very fundamental; physical exercise.  So we see a lot of walking in our immediate future!

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Sunrise at the River

 Carmel River Beach in the early morning this past Sunday.  We wanted to avoid the weekend crowds, and we did.  Mostly ducks greeted us.

The clouds were just beginning to burn off 

For us it was a peaceful and pleasant ramble in the sand.  Afterwards we met a friend for coffee and were home before most folks were up and around.

It was lovely.  Now we start the next round of chemo.  v is doing so well, he is astounding.  Thin and losing his hair, he just remains cheerful and energetic.  He has no intention of giving in.  I am with him every step of the way.  We support each other.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

The Sun, the Sand, and the Sea

A favorite stop along the coast highway, north, is Bodega Bay.  I especially love the area just north of the harbor.  It's a vast beautiful beach.  This is where v and I look out and really feel we are at the end of the earth.  There's also something quite eerie in the atmosphere of this place.  It isn't enough to scare me, but I'm glad to have his company ever so much more.

The sun was just at the right angle as we pulled off the highway to stretch and take some pictures.

Hitchcock filmed The Birds in Bodega Bay and the nearby community of Bodega.  I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm a huge Hitchcock fan.

The sun, the sand, and the sea.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v