End of June Photos

Here are a few June photos that didn't make it onto the blog. I like looking back over the month and hope you do too.

Anemone at Trinidad Beach

I see Buddha in this rock formation

Tide coming in Arcata Bay

One of those perfect days

Cows in the field with coastal fog looming

Roger testing Sunday evening traffic flow. All safe!

Almost Wordless Wednesday: River Otter

We saw this river otter in the Jolly Giant Creek a few days before we encountered the crabs. This otter may explain why there weren't many birds hanging around the creek when the crabs were there.

Just finished eating something on the other side of the creek

Turned right and headed upstream

Almost to the bridge (same bridge in the crab post)

Under the bridge

A Crabby Sunday

We headed out to the marsh at low tide on Sunday. Pretty day, not much wind, some puffy fog out at the coast. It's been quiet at the marsh with most of the birds gone during summer breeding. We like walking around anyway. Lots of dragonflies and butterflies are out and about, and there are always beautiful views around every bend. We crossed the bridge over the creek that runs out into the bay. Because the tide was out we had a good look at the muddy-sandy banks. This is what it looked like.

If you click on the photo, you'll see lots of little dark spots along the water's edge. Interesting. They almost looked like they were moving. I zoomed in a little closer for a better look.

Still looked a few of those spots were moving. So I zoomed in a little more.

Yes! Little crabs were everywhere, all along the Jolly Giant Creek. For a good half mile they were out and about on the water's edge. So, of course I had to take a little video of the action.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Iridescence and Corona

I decided to go out and take one last look at the sky on Sunday. I blocked the sun with the roof and gutter and saw this. A corona formation that became iridescent and then back to corona. Five minutes of dazzling color, and then it was gone.

The Skies of June

The skies had been very uninteresting for a long spell here. I still run out to take a peek quite often and have been mostly bored by either the general overcast gray or an endless cloudless blue. But then something happened. The sky started to have blue skies, clouds, and even more. One day there was a faint circumhorizon arc.

I saturated this photo a bit to bring out the lower arc colors. It was more beautiful when Roger and I were walking to the market and back, but I didn't have the camera. We were grateful it persisted until we got home and I could get a little photo of it.

Then one day the sky did this. I don't know what all these shapes are, but some may be contrails.

Okay, I was really pleased by this display. Then, another day brought this.

I thought this looked like the cloud version of the Milky Way. Very nice.

There was even a hint of iridescence on Sunday morning. I haven't seen colors like this in quite a while.

Oh yay! The atmospheric optics still work in this crazy, crazy world. The sanity of beauty prevails.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: A Highwire Act

We went to the marsh hoping to photograph something wild, natural, and beautiful. This is what we saw.

Yikes! And it it was windy out there as well. What a job. The helicopter was flying the mile between these two transmission towers. Quite a sight.

Not The Post I Had Planned

I was going to write a post about the minus tide walk at Trinidad Beach that we took last Wednesday morning. It turned out to be World Oceans Day as well. We felt so lucky to be out there in a place of such beauty and abundance of life.

But contemplating such beauty on Sunday, when I started to write this post, seemed so out of place on the day another mass shooting has taken place in my country.

What words and images are there that could balance such horror? And really, why even try?

We cannot look away from the carnage that is produced by guns and madmen here.

How many more dead will it take for the clamor of ENOUGH IS ENOUGH is finally heard?

I'm afraid more than I can count.

So, all I have are photos of our minus tide walk and sadness for the times we are living in.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Imagination

What do you see? I see...

Buddha

A Bird in profile

A Cow

A Reindeer

So many things!

A Great-horned Owl

Clouds kissing

2 Buddhas!

The Dream

When I started thinking about Indigo's dream, it reminded me of something I had long forgotten. Indigo and Elena grew up there off of Highway 96 in Seiad Valley. Their house was on Seaid Creek Road. (If you click on the photo below, you'll see the road.)

The red marker is where The Wildwood is located

Roger and their mom moved there from the coast in 1980-81. Indigo was three years old, and Elena was born there. They went to a small elementary school that combined many grades in one classroom. Later, they took a school bus 18 miles one way to Happy Camp High School everyday. This wild land was their backyard. It helps me to understand their love, affinity for, and attachment to such a remote place.

Indigo has been leasing a building here that was built in 1929. I didn't take a photo of it while we there, but I found this on Google Maps earth view.

The Wildwood has been a restaurant and bar, but not for quite some time. It's on 4 1/2 acres just outside of town.

Part of her dream is to restore the place into a working restaurant. She is an incredible cook; her dishes are inventive and delicious.

She grows her own veggies and raises and butchers her own meat. (She also paints her own signs!) The restaurant dream may take the longest time to come to fruition. Lots to be done to make the place into a working business again.

One arrow points to the trail, one to the Wildwood. A few hundred feet apart.

Part of her dream is to have the long-distance hikers who hike the Pacific Crest Trail camp on the land at Wildwood. The PCT quite fortuitously goes right past the old place. She would like to provide hot-water showers, bathroom and laundry facilities, places to cook their own food, or provide food for them. We think any hiker who crosses paths with Indigo here will be a lucky hiker indeed. This dream is close to being realized.

Part of her dream is to have the local Farmer's Market held there at the Wildwood. That happened for the first time on Saturday, June 3rd.

Part of her dream is to raise her beautiful daughter in these wild mountains, with her partner whose tribal lands are here. They will be handing down a tradition of love and hard work to the next generation.

This is why we drive the long and winding road to get here.