Fence Art Update

Back in early April I wrote a blog post about our fence art and wanting to make a dragonfly with wood and marbles to put on it. We learned that wood and marbles don't work so well together for outdoor art. Luckily some of our commenters recommended silicone caulk (the best part of the internet is the sharing of such helpful information. Thank you all for that). So we began an experiment with some different caulks. Not all of them worked, but one did quite well. We left our little marble experiment out in the weather. As you know from my last post, the weather has been damp, horrible, gray, cool, wet and lousy. That one marble with the silicone caulk stayed put while others fell away. So, we decided to glue down the marbles with that caulk and get that dragonfly ready for the fence. We took our time  gluing, doing the tail on one day, two wings on another, and then two more wings on the next. We and the dragonfly were finally ready for the next step.

Here is Roger attaching the tail to the fence on a beautiful sunny Sunday.

Here is a bit of a close up of the heart and dragonfly together. Lit by the sun.

This is what the fence looks like now. We have a plan to make two small ladybugs between the dragonfly and the sun. And then...not sure yet, but something crazy beautiful.

Yes, the sun finally reappeared on Saturday. It was a day "for the glory." The 50th anniversary of the Kinetic Sculpture Race is happening on this Memorial Day weekend. It's been warm and beautiful. We spent some time watching the race as it came through our neighborhood. I smiled more than I have in months. Tears in my eyes and a smile as broad as can be. I'll post some photos of the those stunning kinetic sculptures later this week. Ah sunlight and delight together. For the glory!

Gray

The skies have been gray. I wouldn't call it cloudy; I would call it bleak. It is as uninspiring as anything I've ever experienced. It's been like this for more than a week. We even skipped two significant minus tide walks because the winds have been fierce and the air wet with precipitation that isn't exactly rain...but is.

So, to break the spell of utter doldrums we made ourselves go for a walk. We went to the marsh because it's close by and doesn't require a back-breaking climb through the rocky cliffs to get down the the windy bleak beach. It was gray there too, of course. Hardly any cars in the usually packed parking lot. The birds are all hiding and have been for a while, tending to their nests and probably wondering if they should move someplace sunnier. Even the little crabs have disappeared. I think they must be half way to Mexico by now. Seriously, though, no birds. Well except for this one.

It was behaving just like a White-tailed Kite. We watched it for a while, hovering hovering flapping its wings and hovering hovering. I even made a little video of it. But a White-tailed kite against a gray white sky doesn't exactly make for great photos or videos. While we were out there a man we had seen many times at the marsh came over to us and told us that we were watching a Marsh Hawk (a Northern Harrier). He said that he had been videoing it yesterday and it kept swooping at him. He thought it was going to claw his eyes out. He showed us the short video he shot on his cell phone. It really did swoop at him big time. Really close to his face. It was wild. But he was wrong about the bird we were watching. It was a White-tailed Kite. I didn't tell him. Maybe the bird that dive-bombed him really was a Marsh Hawk. We all get to dream.

A Mother's Day Birthday

Every now and then, Mother's Day falls on my birthday. This is one of those years. Today I am 66 years old and it is Mother's Day, my first birthday without my dearly beloved mother. I found a website that lists all the Mother's Day dates. The calendrical concurrence of Mother's Day falling on my birthday has happened ten times in my 66 years: 1956; 1962; 1973; 1978; 1984; 1990; 2001; 2006; 2012; 2018, and the next one won't be for 11 more years. Will I be here to celebrate my 77th birthday in 2029? Part of me has serious doubts about that. We'll see. If I'm still around, if I remember, and if we still have this blog, I will certainly do a post very much like this one. In fact, as I type this I think I may just make a copy of this and schedule it to appear then. Wouldn't that be funny? Will the planet still be habitable in 2029? Will the internet still be a thing, or will survivors be living in caves drawing on the walls and watching the batteries on their cell phones run out?

Yes, I photoshopped my mom and me on this cave wall. Days of future past.

Stay tuned. Happy Mother's Day to my mom who I miss with all my heart, and to all the mothers out there. 

Trying To Find Words

I can't seem to find any words to write lately. It's a quiet time, although I could scream bloody hell about you know who is destroying our country. But I'd just be adding my quiet insignificant voice to the millions who are already shouting. So instead I've taken a few photos, and really these are just a few things we've seen since we've been home.

I'm hoping for atmospheric optics to lure me out and dazzle me with awesome views of our skies. I'm hoping for the flower starts we just planted to bloom into something that will take my breath away. I'm hoping for the veggies and herbs to grow into something so delicious it will inspire me to write a poem. I'm hoping someone who will remain unnamed will be impeached.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

My twin brother sent us this photo of a mandala on the beach in Capitola. What a beauty.

On Tuesday we saw a bird's answer to this artwork. We call it a "birdala."

Left in the low tide mudflats by busy feet. Imagine.