Sunrise in Anchor Bay this morning with the full moon setting - what a wonderful way to start the day!

This is what the early morning sunrise looked like with the full moon setting as Rick and I watched. To start the day with such beauty is a joy.

Our golden retriever wasn't as impressed. Huckleberry was entirely too relaxed to care about the sunrise.

Albino Steelhead found in the Gualala River

Peter Baye couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted an 8-inch nearly white Steelhead swimming with a group of normal-colored Steelhead. In all his years of exploring the far reaches of the Gualala River, he's never seen anything like this. Mother Nature must be playing tricks!

Ithuriel's Spear blooming in Gualala

Its bloom is just about over but I wanted to share this beautiful member of the Lily family - Ithuriel's Spear, Triteleia laxa. This particular plant is growing next to a neighbor's fence.  Bees and butterflies visit this flower often. It's a California native and it grows from a corm, which is edible.

Inspiring Sunset at Cook's Beach

Cook's Beach is a lovely wind-protected sandy beach on the north end of Gualala. The Redwood Coast Land Conservancy manages it. There is an easy trail from the bluff down to the beach. It's a perfect place to watch the sunset and perhaps see a green flash. Karen Tracy captured a beautiful sunset from the beach and has kindly allowed me to share it here.

To learn about other beaches and trails managed by RCLC check out their web site:
 http://www.rc-lc.org/index.html

Black Oystercatchers - can you spot the three babies in Craig Tooley's photo?

It will be easy to spot the two adult Black Oystercatchers but not so easy to see their three off-spring. Hint: they look like rocks and are on the lower right side. Thanks to Craig Tooley for allowing me to share this photo!

To see more of Craig's photos, go to: http://web.me.com/theruffians1

The Pacific Ocean - always fascinating, always memerizing

This morning I was surprised to hear the ocean waves crashing. The Pacific Ocean has been summertime quiet lately. I never tire of watching the ocean and fortunately Carolyn André never tires of photographing it! Here is Carolyn's beautiful photo of big breakers rolling in at The Sea Ranch.

We couldn't believe what we were seeing - a beautiful Peacock in a snag on Highway One

On a trip down Highway One this week Rick and I passed a blaze of color in a snag on the west side. "Was that a...Peacock?" I asked Rick, doubting my own eyes. He turned the car around and there it was, shining like an iridescent ornament in the fog. We were just north of Stillwater Cove County Park, which is in Sonoma County.

It turns out that Stillwater Cove Ranch is nearby and, yes, they have Peacocks. Apparently one of them caught the wandering bug - at least for a day. Every drive down the coast brings a bit of wonder.