Two photos of Gray Fox Kits by coastal photographer Craig Tooley!

Is there anything cuter than a Gray Fox Kit? I don't think so. Here are two photos from Craig Tooley that make my case. Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share them here.

Enjoy! Jeanne Jackson, Gualala

                                          Two Gray Fox Kits

                                          Fox Kit with parent

You can see more of Craig's Gray Fox photos at this link: http://ruffimage.smugmug.com/Nature/Foxes/18158576_2HmrLR#1394557014_B9vkbC3

California Huckleberries are ripe and ready to pick on the Mendonoma Coast

If you love wild blueberries, California Huckleberry bushes - Vaccinium ovatum - are loaded with berries and they are ready to pick. I call the berries "Mother Nature's antioxidant pills."

Rick came up with the ideal container for picking huckleberries. It's a box with a belt looped through it. I hook it around my waist and then I have both hands for some serious picking!

To forage for one's own food is a joy. We particularly enjoy these berries in sourdough pancakes. Brunch, anyone?

An amusing photo from Carolyn André for you this Monday - a Wild Turkey posing as a ballerina

Carolyn André caught a Wild Turkey en pointe - up on its toes. It looks like it's doing an impersonation of a ballerina. Carolyn had another thought for a title - "Dressed for Thanksgiving, high heels and all!" The two other Tom Turkeys don't seem to be at all impressed.

I hope this photo will bring a smile to you today!

Ken Bailey dove for Abalone off the Mendonoma Coast and came home with a hubcap-size beauty

Just look at this huge Abalone! Ken, Jack Likins and Randy Jackson (no relation, darn it) were diving ten days ago in an area most divers avoid because it is "dirty," according to Jack. The secret place, off the Mendonoma Coast, doesn't have many Abalones but what is does have are big Abalones. Randy got his limit of 9+ inchers, Jack got his limit of 10+ inchers - yes, three trophy abs, and Ken got the bragging rights with this huge 10+ incher.

All of these men live on the Mendonoma Coast. They are strong and smart. Trophy Abalones are no strangers to these men in their quest for red treasure. Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his photo. Jack and Ken, along with Richard Lewis, produced a DVD on what it's like to dive for abalone. It's entitled The Hunt for Red Treasure and can be found at my favorite bookstore, The Four-Eyed Frog. http://www.foureyedfrog.com/

Dyer's Polypore, a wild mushroom, continues to evolve, continues to fascinate

On August 18th I posted several pictures of this mushroom, a Dyer's Polypore - Phaeolus schweinitzii - one taken on the first morning it appeared. It continues to grow and to evolve. Here are several photos I took yesterday afternoon. It is growing into a true beauty!

And here with Rick's boot for perspective

Here's a link to my first posting of this sighting where you can learn more about this mushroom:
http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/08/young-dyers-polypore-mushroom-appeared.html

New lateral trail north of Elk with fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean

On a trip to Fort Bragg this week Rick and I noticed a new sign - The Peg and John Frankel Public Trail. It's just north Elk. We pulled over to explore. The views of the Pacific Ocean are spectacular there and I'm happy to share a photo here.

The trail just opened last month under the auspices of the Mendocino Land Trust, Coastal Conservancy and the CA Coastal Commission. It's only .3 mile long but it is a new portion of the CA Coastal Trail. It's called a lateral trail, which is west of Highway One, giving non-motorized traffic a safe buffer from the highway.

Piece by piece we are building the CA Coastal Trail. Here's a link to the Mendocino Land Trust to see what else they are accomplishing: http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/?Home

A photo of Harbor Seals crowned with kelp by Siegfried Matull

Siegfried Matull captured a photo of two Harbor Seals that surfaced under a mat of kelp. The photo looks as if they had been crowned by the kelp. Many thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photo.

And here is a description of what it's like to dive in kelp, from diver Jack Likins:

"When I dive under the kelp it is like being under a very thick redwood forest canopy. The sunlight filters through the matted kelp on the surface and down the stalks with schools of small fish glistening as they swim through the sunbeams.”