Thunderclouds seen at Manchester State Beach

Bettye Winters photographed these thunderclouds from the storm of last week. The storm was a very cold one and for a brief moment it snowed at our house in Anchor Bay - a very rare occurrence!

And the sunset the next night, Feb. 20th, was beautiful too.

Thanks to Bettye for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Rainbow over Alder Creek and Irish Beach

We have had little rain for the first two months of 2013. We are hoping and praying for more. We did have a very cold storm sweep through last week. It gave Nik Epanchin a change to get a beautiful rainbow photo.

Today feels like springtime here on the Coast. It's in the mid sixties and I have windows and doors open to the warm soft air. Does this sound like February to you?!

Thanks to Nik for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

A Coyote was spotted by Patricia McBratney

Once in a while a Coyote will wander into the Mendonoma Coast. Patty McBratney saw this Coyote on The Sea Ranch.

Canis latrans is its Latin name, which means barking dog. I wonder what caught this Coyote's eye. Patty was struck by the red highlights of this canine's coat. Coyotes are extremely intelligent and can live in the wild to about ten years.

Thanks to  Patty for allowing me to share her photo wit you here.

Ice crystal art on a Sea Ranch windshield

Yes, we really have had some cold weather recently. George Bush photographed the windshield of the car of his wife, Sandy, early one recent morning. Ice crystals had formed a beautiful pattern.

It's a work of art by Mother Nature!

Thanks to George for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

The face of a Red-tailed Hawk as photographed by Allen Vinson

Allen Vinson got this closeup photo of a  majestic Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis. Red-tails are our most common Hawk and they are here year round.

Seeing this big hawk soaring you can catch a flash of its red tail.

I love the raspy scream of a Red-tailed Hawk high above me. To hear it for yourself, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/sounds

Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Big waves at Gualala Point Regional Park

The surf has been dramatic lately. Rick and I were at Gualala Point Regional Park last Thursday and the surf was big. It is mesmerizing to watch and hear the power of the sea. Paul Brewer recently photographed a beautiful  crashing wave.

You can almost hear this wave, can't you?!

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

A tiny yet exquisite mushroom as photographed by Ken Fischer

Ken Fischer noticed a tiny pink mushroom with white pleated gills growing out of his wood storage. Bev Vogt identified it as a Pleated Marasmius, Murasmius plicatulus.

If Walt Disney had seen this little beauty I wonder if he would have included it in Fantasia. That movie is where I saw Fly Amanitas for the first time and they were dancing!

Putting fanciful thoughts aside, I thank Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here.