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Greeters at the Gate

These fun metal dinosaur sculptures greeted me at the gate of the nursery/garden shop I visited in Morongo Valley, CA. This was the site of an art gallery as well (posted a couple of days ago), and there was a resident cat and several resident chickens. You can tell this is a very small town (about 3,000 people), with a quite limited number of businesses. It is close to Joshua Tree National Park and the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, an excellent birding location. 12/5/19 Judith Sparhawk

Don't Touch!

Reading about Elizabeth's Sumac, and her discussing poison ivy and poison sumac, made remember a shot I took of Poison Oak, at Oso Flaco Lake near Santa Maria, CA. Most of the year the leaves are green, but in fall they turn orange to red. I had never seen them as bright red as these were, and needless to say I didn't get too close. As kids we were always told that when the leaves are red they are extra "poisonous". These were just a few leaves from a plant that was climbing in the trees, as high as 6 or 8 feet high. I looked up the scientific name for this plant, Toxicodendron diversilobum, which grows in western north America, with poison ivy in the east. Contact with the leaves of this plant cause an itchy rash on the skin. I haven't experienced it for a long time, but remember "getting" poison oak after childhood hikes. We were taught early to look for the shape of the leaves, growing with three leaves on the stem. 12/4/19 Judith Sparhawk

At the Gallery

When on a photo field trip in the desert, we stopped in a small town and went to the local garden shop/nursery/art gallery--all one business from the look of it. There was a lot to look at, including this lovely little corner in front of the gallery. 12/3/19 Judith Sparhawk

First Snow of the Winter

We finally had our first winter storm, with rain all day on Thanksgiving and into the night. The snow level came down much lower than in most storms, nicely blanketing the mountains. This shot was taken a few blocks from my home, and it shows the orange grove in the foreground, the San Bernardino Mountains above Redlands in the background. 12/2/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Dragon Lantern

This was one of the lanterns in the Moonlight Forest Event at the Los Angeles Arboretum. I really liked the dragon's head, with the body made up of more traditional Chinese lanterns. I would have loved to see this one lighted from within in the darkness. 12/1/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Peacock

This is another favorite of mine from the Lighted Lantern Festival, Moonlight Forest, at the Los Angeles Arboretum. This was huge--maybe 30 feet high--and I could only imagine how spectacular it would be lighted from within, in the darkness of night. I am not sure that the peacock is part of Chinese lore, but the arboretum has many wild peacocks that roam the gardens, so it is a symbol of this beautiful place. 11/30/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Moon Goddess

On the way home from the Morro Bay trip, we stopped at the LA Arboretum in Arcadia, CA, in order to see two fairly "sure thing" birds, the Red-Whiskered Bulbul and an Allen's Hummingbird (yep, got them both). What we hadn't been aware of was a special event being held in the gardens, called Moonlight Forest. Although this is an after-dark event, we were able to walk around the gardens and see the installations. It is really an amazing event, with dozens of huge fabric "lanterns" designed and created by artisans from the Sichuan Province of China. Although the lanterns were not lighted in the daytime, just seeing them was incredible. This one is part of the Moon Goddess, one of the lanterns, which was about 20 feet high. Some were even larger--I will likely post some of my favorites in the next few days. I have not yet been able to obtain tickets to the evening event, and I may have to be satisfied with the daylight version. 11/29/19 Judith Sparhawk

Happy Thanksgiving!

I considered posting a pic of a Wild Turkey, and titling it "The One Who Got Away". However I reconsidered and prepared this as a wish to everyone for a wonderful day, however you choose to spend it. AND, I hope no one's travel plans have been too derailed with the weather. Warm wishes to you all. 11/28/19 Judith Sparhawk

Water Abstract

One day of the Morro Bay trip, we drove down the coast to Avila Beach, walking out on the Port San Luis pier (looking for a certain bird, which we did not find). I did see some neat abstract patterns on the surface of the water beside the pier, and took a few shots. This was my favorite, slightly cropped, and adjusted a bit for contrast and color saturation. I liked the way it turned out. 11/27/19 Judith Sparhawk

A View of the Rock

This is a different view of Morro Rock than the sunset view from a couple of days ago. This is from just north of the town of Morro Bay, on bluffs looking over the ocean, on the one cloudy day of my trip. This is the side of the rock that is unprotected by a jetty, and where the surfers come daily. 11/26/19 Judith Sparhawk

Meet Gregory Gopher

Don't let this close-up fool you, this was a quite little gopher I watched for awhile and photographed in Montano de Oro State Park in Morro Bay, California. He was very busy, repeatedly coming out of his hole, grabbing some dry grasses, and running back into his hole. He did this over and over, which allowed me to move around in front of him so I could see his face. It wasn't until I had this image on the computer that I realized I had captured his front teeth. Now I know that most people, especially gardeners, hate gophers because they are so destructive in their gardens, but Gregory here was in the wild, minding his own business, and wasn't getting in anyone's way. I thought he was sort of cute with his long whiskers, bright eyes, and two front teeth. 11/25/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Rock at Sunset

Morro Rock, affectionately referred to as "The Rock" is the most famous landmark of the town of Morro Bay, and a frequent stopping place for enjoying the sea otters, birds, and (on the north side) surfing. At this time of year the sun sets well away from the rock, but gave some good color, if not clouds, for my last night in Morro Bay. 11/24/19 Judith Sparhawk

Don't Move!

While walking in a State Park near Morro Bay last week, I saw this cute little bunny, all hunched down in the grasses. It was clearly hiding, holding completely still, hoping to be overlooked. Its choice to hide rather than run gave me the chance to capture this cute moment. 11/23/19 Judith Sparhawk

Yellow-billed Magpies

One of the birds I intended to see on my trip up the coast was the Yellow-billed Magpie. This is a bird endemic to the central valley of California, so I have to travel a bit to see it each year. This time I was pleased to find a whole flock of them, rather than just one or two, and I was able to watch them beside the road along the back road to the town or Solvang. There were about a dozen of them, more than I have ever seen together. These birds are a little smaller than the much more ubiquitous Black-billed Magpie, and have the yellow bills and yellow skin around the face and eye, but otherwise have the black and white markings, with iredescent blue and greens. I have always appreciated this bird, in that it can only be found in such a limited area. 11/22/19 Judith Sparhawk

In the Harbor

The last night I was in Morro Bay, I made sure I was at the embarcadero for sunset. This view is to the south over the bay, with the sand spit beyond. The color and glow are from the actual westerly sunset over the jetty and the ocean. 11/21/19 Judith Sparhawk

At the Cove

I'm back from a short trip up the coast to Morro Ba,y, California. Must admit it was more a birding trip than a photo trip, but I got a few shots in here and there. This is a view from Spooner's Cove, part of Montano de Oro State Park. I've always liked the strata in the cliffs at this beach. 11/20/19 Judith Sparhawk

Not Quite Big Boy!

This is another creation at the Noah Purifoy Desert Museum of Assemblage Art. I guess this is Noah's version of a railroad and train--not quite like all the photos shown the last few days of the Union Pacific's Big Boy. Some of the other structures and assemblages can be seen in the background. I am not sure how much I will be able to post or comment in the next week, as I will be tied up and in and out of town with a visiting birder. I will participate when possible. 11/11/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Serpentine Shadow

The major stop on the photo field trip last week was the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art. I had heard of this place but had never been there. I will likely be showing several shots from there over the next few days. Noah Purifoy was an African American artist originally from Alabama, but who practiced his art for years in Los Angeles. When he was 60 he moved to the Mojave Desert, near Joshua Tree National Park, and over the next 23 years, until the time of his death in 2004, constructed all manner of large installations and assemblages over a 10 acre area. The area has been maintained, and although some of the fabric and other materials are showing wear over time, there are a lot of interesting things to see and shoot. This one was one of my favorites, made of metal plates, forming a serpentine shape. I especially liked the views showing the shadow. 11/10/19 Judith Sparhawk

It's a Sign!

On a photo field trip on Thursday, I saw this sign pole at a cactus nursery and garden shop in the little town of Morongo Valley, California. I'm not so sure about all the mileage--I think Niagara Falls is really supposed to be 2,496 miles--but I thought it a fun sign. To find this in a little town of under 3,500 population seemed a little ironic, but maybe if you live there you want to shoot for the moon and the stars! 11/9/19 Judith Sparhawk

The Shop Cat

I went on a field trip today to several spots in the Coachella Valley. We stopped at a garden shop and cactus nursery. I saw this cat chewing on the wheat seed heads and seemingly guarding the pomegranates. I thought they all looked very pretty together. 11/8/19 Judith Sparhawk

Olive Avenue Market Truck

The Day of the Dead Festival last weekend was held at the Olive Avenue Market in Redlands, CA. This business started out as a little corner store in a residential area in 1924, back when corner stores existed. It now is a friendly place to stop for coffee or a sandwich or a pastry--kind of a neighborhood gathering place. This red pickup truck was parked on the street by the "market"--according to the license plate, I believe it is a '51 Chevy. I'd never seen it before, but its sign indicates it belongs to the market. I thought it was a nice addition to the day's festivities. 11/7/19 Judith Sparhawk

After the Face Paint

This is the young lady I photographed at the Day of the Dead festival last weekend. When she first arrived at the event she was in costume; she wandered to a face-painting booth and waited in line. Some of the shots I got of her were while she waited. This was after she got her face painted. I used a completely different filter and coloring for a different look. I prefer the other, I think, but it was fun experimenting. 11/6/19 Judith Sparhawk