Sunday at the Beach

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Robb and I took his parents out to Point Reyes today. We thought they would really appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Coast. And, it gave them another chance to see how much Robb has improved since last they saw him. We still take a lot of breaks, but I think it was pretty eye-opening when Robb was able to help Joan up a sandy hill. Not only did he give her one of his trekking poles, he also offered his arm as support.




It was a beautiful day. I think back on Robb's early therapy sessions, right after he had left the hospital, and how we joked about him learning to balance on sand. Being able to walk on the beach is an Essential Life Skill in California!




As usual, I acted as some kind of goof-ball Court Jester. I thought it important to introduce Joan and Bob to kelp, and tried to convince them that kelp was gigantic scallions, suitable for soup stock.




Wildlife was present, in a wide range of sizes. As Robb was working his way down to the beach, I spotted these little fellows, running from footprint to footprint. I'm not certain, but I think these tiny birds might be the endangered Western Snowy Plover. (Will my fellow Bird Nerds tell me if you agree, or if I'm being a dunce as usual?)




This White Crowned Sparrow was practically sitting on my lens. Robb's folks got to see the typical pattern of our outings, where Robb moves a lot more slowly than I do, but I have permission to run on ahead.




I have a soft spot in my heart for killdeer, described in the Peterson's guides as "the common noisy breeding plover of the farm country."




Robb's parents also got to experience a lot of "Stop the car! Stop the Car!" moments. This hawk kept a close eye on us, as we followed it from post to post.




And this was the very first Barn Owl Robb and I had seen in the wild. It let me get quite close, before silently flying after some prey. Did everyone in the car have a good laugh at me, sneaking down the road with my camera? Probably.




The largest and most impressive creatures we saw were the Thule Elk. This photo is a bit of a cheat, as I took it with my scope the day I release the rehabilitated birds.

I hope that Robb's parents got to enjoy some of the pleasures of our California life.

Comments

lisa, i LOVE you animal pictures so much! i especially love the barn owl picture. not often you can see one in any daylight. :)
Anonymous said…
I that Sponge Bob you're holding with the giant scallion? Now THAT would be a beach outing!

Let me be the first in the line of comments to day, "Beautiful shots as usual, lady." The barn owl is particularly stunning and the winding footprints through the sand are straight out of a religious wall plaque...

Gina
Anonymous said…
I feel like I was there with all...what a beautiful post lisa!
claire aka mims
Anonymous said…
As usual your photos are amazing. But the very best one was the one you did not shoot. Your smile while holding the kelp lit up the entire coastline!

Grumpy Grinch
knitica said…
I love killdeers! They are ground nesters and built a nest in the middle of our stone driveway when I was growing up. More than once! The amazing thing was that the eggs survived and hatched.
Anonymous said…
Yes, that's a snowy plover: incomplete pale breastband, black bill. And one nifty photo of it, too.

I'm told that giant kelp things make good bullroarers, if you have the space to swing them. I've also seen artsy baskets woven from the long part, and have a set of hilarious um puppets? dollheads? that a guy in Berkeley makes out of the bulbs with a few simple cuts.
Kim said…
lisa, they've already said what i was going to, great great skies and light.
Troop 2440 said…
I'm glad you are having a good visit! Did you see that we have hawks of our own here in Brooklyn?!

xo,
Martha
Briantheship said…
Tough one on the ladder front. Lying in hospital with my leg in pieces, all I could think of was ‘phew, that was close, I could have broken my back or fractured my skull.’Pleased to see the boy's healing.
Jen said…
your photos are always stunning!

Tag! your it! i tagged you over here… http://www.jenminnis.com/artblog/?p=192

would you guys be interested in coming over one evening this week... or Saturday... to play with making some pysanky ornaments and exchange hostages *ahem* books? unfortunately, we're a 3rd floor walk up...
Bobbie said…
What a happy visit, and what a wonderful trip to Point Reyes!

Your picturs, as usual, are amazing. It takes a pretty sharp eye to see an owl in the day time...pretty impressive!

Mom

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