The weather has been wild - downpours, hail, wind, sun breaks. The ocean is riled up and quite loud this Sunday morning. Here is last night's rather unique sunset from Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay.
The setting sun looks like a flashlight shining on the ocean.
Sunday morning's temp is 38 degrees and hail pelted down for a few minutes.
Bowling Ball Beach is a wonderful place to explore, especially after a storm. Catherine Miller and Hal Ferguson were exploring there recently at low tide. And what a glorious day they had!
Here are some "bowling balls" about to join others on the beach, giving this beach its name. They are sandstone concretions.
Below Hal is holding a Rock Crab found on the beach. It was a catch, photograph and release moment!
Bowling Ball Beach is part of Schooner Gulch State Park. You can learn more about this park at this link to CA State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=446
Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
We are having wild weather today, Friday. Tremendous downpours followed by brief sun. It's a wait five minutes kind of day.
The storm door was open over the Presidents' Day weekend, bringing wind and rain in great measure. On Monday, during a break in the squalls, Catherine Miller ventured out to Arena Cove where she saw a startling sight. She wrote, “The waterfall at the Point Arena Cove was getting blown upward by the strong winds.”
The term for this is reverse waterfall. It happens when strong winds hit cliffs and drive water upwards, instead of allowing the water to follow its normal course to the Pacific Ocean. It’s quite rare to see this.
Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Today, Thursday, has been a sunny, clear day but this afternoon clouds are approaching from the north. The predication is for rain beginning tomorrow morning. Here we go again!
Roxanne Holmes wrote, “This Sea Star is alive and seems to be doing okay despite missing a couple of ‘legs,’ or whatever they’re called. I check on it every low tide, and it changes position but continues to do well. Do Sea Stars thrive without all their limbs? What destroys or severs their limbs? Will the limbs grow back?”
Bob Van Syoc to the rescue. He looked at Roxanne’s photo and wrote, “Yes! Sea Stars can regenerate new arms as long as the center disc is intact. Some can lose all but one arm and survive to regrow the other four arms. In this state they are called ‘comets’ because of the smaller arms forming the star and the larger arm the ‘tail’ of the comet. Arms may be lost by injury (crushed by a rock) or by predators attacking them, though our Stars have few predators.”
Here's a photo Roxanne took of a happier sight - two Ochre Stars (yes, they come in different colors!), a Bat Star, Sea Anemone, and several Purple Urchins and more. A kaleidoscope of colors!
Thanks to Roxanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Cool, breezy with dark clouds now and then. More weather headed our way in a couple of days.
Nancy Feehan was the first to spot a very early Calypso Orchid, Calypso bulbosa, in late January. It was close to Fort Ross School. Recently Julia Larke found her first one in bloom. You can see the single leaf on the forest duff.
Then Peter Baye found a group in the Annapolis area.
These orchids are quite tiny so don't let these photos fool you! Theses flowers are also called Fairy Slippers.
Thanks to Peter and Julia for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Today, Saturday, was magnificent on the coast. No wind so the ocean was calm, and Gray Whale spouts were seen. Temps in the low 70's - we know it won't last but for now, we are enjoying the sun and the warmth.