Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Rozanne Rapozo goes the extra mile to get her photo of the Supermoon. She wrote, "I’ve been watching the movement of the Moon over the last month hoping when it was full, it would line up with either Gualala Point Island or Fish Rock.  Never got past 297 degrees so I thought the best chance to get the shot would be GPI. Got up around 4:15am and set out to meet Chris Beach at the north end of Sea Ranch to wait for the Moon to set.  Almost got the shot we both had  envisioned but the billowy clouds had a different idea! They moved in just as the Moon was beginning to set."

"Oh well, to steal a line from an old movie maybe we’ll try it the ‘same time next year.’”

I love Rozanne's photo and I bet you will enjoy it too. Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Are you ready for this rain report? The storm began a little after midnight on Wednesday Nov. 20th. It's rained steadily since then. At Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay, 640 feet elevation, by 2:40 pm Thursday Nov. 21st, we've received 12.51 inches. Yes, over a foot of rain and IT'S STILL RAINING! The Gualala River burst through the sandbar and was flowing into the Pacific Ocean this morning. Early this afternoon the Garcia River flooded Highway One. It's pretty wild here - a good day to stay home!

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Jennifer Smallwood was at Arena Cove last weekend during the very low tides, the opposite of the King tides. The intertidal zone revealed quite a few Abalone in that cove.

Here's a look at a Red Abalone waiting for the tide to come back, taken a few years ago by Chris Wall.

And here is the short video Jennifer took of the Abalone "on the move." Abalone slowing moving by Jennifer Smallwood

Thanks to Chris for allowing me to share her photo and to Jennifer for allowing me to share her video with you here.

Rain total from yesterday was 0.32 inches. Season to date 4.54 inches. Cold today (43 degrees this morning) with quite a few clouds this afternoon. A big river-of-rain event is headed our way beginning late Tuesday night. The fire department is warning folks to stay off the roads Wednesday and Thursday. YIKES!

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Catherine Miller and Jill Nussinow went out looking for one of the most delicious edible mushrooms a few days ago, and they found some beauties! Boletus edulis, aka Porcini, have made their most welcome appearance. See the joy on Catherine's face!

Catherine told me there were no bugs in these boletes. Lots of critters enjoy munching on these particular mushrooms, including many of us.

Thanks to Jill for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Jill is also known as the Veggie Queen. You can learn more about her, and her plant based meals, on her website: https://www.theveggiequeen.com/

It is lightly raining today. Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be clear. Then the rains are predicted to be heavy on Wednesday and continue through the weekend. We'll be on watch to see which day the Gualala River breaches the big sandbar, always a dramatic event. And seasonal creeks are sure to come to life, as their year-round ponds have been filling from previous rain events. They are primed, just like the river! Here's a photo I took on Friday of the Gualala River.

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Maureen Simons wrote, “I took this shot while hiking the Stornetta Lands with some friends. The late afternoon sun lit up the grasses so beautifully I kept getting left behind, just taking it all in. When we turned a corner and I saw the color of the grasses echoed in the Pt. Arena cliffs I knew I had my photo.”

That's the Point Arena Cove in the distance. Beautiful photo!

Thanks to Maureen for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Rain totals from yesterday - 0.47 inches, 4.22 inches season to date! I received my first sighting of a Boletus edulis mushroom today from Catherine Miller! King Boletes, aka Porcini, are highly desired edible mushrooms.

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Craig Tooley found these Oyster Mushrooms growing on a dead tree near his Sea Ranch home.

Their role in Nature is to decompose dead wood. Many of us enjoy eating these delicious mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are grown commercially now. In David Arora's excellent pocket guide, "All That the Rain Promises and More," he points out that their growth is shelf-like. Banana Slugs love these mushrooms too!

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

It's storming here today! I'll report rain totals tomorrow. The Pacific Ocean is very loud, with huge, crashing waves. And the King Tides arrive Friday through Sunday. Lots to marvel at!