Tag Archives: Allen Vinson

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This is the season for Dungeness Crab, Metacarcinus magister. The season from Point Arena north was delayed until recently to allow the crabs to grow to the proper size. Local boats go out from the Point Arena Pier and larger boats come up from Bodega Bay. Beth Petit recently photographed a large load of crab coming into the pier.

 And Allen Vinson photographed several crab boats plying the waters off the Mendonoma Coast.

Dungeness Crab is found off the West Coast of Northern America and is considered a delicious delicacy. I can tell you it's one of my favorite seafood. Crab cakes, anyone?
Thanks to Beth and Allen for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Craig Tooley got up early this morning to photograph the Dawn of the New year at The Sea Ranch. Just lovely!

And to start 2012 off right, perhaps you'd like to toast the year's first sunset with a Green Flash Cocktail. Allen Vinson has been on a quest for the perfect recipe, which you will find below. Here he is with the winner:

To see a photo of an actual green flash at sunset, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/28/the-green-flash-its-not-a-myth/

Green Flash Cocktail Recipe
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
3 oz orange juice
3 0z sprite
ice
1. mix ingredients together, serve over ice.
2. garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry
3. lean back, savor the sunset and enjoy

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If you happen to be lucky enough to have Brown Pelicans flying overhead, do you know how to tell if they were born this past year, the year before or if they are adults? Allen Vinson knew! The juveniles have white bellies and dark heads, while the adults - three years and older - have dark bellies and white heads in winter.  A second year bird has a white belly and white head. And I haven't even mentioned the adult males' breeding plumage, which is seen in the spring. Who knew birding was so complicated?!

 This young Brown Pelican looks like it was just learning to fly!

 Allen wrote that it was losing altitude as he took this photo.

I hope these last two photos made you smile. I smile every time I look at them!

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I wasn't the only one to photograph this morning's beautiful sunrise. Allen Vinson sent along a photo he took on The Sea Ranch. You can compare it with the one I took from our home in Anchor Bay, which is about seven miles north of Allen's home. First is Allen's photo.

And as if the lovely sunrise wasn't enough of a gift from Mother Nature, Rick and I found this Queen Bolete, Boletus aereus, near a path on our property. It is one of our favorite edible wild mushrooms.

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Bodega Bay is a small town on the Sonoma Coast with a big bay. Fishing is a way of life here. It's also a tourist destination with restaurants and several inns and lodges.

Allen Vinson recently took several photographs that will give you a bit of a feel for what this area is like.

                 A fishing boat heading out of the bay through the fog.

           Two American White Pelicans visiting the waters of Bodega Bay.

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