It can be disconcerting to see California Sea Lions join together in a raft. But it is normal activity for them. They come together for protection and when they put a flipper in the air, they are either warming themselves up or cooling down. This is called thermo-regulating. Paul Brewer recently witnessed this.

And I am so pleased to announce that my book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year, has won a national award - a Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in the category Nature and Environment. Rick and I went to the ceremony in Austin, Texas on April 10th.

My competition was so awesome that it was a privilege to be considered with them. To see a list of the Benjamin Franklin award winners, here is the link to the Independent Book Publishers Association: http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com/

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