Tag Archives: Carl Shapiro

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Dara Otwell wrote, “These were at Bowling Ball Beach Monday, 17 March.”

When I wrote back, I told Dara I had never seen so many washed up - her photos showed thousands of these animals - and she responded, “I’ve never seen so many either. It was wild; as with Nature, it changes constantly as the beach was back to normal the next day.”  

Carl Shapiro found a newly washed up Velella at Black Point Beach. It still had its vibrant blue color.

You can see the "sail" on top of this animal. About half of Velella velellas have sails tilted one direction, and the other half have it tilted in the opposite direction. This way, when the spring winds blow, half of them get blown further out to sea, while the unfortunate ones get washed up on the beach. Other creatures will eat them, and the tide will take some of them back into the ocean to be a part of the food chain.

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Let's face it, 2021 was a tough year for us humans. But the beauty of Mother Earth continued unabated. Carl Shapiro photographed this rainbow last Monday, from The Sea Ranch. Such beauty!

Look how green and lush the coast looks after all the wonderful rain we've had!

Michael Beattie also photographed a magnificent rainbow, this one appeared near Point Arena about ten days ago.

Thanks to Carl and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Breezy and very chilly on the Mendonoma Coast today. Several dozen Gray Whales were spotted yesterday, Thursday, headed south. Looks like the southward migration has begun in earnest. Many thousand of Grays still to swim by, headed for the birthing lagoons off Baja California. You can see some photos of the whales seen yesterday on Shari Goforth-Eby's blog at this link: https://mendonomagraywhale.com/migraytions-blog-home/f/the-southbound-migration-is-in-full-swing

Happy New Year! May 2022 be a better year for us all.

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Carl Shapiro photographed a Kelp Crab and mentioned that the crab was scary-looking. So, does he/she scare you?

Perhaps if you had bare feet  you might feel a little trepidation! This small crab is found living in kelp beds. Carl entitled this photo "High Four."

On a trip to Gualala this morning, Rick and I noticed more kelp appearing on the surface of the ocean. First impressions are that the kelp is doing better this year. We'll see, though, as the months progress.

Thanks to Carl for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

It is WINDY here today - there is no reason to brush or comb your hair if going outside. The wind will have its way!