Tag Archives: Carolyn André

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Carolyn André took a series of photos of the crashing waves and big surf we experienced here on the Mendonoma Coast yesterday, Thanksgiving Day. The booming waves sent mist into the air, which then floated over Highway 1.

I took the photo below just north of Bodega Bay yesterday afternoon. It was quite a show for our ride back home, after celebrating Thanksgiving a day early with family.

When the Pacific Ocean is this rough you can hear it several miles away. It's best to keep your distance, that's for sure.

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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Today the fog has rolled in and it is cold on the Coast. But just a few days ago it was magnificent. Carolyn André took this photo on her way back up Highway 1. It's not photoshopped, Carolyn says. And I believe her!

I took this photo of the sunrise yesterday. The nearly full moon, the Hunter's moon, has yet to set. You can see the fog draped over the trees and covering the ocean.

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photograph with you here.

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A few weeks ago the salmon fishing was fantastic. Big salmon are still being caught but the pace has slowed down. Carolyn André was at the Point Arena Pier during the fishing bonanza. There are a lot of boats - big and small - fishing off Arena Cove.

You can see people fishing right off the pier. No license is required to fish here but people do have to abide by Fish and Wildlife rules. Boats have to be hoisted down from the pier and that created quite a wait during the salmon run.

 Below is a view of the cove to the south.

Today there is a big Seafood Festival at the pier. It's quite a fun event and, yes, there is fresh seafood cooked while you wait. I'll stand in line for their fish tacos!

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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American White Pelicans, big white birds with black on the undersides of their wings, were seen at Bodgea Bay. Carolyn André had her camera and took this photo.

I sent Carolyn's photo to Richard Kuehn and he wrote, “Those are indeed American White Pelicans in the center with Double-crested Cormorants in the front near the river. We’ve had quite a few Double-crested Cormorants on Gualala Point Island recently, as they leave their primarily inland breeding locales and come to the coast in the Fall and Winter. And if you look in the upper left of the pelicans, there are a fair number of Terns.”

White Pelicans breed inland and it's always nice to see the first groups return to the Coast. They eat mainly fish. They don't plunge dive from the air like the Brown Pelicans; they dip their heads under the water to scoop up fish.

To hear the call of a White Pelican, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_white_pelican/sounds

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

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Carolyn André recently drove north and photographed the bluffs and wildflowers near Schooner Gulch Beach and Bowling Ball Beach, which are in Mendocino County.

Even though the lack of rain shortened the wildflower bloom, there still were a lot of spectacular wildflowers to be seen.

Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photos with you here. To learn more about these beaches, here is the link to state parks: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=446  These beaches are fantastic for beach combing at low tide.