Tag Archives: Mel Smith

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There has been a pretty good bloom of Sweet Tooth Hedgehogs mushrooms, Hydnum repandum. The ones found have been big and meaty. Lita Gitt shows her bounty of Hedgehogs and a lone Chanterelle on the right.

Sweet Tooth Hedgehog and a lone Chanterelle by Lita GittRandy Jones found the biggest Sweet Tooth Hedgehog he's ever seen. Mel Smith photographed him with his find.

The largest Sweet tooth Hedgehog Randy Jones has found by Mel SmithThese are considered beginners mushrooms - easy to identify, no bad look-alike, and bugs leave them alone. They have a mild flavor so it's best to let them shine. I often put them on top an omelet.

Thanks to Lita and Mel for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Don Phillips regularly patrols the beach at Manchester State Park, picking up trash tossed up by the ocean. Occasionally he finds a treasure. He believes these bones are the humerus, radius, and ulna of a whale.

Don Phillips with a Whale bone by Mel Smith (Large) Possible Whale bone by Mel Smith

Don is planning on offering this find to a nearby college for further study. Mel Smith took these photos and I thank him for allowing me to share them here.

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This wild river is closed to the Pacific Ocean by a big sandbar across the mouth. It closes every year and will reopen with enough rain. With our drought conditions, the river was looking very dry and kayaking it meant you had to get out and carry your kayak in spots. But we have had two rainstorms and the Gualala is looking so much better. Linda Bostwick and Mel Smith recently kayaked there.

Kayaking on the Gualala River by Linda Bostwick

It looks quite idyllic, doesn't it? The clouds are reflected in the still water.

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

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Glass fishing floats were used by deep sea fishermen in days gone by. However many are still floating in the world's oceans. Mel Smith has a collection of glass fishing balls and cylinders - a collection of a lifetime. Mel met photographer Craig Tooley at Cook's Beach recently to photograph his finds.

In the photo below, the glass float still has its rope, which is quite rare.

After a storm, you might choose to go beach combing. May you would be lucky to find a glass fishing float nestled in some kelp.

Or one washed up in the surf.

Below is one of the glass fishing cylinders that Mel has found.

It's amazing to think that glass balls could survive for decades, riding the currents, and traveling halfway around the world to then be tossed up on a Mendonoma beach.

Thanks to Mel for sharing his collection and to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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As I showed you yesterday, there is a lovely little lagoon on the northern portion of Manchester State Beach. There I saw two birds wading in the water. The one on the left was about half the size of the other one. Ron LeValley identified it as a Pectoral Sandpiper. The bird on the right is a Short-billed Dowitcher.

Below there is a portion of a boat, with the metal piece that held the anchor, that recently washed up on the beach. Someone has already incorporated it into a driftwood "building."

And below Mel Smith and Linda Bostwick are standing next to a small refrigerator. It's very heavy. This and the portion of the boat might be precursors of the tsunami debris head our way from the Japanese disaster.

We were lucky and had a sighting of an Elegant Sheepmoth for our own!

And as we picked up debris, a flock of Canada Geese passed by, their wingbeats were audible in the calm morning air.