Friday Photos

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Red stayed away for another five days, but Mrs. was here every day. I wonder if Red got into a fight because he has a black spot on the side of his head he didn’t have before. But I did read that Cardinals molt once a year, so maybe that’s it. Or, I have a new bird altogether. Fortunately, he stopped by this week several times a day. My neighbor has promised to keep the birds fed while we’re out of town.

Good news. Red is looking more normal each day and keeps on visiting our backyard.

At least Mrs. is always around which makes me feel good!

A neighbor told me I should name this quail dad “Lucky.”

Lucky visits every day with his wife and three babies. Somehow he lost his tail, but he is still standing strong. That’s how he earned his name.

This is a Mourning Dove at our new bird bath. I left the old one empty when we visited our son and daughter-in-law because I didn’t want it to become a breeding ground for mosquitos. Normally I change the water every day. So the end of the story is that the old bird bath didn’t survive in the heat being dry. A resin coating splintered and peeled leaving an unhealthy mess for the birds.

A Gila Woodpecker hopped on for a ride.

Another look at Red and Mrs. before we leave for our beach vacation.

Last but not least, it was Waffles the pug’s 10th birthday this week. It seems like yesterday he celebrated birthday number one while we were on our beach vacation! These two photos were taken at our friends’ house in Santa Barbara for Waffles first birthday.

My daughter made flyers and held a party for Waffles in a park near her apartment. She gave flyers to friends, co-workers, her favorite coffee shop and hung them on telephone poles in her neighborhood. She invited everyone with dogs or not and promised dog treats for all dogs. She had a crowd that included her friends and families and even a group of eight-year-old boys she didn’t know who wrapped presents for Waffles. Everyone thought it was a perfect family-friendly evening at the park and want to meet every week.

The old man Waffles with gray hair at age 10.

What photos do you like? What do you think is up with Red’s head?

What are your plans for the weekend?

Bird of the Week — Bullock’s Oriole

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This is a female Bullock’s Oriole who stopped by our yard for the first time last week. She was very flighty and this is the only photo I captured. She’s hiding in a firestick plant.

Scientific name: Icterus bullockii

Size:

  • Length: 6.7–7.5 inches (17–19 cm)
  • Weight: 1.0–1.5 ounces (28–43 g)
  • Wingspan: 12.2 inches (31 cm) [1]

Location:

Bullock’s Orioles can be found in forests, along streams and also thrive in desert washes in Mesquite trees and other desert plants.

Diet:

They eat insects and ripe fruits. Bullock’s Orioles also will stop by hummingbird feeders to drink sugar water. They forage for insects in the leaves and bark of trees.

Nests:

The female chooses a nest site typically 10 to 25 feet up in a tree. She will weave the nest from grasses, twine or wool. The nests are gourd-shaped and range in size from four to 15 inches. They line their nests with soft material like feathers, or “cotton” from cottonwoods or willows. They will work on the nest together, with one working inside and the other on the outside. Pairs will stay together long enough to build their nests and raise their chicks, but will find new mates the following year.

Calls:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/sounds

Looking back on this week five and 10 years ago…

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This is a photo I took last August at the beach.

What was I doing five years ago today? I took my last morning walk in the desert. Then we were on our way to our annual beach vacation.

You can read the 8/10/21 post HERE.

Ten years ago I was looking back on my summer vacations before we had kids. I’d visit my home state Washington and schedule way too much stuff using a Daytimer to keep track. I also posted photos from our 2016 beach vacation and noticed how much more relaxed I was.

You can read that post HERE. I was contemplating whether I should swim in the ocean with several sightings of great white sharks. Yikes.

We’ll be heading to the beach later this week. I’m ready to get out of this terribly hot summer in the desert and enjoy some fresh air!

What are your plans for the week?

Friday Photos

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Red and Mrs. have reappeared in my yard after taking off for eight days after our vacation to Northern California. I was so distressed, but now relieved that they’ve returned.

Here are a few of my favorite photos that I took this week:

Mrs. at the birdseed block with doves and a sparrow.

A Roadrunner has been hanging out in our backyard. He prefers to hide in a pot or hang out in a tree.

He spends an inordinate amount of time grooming himself and gets all fluffy in the process.

Our state bird, the Cactus Wren took over the birdseed block.

A Gila Woodpecker hangs out upside down foraging for insects. Look at the tongue!

Squirrel!

Which photos do you like best?

What are your weekend plans?

Bird of the Week — Brown-crested Flycatcher

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We had a new bird visit our yard last week. I’m grateful this Brown-crested Flycatcher stopped by because I had run out of birds for Bird of the Week.


Scientific Name: Myiarchus tyrannulus

SIZE:

8 to 9 inches (21 to 23 cm) long, with a wingspan of 12 to 13 inches (30 to 33 cm). It weighs roughly 1.1 to 1.6 ounces (32 to 45 grams).

RANGE:

Brown-crested Flycatchers are large flycatchers who range from southwestern United States to Argentina. They are migratory birds.

NESTING:

Brown-crested Flycatchers nest in woodpeckers’ holes in Saguaro and Organ Pipe cactus. They choose the former nests of larger woodpeckers like the Gilded Flickers and Gila Woodpeckers, which are common where we live. Smaller species such as the Ladder-backed Woodpeckers have nests with too small of holes for the flycatcher. They will also use woodpecker holes in forests, brush and along streams and in large suburban trees.

The male and female flycatchers stay together for a season only, but often return to the same nesting area and may even use the same woodpecker hole again. They line their nests with fur of rabbits, rats, opossums, badgers, horses, and cattle, as well as feathers from ravens, nighthawks, White-winged Doves and chickens. They also have been known to use snake and lizard skins.

FOOD:

Their primary diet is insects including large ones like cicadas, beetles and grasshoppers. They also fly and catch flying insects such as butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Other bugs they eat include caterpillars, spiders, ants and termites. Their diet includes berries and wild fruits.

They catch flying insects mid air as they fly or forage for insects as they perch on trees and plants.

CALLS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-crested_Flycatcher/sounds

The Bakery

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A week ago, we visited our son and daughter-in-law in the East Bay. This was the line at the bakery before it opened. My son introduced me to this bakery a few years ago. Now when we stay at the Claremont, I make it to the bakery which is across the street, before it opens and they sell out of the most delicious croissants.

A couple times, they sold out of my favorite ham and Manchego cheese croissants just as I was next in line! Also, they serve sandwiches a few days a week and I’ve never been lucky enough to buy one because they sell out, too.

Yum! Fortunately there are plenty of other tasty items to choose from when my favorites are sold out. I went every morning and was thankful for the steep walk down the hill from the hotel. It made me feel less guilty making the steep walk up the hill to the hotel with a bag full of treats.

One of the highlights of our trip was the food! The first night we went to a Mediterranean restaurant with our son. Night two, I treated my son and DIL to a famous French restaurant. And besides the hotel that has amazing food, we went to Nob Hill in San Francisco for Italian. All were delicious. But now I’m so spoiled nothing sounds good to eat at home.

But the biggest highlight of all was spending time with my son and daughter-in-law including a trip to Sonoma and this park in Fairfax with redwoods.

You can read more about my trip HERE and HERE.

What are your plans for this week?

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

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Looking down the hallway of the Marin County Civic Center in San Raphael, California.

One of the highlights of my recent trip to the Bay Area to see my kids was visiting the Marin County Civic Center. I was surprised that touring a civic center was on the agenda with my son and daughter-in-law. But I soon learned that it was Frank Lloyd Wright’s largest public project and also his last commission.

Intended to centralize thirteen dispersed Marin county departments, the Civic Center project encompassed an entire campus of civic structures and incorporated ideas from Wright’s Broadacre City scheme of the 1930s. The three-story 580-foot long Administration Building, and a four story 880-foot long Hall of Justice together spanned the valleys between three adjacent hills. The flattened dome of the circular library and its connected gold tower (built to encase a smokestack and a radio transmitter) form the focal point of the plan. The concrete Civic Center’s pink stucco walls, blue roof and scalloped balconies are distinctive. The interiors feature glass walls and are arranged around open atriums in order to promote the transparency that Wright felt governments should promote. Though Wright planned the atriums to be open to the sky, practical considerations saw barrel-vaulted skylights put in following Wright’s death. Construction was carried out by William Wesley Peters and Aaron Green. The Hall of Justice was completed in 1969, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened in 1971, and the Exhibit Hall opened in 1976. The site also includes a circular post office, Wright’s only commission for a national U.S. government facility. https://franklloydwright.org/site/marin-county-civic-center/

This was a model of the Marin County Civic Center I discovered outside of the library.

A committee interviewed 26 architectural firms in 1956 to select an architect for the civic center. Peter Neutra was the lead candidate. Frank Lloyd Wright was not interviewed and refused to participate in a competitive selection. Wright had an ardent supporter on the Board of Supervisors but it was a battle to get him appointed as the architect. Wright eventually earned the commission and was directed to proceed with detailed design on April 28, 1958. In March 1959 Wright was appointed to design the post office. On April 9, 1959, Wright died at age 91. The Civic Center continued under the direction of two of Wright’s architects, Wesley Peters and Aaron Green.

Here’s a view of a spire through the ceiling glass. We have a Frank Lloyd Wright spire at a shopping center in Scottsdale. That spire was originally planned for a capitol building that Wright designed without anyone asking for it. His project was never approved or brought to life, but the spire was built.

This is the library in the civic center. We walked the entire length of the building and saw the sheriffs department, attorney general’s office, library, a state senator’s office, cafeteria, court house and government agencies including financial, community services and administrative offices.

Next to the large building is the jail. Isn’t that amazing? The jail is underground and a tunnel connects it to the court house.

Here’s s view of the spire from outside.

The design has been controversial with the blue roof. But I thought it was beautiful!

I wrote about Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s compound in Scottsdale HERE.

Are you a Frank Lloyd Wright fan?

What Wright homes or buildings have you visited?