We’ve returned to our home sweet home. It feels wonderful to be back in my own home. One of the surprises was Red was waiting for me singing for my return. This vacation he didn’t hide and avoid me for weeks on end. I’m sure that had something to do with my neighbor making sure the birdseed was out every day. But Red did not look like himself. I’ll post photos later this week.
My trip highlights besides beach walks with my husband enjoying the ocean breeze would be spending time with our friends we don’t see often enough. Plus having my son and daughter-in-law with us for part of our vacation.
Here are some photos I took with my Nikon and 105mm lens on the beach. I was worried about getting sand in the camera or on the lens, but finally decided I could do it!
A man sitting and reading on the beach. I figured out to make photos black and white.
I found a piece of sea glass which is rare at this beach.
In the evenings, the misty fog comes ashore.
A sunbather enjoying a beautiful day at the beach.
Sunlight reflections on sand and water.
A Long-billed Curlew foraging in the sea.
View of where we walk looking south.
Almost sunset and time to go home.
Beach vacation has ended until next summer. It reminded me of a Madonna song “Holiday.”
Are you ready for fall? Or do you miss summertime?
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?
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
The Cactus Wren is the state bird of Arizona, where we live. I was curious why. If it was up to me, I’d have selected the beautiful bright red Northern Cardinal.
According to Arizona State Parks, the Canyon Wren became Arizona’s state bird in 1931 because it embodies the unique spirit, toughness, and beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
SIZE:
It is the largest species of wren:
Length: 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm)
Weight: 1.1-1.7 oz (32-47 g)
COLOR:
It’s a speckled brown bird with a white stripe across and above red eyes, to the sides of the neck. They have light cinnamon sides and their backs are brown with heavy white streaks. Cactus Wrens have white chests with dark speckles. Males and females look alike, but juveniles are slightly paler and have brown eyes.
PERSONALITY:
Cactus Wrens are not timid and love to perch on cactus or forage for food out in the open. I often have a Cactus Wren perching on a chair outside my window. He stares at me unafraid as I’m on my laptop.
FOOD:
They mostly eat insects, seeds and vegetable matter such as fruit pulp. They don’t need to drink water but get their hydration from cactus fruit and insects.
NESTS:
They weave football shaped nests with one entrance from grasses and twigs inside the safety of cholla cactus or other protective bushes. The male may make several “dummy” nests and the female will choose one to lay her eggs. They mate for life.
CALL:
I have heard the loud gravelly sound of Cactus Wrens months before I saw one.
