sunset ~ 10/06/13 ~ at home

sunset from home

October 6, 2013

It's been all about sunsets for me lately.  This day we went to the memorial of a friend who lived a good long time.  With her failing health, it was time for her to go.  The last I saw her I had stopped by to give her the news that another friend of ours had died.  I have fond memories of her ambling over to our place early in the morning, hair sticking out everywhere and wrapped in a shawl that always slid off one shoulder.  He would make coffee in his Pavoni, and I would make buttered toast.  The three of us would sit at the small breakfast table in the morning sun and gossip about everyone we knew.  Goodbye, Yo.  Now, I'm starting to feel superstitious.  I think I got that my from my grandmother.  Things happen in threes?

habitat ~ 09/30/13 ~ SeaRock

SeaRock

stone castle in the Carmel Highlands

Back when I started blogging in 2009, it didn't occur to me that I might meet some of my fellow bloggers in real life. As I was setting up Nature ID, I used the automated keyword search featured on blogspot's profile pages to find local bloggers with nature-oriented themes. There were very few, and one of them was Bread on the Water. I quickly added her to my list of blogs I follow. Gradually, we learned about each other. In all honestly, it took me a while before I realized she lived on the compound of a private Carmel Highlands landmark. Then over two years ago, we had rumblings of maybe meeting... someday.

That someday came into being thanks in no small part to the death of a mutual friend, my invitation to fulfill his promise to take her and her husband (who's also a blogger) on a tour of Rocky Creek, and their sudden 2 month preparation to move out of the area. Within days before their moving, we finally met up twice in 2 days with reciprocating tours. The passing of loved ones really reminds me that someday could easily become never.

Speaking of somedays, I totally want an attached conservatory like they have in the guest house (2nd to last pic above). I already have in mind the kinds of windows and recirculating H2O system, types of plants and insects, and style of furniture I'll have. The first time I discovered such things existed was when I watched Angels and Insects. The scene with the moths enchanted me. That movie inspired me to raise almost 1000 monarchs and various other moths, mantids, and millipedes in my apartment bedroom in the summer of 2000. A more kid-friendly movie that also features a private conservatory is The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Thank you, Jeannette and Mark, for a lovely tour.

habitat ~ 09/29/13 ~ Rocky Creek

Rocky Creek

September 27, 28, and 29, 2013

There was only a core group of 10 of us with 4 small dogs that camped this time.  The girlfriend invited her recently engaged friends, and I invited a fellow local blogger, Bread on the Water, and her husband down for a visit.  We had a bit less revelry than in the past, with no cocktail hour visitors and an evening honoring 2 of our friends who died recently.  Rocky Creek is a special place filled with fond memories.

The pond was engineered by one of the family members who's a hydrologist.  The overflow goes right back into Rocky Creek.   There are several decent sized fish that jump around on occasion. 

I'm always amazed at the power of the wind to mold redwood trees into sculptural shapes.  And, yes, there always seems to be something in bloom, such as this silver bush lupine.

Here's what happens to tanbark oaks when Sudden Oak Death hits them.  SOD first started appearing in this canyon maybe about 10 years ago (?).  

And last, here's a view of Rocky Creek Bridge from the lower property road.  Caltrans is still working on repairing and upgrading a section of Hwy 1 just south of the Bridge that slid into the ocean 2 years ago.  BigSurKate has excellent updates on road closures there.

ps 10/22/13 - For a blog post about a recently released paper on SOD and redwoods, check out BigSurKate.

rubber boa ~ 09/29/13 ~ Rocky Creek

northern rubber boa

Charina bottae

more information

I first saw this snake as I was walking up the road to greet a fellow blogger whom I had invited for a Rocky Creek tour.  I figured it might be the same kind of snake that I saw last year during our now annual excursion.  All I remembered was last year's snake belly was orange, similar to this one.  My blogging visitor jokingly expressed disappointment that I didn't know the name off the top of my head.  Hey, I tend not to remember everything from Nature ID, but at least I can easily track past information. That's kind of the point of this blog.  Of course, when I got home I looked up my blog entry from last year.  Ring-necked snake?  Definitely not. This one has an unusual rubbery appearance to it with lots of bite marks down the length of its body.  Apparently, body scars are common in rubber boas.  During the course of the visit, I passed it 4 times total.  It couldn't have been entirely dead, because it changed positions each time, but it was still on the road.  Neat!  Here's a new-to-me snake that I never knew existed around here.