This is the Matolle River. We took an afternoon picnic and walk. It is a troubled river which should be full of salmon - if it had more water. We have what I call Rural sprawl - lots of 10, 20 & 40 acre lots all using on-site springs and creeks. That means the water doesn't flow to the river, so the river has much less water than it should. With the current budget crisis, our governor has frozen all grant monies, so restoration will slow down and be funded locally - from the pockets of landowners and those who care about the salmon - it's a fight for the continued existence of these amazing fish. Moss grows everywhere as it is a very damp environment. We have had a bit of rainfall lately, but this river is still below it's mark - for salmon, that is. However, the water was clear and swift-moving, which is a good thing. I feel blessed to have chosen this place of beuaty to live and plan to keep being part of the restoration and salvation (of the Salmonids) movement up here in no-man's-land.

This is another fine mushroom that grows in our forests. It could be a Cantrell, but from this photo it's hard to tell. I try not to step on any or disturb them so that they might propagate and flourish, so I don't know what the underside looks like. The shamrocks are wood sorrel with the latin name - oxalis : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_wood_sorrel . These have a burgundy red on their underside in late summer and they fold up at night to protect themselves. Up here in Humboldt County we have what we call " 'Shroom Season". Lots of people head out to the forest to gather scrumptious morsels for their dinner plates. It is but one of many seasons - like deer hunting season and duck hunting season ..... It's what we locals do for fun - gather in the harvest from the forest.

I went for a stroll in the Rockerfeller Grove today with some friends. One fellow has been learning a lot about native plants and redwoods in his volunteer training, although he volunteers at the Humboldt Bay Natural Wildlife Refuge - the 'bird sanctuary'. He helped us identify plants - when we weren't discussing politics, that is. These are Cantrell mushrooms and they are an edible delight. As we were in a state park, there was no collecting of any kind, so we photo'ed them and left them as we found them - beautiful!

Sunset & Fog

I snapped this photo about a week ago. This is the view from our front yard - the cliff-side yard - looking out towards Ferndale. The fog here is ever changing and always enchanting. It's one of the reasons I moved (and remain) here. The last two years there has been far less fog than 10 years ago. Global warming? or natural fluctuation. The redwood trees get the majority of their water directly from the fog (moisture in the air), so they should survive this drought just as they have survived so many other droughts. It's one of the reasons I moved here - the water. Its also way my sinuses are so happy here - they like the damp, which means I can breathe!!! Its rather special to have such a great view, and I love photographing right from my front yard.

Nesting Sites

Our chickens gave us 9 eggs yesterday. There has been only a small reduction in egg production throughout the winter. Most chickens seem to all use the same nest - they must be taking turns. One chicken, a Barred Rock, likes to fly up to the top of the chain link gate, then back down onto the other side. We found 40 eggs one day while cleaning up around the exterior of our house in what we labeled the Illegal Nest. Now we collect her eggs as well as the ones in the coop. She is a very independent chicken and loves to 'free range' outside their designated living quarters.

This was the view as we made our way to The Racetrack. I have a fondness for geology and I'm slowly - with each adventure out of Humboldt County - collecting the Roadside Geology series. Much of the southwest is what geologists call Basin and Range country. As you can see in this photo, there are indeed a series of basins and ranges.

On our way into the park (Death Valley National Park, that is), we were in a canyon pass between the Panamint Range and Death Valley itself, when we heard a horrible sound. It sounded like a freight train pushing a lot of air before it. I didn't know what it was - until a jet passed us, screaming along at mock-2 just overhead. I'm sure those hot-shot pilots get a kick out of startling those of us on the ground, going a mere 55 MPH.

I took this after an afternoon of hiking up a slot canyon we read about in a Hiking in Death Valley booklet.

The weather is quite mild in December, although if there is a storm the winds can be harsh. In summertime, the temperatures can get as high as 120 degrees - hot enough to cook an egg on the road.

Having been partially raised not far away in the Mojave area, I have a fondness for the desert. Not to the point where I would want to live there, mind you, but there is a stillness, a quiet I find to be soothing.

In 2006, my husband & I took a trip to Death Valley between Christmas & New Years. For anyone who loves geology, Death Valley - in spite of it's name - is amazing. My Dad said, "what in the hell for?" I explained that it's a great place to see rocks because there is no trees or foilage hiding the rocks. My Dad also loves trees and thought it a great joke. He may be in his 80's now, but still has a wonderful sense of humor.

We took a 27 mile gravel road - more like small, rough-edged boulders - to what is called The Racetrack. Rocks have left mysterious tracks through the hard-as-concrete ancient lake bed. A USGS crew once took GPS devises and found the Racetrack to be absolutely flat. The theory is that when it rains, the water sheets out due to the flatness and soaks into the dry bed making it slicker than ice. My brother-in-law confirmed this fact as he ended up splat on his ass during a rare rain on the track. Wind comes into play next by pushing the rocks, forming the tracks you see. This track probably took several storm events to create such an irregular and interesting trail. It was definitely a trip to be remembered.