Look Up, Look Down

 Song - In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins cover by Sierra Eagleson

Several weeks ago it was Mr. B & my 41st Anniversary.  We decided to celebrate so he took me to a Tsunami Zone.......well no but yes.  We actually headed to Nick's Cove near Tomales for our first dining out experience in five months!

It was a cool day on the coast but so refreshing to sit outside at the waters edge and enjoy a delightful lunch together. Then we headed over to Bodega Bay to take a long walk on the beach.

And when I looked up......

I spotted lot's of Forster's Terns......

 

 

And Pelican's flying low over the water.

And several colorful kites drifting in the breeze.

When I looked down I saw.....

.....Wimbrel's looking for crabs with their long curved beaks.....

....an elaborate sand castle with a moat dug all around it and feather & pebble decorations.....

...and a blooming red bulb seaweed........

....bits of shells......

...interesting feathers.....

and this sweet little flowering plant that I have never seen before.

And when I looked up again....

...I spotted this sea monster looking at me!

Happy Anniversary Mr. B - And here is to many more.....

"Because of our routines 

we forget that life is 

an ongoing adventure."    

--Maya Angelou

The Face Only a Mother Can Love.....

Song -  "It's Gonna Be OKAY" by the Piano Guys

On Saturday Mr. B and I took a drive over to Point Reyes National Seashore to have a little day trip together.  I was chomping at the bit to get away as I had been sick and then.....well...the holidays kept us pretty busy.

It felt so good to get some fresh air and view some of natures beauty. It was sunny but cold and windy.

Parts of Point Reyes are flooded (which is crazy because California has not had much rain this year) so there are one lane roads peppered around and to get to the lighthouse you will need to take a shuttle out there as everything is closed after South Beach due to roads washing out.

We saw a lot of cattle and then some Tule Elk....

They were right near the road and so majestic. 

I took some photos and then we headed down the road to Drake's Beach where they had caution signs up due to big ol' Elephant Seals taking over the beach!

Only the face mother could love......but he looks happy!

This would be looking up his nose....if you were curious.

That is Mr. B in the background so you could see how big these guys were!  We were told to stay two car lengths back from them and in some places there was a designated path as well as uniformed docents on the beach to make sure questions were answered and no one got too close.

They really did just lay around like big blobs sunning themselves.  Apparently it is both breeding and pupping season at Point Reyes however these big guys didn't look like they were looking around for a mate......at all!

But every once in awhile one would move.......and everyone would watch and wonder what they were going to do......

And they would just scratch themselves and go back to napping in the sunshine!

 On the way out of the park we did stop at one more scenic spot...........

 The Cypress Tree Tunnel - which I have never been to before.  It's a lovely little stroll under a canopy of beautiful Cypress trees.

We then headed up the coast to Nick's Cove for an early dinner.  Next to the restaurant they have a pier and a little hut at the end where you can light a fire and enjoy drinks.

They also rent out some cottages along the waters edge and across the highway.

Thank you Mother Nature for the lovely day!

“Because the greatest part of a road trip 

isn’t arriving at your destination. 

It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” 

— Emma Chase

87 - 30 - 40 thru 11 thousand years ago

Song - Say Goodbye to Hollywood by Billy Joel

Several birthday were celebrated in February.....

Mom turned 87 and still looks and acts 67!  We drove out to Tomales and had lunch outside on the deck at Nick's Cove. It was a glorious day!

The bartender there was making up some drinks and photographing them on the railing.  He was just going to dump it after the photo shoot so mom & I volunteered to be taste testers! The beautiful green rolling hills and farm animals were like my mom said "it's almost like going to Europe!".

 My middle son, Jon turned 30 on the 28th!  Yipes......just when did that happen! So Mr. B and I drove down to LA to spend a few days with him.

Almond trees blooming along Hwy. 5

Power lines that seemed to go on forever

The Grapevine at noon

Jon & Mr. B

 For his birthday we got tickets to see Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday night.

Waiting at the Shrine

Jon and I were delighted but Mr. B wasn't too sure about all of that mombo-jumbo stuff.

It was amazing!  Both Eckhart & Deepak shared such great information that I thought my head would explode. I could tell that Jon was taking it all in and getting it too!  Believe me there was a lot to "get".  When we left, Mr. B said he was amazed as well and followed most of what they said.  He also looks forward to learning more about awakening to a higher consciousness.

The next day we went to the beach and while Mr. B and Jon took a long walk, I stayed behind to take some photo's of the surfers as it was a "high wave advisory" and a beautiful day! I didn't know it at the time but I was coming down with a cold so I was feeling low energy. I had also seen a whale at Manhattan Beach the day before and I was hoping to get another glimpse!

After the beach we headed into old town Torrance to one of our favorite breakfast places and dined on the sidewalk.

As we headed to north-central Hollywood, I realized that this was the night of the Academy Awards.  Streets were blocked off right and left but lucky for us Jon was driving and he had an app on his phone that told him the quickest route.....well actually it was Morgan Freeman's voice on Waze that told us with authority what the best route was!

The wild animals at La Brea Tar Pits that are being excavated are roughly 40 - 11 thousand years old - that would be the Pleistocene period and it really is surrounded by downtown!

Replica of a mamma getting sucked into the tar and daddy & baby watching helplessly

 There were big bubbles coming up in the above tar pond which I though was just a touch Disneyland-ish but then was told that they are real methane gas bubbles.

These are the real bones that they have uncovered.  An early form of Camel and an adult & baby American Mastodon.  I even got to touch a Saber Toothed Cat skull that a guy was bringing out for display.  Mr. B and Jon were not so anxious to touch it but I was dumbstruck and probably had a fever that was affecting my thought process.

We had a wonderful dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant near where Jon used to live.  Monday Jon had to work so after a tearful goodbye, Mr. B and I headed home.  We did pass some beautiful wildflowers.....

And after a few warm days, the Almond trees looked like they were snowing.....

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." --Deepak Chopra

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/deepak_chopra.html

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/deepak_chopra.html