California colours
Posted on March 17, 2017
farmers market is such a colourful place to visit. The produce here is something else.
Moss Landing , CA
Posted on March 16, 2017
is another great place to stop along HW 1 and if you like marine life it sure is worth it.Head towards Moss Landing State Beach. ( north of Monterey )
From the parking lot as you look toward Highway One, you’ll have a great view of sea lions on the public pier (directly in front of you, next to the marina), seals (on the sand jetty to your left), pelicans (roosting on the rocks ahead and slightly to your right) and otters (cavorting in the water throughout the area). You’re also likely to see herons, egrets, cormorants and other water birds.
fresh air, a breeze, vitamin D and views…happy lucky me !
Monterey Sea Otters
Posted on March 15, 2017
for me Monterey is a must stop along HW 1 south…
it’s such a nice ocean side city ….and there’s a really cool Aquarium you have to visit if you’re here with kids ….or just interested in marine life.
who wouldn’t want to live here ?
I was in such luck since I got to witness something that people who live around here usually don’t get to see…mama sea otters showing of their babies…and they where really putting on a show.
ca 3 weeks old…a tiny little squeaky baby…crying for it’s mama as soon as she left it’s side
lot of work to eat…dive down and get the mussels of the rocks and then opening them with it’s teeth or by cracking them against a rock…
the other baby was a little bigger, ca 2-3 months and eating like it’s mother. Mama was getting the food though.
embracing the food
here’s the young one chewing away
now that’s a face only a mother can love !
mother and baby having a floating dinner
I did go to Fishermans wharf and had some lunch and looked at all the nice boats in the harbour.
I guess living here comes with a must to have and that means a boat.
Hiking at Anderson Dam, Morgan Hill
Posted on March 14, 2017
I can’t seem to get enough of fresh air so I headed for Anderson Dam the other day. It’s been a lot of talk about the dam because of the excess rain water that threatens the reservoir dam. It has a crack and therefore it has to be emptied as much as possible day in and out….
my oh my , it sure is beautiful here…breathtaking…
the water was very brown but cause of all the rain…this area got more of rain in a couple of days than they usually get in a year….
I hiked the lake view trail and
the grey pine trail…
I did see some brown ones…they are sooo big….
even the lake was filled to the brim…and more
the dam is only supposed to be 68% full , anymore than that and the dam could fail under the pressure of too much water during an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or stronger….
further down where they are releasing the water…
fresh air, friendly people, freedom to move around and fantastic nature.It doesn’t get much better than this.
Hummingbirds…
Posted on March 12, 2017
I have a hummingbird right outside my window here in San José, CA, and it has built a nest and is laying on it’s eggs ! I have never seen that before. It’s the smallest of nests on top of a wind chime!
Did you know that hummingbirds are the smallest of all birds, the bee hummingbird (around 5 cm ) weighs less than 2.5 grams ! they’ve got their name because of the humming sound created by their beating wings which flap at high frequencies audible to humans. They hover in mid-air at rapid wing-flapping rates, between 50-80 times per second !
this is a black-chinned hummingbird…
they have to eat all day long …In addition to nectar from flowers and sugar water from a feeder like this, they eat small insects, ants, gnats and mosquitos.
I hope I get to see some very tiny little birdies soon….do they lay one egg or ? guess I’ll have to wait and see.
Pigeon Point light station, an amazing stop along CA-1
Posted on March 11, 2017
as I cruised south along the beautiful coastline the sky got more blue for every mile I drove.my next stop was Pigeon Point light station.
it’s so beautiful that it almost hurts !
after a short rest laying in the flowerbed I headed south towards Santa Cruz.
Driving Pacific Coast highway CA-1
Posted on March 10, 2017
sure is a treat for you.
Pacific Highway 1 has got to be one of the worlds most beautiful drives …today I started out at Half Moon Bay state beach and slowly worked my way down. Since it’s spring I got everything from really blue skies to a fog I couldn’t see through. I’m happy I brought my light down jacket because it can get really chilly when you’re right at the ocean this time of the year.
Guess what the first thing I see when walking out to the shore ? An indian couple getting engagement pictures using a pro photographer…what are the odds?
see the fog and mist down there….that’s where I’m heading….
I walked and walked and just took in the views..
I got in the car and drove a couple of miles…climbed down a really steep hill…
way down there…a man and his rake…..
I made so many stops …some with difficult steep climbs and some easy peasy where I just walked right out on the beach.
my best friend during this visit…love it..so comfy and a pleasure to drive..it’s a Nissan Rouge ( I think!) a compact SUV….
next beach was San Gregorio state beach…This was the site of the Portolá Expedition campsite in Oct 1769…the expedition was the first recorded Spanish (or any European) land entry and exploration of the present-day state of California.
wow !look at that lime stone…
kind of looks like a giant meringue..
at the next stop at Pescadero State Beach I saw the first sea lions…
a little south again I found these rock formations showing cause of the low tide…
I thought this looked like the head of a sleeping Homer Simpson, hahaha
I got myself closer by climbing the wet rocks….
mother natures patterns are so pretty
and finally I was close enough to get some shots…it’s like the buffalos in India, they know you are not from around here and looks at you.
a flock of merganser’s keeping an eye on the sea lions. by now it was time for some lunch and I guess you better get something in your tummy to cause I have more pictures from along the coast. see you later !
Delhi – San Fransisco in 15 hours
Posted on March 9, 2017
It sure was a long haul – 15 hours in the air and a time difference of 13.3 hours , but now I’m home in my California home ! so what to do to keep awake all day today ?
I hiked in the California hills….
so beautiful and such a blue sky….hoping for mountain lions !
I actually hiked the old mining trail….yes, this is an old mining area with traces of it all over…so cool.The traces of the flooding that hit this area just a couple of weeks ago. where obvious at some parts.Some of the trails where closed due to this.
this is good for the soul..walking, breathing in fresh air and taking in the views.
wonderful colours in the old rocks ( do zoom in)
no mountain lions today but I did see lots of deers peeking at me.
Great first day….my soul got what it needed.
I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen -John Steinbeck
Posted on March 1, 2017
I know I’m one that has actually SEEN a lot of the people that are invisible or treated like they are, in this country..I have seen them, talked to them and talked about them. Do you see the people around you ?
It’s Tuesday, the God Hanumans day
Posted on February 28, 2017
exactly two weeks ago I took the Swedish students to the temple with the hanuman langurs, the black faced monkeys…
we just had to stop at the gigantic Hanuman on the way…he’s just so impressive
as always a stop on the way to get some bananas and some instructions to the students on how to split the bananas in pieces so it will last longer, sit and wait for them to come to you, feel their long fingers when they pick the banana….
we where getting pictures of the langurs and the Indians here getting pictures of the girls…
” I told ya’ I don’t want the peel…hold still so I can get it of, thank you”
friends just hanging….
of course the temple cows want something to eat too….
adorable…
just hanging….
“hey, we want some bananas”…our driver Pawan didn’t know if they where going to climb inside or not…
I think this is my favourite place to take visitors.
Susanna Rosen Photography 