Winter Day at the Beach

Kaefer came home for the long MLK weekend to celebrate my 60th birthday - one of the best presents I could get. She was a bit sick with a cold, so we stayed mainly at home watching British crime shows, but on Sunday we made a trip up North to Gualala. Our county ends a mile or so before Gualala, just South of the Gualala River, and Gualala Point Regional Park still is within Sonoma County. Since I buy the Regional Parks Pass every year, we can spend as much time there as we like without paying the daily parking fee.

It was a pretty wild day at the beach with tall and fast waves that relentlessly crashed onto the shore. I love watching this show - but always from a safe distance.

It always surprises me how many people underestimate the ocean and its power. The Pacific in our area is dangerous because beside its "normal" waves there are also so-called sleeper or sneaker waves that are much taller and stronger. They can easily pull people out into the sea and if you're stuck in a rip current it's time to say your prayers.

This is exactly what you shouldn't do:

Walking along the beach I always look for shells, driftwood, sea glass and interesting things. I don't know what this is, it looks soft but is much harder to the touch. Maybe it is a part of some kelp?

The beach was littered with driftwood. Sometimes I find interesting pieces that I take home and put in my garden. They make beautiful natural decoration.

The different shades and colors of the wood are fascinating. My favorite definitely was the red one, which in some places almost had a purple hue.

We also found other beautiful things of which I'm not quite sure what it is - it looked like parts of some plants. Can you see the delicate "skeleton" of the dark leaf in the bottom picture of these three photos?

We spent an hour on the beach and then hiked up and along the cliffs with fabulous views of the wild ocean. How can someone ever tire of the sea? At the end of the trail within the park we turned left to return to the parking lot. It's a beautiful trail through a wooded area and here we discovered some stunning looking mushrooms.

This fungus is called Amanita muscaria, or fly agaric. They are known for their hallucinogenic properties and they can kill you if you eat too many of them. In German we call it "Fliegenpilz" which translates to fly mushroom or fly fungus. I had never seen them before and was fascinated by their distinctive appearance.

After a good meal of local rock fish and chips at the Gualala Seafood Shack and some coffee and peanut butter cheesecake at Trinks Café we headed home along famous Highway 1, stopping several times to admire the moody atmosphere over the ocean.

All photos were taken with my Pixel 3XL.

Never Turn Your Back to the Ocean

On Martin Luther King Day we went to the ocean - the beautiful and wild Pacific Ocean. You know, we only live about an hour away from the ocean, but we go there way too seldom. But last Monday I told my family that I am going to the ocean and if they liked they could come with me.

They did.

It was a gorgeous day - warm and sunny. At the beach it was warmer than on some summer day - summer days at the ocean in this area can be quite chilly and foggy. We could run around in our sweaters, no need for hats or big jackets.

The ocean here is not a calm one. It is wild and completely unpredictable. On this Monday, the waves were extraordinary - huge and very very noisy. I love to watch these gigantic waves, how they slowly build up and then start to break and roll and finally crush towards the beach with loud thunder.

Such power!

We have two kinds of waves here - the "normal" ones and the sleeper waves which are far more dangerous because they seem to come out of nowhere and have so much power; they will easily knock over anyone who is in their path. The undercurrents are no less strong and pull you out in the ocean; you almost have no chance.

Many people have lost their lives here because they didn't take these waves seriously.

Children running at the edge of the water. People playing tag with the waves. Dog owners letting their dogs run through the water.

Signs are up everywhere, both in English and Spanish, warning people of the danger of these waves, of the ocean. The beaches are steep here and can easily trap you once you're in the water. So it's better to keep a safe distance from the water. It's still beautiful and relaxing to walk along the beach there, just keep away from the water.

And never, ever turn your back to the ocean!

(no, this is not my husband)

A Photo a Day

For this year I had planned to take a photo a day - at least one photo each day of the year, no matter what it is. I even joined some groups on flickr for this purpose because I thought that would keep me motivated.

Well - seven weeks later I have to say that I haven't quite followed through. At the beginning I did take at least one photo each day, but as the year progressed I couldn't catch up anymore. Instead of feeling guilty, however, I did give myself permission to take it easy and that it is perfectly okay if I have only three or four photos for an entire week. Although the challenge of taking a photo each day was interesting and, yes, a real challenge, it took out the fun of photography for me - and that is simply too high a price.

What I will do, however, show you my favorite photo of each week on Sundays - starting today with my favorites of the first seven weeks.

Week 1 - the magnolia in my neighbor's front yard, shot on January 2nd.

Week 2 - yummy red wine

Week 3 - pink waves at the Northern California coast near Jenner (Goat Rock State Beach)

Week 4 - California Towhee

Week 5 - tree trunks

Week 6 - planting pots in my garden, drying out

Week 7 - a detail on one of the bunkers along Conzelman Road on the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate

Are you taking any photo challenges this year?