Fog and the Flock

The dogs and I were out recently, a pleasantly foggy dawn, enjoying the new day.  When we got out to the misty campground, looking over to the boat ramp, the sky looked like this:

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A Big Blow

Mrs. Ombud and I were watching a movie (Little Fish, I think) when the phone rang. We don’t always pick up during a movie, figuring they’ll leave a message if it’s important, but when I heard my next door neighbor’s voice I hit pause and got the phone. He was talking about some large branch that [...]

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Where Have All the Pelicans Gone?

Two years ago I used to see large squadrons of pelicans flying along the south shore of Alameda (and thus south along the eastern shore of SF Bay) most morning I went out there. The pelicans congregate starting in late July through September, and I often saw waves of dozens and dozens of them, easily totaling 50 [...]

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A Follow-up on Several Fronts

First, the pears. I’m rather amazed at how reluctant these pears are to ripen. This picture was taken in early September, and you can see how green they remain:

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Whither Weather Wear

The wife and I went to a party yesterday. It was supposed to be a pool party in someone’s backyard, sort of a goodbye to summer thing, but we had a surprise thunderstorm here in the Bay Area Saturday morning, so it was overcast, although surprisingly warm for northern California rain.

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Looking Out My Backdoor

Do you remember Creedence Clearwater Revival? Have you heard “Looking Out My Backdoor“?  I’ve been reminded of the song recently, while out on our back porch.

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A hike up a hill

A few years ago, a friend and coworker of mine told us of a nice place to go for a walk up near Sonora, called Table mountain.  Table mountain is a mesa, and just below the ridgeline there is a nice trail, through a pasture.

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Off to the Foothills

 The wife, the pups, and I are heading for the Sierra foothills in a few hours. Mostly, when I get my to-do list to-done.

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An amphibious interlude

Remember the spoof on Superman at the beginning of the cartoon show “Underdog”?
“What’s that in the sky!?” “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “It’s a frog!”
A frog?

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Breakfast Ker-plunk

We walked out along the bay shore this morning, enjoying the slanting dawn light rising over the east bay hills, casting long tree shadows across the open fields. I heard a splash to my right, and saw a small least tern rise from the rippling water, then noticed another and another.

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