James Durbin Day

I started thinking of how many times in my life I had seen a famous local celebrity. Truth is. I don't remember. So I convinced RD to act as my point man and trekked to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk to participate in James Durbin Day.

30,000 people all in one area? And me? How could I not have fun? And all I wanted was one picture. I started by stepping in front of the police cruisers escorting Durbin to the stage. I raised my camera. He turned around. I clicked. Read the rest of the story here.

Watsonville Apple Murals

The ocean decorates one wall of the central valley in California. Murals decorate many others. This slideshow illustrates early twentieth century apple crate labels. Watsonville, Ca decided to pay homage to apple growers, local businesses and the mural artists in this brochure, showcasing each mural. I decided to honor them by following the brochure map to take my pictures.

Beaches and Central California

Central California beaches deserve more than the typical, "This is me. These are my dogs. This is our walking beach" attention.

Sand dollars are common, but sand castles are not. Especially a castle with two swimming pools.

Beaches are a place to send messages. Most people prefer a message in a bottle. However, this beach person climbed a pole and created an unusual apology. Do signs on poles work better than messages in bottles?

You can find rock art on the beach. And create your own. Mine is the one on the left.

While on the beach, kite flying is better than cable T.V.

There's always a place to sit.

Sea birds are plentiful...

Human birds - not so much

But there are always the seals. Lots and lots of seals.

Elephant Seals of Piedras Blancas

RD and I decided to take a drive down Hwy 1. Why? With this kind of window dressing, why not?

We started seeing plumes from whales. I got excited when I saw a black and white body that could only mean a Killer Whale pod was feeding. We stopped at several turn outs like this, hoping to get a better look.

As we got closer to San Simeon, we found Elephant Seals. This male probably weighs close to 2 tons. He will mate with as many as 40 females in his harem.

The males rear up and bellow to scare off intruders. I was the intruder. It worked. I stayed on the walk way.

The males form a line of defense between the ocean and females. January is pretty dramatic for Elephant Seals. They give birth, feed pups, hang out until it's time to wean them and then leave. No one eats, fishes or wanders off as long as there are babies. Smart thinking that involves huge reserves of body fat.

The females pick a spot and claim it. This nursing pup has heard his mother's voice since birth. If they get separated, knowing Mama's call will save his life.

The predators lurk beyond these rocks. I realized we were following Killer Whales right to their prey. Until the migration, Seal City offers many perks besides 24/7 protection by the males.

There are sand baths.

Singing with the girls.

And tourist watching. Once pups are weaned, the mating begins. Then males and females head north, leaving pups to learn to swim and fish on their own. A newborn rests to the left of these females. The pup will gain 10 pounds a day and begin his migration when he gains about 300 pounds. If you want more info about Elephant Seals go to www.elephantseal.org