waiting for a wave

Even on cold days in January surfers are waiting for a wave.

at last the great ocean

Through desert, dunes and mountains and then down to sea--it seems quite miraculous to have this beautiful verdant wet paradise come into view!


The great Pacific--heaving itself against the cliffs and with a seemingly never-ending coast that beckons me to walk on forever.
Birds that are "lifers" for me --waders and shorebirds, gulls and all that mysterious stuff that used to be published in separate guide books called the western birds of the United States.
WHALES!!!! blowing great clouds of mist into the sky and roiling the water as they feed just off shore.
Seaweed that I have never seen before--rocks on shore ( no rocky shores in Louisiana).
Lagoons fed by the sea and teeming with birds that make me dizzy with the challenge of identification.

All this in the middle of winter--no wonder so many land on this shore and dare the earthquakes to shake them off.

growing crops in the desert

Various salad greens, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, dates, almonds, pecans, walnuts and pistachios are growing in what is actually a desert.

The water for irrigation comes from canals that divert the Colorado River or from deep wells. It was fascinating to see the green in the desert, but made us realize how tentative our food supply is during this period of the big drought.

on the road to california

Traveling to southern California through the desert states is a great adventure--- cactus and dunes, wind turbines and solar panels,  roadside kitsch, and amazing farms where a great percentage of American vegetables are grown with the water diverted from the Colorado River.

There are checkpoints where we are quizzed and scrutinized as the contents of our car are quickly scanned for aliens--no, not those from other planets--that would be more fun.

My family made this trip once when I was a pre teen in a car that had a bad radiator which overheated,  especially when climbing mountains. So we did a lot of the desert at night and missed seeing the cactus and dunes. Nevertheless, it was a great adventure then too--one we never ceased talking about and reliving.

We did this trip rather quickly because we were on schedule for the birth of our grand daughter--a California girl. My dad, deceased for many years, would have been delighted. He always loved the California dream.

Whales!

Out beyond the apparent slick or area of smooth water there are whales.

Sorry I couldn't capture them as they came up to blow huge sprays of water, but I'll never forget the sight!!

We were told they were probably grey whales migrating now off the coast of California.

A bucket list item for me.

Whales and a new grand daughter----a fantastic beginning to a new year!!