Pretties without Wings

Johnny Jump-ups

Yes, on rare occasion I admire things without fur or feather. I admired these on the drive back from Monterrey. I understand it's going to be a bumper crop year for wildflowers in my neck of the woods too.

Shooting Stars

Lupines

California Poppies

More Kerfluffle at Barb's

Barbara and Oscar
Managed to squeeze in a couple of short visits with Barbara. She was supposed to meet me in Monterey but the near-do-well she'd given her two old mares to called up to report one had an accident with barbed wire. Long story short, Barbara spent a couple of days dealing with vet bills and getting the mares transported back to her house.

Barbara with sons Eric and James

I got to see and visit with James whose birthday it was. He drove down to visit with his brother Eric. Not long after I left, both boys were out from under Barbara's wing, leaving her and Oscar on their own again.

Eggs from Barbara's chickens - yum!

Otterly Delightful

The photo above does not do justice to the California Poppies dusted over the hillsides. I took this out the window as a drive by actually so I am pleased I'm alive to even post it. I'll back up a bit; I was in Monterrey County for work over the past few days. Visited with Barb & her fractious household. Spent as much time as I could get a way with, birding & checking out the wildflowers & sea life.


There are loads more otters to the north and south
I spent most of Wednesday at Moss Landing for a meeting. I was amazed to discover a flotilla of around 25 Sea Otters at the mouth of the estuary. Some of the dots above are gulls, but many more are Otters, floating along on their backs. Occasionally they dive and pop back up like corks, with take-away lunches of clams, oysters and what-not.


Typical Coastal California Real estate
Only a few hundred feet from the otters there was a pier with about a hundred lazy, lay-a-bed Sea Lions. Honestly, as lazy as I am I think I would have been happier had I come into this world as an otter or seal. Lots of nap time, food more or less at one's flipper tips. However, given a choice which of the two species I would be born into, I would opt for the Sea Otters; much easier babyhood.

Here is Baby, his head to the left, nursing from patient Mom, whose head is to the right.


The silvery ball on the far right is a UFO (Unidentified Floating Otter) headed over to make trouble

Baby's head pops up... I'M DRINKING HERE!

Mom, Baby and Golden-headed stranger all in a Kerfuffle

Loads of splashing, arms raised in alarm

After a bit it was difficult to tell who was whom any more Well by now I'd lost track of who was molesting who, and the baby set up a scream like a banshee with it's tail in a vice. Baby Sea Otters are LOUD. I don't know if what I was watching was adult otters playing while baby shrieked because milk-time was disturbed or if there was a genuine assault on. Oh well. Please note, baby was a BIG baby, about half the size of Mom. Water soaked Brat.
Yes. If I had to choose, I'd go for being a bratty Sea Otter with most meals served up on the half shell.