Was long overdue this week for a drive to the beautiful and oh-so-happily-cool land of Crescent City. On the drive north I usually opt to traverse Clear Lake County and then north through the Avenue of the Giants to enjoy the redwoods and a quick pass through Prairie Creek Redwoods. Funny, the Google map swears the trip is a 6 hour drive, but it always takes me about 7 to 8 hours to get there - must be the gawking out the window that adds time.
Once in Crescent City I visited with my friend Inez, at her adorable & comfy little home. She has 'friends', 'bear' a black bear, and a couple of Black-tailed Deer that like to nibble in her yard, but they didn't choose to put in an appearance on my visit. Still there was other entertainment - we certainly enjoyed our 'competitive non-stop chatter' as always, and Inez had day trips planned for my two day visit.
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| We stopped to hunt for stones on the shores of the Smith River |
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| Inez waxes nostalgic by the river at the little water hole, where she and her siblings used to paddle about |
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| Can you find the hidden Dromedary Camel of the Redwoods? |
Nearby the strange little shadow of a camel in a hollow redwood, we listened to the screams of a strange bird, we knew was a raptor but couldn't readily identify. I have no musical talents to recall tones and such so I'm often at a loss to immediately recognize even birds I hear fairly frequently. Happily Inez isn't as challenged as I am, and she recognized the shrill call of an Osprey. Then, because unlike me, she capable of shutting up long enough to her things, she pointed out a long off, answering call of a juvenile Osprey. Seems Mama and freshly fledged baby were at least a mile off from each other and they were using the original version of 'Twitter' to check in with each other.
Post river run, we headed back to town and stopped at Thai House for a lovely bite to eat, back to Inez's place for some R & R. I enjoyed watching the amazing numbers of birds that frequent Inez's front yard. I spotted Stellar's Jays, Anna's, Allen's & Rufous Hummingbirds, and Eurasian & Morning Doves, Band-tailed Pigeons, Black-headed Grosbeak juveniles, White-crowned Sparrows and that is just the tip of the iceberg of Inez's yard bird list, as she also gets Merlins, owls and other raptors.
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| Is that a mess of Stellar's Jays or what? Half of those at least are babies of the year. |
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| Roaming younster of the year, a Black-headed Grosbeak |
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| One of dozens of Band-tailed Pigeons, which the locals call 'Flying Pigs' for their voracious appetites |
We had the option to watch a movie in the evening, but being the spoiled guest, I opted to down some of Inez's home cooking and to chat with her and catch up on things, while 'Polly Pellet' stove warmed up the front room and filled the air with the fragrant scent of cedar. What a relaxing day it has been.
