SEAGULL SCAVENGING TRASH IN THE OCEAN

I have many photos of seagulls with trash they have gotten from the ocean.  One which I'll post later is a seagull with a cork from a wine bottle in its' mouth.

I can't figure out why people leave their trash around or throw it in the water - it's so dangerous for the birds (and fish).

This was around the same area as the marina in the post below, but over near the beach.

ADD:  Here is the one with the cork.

One more photo to add to this has nothing to do with seagulls but with a beautiful drive up the coast.

SCENES FROM SANTA BARBARA MARINA

We met my sister and brother in law in Santa Barbara when we were visiting Ventura in July.  We ate at an outdoor cafe and walked around the docks.  It was a beautiful day and I'm kind of sad to see summer leaving - especially when I revisit scenes like this.  However between Santa Barbara and San Diego - we have some of the most beautiful weather in the fall and winter.  I will be making many trips off the mountain when the cold and snow comes - at least for a few days here and there, to find warmth.

A BEAUTIFUL SCENE

In San Luis Obispo, where I was staying, I got up one morning and took a walk into a neighborhood I remembered from a previous visit. This is a porch I passed along the way.

SUNSET THE OTHER NIGHT NEAR THE MOUNTAINS

We were coming home up Interstate 15 and saw these beautiful clouds.

 

A cabin on my walk I like

Finally!  We had quite a thunderstorm yesterday.  I loved it, except for the fact that I worried that the lightning strikes might start a fire.  I don't think I've heard thunder like this since I flew into St. Louis Missouri back in 1987 because of a layover on my way to Kansas City, Kansas.

 

We had rain also which is so badly needed here.  I moved my seat pillow inside so it wouldn't be wet later in the day when I wanted to sit out and photograph some birds.  

I got some great shots because it seemed like the entirety of birdland came through my yard happy to have experienced a cleansing.

I want another storm to come through!  It was exciting.

I CAN FLY (a poem by Arlene G.)

It's funny how out of the blue something will come to you that you didn't know you remembered. 

I was thinking about my good friend Arlene who passed away in May 2010.  We had been friends for over 20 years.  She dealt with a lot of physical pain so had many challenges in her life - one of which was trying to stay positive in the face of pain and limitation.

One day on the phone about five years into our friendship she excitedly recited this little poem she had come up with.  I can't believe I remembered it after all these years.

"I can fly, I can soar
Says the Being I adore
When?  I ask, if not today
When you give your love away.

(Photo taken at Avila off of Old Port).

Arlene had a gift of always being able to make others' feel better about themselves when they were facing their own challenges.  I realized again today how much I miss her.  She was good at giving her love away to others because she always felt that the more love she handed out - the more love came back to her.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

PLAYFUL

Awhile back while in Ventura I was walking along a sidewalk kind of far from the beach and closer to the hotels.  I noticed these girls playing.  I had to zoom in to get these photos and got quite a few.  Just watching them play was really fun and they were having such a good time that it made me feel good just watching.  Took me back to the first time I ever saw the ocean which was in about 1959 when my family made a trip to the west coast from Kansas while visiting cousins  who lived in Redondo Beach.  I was about 9 at the time.

This morning at a forum I visit, I saw this quote by Ram Das and loved it.

Light

Each of us is separate and yet each of us is part of the whole, but sometimes we get lost a little bit in dualism and then we find our way back out. Every time we are in the presence of unconditional love, we remember. And when we remember, we open. And when we open, the Light pours through us.

If you become a person who could love unconditionally, everybody would flower before your very eyes. And everywhere you look there would be Light. It would be breathtaking at every level. ~Ram Dass

It's been so beautiful lately in the mountains - up until today we have been fairly cool for August - today we are heating up.  Just touching base with my blog.  I will be seeing Mackenzie and Jacob, my grandkids who are in town this week from Bend, Oregon.  After seeing them , I will have spent time with all eight grandkids this month at various times.

Beautiful cabin I passed by the other day. 

A KEEPER RECIPE FROM FACEBOOK

This sounds delicious!