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October 30, 2021 Rituals

Slime Mold (Stemonitis axifera)

Space Balls (Lycogala epidendrum)

The mushroom season has officially started! With over 2 inches of needed rain last week in the Bay Area, I started the hunt at the same location as last year; the coast redwoods in Santa Cruz county. 

I was ecstatic when I spotted slime mold just a few feet from my car on a decaying log after parking; the same luck as last winter. Usually when there are mushrooms or fungi in the parking lot, you know you’ll spend the entire day there. But despite initial luck and hiking a mile, it didn’t seem like there were anything larger than a quarter inch, perhaps it was still early in the winter season. Wolf’s Slime Milk (Lycogala epidendrum) was abundant, so much so I couldn’t stop myself from having fun popping some of them. Nevertheless, I could not be more thrilled photographing some creepy looking fungi for Halloween weekend. Hopefully La Niña produces a good rainy season this year because there are still a plethora of mushrooms I still have on my list to find!

September 21, 2021 Feels Like Fall

Feels Like Fall. September 2021

After one of the gloomiest summers ever, Karl the Fog finally decided to leave town in the midst of the night. 

You know it is the first day of fall (or start of summer in SF) when the daily high temperature rises above 70F along the coast and there is not a cloud in the sky. The first ground swell showed up along with the first offshore wind of the season; surfers racing to the get their session in before the work day.

It was a magical morning with the dawn color palette, the moon setting right at sunrise, pelican formations, and spotting fickle a-frames. I remember when I was back in high school, the best weather would always coincide with the first week of school and all I wanted to do was be at the beach. Luckily working from home today, I got to witness the lunch time glass off and then enjoy the evening dolphin show. 

There’s no place like home. 

September 11, 2021

Star Party. September 2021

After a whole month of staying home, I feel completely stagnant; losing motivation to do work but can’t find enough motivation to change my routine.

The smoke finally cleared this weekend for a chance of Milky Way. With the coast too risky due to the lingering fog bank, we headed south to Pinnacles National Park.

Driving on the highway and looking at distant subjects and framing compositions, I felt a sense of calmness. Hiking through the chaparral, hearing the crickets chirp, feeling the warm breeze, and seeing sunset colors made me appreciate again what the great outdoors has to offer. 

As we were waiting the moon to set, we met other star gazers in the parking lot. A special thank you to Jim and Alex for letting us peer into their telescope setups. I saw the rings of Saturn, Jupiter and its orbiting moons, M22, and other star clusters. I felt like I was five years old again, peering through a telescope in my backyard at the moon and realizing how much I love astronomy.

I’m reminded again that inspiration is out there if you just go. 

July 26, 2021

After tossing and turning all night long from not showering after a long sweaty hike, I woke up to mostly cloudy skies. The sky looked bleak, thick clouds accompanying the already hazy atmosphere. As I left the campsite, I saw a large thunderhead to the north, which was where I was headed. I contemplated again, should I head home early or keep going? No cell service so I couldn’t check any forecasts. Well, I’ve driven this far, might as well try. 

As I drove north into the storm, the sun hid behind the clouds and it started to downpour. By some miracle when I got to Burney Falls, it mostly sunny skies with just a few high clouds. I waited for the sun to be at a higher angle to illuminate the bright blue water. My eyes lit up looking at the blue glow on my dome port with plentiful trout at the base of the falls. That glow, just wow.

Life is all about taking risks. If you don’t take risks, you can’t have fun. Maybe 1 out of 100 trips for me was a waste of time but I would only consider it a waste of time if I didn’t learn anything. It’s always better to go and potentially get skunked than to not go and regret it later. You won’t know unless you go. Sometimes you’ll score and the opportunity may never return again.

600 miles
1 wet wetsuit
No expectations.