In Search of Spring Flowers & California Poppy "Super" Bloom! April 2020

Happy Spring!  These are coronavirus times and things are weird.  Not even going to sugar coat it.  So I, being me, self-distance in a car with a camera.  In search of beauty.  

I took a drive up towards Jackson, California in search of California poppies, which I had heard were blooming pretty profusely due to some late rains we were having in this drought year.  The drive did not disappoint!

Soon, I saw entire hill sides full of poppy patches!  

After taking the two pictures above, I turned around at a little closed county park by a river.  As I was pulling out, I noticed that the hillside had blue honeysuckle growing.  It was mostly in shadow, but I was able to get this awesome picture that turned out to be one of my favorites of the day. 

Back heading NorthWest on Highway 49, I pulled over beneath another hillside that was covered with poppies.  I had been heading in the wrong direction to pull over on the winding road prior, and the available pullouts were covered with cars and people anyway...everyone trying to get a photo in the poppies.  

But this time, there were only a couple cars pulled over and no one in the actual flowers! So I got luck and got a few cool shots. 

After I finished at this spot, I pulled back on to Highway 49, went around the corner, and pulled right back off again! This time there was a profusion of poppies and lupine at the top and bottom of what was otherwise a barren red cliff.  It was so cool looking!  I spent about 40 minutes there, wandering around the bottom of the cliff and taking photos of anything interesting.  

There were more than just poppies and lupine on the cliff face!  Beautiful red succulents were in bloom as well!

I finished up by laying on the ground (luckily I had a windbreaker in the car because the side of the road was littered with bits of broken glass and trash - do better people!!) and taking some shots of the blooms at the bottom of the cliff.

I then headed back and planned to stop twice more...once for a gorgeous purple blooming tree I had seen in a meadow but there hadn't been a place to stop on the other side of the highway.  It was so beautiful against the bright green background!  I actually had to lower the color sat in this photo!

While I was pulling away, I noticed what appeared to be a half cultivated and half wild garden at the base of a church on a hill.  There was a drainage culvert which had lush grass and blooms around it.  I had to pull over once again.

I have no idea what these pink cone-like flowers were and Google was absolutely no help.  But they looked so cool mixed in at the base of these poppies!

There were a few solitary white Iris here and there amongst the rocks making of the bed of the culvert and stream.  My mom loved Iris and planted then in our yard growing up.  

This BEE!  in stunning purple blooming clover!!

These flowers were sooo tiny!  I mean...tiny!  Like about the size of a quarter of a dime.  

And a purple IRIS!  Hi mom!

Okay, another unplanned stop.  I had taking some full moon pics in Jackson of the beautiful St. Sava Orthodox Church on January 31, 2019.  I heard that there was a vantage point to see down on the church, so I decided to make a quick detour to see if I could find it.  

I didn't.  But I did shoot a kind of cool photo in between two houses!  There is a piece of pretty-bad Photoshop on the lower left bottom of the photo where I tried to 'shop out a roof.  lol  

My last stop was in Rancho Murrieta.  I had seen a large swath of yellow Lupine growing in front of the construction site of a new Bel Air.  Full disclosure, I didn't see any other yellow Lupine on my drive although there were tons of blue ones.  So I think these may have been planted to make the construction site prettier.   But it was stunning and they were mixed with a lot of wildflowers so I felt justified in including them.  :)

Laker colors!!  Hi Kobe and Gigi!

I loved how the three yellow ones lined up in this photo.

Such a fun and rewarding drive.  I miss nature and road trips so much!  Be safe people.  Be well.  

xoxo

Sony A350

18-70 & 70-300 Lens used

Washington Road Trip: Family Time & Tacoma's Point Defiance

It's a few days since my last post and my beloved brother is still in the hospital, still on a ventilator, and still not out of the woods.  But!  He has responded to my sister IL and niece and the doctors have said he is stable and given some hope, so I feel up to posting part number 2 of my trip.  To see the photos and story of my drive to Montesano, click this sentence.

I'm starting off with a perfectly hideous photo of myself with some of my family.  I think they all look freaking adorable though so I wanted to post it. Even the back of Ford's head and Angela's crazy face are adorable!  And Verna and Lincoln are the cutest.

While we were waiting for Sabrina, Lee, and the kids to arrive, Verna gave me a ride around the "back forty".  Which was amazing!  If I won the lottery, I would buy this entire lot. This is us on Trinity's infamous golf cart.  Which, again, we managed to have a tire problem on.  LOL!

The 'back forty' runs along the back of Ida's property and down to the Chehalis River.  We came around a corner by the horse paddocks and face to face with a gorgeous deer!

 We didn't have time to stop and walk around or take pictures, and I meant to go back during my time up there, but the weather didn't allow it.  Next time!

We got back to the house just as Lee, Sabrina, and the kids pulled up with their new, beautiful German Shepherd puppy, Elsa. Here is my beautiful grand-niece, Trinity, with her new furbaby.

 From left to right: Lincoln, Ford, Elsa, Trinity, and Logan

 Elsa with Sabrina.

After playing with the puppy for awhile and catching up, we all set out in a two-car caravan for the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, about a 1.5 hour drive Northeast.

Originally opened in 1905, this zoo has been continuously updated to provide top-tier enclosures for the animals living there.  They also are involved in the conservation of red wolves and have a lot of educational programs.

I know that zoos are an 'iffy' subject for many, but I myself am torn.  I believe that they should be highly regulated and held to very high standards but I also believe that many good zoos provide a valuable role in conservation and education.  Some animals, like the Cheetah, are going to be gone from the wild soon, thanks to humans. Soon people will only know of this majestic creature in media if conservationists, including zoos, are not successful in their efforts.

But back to more happy topics...Logan!

It was such a brilliant day!  Who says it only rains in the Pacific Northwest?  :)  This zoo is not only full of gorgeous, amazing animals, but also with a variety of colorful, eye-catching plants and flowers.

We spent quite a bit of time watching the Meerkats.  And the Meerkats spent quite a bit of time watching a crow that was perched at the top of their exhibit.

This baby just couldn't take his eyes off of him!

 And the guy behind him couldn't take his eyes off of the baby.

Until two more babies began squabbling and play-fighting.

And then they hugged it out!

In the meantime, crow watch continued. The baby moved to a different spot to have a more comfortable view.

The crow was not particularly interested in the meerkats, but their instincts tell them to be wary of this possible predator.

Besides the allures of nature, the zoo was also having a special Pokemon Go event where they had dropped lures at all the pokestops around the zoo.  It added to the fun!  Just ask Logan! Sabrina wanted to take a picture of him in the Kids Zone, but it's a Cloyster!

 He finally gave in compromised.

I'm thinking Mom got a better picture, but I liked observing the Logan in his natural habitat. =D

I also loved this vista of a huge ship sailing by in the distance on Puget Sound.

But meanwhile, back inside the Kids Zone, there were GOATS!

No, not that guy actually, but I couldn't resist.  Haha.  These guys.

Yep, get ready for some flower photos.  There were some beautiful Rudbeckia Hirtas that I just couldn't resist. And neither could this hovering bee.

 Also known as a Brown- or Black-eyed Susan.

And it's amazing close relative, the Rudbeckia Laciniata.  Better known as Green-headed Coneflower.

I absolutely adore these next two photos.  There was a very busy bumble bee working on some truly lovely pink flowers.  The combination along with some amazing depth in the macro photography created a very artistic look, in my opinion.  Thanks bumblee!

We all met up by the park in the middle while we got some food and decided where to go next.  It was fun watching the kids play and roll down the steep hill. 

This statue is really nice from the top of the hill viewed from the front.  But from below?  Holy crap!!  And Logan gave into our pressuring him to take this photo.  Yes, I am the Worst. Aunt. Ever.  LOL!

I laugh every damn time I look at it!  I can't wait to get back up there and spend some more time with those crazy kids, and my wonderful family!  

I spoke with Angela a little bit ago.  Happy Birthday Angel!!  She gave the most wonderful update on my big brother and said he is now breathing on his own and is able to talk and be ornery like he likes to be!  Yay!!!

I love my big brother sooooooo much!!

xoxo

Nikon D3300