Thanksgiving

LAST LIGHT at MORRO STRAND

I have so much to be thankful for every day. Living here on the Central Coast of California I am surrounded by amazing beauty and a plentitude of wildlife. I don't take any of it for granted. In life's lottery I have won the jackpot. I wish that each of you may find the same blessings and opportunities.

The other night when I took this photo I was hoping for one of those rosy, glowing sunsets. That didn't happen. But what I was given is equally wonderful - wispy clouds reflected in calm water and a golden mist just creeping in around the base of the Rock as the sun was setting.

Pelican take off

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Elkhorn Slough in the Monterey Bay area. I was impressed with the variety and density of the wildlife there. On a 2 hour boat tour I saw large rafts of Sea Otters, Harbor Seals, more than 200 Sea Lions, beautiful orange jellyfish and numerous birds. There is a great advantage to being on the water when observing wildlife. They seem much more tolerant and approachable for photography. As we were cruising along I saw this California Brown Pelican standing on the bank. I focused on him and waited to see if he would take off. He did and I was able to take a nice sequence of shots of his lift off. I took a total of 11 shots. These three are my favorites.