Stormin'

It has been a week of storms, both solar and rain.

A man got some good footage of the Northern Lights right here in San Diego, on Mt. Laguna. 

The Sunrise Highway is the highest paved road in San Diego, what is it, 6500'? 

We drove it last week on the way back from Jacumba.

JB took this shot from his place up in Fairbanks.

Looks pretty storybook idyllic.

It started raining here last night but there is a lot more to come, a level 3 atmospheric river. 

You never know what that means, we were stranded for two weeks back  in '93.

You sort of have to surrender to the elements and not fight anything. Let it pass by and move forward when it is safe.

On the other side of the world, Thailand, Shawn sent this shot, which looks sort of Roger Dean posed but still very cool.

I have an antique show next week up in Santa Barbara, which has a hard time with the natural elements, I hope the roads and slopes hold up.

Friday through Sunday.

I am pretty close to being packed and have a little free time, a rare commodity in my world these days.

Yesterday I did something I haven't done in ten months, I grabbed my camera and headed up to San Jacinto to take some shots of birds and tune in.

I was most interested in just being there, never even took the good lens out but took a few snapshots to put the camera though its paces and see if I still remembered how to use it.

Barely.

Nothing too riveting, I saw male and female harriers, red tailed hawks, a shrike, not a heck of a lot.

Got a good walk in, shot this pic of an immature male vermilion flycatcher.

Saw lots of coots and ibis, a few egrets, nothing earth shattering.

I did run across a pair of pheasants, no doubt escapees from the neighboring hunt club.

Good for them!

Such beautiful birds.

I drove home and came to the common realization that I honestly have better birding in my own front yard, a red tailed at twilight, and a yellow rumped warbler.

I pulled the card out of the long dormant camera and realized I had some flea market portraits of old comrades I had never seen or processed before.

I give you Jim, Stephen and Dave, for your viewing pleasure.

Strange but wonderful birds indeed!

Hardy souls who have plied the pavement for what seems like an eternity.

*

Steely Jazz at the Belly up Sunday.