Las Islas Bonitas~

DSC01114
Foxie Channel Island Moxie
DSC00642
Sunset over Santa Cruz Island
DSC00696
Anacapa Island
DSC00948
Sea Lions lying……
DSC01029
Wind carved pines Santa Cruz Island
DSC01145
Cheers to you from another spectacular Channel Island sunset~
.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Playing with Channel Island Foxes!

DSC01115
Oh my! Somedays are just OH my days. I have seen about five foxes in my life, in Alaska, Canada, Wyoming and The Holler. I was on Santa Cruz Island before and saw the Channel Island foxes, a very unusual species that live only on the Channel Islands, no where else in the world, but I wasn’t really taking photos then. So back I went to see them again and try and get their photos. We hiked all over stunning Santa Cruz Island, and I firmly believe that since I was seeking, I didn’t find. It was an hour until the boat left and I had already been waiting in the place I had seen them before for about an hour. Silent, still, waiting. When, at last, the first fox came out. She scuttled along this open but submerged ditch that I am guessing she built that led from her den. She was surreptitious at first, but quickly got braver.
DSC01046
This is the second fox. This one was bigger and I assume (with no knowledge to back me up that this was a male).
DSC01071
The friendly first one again.
DSC01036
This is the third smaller one. She (or he) got very close as long as I didn’t move a titch.
DSC01106
I have so many more photos of this unique species. They are 1/3 smaller than the North American Grey fox. Channel Island foxes live on 6 of the 8 Channel Islands. Each island has a separate endemic fox species.
DSC01112
Current thinking seems to be that these island foxes rafted over during the last ice age about 10,000- 16,000 years ago.
DSC01134
They are very protected here. I am speechless. They are remarkbale.
DSC01009
I forget to mention. Santa Cruz Island is ethereal.
DSC01016
Cheers to you from the rare Channel Island foxes~
.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Playing with Blue Whales~

DSC00918
Okay so we’re not at The Holler, but we’re not on a trip either…… not exactly. We’re just heading up to NoCal to rendezvoux with the kids. A family visit, not a trip. But, since we were driving…..we stopped at Channel Islands National Park to play with the Blue Whales, and dolphins and humpbacks. I kid you not. Next time you feel like going to Sea World to see some marine mammals. Don’t. Save money and save animals. Go see ’em in a protected national park, in their natural habitat. Here they play with you……by choice!
DSC00898
I have never been so up close and personal with blue whales. They were all over the Santa Barbara Channel today. Swimming upside down under our boat and spraying us with spouts. I’ll post more pics soon, and tomorrow we head out again to a different island!
DSC00883
You may have heard blue whales are big. The biggest creatures on the planet with tongues the size of African Elephants. But who knew they liked to play with people? The humpbacks were playing too, several of them. What a major thrill! This makes Sea World look like what it is, a bunch of concrete, chlorinated swimming pools full of captive cognizant cetaceans.
DSC00661
We also saw sleeping pods of sea lions.
DSC00665
And drowsy, daydreaming Pelicans. There were so many more incredible critters!
DSC00857
We spent all day on Anacapa Island, one of the five islands in Channel Islands National Park.
DSC00750
Anacapa is composed of three interconnected islets.
DSC00790
The islands are similar to the Galapgos in that evolution has proceeded independently of the continental US. As an odd aside, today we saw both Brown and Blue Footed Boobies, birds most frequently seen in the Galapagos and not normally present here. There are 145 plant and animal species found only on the Channel Islands and nowhere else in the world. Tomorrow we go in search of the Channel Island Foxes so please stay tuned. We have seen them before. They are small, one of a kind in the world, and very, very friendly. They have no human enemies. Imagine that!
DSC00832
The Channel Islands have painted caves, named by the colorful sea algae that make them look like Gauguin painted them!
Cheers to you from the very happy and very FREE sea life around Anacapa Island~
.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Holler Homecoming Hoedown~

SUNP0075
The wild critters seem happy we are back at The Holler. They staged quite the homecoming! Even Wiley E. came out in broad daylight, sashayed by, and winked at me and I have the pic to prove it!
SUNP0078
Look how fat and healthy he is! I don’t even want to think about what he’s been eating. He’s not too shy is he?
SUNP0076
And what big teeth you have Mr. Coyote! This is a different Wiley. Possibly a Willette. We have lots and lots of Wileys and Willettes at The Holler.
DSC05335
Beep Beep is always content snooping around us. He is a hobbyist human watcher. He doesn’t even pay attention to Wiley E….. Smart Beeper.
DSC00363 (1)
The shy little woodpecker even dropped by to say hello!
DSC00369
After six years I have finally learned to make a credible hawk call. I called, they came. Or maybe they were just flying by. But I think they respond to my call and it confuses the ravens too. They keep looking for the hawk on the ground!
DSC02853
And of course The Holler Hummers. I miss them so much when I am away.
DSC03290
Europe is incredible but they don’t have Wileys or Beeps or Hummers. Wild animals just make the very best neighbors. I like having them on my HOA!
DSC00512
And The Holler? Well it is rural, rustic, and in a horrible drought, but even so, it is awful purty.
DSC01665
Cheers to you from all the happy Holler critters~
.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Soulful Sweden~

DSC07227
Goteborg is a Swedish gem.
DSC07316
Goteborg’s West Coast Islands are starkly stunning,
DSC07274
especially when tall ships sail by!
DSC07259
Of course there are beautiful churches.
DSC08782
The Swedish love flowers and they are everywhere, like here in the square, in the small, friendly, town of Nynashamn.
DSC08829
Nynashamn is a charming fishing town with the Church built to protect the town.
Cheers to you from soulful and scenic Sweden~

Oslo Radhus~

DSC06944
Oslo’s radhus or town hall is covered with phenomenal artwork and murals.
DSC06893
The artwork decorating the inside and outside of the radhus depict scenes from Norwegian legends and history.
DSC06898
The murals were painted by Henrik Sorensons.
DSC06900
The hall is famous for hosting the annual Nobel Prize ceremony each December 10.
DSC06912
In addition to the murals, there are wood-carvings, ceramic art, and quilts.
DSC06921
Quilt detail.
DSC06930
The hall also has mosaics and gorgeous marble.
DSC06971
One of the many painted, carved-wood pieces waving and sending you cheers from Oslo’s glorious radhus~.

Finding Finland!

DSC08750
It took us awhile to meander over to Finland.
DSC08699
All I can say is, we should have found Finland sooner!
DSC08747
Finland is scenically stunning.
DSC08685
There is wonderful Hanseatic, Classical and Orthodox architecture.
DSC08741
There were a lot of street artists and musicians in Helsinki. This musician made beautiful music with his wine bottles!
DSC08711
Like most of Europe, there are beautiful cathedrals.
DSC08693
If you have the chance, I definitely recommend you find Finland too!
Cheers to you from The Holler~