Beach Houses AVAILABLE on the Rincon!!

YESSIRRRREEEEE!!! Step Right Up! Waterfront Beach Property!! Build up Sweat Equity. Choice of Lots. Innovative and 100% Green for the Planet. Building Materials already onsite - free!

No, NOT those common ol' fully finished homes set waaay back from the beach. We're talkin' ON THE FREAKIN' BEACH!

Be sure to get in on the ground floor in this popular development between Rincon @ the 101 and Rincon Point County Park. Some new homesteaders have already made impressive starts.

Others a more modest beginning.

Or maybe this is just planned to be a weekender?

Or a cabana!

Now these folks are well set up for a good time on the Rincon!

However, the Rincon Beach House is nearly eligible for 'Landmark Status' and has been used for years. Sited pleasantly close to both the Parking Lot and the Cove it is a favorite of Rincon Surfers.

Here this venerable and most desirable property is modeled by a local Beach House Bum.

Rincon Skies -- a recurring series -- #First

Our planet is made of rock, water and air - the basic ingredients for life as we know it. I feel that we all are connected - whether we choose to be an active participant or not - to these three elements. Many of my "Rincon Skies" photos will feature all three: above is the Pacific Ocean at low tide, exposing rocks and in the air are particles from the SoCal fires of late October. The late afternoon sun - still a couple hours before 'sunset' causes the particles to refract the light in exciting ways... an ironic byproduct of the horror known by too many in Southern California. Above, a surfer enjoys the shape of the water, avoids the rocks and hopes the air in his lungs is not too unhealthy.

The photo above was taken a day earlier (21Oct07) from the others in these first five photos (the other four were all taken the same day, 220ct07). Early effects of the soot from the SoCal fires have already reddened our sunsets. Carpinteria is located in the previous link in the eastern edge of the northernmost swirl of smoke. The closest fires to Carpinteria were the ones in Ventura County, and located about 45 miles to the east and a bit to the north.

With the soot and ash and smoke settling in, these photos show true reds of the afternoon of 22Oct07.

After displaying a glowing red sun for several hours, sunset approaches.



This photo was taken earlier in the afternoon about the same time as the very first photo. The sun will still not 'set' for three hours.

Not ALL of the "Rincon Skies" series will be particularly colorful. The darkness in mid-afternoon is also the result of a fire - this summer's huge Zaca Fire. Although the fire was contained by mid-September07 - as I wrote earlier in this blog, it was only declared controlled on 29Oct07. At the time of the photo (12Oct07) it was still burning. However, the black in the photo is a result of 'sundowner' winds similar to santa anas that were strong enough to pick up the burned ash and blow it 25+ miles over Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. The dots on the horizon are oil rigs, five miles+ offshore.



This photo and the four following are all mostly 'natural' in that there was little extra particulate matter blowing around from the soot of fires months ago, or the smoke of current fires. Just nature: sun, water vapor in clouds and the Pacific to make a picture - oh, and the Mexican Fan Palm, Washingtonia robusta just to add a semi-tropical flavor.



The mouths of local creeks form sloughs where fresh/brackish water stands for long periods - even through our long, long Mediterranean-climate summer. During the wet season (Coming up anytime soooon? As of today, there has been very, very little rain this fall. Less than 1/2 inch.) these creeks run right through the beach sand and empty into the Pacific. During the dry season wave action piles up beach sand and closes the creeks, forming standing water. This is Carpinteria Creek in Carpinteria State Beach, where I have recently seen Eared Grebes, Black-crowned Night Herons, Coots, Mallards, Gulls by the score, Snowy Egrets, White Herons, Great Blue Herons and a Northern Shoveler. The quiet brackish water seems to suit them.

Sunset from the bluffs above Carpinteria State Beach, near the Oil Pier that services the oil rigs.

Setting the tone for "Rincon Skies", I want to be sure that skies other than sunsets are expected as well!

Sulfur Fungus III (& final installment, I promise!)

About four days after my last post on the Missing Montecito Mushroom.... I spied yet ANOTHER Sulfur Fungus! This time about 12 miles eastward, down the coast in Carpinteria - in fact at Carpinteria State Beach. This one appeared to be growing directly from the ground, as evidenced above. Note my key and 'clicker' for a hint of how big this sucker has grown.

This side view gives you an idea about the layers invovled, and you can see that this specimen is showing its age - with scuff marks from branches falling from above and the darker, clearer orange below.

In fact this is a MOST SPECIAL Sulfur Fungus. It's being featured as a landscape planting in the median! And you must admit, it's the most colorful and interesting form of life in sight!

My sleuthing has determined that in fact this fungus is also growing on eucalyptus - just like its Montecito brethren. Only this eucalyptus died long ago, leaving only the stump below the soil line - yet the remains are more than enough to sustain an actively growing Laetiporus gilbertsonii.

This individual apparently is well past the 'chicken of the woods' phase as the roadway that it divides connects the main camping areas at Carpinteria State Beach - and with all those cooking fires and hungry local surfers, you'd think it would have made it into a stew pot. Or not.

Sulfur Fungus "Missing in Montecito"?!?

UPDATE!!!

Case of NO FUNGUS AMONGUS; Or perhaps FUNGUS INNUS?

Driving past the site of my previous blog (below) just four days later, the entire bowling ball sized Sulfur Fungus was oddly missing. Another quick turnaround, and closer inspection revealed that the entire mass had been removed from the tree - likely headed to the kitchen of an alert driver on East Valley Road in Montecito.

While these pieces on the ground were all that was left, along with a few 'hangers-on' on the tree itself, it hardly seemed enough to make another meal, so I returned to the car empty-handed, amused that someone had some good 'shrooms in 'em (innum?)

Fungus Amongus in Santa Barbara

This bright yellow and orange shelf fungus caught my eye at 30mph on earlier today about a mile and a half east of San Ysidro Rd. on East Valley Rd., Santa Barbara (CA-192). As big as a bowling ball, and about a foot and a half above the ground, the Sulfur fungus, Laetiporus sulphureus has likely been growing in the large eucalyptus tree (one of a long line along the road) for a very long time - perhaps as many as forty or fifty years. [October 16: Daniel Mosquin of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden publishes a great feature, "Botany Photo of the Day". He has provided additional information regarding our fungus and identifies it as Laetiporus gilbertsonii. Thanks, Daniel for the updated ID and for accepting my photo/info at BPOD. I read "Botany Photo of the Day" every day and recommend it highly!]

Upon closer look, you can see the small, bulbous lumps of regrowth that have covered many old wounds. And growing so close to the edge of the roadway, there are many opportunities for wounding. Once the wound is inoculated by a tiny spore, the fungus grows throughout the heartwood, and only matures to this 'fruiting' phase after many, many years.

Darn! Something this brightly colored looks like candy! Although apparently it tastes more like chicken. As with all fungus/mushrooms, double/triple check for identification and suitability prior to eating. Even if edible, some people have reactions to them - so only eat a small piece the first time around. One way to prepare shelf fungus (and only collect when fresh, not old and brown) is to roll pieces in beer batter and fry them up - and with that recipe, you can even make shoestrings taste good!

Rincon Winter Swells, Day2

Surf is still SWELL on the Rincon! I had a peek at 7am and many surfers were already taking advantage of the early winter swells. Early some of the waves were definitely over the head. This set of photos is from the noon-hour.

You can see that the action is good and the participation plenty!

Even below the 'river mouth' the action is busy.

West of the point, above the 'river mouth'.

More action on the point.

The great conditions have brought out watchers, too - in fact at noon, BOTH the upper and lower parking lots on the Rincon looked very, very full.

They wait for the next great set.

Rincon is SWELL!! (from the SW)

And they marched in - with a sudden set of swells upon Rincon.

By 3:30pm there were at least 70 surfers in the water, and more arriving... as it was still before 5pm, they could have been arriving as Patagonia employees, who can always take off work for good surf - for others maybe there was a case of "Surfer's Flu"? An odd anomaly that comes upon people as the swells come upon the Rincon!

By 5pm, there were more than 100 in the water - or at least tooo many to count. I saw surfers, wetsuit on, but the top flapping around the waist - RUNNING with their board to get into the water. You go, guys!

While the 'river mouth' was a smooth and popular entry, surfers put-in among the rocks nearest the point as well.

Dozens of new arrivals paddling out.

People gathered on the shore to watch their 'faves' try the new swells.

Crowded conditions between the 'river mouth' and the point.

And also crowded at the point!

Two up.

Best swells yet this season?

If not the best so far, at least they put grins on lots of faces!

Mendocino & Ft. Bragg, Northern California

Twisted Chimneys, Cloverdale, CA

I have been without work since I resigned my job in Santa Barbara effective 23Mar07 - just over six months ago. Our journey to find our next adventure has taken us several places - most recently to northern California (NorCal) and the Mendocino Coast area. Located about a three hour's drive north of San Francisco through some great wine country, redwoods and ocean views, the Mendocino area has charm and natural beauty. We spent 2-5Oct07 on a trip for me to interview in Mendocino. We overnighted on the road north of San Francisco in Cloverdale - where we turn off "the 101" onto CA 128 toward the coast. However, we stayed in the Cloverdale Super 8 (very nice one, too!) and NOT the interesting building above with the twin twisted chimneys.

Traveling through the Anderson Valley west of Cloverdale, vineyards begin to come into view, and with them, Central California's 'fall color'. Other varieties of grape vines turn red, orange and purple.

Passing from the open valley, the road runs through previously logged redwoods. These trees have all grown up from a time when originally logged around the 1880's to the early 1900's. The roadway is quite dark even in broad daylight.

As large as these trees are, you can still see the original stump among the very large re-sprouts. Me next to one of the large, original stumps. So, you want to go into the "stump-grindin' business"???

Passing through about fifteen miles of redwoods, the road opens very quickly to the Pacific and the PCH or Pacific Coast Highway, CA1. This area is typified by very rugged coastlines

and protected inlets that are actually the 'mouths' of creeks and rivers.

This is the town of Mendocino, and in the foreground the mouth of the Big River. Mendocino is situated on a short and broad peninsula and lists a population of less than a thousand.

Continuing northward just a couple miles from Mendocino is the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and the very small town of Caspar. These are the support buildings for the lighthouse - and the effects of the strong ocean winds can be seen on these Monterey Cypress trees.

The lighthouse itself is a simple building, much shorter than I had anticipated, having seen the much taller lighthouses in North Carolina.

Weller House, 1886

Fort Bragg, CA is only about ten miles north of Mendocino - and yes, I was confused with the name of the town, too. Having lived in NC from 1993 - 2005, I was very much aware of another Ft. Bragg. However both were named for the same Confederate States Army officer Braxton Bragg. The fort in California was very short-lived as there was no true threat to the coastline.

We stayed two nights in the Weller House, a completely remodeled B&B in Fort Bragg, the only building in town to be on the National Register.

The water tower of the Weller House is the tallest structure in Fort Bragg! Now that municipal water has long been available, onsite water storage in town is no longer needed - so there are now two bedrooms, a hot tub room and a roof-top deck in the tower.

From the tower you can see across town

and in the other direction across a couple blocks and then to the open ocean.

The town of Fort Bragg has about 7,000 residents and while a three+ hour drive to an airport (Oakland or San Francisco), there is just about anything one would need right in town - except for Trader Joe's. For that a drive into Santa Rosa is required: about two hours away, back down the beach, through the redwoods, past the vineyards, turn in Cloverdale, then down "the 101" for about a half-hour. Fort Bragg lists three basic attractions: Glass Beach, the Skunk Train and the Garden.

It's important to always face the ocean while collecting, as the shoreline is rugged and the surf can surprise you at any time. When a large wave comes ashore, and is channeled between the rocks, it can make a wave into a BIG WAVE!

Glass ON the Glass Beach! Once the site of the official Town Dump (1949-1967) tumbled glass remains long after the original cleanup some forty years ago.

This is some of our 'loot' from Glass Beach.

The Skunk Train at a crossing very near the Weller House. For me, this adds a dimension of entertainment, history and transportation. The train can travel as far as the 40 miles east to the town of Willits on "the 101".

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden began as a commercial nursery and garden in the early sixties, and was purchased by the California Coastal Conservancy in the early '90s. The garden leases the 47 acres for $1/year from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District. In spite of the land connections, the garden has NO operating connections with any governmental agencies and is not supported by tax dollars. There are about 20 staff, 150 volunteers and the highest attendance of any North Coast facility - 60,000++/year!
Heaths and heathers - require full sun and cool temps all year long - NOT what I could grow when I worked in Oklahoma, Florida, Bermuda or North Carolina!

A path to the ocean - MCBG is the only botanical garden in the USA to have ocean frontage.



On the drive home, we were treated to some very special Central California Skies. Enjoy them here and perhaps later in a painting by Jeanne Miller!