Wild - and Not So Wild - Things

July has been full of opportunities to glimpse and photograph local wild life. Most of the photos that follow are mine, taken with my Olympus SH-1, but a few are the work of other family members and a neighbor. Click on a photo to see a large version.

This photo came one evening in an email from a neighbor
alerting us to the presence of coyotes nearby.

Sheep and cattle (lower right) about a mile across the canyon from us.

Maximum zoom-in on the sheep

It's been a great month for watching California's state bird, the Quail.

Two males keeping watch from the bushes in a neighbor's yard

Two families of quail
We've counted as many as 20 quail at various times.

Close up of adult and young in the neighbor's yard

Quail coming to look for seeds under our backyard bird feeder
(Photo by Michael)

Male standing watch on the railing below our deck

Close ups of the male 

Hummingbird visits a pot of carnations

From mammals, to birds and finally, to mollusks:

The banana slug - size, about 6 inches, often bright yellow
but this one is blending into the background a bit. 

Close up of the slug eating a dead leaf
Slugs are cleaner uppers.

Not so wild, but a lot of fun to watch:

First teeth

Turning 7 months old while visiting grandparents

Enjoying bath time

Our little angel

Now that I have teeth...

Dinner on the deck

Tasting everything

Caught you taking my picture again!

Who's that baby?

Reading with dad

Two more finished jigsaw puzzles:

Puzzle 17

Puzzle 18

Puzzle 19

Flora:

Morning glory blooming on the deck

A second blooming for this orchid

Scenic:

Moon bow - 4th of July

Mt Diablo aglow

Mt Diablo - with zoom and editing

Clouds and rays over the canyon

Last day of July - morning sun through the mist
Michael took this one on our street.

My favorite volunteer outdoor activity:

In a meadow along the Montclair RR Trail
Me in the light-colored clothes holding spent blossoms we've removed.

Where Did Those 6 Months Go?

Our grandson, Stanton, passed the half-year point this month!  He can sit up well on his own, and has started enjoying solid food and moving around by rolling.

Here are a few of our favorite recent photos:

Michigan grandparents visited in late May

What is this stuff?  Stanton on the beach.

A little music box that plays Greensleeves is a favorite

He loves "baby buzzing"

Fascinated by grown-ups' food containers

We think he might have a few Polish genes

Helping mom and dad celebrate their 10th anniversary

Just back from child care

Apple sauce is a favorite

Over Memorial Day weekend, we traveled to Mountain View in the South Bay to visit the Computer History Museum.  The displays run all the way from the abacus to today's computers. Here are a few photos from that trip.

Erick and I revisited "ancient history" from our
student days at UM using punch cards to run programs
at the computing center.

We entered our names on punch cards and came away
with a souvenir print out.

What a cable for those huge, tape driven computers looked like

And now our alma mater has produced the
world's smallest computer

At the driverless car exhibit

The obligatory souvenir for baby - He'll grow into it in no time.

Stanton isn't the only growing thing we've been keeping an eye on.  A couple of years ago, we got a gift of a Bird of Paradise plant for the main deck. After a rough start, it's been growing well.  We read that the plant must have at least 7 leaves before it will send up flower spikes.  We reached that magic number this year, and the flower spikes followed.

Leaves and 2 buds visible

First bloom

Two bloom stage

Just this week a third flower bloomed and
first bud produced a second flower

Note the extension bloom in the center

Elsewhere on the balconies and decks this month:

Main deck - mostly Verbena

Main deck - small Hibiscus

Main deck - geraniums

Main deck - lettuce
The only veggies we've been successful with in planters.

West / bay side of the house
where the balconies are

Container arrangement

Geranium varieties
(also a carnation and a small jade plant)

Our indoor hobby, jigsaw puzzles, continues to provide a chance to play together.

The puzzle table in action

Puzzle #14

Puzzle #15

Puzzle #16

We've had some unusual weather in the last month.  A bit of rain - not typical - and a run of record temperatures.  It got as high as 90 degrees F here in the hills.

Clouds over Moraga

June rainbow

Sunset reflections over the ridge

Smoke from a grass fire - fire season in the hills

 A few experimental photos:

Jupiter in the abstract - maximum zoom with my Olympus SH-1

A NASA Juno mission photo of Jupiter's south pole

Full moon through the trees