winifredcreamer

Big Sur 2021

It’s been a tough year for Big Sur. The Dolan Fire burned almost 125,000 acres of the region between August and December 2020. After that it rained, and the rainfall on fresh fire scars was feared to cause mudslides, and it did. On Thurs. Jan. 28, 2020, a debris flow crossed Highway 1 and collapsedContinue reading “Big Sur 2021”

Meanwhile, Back in Sand City

I poked a lot of limp sea creatures this week. It turns out that pieces of jellyfish that wash up on the shore look a lot like beach glass. Some bits of jellyfish are perfectly transparent and shimmer like crystal under the sun, while others are cloudy and frosted-looking, like nicely rounded beach glass. MyContinue reading “Meanwhile, Back in Sand City”

In the Atlantic: Azores, Cape Verde, Madeira, Canary Islands

I am a big fan of islands, and looking toward Europe from Canada, I found several islands out in the Atlantic that I’d like to visit, including the Azores out in the center of the ocean, and three groups off the coast of Africa, the Republica of Cabo Verde, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. TheseContinue reading “In the Atlantic: Azores, Cape Verde, Madeira, Canary Islands”

What’s Next? Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island, Canada, often called PEI, was almost our destination about a year and a half back. We ended up going to Charleston, SC instead, but I think that when Canada is available as a destination, we may give PEI a visit. Statistically, PEI is the most densely populated Canadian province, and the smallest.Continue reading “What’s Next? Prince Edward Island”

What’s Next: Nova Scotia?

After my previous post, we would have gotten off the ferry at the north end of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. One of the first things we’d see is the “World’s Largest Fiddle” (60 ft. high), along the Sydney, NS harbor where the ferry lands. From there, if we don’t decide to stay locally, we’dContinue reading “What’s Next: Nova Scotia?”

What’s next? How about Newfoundland.

I have shared a lot of photos of the California coast this year, where we continue to find trails and beaches that we haven’t visited before. We are gradually getting nearer to our goal of walking as much of the shore as possible between Big Sur and Santa Cruz. As more and more people getContinue reading “What’s next? How about Newfoundland.”

Keys to Exploring California

If you’re going to explore, you need maps. The map on your phone is indispensable, but it’s not enough. There are places both inland and along the coast of California where cell phone signals disappear, but there’s a solution for that: Paper resources. Two in particular have helped us out, the DeLorme Atlas and GazetteerContinue reading “Keys to Exploring California”

If you’re gonna make a mistake…

Go Big or Go Home! That’s one way to look at it. In our case, the error wasn’t intentional, just a momentary lack of judgement that turned out really, really badly. It rained for two solid days this past week, and when the sun came out on Friday, we wanted to go somewhere interesting. WeContinue reading “If you’re gonna make a mistake…”

Ode to Birdwatching

It’s been a long year, and bird watching has helps us get through the months of isolation. On January 13, 2021, we went to Jacks Peak county park to look around. Walking through the woodland of pine and oak reminded me of birding in Brunswick Heads, NSW, Australia. We found the group through our delightfulContinue reading “Ode to Birdwatching”

Point Lobos, and other points

We are living in California because we have family here and we like the weather, but we didn’t expect this area to become the National Covid Hotspot. We do our best to resist strolling downtown areas, shopping in stores, and any other activity that involves people. We get outdoors for a few hours almost everyContinue reading “Point Lobos, and other points”