WHAT IS THAT?

 I got to sleep rather late ... the neighbors were having a wine conversation under my bedroom window.  Of course that didn't keep me from getting up at 4:30 to let Mr. Cooper outside.  I heard rumblings from their rig, but paid them no mind.

I was on a mission.  Though I thought about just driving back home since I was tired, I decided I was being anti social.  What was I going to miss out on if I didn't get up and get going?  

Routine is the problem.  I haven't done this enough to have a routine for setting up and taking down.  

After our morning walk with gorgeous flowers blooming everywhere, Cooper voted for sleeping while I put everything away.  I ran into my neighbor outside who said "hope we didn't keep you up".  Well yes ... yes you did ... I laughed ... sort of ... but it sounded like you were having a good time.

With everything finally stowed, I pulled off the blocks (which were not high enough) and put them away.  We were off, thinking about which way to go.  How could I get so lost when I had an apartment here for two years?  I know these streets like the back of my hand.  At long last I remembered there are TWO Del Monte Streets ... and I kept taking the wrong one.  I ended up in the Presidio on top of the hill.

It didn't help that it was Saturday, and everyone and their brother was out running in the streets, not to mention no place to park.

Finally I found it ... my old running haunts.  Amazingly, it was early enough I even found a parking spot.  If you ever want to people watch, have a seat and watch the runners.  There's the guy who screams past you rocking out to his music, followed by the guy who can barely get his feet to move.  I laughed because I knew exactly what each one was feeling and where they hurt!  

That's when I realized how much I love traveling to new and old places and taking lots of pictures.  I also realized my lack of doing so has made my sense of balance disappear.  Climbing up on the rocks with the seagulls became a challenge ... but I did it!!

This time of year the ocean level is high with lots of crashing waves.  I could have sat there all day, except two people snuck up behind me and plopped down on the bench where my stuff was.  They proceeded to have breakfast, so I figured they weren't leaving any time soon.

Not using my camera much any more made my brain work overtime.  I think if you click on this picture you can see all the water drops.

There was a combination of fog and overcast, but it wasn't cold at all.  

Everywhere I turned was a set of eyes watching me.  These guys pose quite nicely while waiting for you to throw them some food.

That's when I spotted this!  Can you see him?  There were two flitting around this bush, their feathers blending perfectly with the green leaves.  It took me awhile to catch him with the camera lens.

Maybe an Anna's hummingbird?  I tried to look him up, but came up with nothing.  I watched them in the bushes for ten minutes before they flew off.

Playing with the camera here ... making the water look soft and foamy.  

Of course just as I walked away, these guys showed up.  Pelicans scanning the surf line.  But wait ... what is that brownish thing towards the top left, between the two waves?

You might click on this one too.  I enlarged it to see something really weird.  This is a new one on me!  Possibly a sea lion since they have invaded the beach areas so massively that they have been shutting it down to tourists.  There has been the occasional whale in this area, but really, I have no clue.

Back in the rig, I headed on to Asilomar Beach.  I'll post the rest of the pictures tomorrow.

For now, I'm pretty tired because ... well you know ... quilt shops can be exhausting!!!