Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday Mishmash - California Visit Part III (fin)

On Monday's post, I left you with the whale sightings.  I also saw dolphins - porpoises, actually - playing in the water after my last run along the coast.  We counted six of them, just frolicking along...it was another awesome treat!  As we were watching, one jumped clean out of the water!  Afterward, I was surprised to have captured that moment with my phone, because again, I was just looking at the water while I had the camera pointed.  Here's the shot:
And here it is, deciphered...it took me a minute at first to figure out if it really was a porpoise or a bird, to be honest:
 Sea life in the ocean.  As it was meant to be. :)

Along with the sea life, we also had regular sightings of deer - right across the street from Barbara's house!  The deer come down from the hills to her neighborhood and are a real problem because they eat the plants and can pretty much destroy landscaping.  One evening, we came home and the car's headlights showed a couple of deer eerily staring at us!  We didn't move, and they didn't move.  It was a little surreal.  After a few more nights like this, I got out of the car and tried to get some pictures, while Barbara was aiming the headlights on the deer.  (this might sound strange to you guys, but this is pretty much SOP (standard operating procedure) for us)  I approached from the sidewalk, where I could see there were four deer in this yard - two adults and two smaller deer:
 See their head and ear silhouettes?  They were giving me a good stare down.
I can see two deer face on, plus the side-view body of another deer in this shot.

With the picket fence, it looked like the deer were meant to be in this yard, but there was a big opening at the driveway where they could leave, if they wanted.  One evening we watched them hang out in the front yard for a while, and then they went around the side of the house to the backyard.  The front yard was mainly sticks at this point - they'd eaten pretty much everything!  There are a lot of landscaping tricks that people use to try and deter the deer from coming in - Barbara has had a little trouble with the deer, but obviously they prefer the house across the street more, which is just fine with her.

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We went to the Capitola Art and Wine Festival while I was there - Capitola is our old stomping grounds from high school.  We used to drive over the hill and go to the beach there, and we'd also wander around the cute little village, where there were lots of fun, beachy shops.  That was where we discovered the wonders of the It's-It ice cream cookie sandwich - they are sold in grocery stores now, but back then, we could only find them in Capitola.  We didn't get an It's-It this visit, but we did get a little treat in the form of Marini's ice cream, which was tasty.  We also walked and shopped; I was surprised to find that a lot of items that I looked at were in the affordable price range - usually most art and craft fairs are pretty expensive.  Barbara said it was probably the downturn in the economy - too bad for the artists, but good for me, as I actually bought a few things:
Fused glass earrings, which I've worn nonstop since coming home with them.
Inlaid wood surfboard hook (with bonus blog flower painted on, how could I resist?) - I have a thing for hooks and this will look cute in my closet.
Photograph of Capitola, viewpoint from the top of the hill that we climbed many, many times as teens.  I want to get a wood frame that will coordinate with the surfboard hook and hang this in my closet, too.
 Rest...er, TESTING the outdoor furniture available for purchase.
I bought this tote bag in Santa Cruz - I loved the design.  I've been/seen just about all of the places noted!
Also, please note the runners on West Cliff Drive, and the bicycle - it was the perfect representation of the exercise Barbara and I did on this trip!

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This trip was loads of fun and as always, too short!  I can't wait to plan a return visit.

Have a great weekend!

12 comments:

  1. Your wildlife sitings and sleuth photography are cracking me up! The deer really do get so brazen out here. Yesterday there was one on the road trying to stare down me and NOAH! I guess they've gotten used to him being behind the fence.

    Love all your souvenirs. The fused glass earrings--I especially like the big wires. And you are the second friend I've known with plans to hang art in your closet!! Now THAT's a closet!

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    1. I've said it before, but I love my closet. :)

      Hmmm, I wonder if that particular deer and Noah have an understanding, fence-wise, but on the open road? Different story!

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  2. I can't wait to visit the west coast! Unfortunately I think I loss my chance when I gave up running big Sur this year. I'm going to CA in may to Disneyland but don't think i'll be seeing any coastline :(

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    1. If you have a rental car, the beach isn't very far from Disney!

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  3. I think I might want your closet what with all the stuff you're able to hang in there.

    I always get a little nervous when I see a group of deer (or skunks. possums, etc., etc.) that don't move when spotted. I always wonder if they're planning a gang attack on me lol!

    What a fun and fabulous trip you had.

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    1. I have to say, it was eerie when I was taking their pictures and they were just STARING AT ME. I finally backed away because I was afraid that they might get spooked and stampede over me!

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  4. You know I've never been to California, so I loved your three post recap! Someday!

    We have deer in our backyard all the time - they do like to eat everything that grows which is why we ditched having a garden years ago - the deer ate everything!

    Happy Friday!

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    1. That yard was DESTROYED. I knew they ate plants, but holy moly, I had no idea about that kind of damage.

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  5. We see so many deer out here, but they don't bother the vegetation in my neighborhood (skunks are another story, but with stink and not vegetation). Other people have loads of problems with deer eating their stuff - especially when we have a really hard winter.

    I love the porpoise. Definitely not a bird - could imagine how big that bird would be? LOL! Pteradactyl size.

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    1. Haha, I should have said that when I wasn't sure if it was a bird (gull), it was when I looked at the shot on my iPhone.

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  6. What a great trip! Thanks for letting us enjoy it vicariously. :)

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  7. What a fun trip! I love that photo, it's beautiful, would definitely buy that too.

    We have deers in our town but they are captured and very brutal :) When I have bread to give them, they eat out of my hand and try to get more, they are very impatient :)

    Lovely trip, thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it very much.

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