January 9, 2017
Written January 10+
Dear Diary, Friends, and Families,Written January 10+
A new year and one trip under our belts. (Truckee snow with family)
This Monday trip was simpler: Los Banos for me and then Marianne
added a drive to Monte Sereno to see kids and her chief dentist.
I decided that I would try some more wildlife photography, despite the
cold, gray skies and drizzle forecast. Not the best day for
travel perhaps, but at least the road over was about as painless as it
ever gets. Highway 99 is reportedly one of the most dangerous
highways in America, so an easy drive is appreciated. No one hit
us.
The first goal was the Merced County Library in Los Banos. This had been the scene of one of Marianne's most successful art exhibitions a couple months ago and Patty had asked if she would want to hang more pictures on the wall. Of course, all artists need exposure.
The space was small, but Patti's enthusiasm was infectious and we did manage to display five paintings and five "mixed media" pieces. If something sells, all the better, but it is fun to just see Marianne's artwork in a new home, at least until February 20th. (In case you need a stop in Los Banos.)
At lunch with Patti and Ned, we got to know each other by sharing stories of places from Los Banos to Germany to Brazil and Spain. It was nice to have an audience that didn't glaze over when we went off on our own history tangents! And we enjoyed their new stories too.
After lunch, Marianne headed over to Monte Sereno where she had a dentist appointment the next day, after an evening of playing with grandkids, of course. It is nice to have a real family dentist, one who lets the daughter and grandson take selfies of the process.
I
headed north to the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. I had been
here before, and did not really expect much new, but I still find it
fascinating to watch and take pictures of the majestic Tule Elk.
This is a California species that fed and clothed the original
settlers, natives and then others, but by the 1870's the herds of tens
of thousands of animals had been reduced to a single group of just
28. That herd was maintained on the Miller-Lux ranch for almost
100 years, before state and federal efforts to expand the population
took over. This 800-acre paddock was created and the elk cared
for until they had succeeded in spinning off 18 other herds to various
California locations. There are now over 2,500 Tule Elk, a
success story.
Bachelor male elks hang around, hoping for a herd of their own some day.
Meanwhile, the one successful bull keeps a watch on his harem.
There are more animals than Elk around San Luis NWR. I did not have time to drive the large auto tour loop, but just from the road in and out, I managed to track one bunny, shoot one Shrike and one Egret before seeing a small flock of Sandhill Cranes walking the plowed cotton fields, looking for buggy or wormy snacks. Nothing special I guess, but a fun excuse to watch wildlife.
Further
to the east, lies the Merced NWR. Here, the fairly large but
shallow pond offers the opportunity to see and photograph various
birds. Most common and easiest to photograph are the ducks,
coots, and snipes that paddle or walk the shallow waters. On a
gray, cloudy day like Monday, pictures are not spectacular, but
watching remains a peaceful diversion.
There were lots of colorful male ducks and gray coots. (I guess the gray coloring gave rise to the expression: "old coot"?) I waited for these guys to fly a bit, because it makes for better pictures, but nobody cooperated - or I just don't have sufficient patience.
Overall,
the photography excursion was anything but spectacular. There was
no red of sunset. Light levels generally were so low that my
camera adjusted its sensitivity (ISO) into the grainy region.
Nonetheless, the process offered peace and solace. John (mostly) and Marianne