This is my first Daily Bucket since returning to my home town of Quincy, California. (Previous Buckets of mine can be found under my past username of Sylvanus Prince, BTW.) Nestled tranquilly in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains, Quincy is where I grew up, moved away from, returned to, moved away again, returned and yet moved away again several more times, and finally in the early Spring of 2018 returned for what I sincerely believe is the final time. I’m 65 now and through a set of circumstances live with an old friend of mine, Rick, who has been a stalwart good buddy and who is also a stroke victim. I act as his caregiver. Rick and I have been friends for over fifteen years now.
The gist of this is that my vagabond days are for the most part over. I’d still like to do some traveling, of course, and Rick and I are planning to make a vacation of some sort in the not too distant future. In the meantime I’m still getting out and doing some backpacking when I can (will my planned Pacific Crest Trail hike in September through Lassen Volcanic National Park come to fruition, or will a nasty virus bring all my plans to naught? Time will tell), and also just going out locally and pedaling about on my bicycle with trusty camera at hand. Luckily, I don’t have to go far.
Quincy sits in American Valley, and a creek runs through the valley. Spanish Creek it is named, and over the years I have swam in it, fished it, studied it in college classes and watched it flood American Valley during times of heavy precipitation and runoff from the snow packs feeding it. Like Rick, it is an old friend to me. So now I’d like to share a little bit of it with you.
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We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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On the 11th of April I grabbed my camera and hopped on my bicycle for the very easy one mile ride from my apartment to the creek. There is a paved bicycle path which I access just a very short distance from my place, and the first thing I came across is the chalk painting shown in the title photo. I liked it because it meant that children are still getting outside to play and create, and the yin-yang really seemed to fit: the opposing forces of danger (that damned virus) and well-being (happy play and fresh air and sunshine).
So, rambling on I find the willows are leafing out.
But, I’m after wildlife photos, birds in particular, and so I pedal on. Alas, it is not a good bird photo day. Undaunted, this intrepid Audubon wannabe forges ahead. And, success. Or, well, maybe not so much success.
And, being photo snap-happy about any wildlife I can find, I find a small insect:
Oh, there are birds galore. I can hear them singing and calling and I can see them flying about. But they aren’t showing themselves sitting still. Sparrows, jays, robins, quail, and hawks and vultures, I hear and see them all, but photos? Not so many today. However, I have been doing this amateur bird photography for several years now and I know that some days just aren’t as fruitful as others in this regard. So, photograph something else. How about mechanical birds? Yeah, there are some of them flying around and holding somewhat still so’s that I can get a shot of them:
And, being desperate, and being that this is a diary about Spanish Creek, and being that I’m not above cheating a little bit to bring you information about Spanish Creek, here’s this:
Oh, and Spanish Creek runs right by Gansner Park, and since birds to photograph were scarce but there were children at play, this:
And yeah, another bird photo I did manage to get this day.
I will close this diary with a couple of wide shots of the topography hereabouts.
Last but by no means least, Spanish Creek itself:
Hope you’ve enjoyed this diary as much as I enjoyed the day.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.