Mourning Dove Coos to the Moon

Railroad Cat

Old Piles at River's Edge

Sheep Grazing in the Shade

Little Cat Feet

Frank Grasse Dog Park

Named for a local veterinarian, this dog park is the most recent development in the community resource corridor along East Commercial Street in Willits. Comprised of two separate enclosures, it sits between the Roots of Motive Power display and demonstration area, and the skate park. Even in a rural community, a public space for non-farmers is a welcome opportunity to socialize whether you have four legs or two. The late Dr. Grasse wrote a popular book of vet stories under the pseudonym Charlie Freed http://www.amazon.com/Vet-Tails-Charlie-Freed/dp/1606045040 .

Patient and Obedient

Turkey Giving Thanks

Black Bee Wakes Up

Mergansers at the Reservoir

Accompanied by a chorus of frogs...

Spotless Ladybug, Spotted Clover

Highway 20 Ridge Crest Views

Turnouts at the top of the first grade going west from Willits allow for some lovely views when the weather is clear. People tend to gather here for astronomical events, away from the lights nearer to town.

Breezy Pastures

A cold, breezy day out in Little Lake Valley set the Old Man's Beard lichen swaying. Then, I spied a sun-bathing black bull in a meadow, with only barbed wire and brambles to separate us.

Ridgewood Ranch, Home of Seabiscuit

The ranch where the champion racehorse Seabiscuit retired got renewed attention with the publication of Laura Hillenbrand's book nearly a decade ago. Several historic structures have been preserved, including the stallion barn where Seabiscuit was housed. There is amateur film footage of the artist Tex Wheeler, showing him at work on the original plaster sculpture of Seabiscuit that would be the first step in the process of making several bronzes cast from it. One of those statues is at the ranch.

The herd of white fallow deer are descendants of the original animals purchased in 1949 by Charles Howard from William Hearst, a friend who also had such deer at San Simeon. (R.M. Jurek, 1970, Humboldt State College)

Two Ravens in Willits

Two ravens preen in the crown of an oak tree. I walked around noticing other things, then came back to one preening the other...

Sometimes she stopped her attentions to his feathers to softly make rapid knocking sounds in her throat, just for him.

Bee, Blissful

A Haze of Smoke, Over Dry Meadows

The Last of a Band-tailed Pigeon

Market Spots and Dots

Spot the kitty?

Redwoods and Emus

 

 

 

 

 

An old ranch with a great view over the Navarro River gulch belongs to a retired veterinarian now. He used to have beautiful Devonshire cattle, but now mostly raises chickens and two lovely emus. It's one thing to get a few pictures of them from behind the fence, and quite another thing to find one on the loose in the road. I had to creep past this one over in the left lane, as the bird slowly strode down the right, seeming to hesitate at each step, gliding its way to nowhere in particular.