Cathy. . .well, the best time to come to the northern California coast would be ***right now***, but plan for just about *any* weather. Currently, we're in the middle of a heatwave. That's due to change come Thursday. Some mild showers are expected for Friday and Saturday. . .for the **best** in terms of the warmest weather? Believe it or not, typically, *October* is warmest. :) EVERYONE: thank you for your kind comments and posts. I am happy to have brought smiles. . .this series is the shortened version of one I am compiling into a coffee table book. . .details to come soon if you're interested. :)

Thanks Rachel, it was quite a treat I have to admit. I was completely on overload. I've been meaning to get that on My Page, but for now it's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28, 7.2 megapixel, 12 zoom. It's not a super expensive camera, but it gets the job done.

Probably a little blue heron. In real life they look very dark all over, not the reddish purple in the field guides.

Thanks, everyone. Seeing these two together reminded me of an Audubon Bird Field Trip we took to Santa Barbara when I was either in the third grade or the fifth grade. There was an observation deck behind two way glass where we could watch the Snowy Egrets raising their young in a rookery that was tucked within a eucalyptus grove (of all places!).....without being seen by them and therefore disturbing them. It made such an impression on me - and is one of several reasons I have loved birds all of my life .... yes, this moment (merely several small moments in one day), was a certain stress-reliever and I left feeling better about getting the shopping done and setting up for our soup kitchen :)