What's Going On With the Whales?

Three of the world's largest creatures have been killed in our local waters and scientists don't know the cause. All three blue whales were hit and killed by large ships, but why didn't they avoid the collisions this month? I don't know how long the link to the LA Times article will be active, but click on this posting's title and you can read more about the deaths and whales. This You Tube video really shows the massive size of the this whale found closest to our house.

Autumn Arrived

First the wind and rain . . . Then more rain . . . . . . and then the seasons (and the flowers) changed!

Turning from Black to Gold

After a major population explosion of black fish in the goldfish pond this summer . . . . . . in addition to the original year-old black fish that started turning orange a couple of months ago, some of the baby fish are changing colors!

September Rain

Yesterday and today brought big clouds, some wind, postcard views, and RAIN! The rain was scattered. Our rain gauge caught .2 inch in two days, but according to the L.A. Times and the Weather Underground, parts of Ventura got .1 inch of rain yesterday and .2 inch today. It got all the way up to 77 degrees and down to 54 last night - a pretty wide spread around here! The Times reported an interview with a JPL meteorologist who said the low-pressure system from the Aleutian Islands was moved down to SoCal by an "uncharacteristically southern-tending jet stream". It was then "orphaned" as the jet stream moved back north. It then became the cutoff low we're used to, as it swirled around off the coast and inland, until it finally came onshore. The rain we got was the first since the .04" that fell in April, but it also caused a rain delay to the Angel baseball game - the first in nine years!I walked on Mandalay Beach and actually got warm AND came home with a tan line on my arm! Besides beautiful cloud formations and views of the islands, there were more snowy plovers than I've ever seen in one place!

Celebration Time

September 11 and 13 are always special times of year for us since those are the dates of our wedding anniversary and Sam's birthday. This year, we started celebrating on the 9th since it was the most convenient day to have our annual co-anniversary dinner with Richard and Nancy. Between our two couples, our September 11th anniversaries total 72 years! After toasts with Polly, Dillon, and Hannah at R&N's (thanks for taking our pictures, Dillon!) we had a fun and delicious dinner in Ojai at Bodee's. The celebration level was increased by adding Tommy B's birthday to the festivities.
Much later that same night, Sam, Jenn, and Doug arrived with Diesel. This gave us a couple of good visiting days (and a Monday Night football get-together) with Sam and his friends, and on the 11th, another anniversary-birthday dinner in Downtown Ventura.