Stinson Beach Journal

S-T-O-K-E-D ON STINSON.
An on-going journal of the area in and around Stinson Beach, California.

1.30.2007

Orca Whales are seen off Farallon Islands



At least one pod of Orcas have come south from the Puget Sound in Washington State to Northern California, fishing for salmon between the Farallon Islands and San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and whale researcher Ken Balcomb.

Orcinus orca is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family and is found in all the world's oceans. Males can reach up to 31 feet long and weigh 8 tons. They are one of the fastest marine mammals, reaching speeds of up to 35 mph. See The Whale Museum or The Center for Whale Research for more info.

1.04.2007

Almost a week at Stinson Beach!

Compared to the lucky folks who live full-time in this amazing place, our six days at Stinson were but a pass-through. However, to us it was a time to drink in the smells and sounds of the sea, visit a few places, and spend _quality_ time with good friends. We went twice to the Pine Cone Diner in Pt Reyes. Yummy:







Next door is a fabulous bookstore with a _very_ large St. Bernard dog:



For a bookmark, Manfred's Books provides a quote from Groucho Marx: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

Of course no trip to Pt. Reyes is complete without a hike, so we went down Limantour Road to the beach and strolled among the gulls and about 25 or so scattered folks:



Back at the home front, it was possible to see the road work along Highway 1 (which is closed to traffic for at least a couple more months):



And finally, I met up with the legendary Dino again, and this time he let me take photos of his many, many years of beach object collecting:





Last time we visited Stinson, Dino (and friends) built a magical bench which unfortunately was washed out to the even more magical sea.

This time there was a mysterious egg in a graceful, twig nest:



which was gone by the time we finished our one week stay. But as a tribute to the transitory nature of beach-as-art trials and tribulations, Dino forgoes the ravaging waves and achieves momentary revelations such as: