Lone sentinel

It turned chilly here a couple of days ago but before it did I reveled in some short-sleeved, early-morning warmth at the beach. 

 Taking in the sights and sounds I realized that I was not alone as this gull, acting as a lone sentinel, perused the happenings on the strand.

Say what? Oh, you have a nice day too.

Guarding the Garden

I had also thought of "Kitty in the Kale" as a title for this posting. You decide which you like best. 

However, title aside, imagine my surprise when I wandered out to my garden today to pick my lunch and found my neighbor's sweet and loving kitty snoozing under the kale. 

Sweet Willie is often on my patio or sunning in the yard but this is the first time I've found him in the garden. Though, now that I think back, I've lost a couple of plants and thought at the time that it looked like something had been sitting on them. Um-m-m-m-m-m.

Now he's acting just silly. Rolling around must be how my delicious tatsoi was destroyed practically overnight. Ah well, it was tasty while it lasted and another tatsoi has been planted as a replacement. Oh yes, there's joy all around, even lurking under the kale.

Romanesco Delight

Ah-h-h-h Romanesco Delight... it sounds like a film title, an Italian film at that!

But THIS Romanesco delight was a delightful little alien-looking treasure I found at the farmer's market. 

How surprised I was to learn that it is actually a cauliflower. Romanesco cauliflower to be exact. 

Add to that how delighted I was to discover that in spite of its strange looks, this little vegetable was simple delicious. This one was roasted in the oven with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. It's alien companion was steamed and devoured before it could have its picture taken. 

Either way you cook it... this was a new treat for me and one that was a delicious and delightful experience. Yum! 

Hum-m-m-m, here's a thought... I'll bet that kids who don't like vegetables will eat this little guy simply because it looks like something from outer space. 

Para-gliding the noisy way...

What? Motorized paragliding?

Oh yes, and there were four of them zooming overhead at the beach on New Year's Eve afternoon. I watched them for a while then remembered I had a little video camera with me. Enjoy!

Skimmers return

This morning was truly a red-letter day when I saw my first skimmers of the season.

These lovely and unique birds migrate here in the winter and this was the first I'd seen of them this winter. These ingenious little guys skim (thus their name) along the ocean with their lower bill touching the water and the feed by scooping tiny fish into their mouths. Quite ingenious and very distinctive in look as well as ability.

The skimmer pair in the back sharing some beach time with a gull and a Sandwich Tern.

 

Talkative and the first time I remember hearing their call, which sounded almost like a small dog's bark. I also love their red stockings that match the band around their bill. (Click the image to enlarge.)

Again, I was thrilled. A fellow beach walker stopped me and said "Did you see the skimmers?" So I'm not alone in my delight at their return. The pair at the back share the beach with an assortment of Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns and gulls who seem to be preening at the return of their strange-billed friends.

Christmas cactus history

Oops, a friend reminded me that I hadn't been here for a while. I still enjoy the beach every day, I still take my camera and still come home with pictures that look just like those I've taken before. I was afraid that the same old pictures of birds, and sea, sun and clouds was getting old to you true and faithful followers.

So, today I'm sharing a little Christmas history. The Christmas cactus photographed above, and that now resides with me, was a Christmas gift over 30 years ago from my Mom and Dad to a family friend. That friend moved to an assisted living community during the summer and she wanted me to take this lovely plant. With trepidation, I did. I've never had luck keeping a Christmas cactus alive and blooming but said I'd do my best. 

I'm gloriously surprised and think it has bloomed in such a spectacular fashion in spite of me. Wow! There must be over 100 blooms in all stages of splendor from bud to full flower.

It warms my heart to know some Christmas history will continue. Happy holidays to all.

Magnificent!

During my beach walk at mid-day I was reveling in the numerous osprey that were hunting the waters of the Atlantic and being quite successful, I might add.
Looking into the blue, blue skies I spotted a huge bird with a very distinctive shape that was flying much higher than other birds in the area. I followed it for a long time with my eyes, all the while flipping through my brain files trying to determine what kind of bird it was. Not a clue. This was a silhouette I'd never seen before. (Click the photo to make it large enough to see.)

As soon as I got home I started researching and discovered I'd encountered a Magnificent Frigatebird. Not just any frigatebird, mind you, but a magnificent one. Whoever named that bird knew just what they were talking about... magnificent without a doubt.