December After the Wedding
Beautiful Wild Cat Canyon after some good rain.
The rest of December after the wedding included many walks in the woods, the spotting of spawning salmon, and of course holiday celebrations. I keep taking pictures of the same things; I just can't help it as the same scenery so often catches my attention in a new way. Though December was cold, and there was significant rain, I still never get tired of our cold, damp winter location. Many mornings in December the temperature was in the low 30s Farenheit.
Looking up into Wild Cat Canyon where I walk each morning.
Wild Cat Canyon is the first quarter mile of the Pioneer Tree Trail.
Wildcat Canyon Creek December 7 - pretty much a trickle.
Heading back down the trail.
Beautiful patterns along the way.
The same tree further back.
Still looking like fall on December 7.
More of the fall color.
The beautiful fall light.
Fall really is my favorite season.
One of our beautiful Redwood trees.
The view of the mountain as seen from further up Pioneer Tree Trail.
Cross Marin Trail on the way back to our campsite.
Wild Cat Canyon waterfall, December 18.
I love watching the seasonal creeks fill with water after each new rainfall. Following are some pictures of the waxing and waning of our seasonal creeks, and a very full Lagunitas Creek.
The Wild Cat Canyon Waterfall on December 20 after 3 days of rain.
This one fluctuates depending on rainfall, but not nearly as much as the one I call the prettiest waterfall in the park.
Looking across the swollen Wild Cat Canyon Creek.
Here is what I call the prettiest waterfall at Samuel P Taylor, December 20.
Over the previous 3 days we had over 5 inches of rain as measured in the new rain gauge we installed to keep track of the rainfall at our campsite.
The same waterfall on December 21.
This one is indeed very seasonal!
Looking upstream from the bridge over Lagunitas Creek, December 30.
The water coming out of the pipe is from Wild Cat Canyon.
And looking downstream.
Here I am bundled up on one of the cold mornings.
I made the brown and white cowl with the Qiviut fiber I bought in Anchorage, Alaska in May. Qiviut is the very warm undercoat of Musk Ox. This cowl is the best thing for keeping my neck and ears warm on very cold mornings.
On December 9, I joined Shawn, his daughters and Cheryl and her family for a Hanukkah party on the third night of Hanukkah at Cheryl's home in Lafayette. We had fun lighting the candles, playing Dreidel, opening gifts and making and eating Latke.
We each had our own Menorah.
Sophia with a new sweatshirt.
Naomi helping to mix the Latke.
On December 11 and 12 we had appointments in the Colfax area so we headed there and got to watch Avi demonstrate her gym routines.
Avi going through her Warrior routine.
I completed a Christmas puzzle in our tent outside.
It was cold, but our Little Buddy propane heater helps take the chill away.
Also got a National Park Puzzle done.
We celebrated Christmas in a variety of ways and places. I knitted some baby items for a "Baby Project" at the Point Reyes Community Presbyterian Church where we have been attending since November. They collect baby items to be donated to a community outreach, and I knitted a couple of hats for a friend and a sister. On Saturday, December 23, we traveled to Roseville for the day to make Gingerbread houses with 12 family and friends gathered at Ruth fiancé Jody's home. On Christmas Eve we were on duty in the park, but we fit in two church services: one in the morning at Point Reyes, and one in the evening at St. Columba's Episcopal Church in Inverness. Christmas Day the other camp hosts and we went out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant nearby and on "Boxing Day" Ruth, Jody and Erin joined us at Samuel P Taylor to exchange gifts around the campfire. It was a full and complete celebration!
I knitted this New River Gorge hat for our friend Janie from West Virginia.
When I met Erin in Half Moon Bay to visit the tide pools in November we went to a yarn shop there and I bought two hat pattern books for myself. One is 63 hat patterns inspired by our 63 national parks and the other is 26 hats inspired by various parts of California. I decided to make the hat representing New River Gorge National Park (in West Virginia) first and sent it Janie for Christmas. I'm having a lot of fun with the patterns in these two books.
This pattern is from the California hat pattern book.
Rob helping me hold up the walls on my Gingerbread house.
Just to keep the record straight - this was his primary construction on the houses.
While the rest of us built downstairs, he watched football upstairs.
Emma, Jacob's girlfriend, Avi and Sophia.
Emma and Jacob working on their "alternative" structure.
Emma and Jacob's completed "Snow Mountain."
Complete with chair lift.
In case one is afraid of not having enough candy on the outside, just pile it inside too!
Avi and Sophia discussing their building plans?
Avi, Sophia and Naomi's houses.
Notice the fertile looking dark brown dirt?
Those are crushed Oreo cookies - I think they ate the filling.
Ruth's creation, complete with Top Ramen for the roof!
My completed house, not in the best lighting.
Naomi taking a break from Gingerbread construction.
Presents around our "tree"on Boxing Day.
What are Ruth and Jody looking at?
Jody's Christmas present, that's what they're looking at!
Flower, the raccoon, accommodated Jody's request for a raccoon for Christmas by appearing in the nearby dumpster just before they arrived in camp.
Jody with his other raccoon.
I built it myself!
Finally got a Lego set of my own!
The remains of my Gingerbread house too short of a time after Christmas!
Of course I have taken lots of pictures of mushrooms in December. I am trying to identify them as a Christmas gift from Erin was a mushroom identification guide.
These beauties may be Chicken Mushrooms
Maybe Chanterelle
Maybe Russula, like Waxy Cap
These may be Slippery Jack
They are all along this log near our campsite.
Not sure what these mushrooms on this tree are called.
Maybe more Chicken Mushrooms.
Look at this pretty little mushroom garden on a fence post!
Up close.
These may be Purple-edge Bonnets.
I think I'll call them Fairy Bonnets!
A Giant Salamander on the trail.
We saw a number of Salmon in December, and I got to join an educational Salmon Hike in our park lead by nearby SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network). There is always more to learn about these amazing, endangered "travelers" that spend about half their life in fresh water creeks and rivers and half their life in the ocean before returning to spawn in their natal waters.
A female Coho protecting her "Redd" under the bridge in the campground.
This "Redd," the place where the female prepares her nest, is distinguished by its light colored gravel.
It is truly amazing to watch the females "dig" with their tails to pile up stones and to clear the silt from the nesting area. After she deposits the eggs and the male fertilizes them she continues to keep the area clear of silt until she dies a few days or up to two weeks later.
This is a rather beat up looking Chinook male.
An almost carcass of a Chinook male.
He was still barely alive.
When I went to look for him the next day he was gone, probably provided a meal for a raccoon or Turkey vultures.
I think there are actually 3 or 4 Salmon in this picture, December 19.
Christmas Day Salmon in Lagunitas Creek.
And here is one in Devil's Gulch, December 31.
A tree next to the Devil's Gulch Trail on our short last day of 2023 hike to find Salmon.
We saw at least 6 Salmon in the Devil's Gulch Creek.
Here is Elsie up high in the bedroom in Colfax that I call our "storage room."
Rob refers to this room as "the office" because he has a little space carved out for a computer desk. When he spends time in there Elsie likes to join him, as does Ruth's dog Joy.
Sadly, we have lost Strauss. He managed to escape one evening during the last week of December and never returned. Granddaughter Avi is especially missing him. Her relentless efforts changed him from being afraid of "little people" and strangers, and she adored him.
Yes, Elsie has shown some signs of missing her litter mate Strauss, but she seems to have adjusted well, with seeming to seek human connection a little more than before.
Katherine, so very great to see you and visit these last 2 days in Livermore. I was reminded that I hadn't read your last blog, and now I have thoroughly enjoyed it. As a person with very little family, I really enjoy yours. Love the nature photos, naming, scenery, shared attraction to St. Columba's. I am soooo sorry about Strauss. How terribly sad. Take care!
ReplyDelete