4th and final post for sixth season at Samuel P Taylor State Park

Erin playing with the Symphonic Band at Cabrillo College

March 3, 2026

Close to 200 musicians on the stage.

This concert included performances by the Cabrillo College band and a middle school and and a high school band. After each band played individually they all gathered for one combined piece. It was an impressive coordinated performance!

Little Basin - a part of Big Basin State Park.

The day after the concert we joined Erin for some fun time in her park and beyond.

Our son-in-law Jody blowing out the candles on his birthday cookies.

Birthday - March 10, celebrated, March 8.

A family riding out of Samuel P Taylor State Park.

This couple, with a toddler in the trailer rode their bicycle from San Francisco to camp.

Looking at the entrance station to Camp Taylor.

The lookout on Barnabe Peak is visible on the ridge above.

Grandson Jacob playing the Point Reyes Lighthouse hole.

This is one of 9 holes he has built as a portable, rentable mini golf course.

If you're interest in renting this fun course for a special event, let me know.

"Perfect Nine: Mobile Mini Golf Experience"

Son Shawn playing another hole.

Here is granddaughter Sophia trying her skill.

In the background, across the pool is the Golden Gate Bridge hole.

3 sisters.

On March 16 my sisters Elizabeth and Theresa came for a visit.

They stayed in one of the campground cabins and I got to show them our beautiful park.

March 18, 2026

Erin, Theresa and Shadow joined me at Limantour Beach.

Shadow exploring the beach.

Notice the Easter Egg lights on the tent.

A friend sent them and I put them up the first day of Spring.

Rob hanging out with our favorite family who visits the park regularly.

We met the older couple our first year in the park when they came to walk.

Now their daughter Barbara brings them a couple of times a week.

An unfinished arrow.

Our first year in the park Rob told our head ranger that he'd be happy to paint some faded numbers on campsite parking. She jumped at his offer and bought pavement paint and brushes. For five years he has used the paint to touch up those numbers and the lines dividing those parking spots, and last year he painted a similar arrow to this one. In March as he was in process of refurbishing this faded arrow a maintenance manager told him he had to quit - siting concerns about whether the paint was approved and

safety concerns, and he wouldn't let him finish the arrow. We wonder, how many years will it look like this?

Butterflies in a garden space in front of the Thrift Store in Point Reyes Station.

Another finished puzzle.

Only 500 pieces, but quite challenging!

Ducks in the Creek - March 28, 2026

Our 56th wedding anniversary! Another indicator we must be old.

Poison Oak leaves under ultraviolet light.

Trillium leaves under the light.

Not sure what this is, but shows up red and blue.

And a millipede.

Kourtney, a State Park Interpreter, leads a monthly "Glow in the Park" event in the park using Ultraviolet flashlights to show the biofluorescence of various plants and critters. It was so much fun seeing this that I had to buy one of the lights.

March 30 - Stair Step Falls

It's prettier in person, but still not an overwhelmingly stunning waterfall.

Regular visitors to the park told me about this ever-changing display.

It's located about a mile from our campsite, and when I went looking for it I couldn't find it.

Eventually I had them lead me to it.

A few days after first seeing it - some added rocks.

Including one I put in the back with a Trillium - of course!

It was pretty obvious on top of this post, but the park visitors didn't describe it that way.

The nice side effect, I got a nice visit with the two women when they lead me to it.

Heading to Limantour Beach for the last time before November.

I told myself in November 2025 that I would go every week.

This was only my third time there this 6 month season.

Cresting the trail to see the ocean.

It was a beautiful day, that included these pretty flowers in the sand dunes.

Stunning view looking south.

There were multiple flocks of pelicans flying by - all going north.

And waves crashing.

And a bush of lupine blooming on the way back to the car.

This 1,000 piece puzzle of WPA National Park posters was fun and easy.

Much easier than the 500 piece WPA poster of the Grand Canyon,

Taking the ferry from Larkspur to San Francisco to see a Giants game.

Rob posing in front of a sculpture on our walk to the ball park.

Good seats, beautiful day, beautiful ball park!

And the Giants won while Rob, me and Erin watched!

Beautiful lavender near our Colfax property.

A Cecil Bruner rose bush in the front yard of our house.

Up close.

A new phone for me.

Getting a new phone is always a frustrating adventure!

And I hate it when the young people selling them call the less than 5 year old phone "obsolete!"

But this one has a pretty great camera.

On Friday, April 17, I took the bus from the front of Samuel P Taylor State Park to San Rafael, and then another bus to San Francisco, then transferred to a third bus to take me to the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park to meet my friend Judith so we could tour the Monet in Venice exhibit. Judith and I had enjoyed Monet's work and his gardens when we were in Paris last year, so it was fun to go see more of Monet's work and history.

Monet with his wife in Venice.

They went intending to stay two weeks and stayed two months.

It became a time of revival for Monet who had been in a slump with his water lily paintings.

And my trip to this exhibit reminded me of how much the famous artists paint the same thing over and over, trying to capture how the real thing makes them feel.

I have a print of this painting that I really love.

It is a church in Venice, but to me when I first saw it, it gives an interfaith feeling.

One of hundreds of paintings Monet did of his gardens in Giverny.

Me and Judith on our walk to a nearby cafe for lunch.

A dog we saw on the way back from lunch.

It was like a statue watching something moving under the grass.

Waiting by the Golden Gate Bridge for my bus back to San Rafael.

I considered walking across the bridge on this beautiful day, but resisted.

I have memories of taking my sixth graders across the bridge on foot, including the time I was afraid some of them might be blown off the bridge in the windy, rain storm. When I hesitated to have them walk across one of the parents encouraged me by saying, "How wet can they get?" Pretty wet it turned out. When we got to the cars on the other side, one student said, "Mrs. Dunning, my underwear is wet." All survived, and it is a memory none of those students will forget! Nor their teacher.

Saturday, April 18.

Granddaughter Naomi on the soccer field.

Naomi meeting Erin's dog Shadow for the first time.

Erin came to watch the game too.

Great Grandson John loving the Teddy Bear that was his Grandfather's long ago.

Son Scott sent this picture from Maine.

A tree near our campsite at Camp Taylor with an interesting hole at the bottom.

A trapped raccoon near our campsite.

A raccoon was observed behaving erratically, so animal control was called. When they couldn't catch it they set this humane trap. We were asked to monitor the trap and let the authorities know if one was caught. I was pretty sure it would catch a perfectly healthy raccoon, which it did. The healthy raccoon was released by an animal control officer. The unwell raccoon was not seen again. I imagine it either recovered or went off somewhere to die.

Wild Cat Canyon Creek flowing heavy on April 21.

March had very little rain (.15"), but April produced 6.5"

A healthy slug on a Redwood tree.

See the baby Big Leaf Maple leaves?

I love watching the trees leaf out in the spring!

April 25, 2026

Granddaughter Sophia celebrating her 13th birthday!

The blue and yellow scarf, made by me, was requested by Sophia.

Sunday, April 26.

This Great Blue Heron landed on the lawn of the Point Reyes Community Presbyterian Church as we drove out of the parking lot for the last time until November.

April 27, Stair Step Falls.

My last hike into Devil's Gulch for this season.

More water than my previous visit to it.

Loved this fungus on a tree on may down the trail from the water fall.

And two different kinds of butterflies on this bush along the road.

Here is the yellow one.

And here is a Pipe Stem Butterfly.

I had heard there was really good clam chowder at the Marshall Store along the east side of Tomales Bay. I don't care for chowder, but Rob does, so on April 27, we headed to Marshall for Rob to try the chowder. He judged it excellent, and I had an excellent veggie sandwich. On the way back we stopped at Millerton Point, part of Tomales Bay State Park for a lovely, short hike there. There were lots of wildflowers blooming.

Rob on the Millerton Trail.

Blue Eyed Grass

Pale Flax

Pale Flax up close with my hand behind.

Isn't it pretty?

Scarlet Pimpernel

Bird's-foot-trefoil

Very interesting layered petals

Interesting history about Millerton Point.

There used to be a train stop here that met a ferry to carry folks across to the Inverness Resort.

On April 28, I headed back to the labyrinth on a hill above Fairfax that I had been to before. I enjoyed the views from there, but they weren't as crisp as on my previous visit. The labyrinth was was so overgrown with spring growth that I chose not to walk it - I'm tick averse so don't like to brush against anymore vegetation than necessary!

Mt. Tam from the labyrinth site.

The San Francisco skyline is in this picture.

Barnabe Peak in the background.

Beautiful West Marin hills, beginning to loose their green.

For the last three days we were on duty in the park, April 28-30, I left! I was once again a small group leader at the Called to Wholeness retreat for active United Methodist clergy at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos. Enjoyed all aspects of my time there once again, and I was surprised by some wildlife sightings.

Here is a tiny fawn very close to our buildings.

I am always cautious around fawns - don't want to upset their mothers!

I Walked the labyrinth each of the three days.

My Red Tailed Hawk!

This hawk flew by me

While walking the labyrinth

Received as true gift

What message was brought

It's a holy mystery

Filled with gratitude

The hawk actually flew by me twice - once while I was walking the labyrinth, and once after I was leaving the labyrinth, and then it posed in the tree so I could take a picture. I received it as a spiritual messenger - what a blessing!