Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tire is no match for flower

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Nature responds to the careless, selfish ways of humans.

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What destinations did these tires venture to?

The stories these tires could tell.

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Let’s hope these tires are responsibly handled by the NPS. The heavy lifting has been done for them.

The sea has no mercy, tragedy at North Beach

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Today a 59 year old man was swept into the surf at North Beach as he attempted to rescue his wife and dog, both of whom had been knocked over by large waves.

Others nearby pulled the woman and dog from the surf. The man was seen for a short while, then not again for 5 hours when his lifeless body was pulled from the sea by the Coast Guard.

After hearing many sirens roar by my place, more than on a usual call-out, and needing to dispose of a large amount of beach trash, I headed out that way.

Standing next to one of the law enforcement rangers I know, I saw again and again as people, young and old, with and without dogs, walked very, very low on a steep beach when enormous waves were breaking nearby. The LE went down twice to warn people of the dangers, as dozens of emergency workers scanned the surf, looking for the missing man.

I walk the beaches as much or more than anyone I know. Only a couple times have I gotten into trouble with the water. I am more worried about the cliffs above me crumbling down onto me. With heavy rains and high surf, the cliffs are under a two-pronged attack. More than a few times have I felt the whoosh, and smelt the raw scent of wet earth as the cliffs above me exploded and dropped around me.

As the sergeant used to say on on that cop show long ago when he dismissed the cops after the morning meeting: “Be careful out there!”

My condolences to his family.

Coast Guard helo searching for victim over North Beach.


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Coast Guard helo and cutter searching for victim at North Beach.


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Coast Guard helo searching for victim over North Beach.


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Experienced beach-walkers, these willets know to keep an eye on the sea at all times.

For those in Sandy Hook

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I went for a short walk on this beach this evening, thinking of those families grieving their losses. I can think of no greater pain that that of losing a child.

Beauty ushers forth from between a rock and a hard place. Lewisia is one of my favorite flowers of the sierra. Found up high where few dare visit.

Even when the landscape is stark, beauty can be found. In the foreground is Polemonium, also known as sky pilot, the name given to a chaplain in the military. It is one of my favorite flowers of the sierra, found only in the highest of places where bighorn sheep, eagles, pika and fools roam free.

May the families in pain tonight find solace in the beauty of nature while we all share in their sorrow.

King tides – video of the highest tide of the year in Tomales Bay

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13 December was the highest tide of the year and I was out recording it.

NOAA predicted that a 6.58 foot tide would reach Inverness at 11:13am.

Below you will see a 5 3/4 minute video I shot at 6 different locations along Tomales Bay from Chicken Ranch Beach south to the Inverness Store.

While not as exciting as watching endangered coho salmon spawning (see that here), these high tides are, or should be a very sobering event for us all.

If the earth continues responding to humans as it has been, the ocean will continue to rise and what you see on the video will be the normal everyday tide in just a few years.

As I setup my equipment and recorded I spoke with several people, mentioning the king tide and how this was to be the new normal in a few years. Virtually no one I spoke with had any idea of this. Some of these people have homes on the shore, or over (under) the water.

You can learn more about king tides here.

PLEASE NOTE: All of the images and video on this website are copyrighted works, belonging to Richard James. If you do not have explicit permission to use them from Richard James, do NOT use them. Please ask me about licensing them.

Near kayak rental and The Golden Hinde
38.107713° N -122.863002° W WGS84

Near the Inverness Yacht Club – I wonder if that building has a bilge pump?
38.103156° N -122.857720° W WGS84

Near the dacha, the owner was there and had no boots. He waited til after noon to gain access
38.101382° N -122.856399° W WGS84

Launch for hire, aka The boat house
38.100113° N -122.854925° W WGS84

Behind Inverness Store
38.097681° N -122.850816° W WGS84

Get your water-wings on and enjoy. Mostly it is rather quiet, the clip at the store has loud sirens in the background, so watch your volume.

If you have high speed internet, click the full screen icon at lower right, this is HD video.
If you do not have high speed internet, watch it small or go for a long walk while the video loads.