SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

Public "Thank You!" to (karl! & valerie!) #NOTonNOBLE

  

we spotted a new cutie pie at the penitencia perc ponds..   and i text the pix to valerie who helped us identify this new comer:   american wigeon.    darling! light blue beak, sweet face shape; and not another one like her in the whole area

havent seen her since..  but!  the text earned us an invitation to go bird watching

and what a beautiful day...   gorgeous landscape(s)...   future bike riding trail! they introduced us to

and, my phone camera isnt equipped to take good photos of everything we saw, at such a distance.. but, 

i do believe, we saw mallards, northern pintails, cormorants, avocets, long billed curlews, godwits, ruddy ducks, canada geese, great egrets, black-crowned night heron      

and the distance, sun, shadows..   do add elements of optical illusion:   a duck could at first appear all one color, and then..  a turn in the water, and beam from the sun,  "... just a mallard..."

and we all agreed, we should not use the word 'just' when it comes to mallards.   cutest couples ever!  and the males with that emerald green..  white chokers..  the creams and sweep of darker brown..  the purpley~blue patch..    

but as they are more common, and part of the fun is in spotting the rare..    but we did learn from karl, that, apparently, mallards will mate with anything...  so, 

when we did see a slightly unusual duck...    he explained there are many hybrid versions of the mallard. 

all n all a wonderful time!   and it brought us to areas of palo alto we had not visited ever before; to a way charming restaurant called rositas, where we drank coronas and enjoyed mexican food under a chandelier, outdoors..       and i was so taken by how this restaurant and its decor, co-exists write next to giant, PG&E, transmitter towers; and seem to block them out, as if they aren't really there.   -and then we headed to the alviso, which i have been wanting to see for the longest time..   a future kayaking day trip

and included in our daily "thank you!" prayers are karl n valerie..   neighbor friends God has blessed us with..     we have been star gazing, bird watching..  take turns treating each other to wonderful home-cooked dinners with long visits, and stimulating conversations..

love getting to know you even better, "cheers!"  & "amen!"

  

  

posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 9:34 AM