The Day After Valentines.

I know I'm a little late with this but it's been a busy week, one way and another.

On Monday we took the day off.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we decided to go to Leo Carrillo's Ranch.  Unfortunately it was closed, so I will save all that info for another post.  In the mean time I did get two beautiful photographs of two houses just outside the gates.  They are so beautiful I have to post them now.

 

From there we decided to take a look at Batiquitos Lagoon. Along the coast from Oceanside to San Diego there are quite a number of lagoons.  Some are salt water marshes that open up to the ocean.  We found a very nice level spot at the top of the trail and pulled out our chairs we always carry in the trunk and sat for an hour or so in the very warm sun .  We had the binoculars and watched a beautiful red hawk hunting for lunch -- which he found.  But he was too far away for a photo.

 

 This is looking south, the ocean to the right.  You can see the salt in large patches, white instead of the blue of the water.

 

This is looking to the south east.  The green hedge-like pathway coming from the left is off limits because it is here that the snowy plover and the least tern nest in the spring.  These are both endangered species.  It was of course too early in the year to see them.  However the hawk patrolled up and down this green pathway a good number of times and managed to catch something right where that path divides into a 'Y' .

Right behind where we sat were two beautiful bushes in full flower.

I don't know what this one is called but it was alive with bees.  If you click on it to enlarge it, you should be able to see the bees.

The other one is the Cape Honeysuckle, which I believe originates in South Africa.

 

These are very popular around here, both in yards and in the wild.  The humming birds love them.

Didn't see much else, bird-wise, though I could hear plenty -- a pheasant, humming birds and song sparrows.

 

Then there was this beautiful tree, also behind us -- some kind of eucalyptus I'm sure, but it is so beautifully shaped against the blue sky, I had to take its photo.  I do love trees.

It was a wonderful day and hard to believe it was the middle of February.  If you are getting a little jealous, take comfort in the fact that the days since have been cool, windy and rainy.

See you Tuesday!