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Sunday, April 29, 2012

good practice


would you like to take a walk with me in our salt marsh? the weather is beautiful, and as long as the fog doesn't move in, we should be able to see a lot!


carpinteria's salt marsh is a wildlife preserve. this little towhee must know he's safe here.


sometimes the egret doesn't notice us while he's foraging for his dinner.



wildflowers were sparse this year, finding these is a treat.


my daughter is going to be married here september.


look! wild sweet peas! can you see how tiny these are? so miniature. chuck told me he'd seen a patch of sand dune verbena down at the beach, shall we walk over and have a look?


here they are. we're a little too late, the sun has dipped down behind a large cypress, these pretty yellow blooms are already closing up for the night.


the beach is mostly empty, there's just one sailboat heading back home.


mr. and mrs. duck are bedding down for the evening.


shhh, i think there is someone following us.


hello mr. great blue heron, don't fly away (they always do)


okay, see you again then.


look! a group of swallows


their picking up bits of mud for their nests


there they go! can you believe how clever they are? the sun is setting now, we should start heading back


oh! haha, yes you look invisible, we'll pretend we can't see you little brush bunny


we hear you red-winged blackbird, but couldn't you please show us your wings? no? okay, next time...


thank you for coming with me, i love sharing this special part of coastal california. is it just me, or does this last photo look like hippos might pop up at any minute? haha, i've got only one thing on my mind right now. this is a lot like being on an african safari. i think it was good practice for the real thing.
xo lori

40 comments:

  1. beautiful country ~ thanks for taking us with you on your walk!
    Melissa

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  2. I don't think you need practice. Your photos are always incredible. You live in a beautiful area of the world xxx

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  3. Dear Lori, just amazing photos! That place is so beautiful and you are going to have a wedding there, wow! I can see how much you love nature and enjoy taking photos! Thank you for sharing your trip! x Teje

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  4. lovely wild nature!!! great pics!!!
    xxx Alessandra

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  5. Oh what a lovely stroll with you this morning - such beautiful land - and a perfect wedding spot. Soon you will be in Africa Xxx

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  6. Thank you so much Lori for sharing these beautiful photos with us, such a feast for the eyes! I loved coming along on a stroll with you...
    xo xo

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  7. What an incredible place! Thank you so much for sharing these.

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  8. What a lovely tour of your wonderful marsh land. And yes I think there just might be hippos!

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  9. what a beautiful and magical place for a wedding. thank you for bringing us along.

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  10. Thank you for the tour..what a beautiful place and how wonderful you were able to capture those pictures of the creatures that live there. Sending my pockets today..hope they arrive on time.

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  11. Your photos take me to another world. Stunning and dream invoking, really. Remember in Mary Poppins (the movie) when they jump into the chalk drawings? Your photos feel like that. Like I could just walk into them and be utterly amazed at every tiny detail.

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  12. Oh thats cute, hippo's on your mind!! Thanks for the tour, Lori nice of you to show us around!
    Wishing you all the very best for your trip..... and looking forward to seeing your pics.

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  13. I so enjoyed being able to go along with you on this walk as sunset grew near. What beauty surrounds your area!

    I admire your photography very much.

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  14. Gorgeous photos! We have a heron that always flies away at the duck pond. He really isn't supposed to be living here!

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  15. Oh, I needed a little walk in the fresh air!!! What a grand way to begin the week. Thanks for taking me with you!

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  16. What a lovely way to start my morning. Thank you for starting my day in such a fun way. I can just imagine how beautiful the pictures are going to be of your daughter in her wedding dress at this beautiful place.

    I doubt you will be making any posts while you are away. I am going to miss them :(

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  17. Lori, I was thinking this was good practice for Africa the whole way through this post :-). Beautiful. I am going to miss you so much. xoxo

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  18. What is happening with your photographs? There is a hazy other-world quality that blankets over many of them, as if you see something many mortals can't, a Merlin the magican quality

    Even the blue sky over the water has its own center of mystery and your shadows seem to be reflections of the world below

    Reverence. Again.

    Kiss kiss Lori
    kj

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  19. Lori, I thought the last photo looked more like a watercolor my mother had painted when she visited us while we lived in California--thank you for the memory<3

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  20. It is all so breath-taking! Thanks Lori!

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  21. such beautiful photo's. Sometimes I can see we live in another country, and sometimes the wild animals are pretty familiar.
    But the photo's are amazing!

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  22. Absolutely beautiful...I loved tagging along!
    I could feel the atmosphere and love the wildlife and flora.
    Happy to say I can now add comments for D figured out my problem!

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  23. Thanks for taking us along, exactly what I needed this morning :)

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  24. So very beautiful! You are so lucky to have all that right in your own backyard. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

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  25. I had the best visit Lori Ann! I love seeing your marsh, so different and yet so much like mine here on the east coast...does that make sense?
    Loved it all!

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  26. Such beautiful photos -- as always! I have to admit, I'm a little (a lot ;) envious of your lovely life by the ocean. There's some magic to the mighty Pacific (and the flora and fauna nearby), isn't there?
    Blessings,
    G

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  27. So much beauty! You know, just this past weekend, I was asking my girls if they wanted to take a big trip someday -- maybe Paris or London or Rome. But my oldest said she just wanted to go to a beautiful countryside. I know just the perfect place. :)

    Heard a bit of Hollywood was in your neck of the woods this weekend. I would have escaped into nature too.

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  28. Look at that bunny's glowing ears! That just got me, so wonderful. :)

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  29. Look at that bunny's glowing ears! That just got me, so wonderful. :)

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  30. you're so lucky to live right there - a marsh i know well but not nearly as well as you. i love this little story you made for us. i will read it to ezra later. ; )

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  31. Aaahhhhh. That's it - one big, contented sigh.

    So lush and lovely.

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  32. Love this, all of it, I love those salt marshes, so many beautiful birds!

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  33. Oh Lori, I so enjoyed this walk with you! I love you photographic storytelling, it's so charming.

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  34. WOW- Lori- how could I have missed this beautiful post? This is truly gorgeous...so fun to see wild life in your neck of the woods( beach). I think it is defintly due time to take to visit Californina.

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  35. Seriously, I never knew there was so much beauty in California. When I thought of it, I only imagined palm trees, beaches, maybe some Montain. But those details that you show us make me wanna go there so badly! Yes, Lori, I do wish we were neighbours, how much to share...
    And I am very glad to hear your daughter is getting married this year, how special! And what a wonderful location she chose, I can't wait to see the pictures ;-)

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    Replies
    1. gesche, i think you would love it here. there is so much diversity and natural wonders. it's not as green as germany, but there is much beauty! i hope you can come someday!

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  36. thank you very much everyone!
    xxxxxx lori

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  37. Such beauty - thanks for sharing. My daughter would love to visit a place like that - probably couldn't tear her away from all the photos she'd take. Looks like a wonderful place for your daughter's upcoming wedding.

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  38. LOVELY PICS:) I really like your blog and I want to follow , do you have twitter or FB??

    If you want some swedish decor inspiration, you can check out my blog:)
    Have a great week.

    LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
    (Sweden)

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xoxo lori