Urban Grey Foxes, Santa Rosa, CA

Have you ever awakened in the night to strange sounds outside your bedroom window? I have and I investigated. We live in the city limits of Santa Rosa so I was surprised to discover how much animal night-life goes on in our yard in the wee hours. On one occasion it was a family of raccoons in our fig tree. I thought they only came for the figs once a year, but as it turns out they seem to make nightly excursions through our yard. Likewise with the skunk who only occasionally will nearly drive us out of the house with its odiferous discharge. Much less noticeable are the possums who are seemingly frequent but not particularly regular visitors and no apparent trouble at all. My favorites though are the grey foxes. I like to call them urban foxes as they have definitely adjusted to city life.

You might wonder how I know of these visitations. Well, a few years ago we had an outdoor cat. Outdoor cats are fed outside. Having my curiosity peeked by the raccoons in the fig tree, I decided to deploy my nighttime infrared motion activated trail camera to see what was going on at the cats dish while we slept. The neighbor's cat visited, as did a skunk, a possum, raccoons and, yes, grey foxes.

At the next door neighbor's house, behind a tree. You would expect foxes to be hiding like this, but this one was not particularly disturbed by being seen or photographed. I though urban foxes like this grey fox were strictly nocturnal, but this one was comfortable enough to be out in the open in daylight.

As it turned out we had a family of foxes who had taken up residence under our deck. There were three kits (young foxes) and judging from the nighttime video footage I took they played like little puppies for hours at a time during the night. Every now and then they would come up from under the deck during the day and check things out. And occasionally nap on the chairs under the table.

These pictures were taken in June so it was nice and warm on the deck. This little fella seems completely at home on the chair under the table.
I was surprised at how active the kits were during the day. They would come up from under the deck, emerging from the shrubs, hang out, sleep, and play a bit (but not as much play as in the night). They were a real joy to watch and we felt privileged to have them make our yard their home. The only downside that I have found with having foxes in the yard is the fleas. Because they lounged on the chairs they would leave fleas for the next person who sat in that chair.

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Eastern Sierras in Black and White

In November 2021 my grandson, Levi, and I headed to the Eastern Sierras to do some photography and enjoy the east side. Levi is a budding photographer (just sold his first print last week) and immerses himself fully into the pursuit of great images. Lundy Lake on a cold morning but enjoyable nonetheless. Just south of Mammoth Lakes, Mount Morrison rises to the heavens. This image was taken at sunset. Had the wind been just a bit calmer some very nice reflections would have graced our view. Maybe next time.

The East Side of the Sierras is Beautiful

Why “Notes to My Mother”? My mother was the one person in my life who was always interested in what I was doing, what I had to say, who I was. She was never too busy to listen and take an interest. Never critical, always accepting. Even when I was wrong or misguided, there would still be a gentle interested listener present. Though she has been gone over 6 years, I still get the urge to write or call her, to share an image I am proud of or share my latest adventure to some beautiful place. I know she would love to hear about it. My mother was an artist. She painted most of her life, right up to her passing at the age of 96. When I was 4 years old we lived on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Range. She would take me out to paint with her - she with her easel, me with mine - and we would sit together creating our art. While I gave up on the medium she kept at it. Then, in the year she passed I picked up a digital camera and began my adventure into the world of landscape ph...

Mesa Arch & The Washer Woman

When the first light of the day hits the underside of an arch in Canyon Lands or Arches National Parks they glow a beautiful shades of crimson much like those found in slot canyons. A magnificent example is Mesa Arch located in Canyon Lands, Utah. However, as with many of the more popular photography spots, if you want to get a good shot you have to be there early. We were staying in Moab and it was about an hour’s travel time from the motel to getting on site at the arch. But arriving at or near sunrise would not be sufficient, we had to be there at least two hours before sunrise in other to have assurance of a front row seat. This is one of the parts shooting sunrises that I enjoy tremendously. Getting up around 3 am, traveling to the site under the stars, walking in to the location in the dark and setting up without being able to see the whole scene that is going to unfold. On this morning we had a treat. We were the first ones there so we could pick our spots. But more...

Notes To My Mother

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