I wrote a post yesterday about the State Park closures – our two are Garrappatta and Limekiln State Parks – but that led to a rant about how this state overspends on the prison system, which I decided not to post. I wrote about yesterday’s nasty dawn weather, but I haven’t replaced my broken rain gauge, so I don’t know exactly how much we actually got. The winds were wicked, but I haven’t gotten my new weather station with wind gauge set up, yet, so I had no figures to report, so I decided not to post.

This morning I had a column promised to The Cambrian. I provide a Big Sur perspective on the road closure every week or two since Rocky Creek slipped out back in mid-March, so I’m kinda written out today. So, instead, I have a photo of Western Columbine sent by Martha Diehl that I just love and thought I would share.

Oh, and don’t forget the BSVFB Muster at the State Park on Saturday, the 21st from noon until 3 pm. And the Big Fashion Show at the HML on Thursday, May 19th!

Western Columbine by Martha Diehl

bigsurkate

Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.

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  • Perfectly beautiful columbine, thanks Martha Diehl and Kate. I'm personally missing the rant you didn't post about mismanaged state funds, I think there's a lot of sub-rosa fury on the subject in us all. Sorry to hear about the park closings.
    The Big Sur Fashion Show is coming up this Thursday, and it's usually a happy hoot at Henry Miller, locals glad to be seeing all that color and drama and firedance. Happy to think of it and hope the weather improves.

  • This photo sort of proves the columbine fits this landscape just fine. :) Beautiful.

  • We sure had a dump of rain with that last storm front late Saturday night. Two hours of wild downpour yielded 8/10th of an inch. Driving north this evening (5-7pm) from Pacific Valley School was in the rain all the way. From the school around 4pm, we watched an eerie-looking lenticular cloud cap the mountains above Lucia. I wish I had a camera! And, right now, the southerly gales are howling like a banshee outside the window.
    Hey, what season is this?!

  • Dave-
    What the heck is a "lenticular cloud?" The dictionary says it's something lentil-shaped or with double convex surfaces. Is that what you meant? A lenticule is defined as "any of the tiny corrugations or grooves molded or embossed into the surface of a projection screen." Also, "any of the minute lenses on the base side of a film used in stereoscopic or color photography."

  • Wow! Some colorful definitions for the term...The meteorological version is a "flying saucer" -shaped cloud caused by a powerful upper-level wind colliding with a mountain. Often the cloud will have horizontal layers or "rings". Their forms can be very bizarre, looking like a "hat", or even breaking waves, perched upon the mountain summit.Some of the best lenticular cloud photos have been taken at Mt Shasta, Mt Hood, and Mt Rainier. Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra often has its "hat", beneath which one finds a blizzard of snow, while the surrounding landscape is sunny. Such clouds can also be in the form of a tornado-bearing "Wall cloud". All I can say is: I wish I had a camera!!!

  • Dave-
    Your mind is your camera and I've seen you put it down on paper or canvas with great success...

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