RenoVous

 With rains in the forecast, we headed south.  First stop, Russian Gulch State Park. We got a cabin nearby at the Caspar Beach Campground. It was a beautiful site.

 Black Sands Beach. Seal Rock. And some more forest from the drive between. I found a four leaf clover!

  Mattole River. And from the forest you drive through to reach the beach. Around camp.

  We should be on the coast by now, Mattole Camp. I'm hoping for a chance to spot some whales!!  April-May is peak season as they migrate from the south into the Arctic. I'll pop in when I can and let you know! Feel free to post whatever crosses your mind or your screen this week.  :-)

  The Orion spacecraft, on its way to the moon and back. NASA has a tracking  site , and this is a current screenshot. They also have a live mission broadcast. They just got their wake up call, "get some science done!" Operations

Today commemorates the naming of the state - when Juan Ponce de Leon landed he was struck by the abundance of plant life, but he also wanted to honor the upcoming Easter holiday. "Pascua" on its own means Passover.  Pascua Florida is the Feast of Flowers.  Very Spring. The year was 1513, and when de Leon returned to Spain in 1514 he was knighted by King Ferdinand, named governor of Puerto Rico, and granted permission to settle in Florida.  He wasn't able to return until 1521, but the native population fiercely resisted the European presence, and he was fatally wounded. He is buried in Puerto Rico. The Calusa were people of the Caloosahatchee culture, which is now an extinct tribe. They were described more by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who would establish St. Augustine in 1565.  He visited their capital, Calos, in 1566 and described the chief's house, their council, as well as their clothing. The chief offered his daughter in marriage, understanding this would secure a...