No Words Do Justice to the Exquisite Iris

An Iris Unfolds to Reveal its Mysteries

Unfolding Iris in Mid-April, © B. Radisavljevic

Spiders and Insects Explore the Mysteries of the Iris

Spiders Use the Iris as Hunting Ground, © B. Radisavljevic

An Iris Inspires Awe

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Drought Is Over, and the Kennedy Waterfall In Paso Robles Is Back

The Drought Shut Down the Waterfall At Kennedy Adventure in Paso Robles

Everyone, including Kevin Kennedy, had to do their part to conserve water during the drought. That's why the waterfall at Kennedy Adventure was turned off. Here's how it looked in July 2015, dry. 

I saw the sign below explaining why the waterfall was dry. I knew I would miss seeing the waterfall, and I did.

I missed all our public water features that made our city beautiful. Even the fountain at the entrance to City Park was dry. The photo below was taken on July 5, 2014. 

Last year the city completely took the fountain out. See City Park is Wrapped in Orange. 

Now That the Drought Has Been Pronounced Over, The Kennedy Waterfall Is Back

I noticed it when I went to work out on April 11, shortly after the state lifted the drought ordinances.  First I heard it as I walked in from the parking lot and followed my ears to the waterfall. Then I took my camera out and snapped these photos.  

I love the little dragonfly sculptures on the waterfall. Here they are close-up. 

Can you find the dragonflies below?

Have you seen the waterfall since it started flowing again?

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Wordless Wednesday: Bee Enjoying Dandelion

Bees Love Dandelions

That's  why I grow lots of them. 

Bee on Dandelion, © B. Radisavljevic

Another  Bee Enjoying Dandelion, © B. Radisavljevic

The Bee on the Dandelion Changed Positions. © B. Radisavljevic

Photos of a Wet North County

What's Wet in the North County?

North San Luis Obispo County, California, is not known for its frequent rain. Most of the year non-irrigated land is not wet. Sometimes even our lakes and rivers are dry. Currently the sun is shining brightly and no rain is expected soon. But for City Daily Photo Bloggers, this month's theme is "wet" and this is the day to illustrate it. To do that I have have looked back to my rainy season photos.

Atascadero Lake, January 28, 2017

Atascadero Lake

Atascadero Lake is one spot in the North County that usually contains water, but even it was dry in 2014 during the worst of the drought. I'm happy to see it full again. See Atascadero Lake at its best and worst here. The birds are happy to see it full again after the winter rains. We all hope it stays that way. 

Waterfowl at Atascadero Lake, 1-28-17, © B. Radisavljevic

The Salinas River

The Salinas River is sometimes wet, but most of the year it is dry. For more wet season photos, see The Salinas River in Paso Robles: Now You See It. The photo below was taken in February at sundown. The recent rains had been good to the river.  I'm hoping it will stay visible and wet until at least the end of April, but that will depend on getting some April showers. 

Salinas River at Sundown, 2-26-17,  © B. Radisavljevic

Since I love seeing the river full and flowing, I've made a lot of my photos of the river into products at Zazzle. Here are some of them.

 Salinas River Flowing through Paso Robles, CA Canvas Print Bench Looking Toward Salinas River: Miss You Card Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Postcard Salinas River from Vineyard Bridge, Templeton, CA Jigsaw Puzzle

The Cow Parade at Halter Ranch

In February I went on a search for cows in the Cow Parade, an international event. Businesses sponsored artists who made life-size cow sculptures, and the cows were scattered over many locations in our county. I wanted to find all I could in the North County. I found this one on a rainy day at Halter Ranch Winery. It's titled Cowvee Alice. It was created by Jack Foster and sponsored by Halter Ranch. Many of the cows from the cow parade have been made into collectible figurines you can find at Amazon

Cowvee at Halter Ranch, 2-19-17, © B. Radisavljevic

 It was not easy to get this photograph. When I arrived in front of the tasting room, the cow was surrounded by people with umbrellas. They weren't moving. I discovered they were all part of a tour of the winery and were gathered in front of the tasting room (and the cow) to listen to the tour leader speak. I decided to join in and learn something. When the tour moved on to the winery, I snapped my photos and then followed the tour. Find out more about this tour here. I recommend it.) If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the sidewalk around the cow sculpture is wet. So was the cow, but it's hard to see that. The vineyards and grounds were also wet. 

Puddles Near the Park

On January 9,  I walked to Larry Moore Park to check on the river after the rain. I took a short cut from the J.C. Penny parking lot across a vacant lot to a back park entrance. On the way I passed many puddles. This is one I liked because of its reflection of the trees near it. It was quite a large puddle and the ground around it was so wet I sloshed as I walked.

Puddle Near Back Entrance to Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sunken Gardens In Atascadero

I took this photo of the fountain at the Sunken Gardens Park on a very windy day after the rain. It was wet in many places around the fountain because of the wind's splashing. Of course, the fountain is wet, too. 

Overflowing Fountain  after Rain in the Sunken Gardens, Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

My Own Backyard

Until last winter, I had never seen my yard this wet. Usually the rain is quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground. After several rainy days, the ground was not so thirsty anymore. Thus the puddles appeared. The white streaks are the falling raindrops.

Which photo illustrating this month's Wet theme do you like best? 



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