Pelican, Egret, but no pigeons

This weekend Mr. Last and I returned to one of our favorite places on Earth,

where we saw:

After sunset we fell asleep to the rhythm of the waves

and awoke the next morning to sunshine and blue skies:

Then we made our way down to Santa Cruz to Natural Bridges, famous for its eucalyptus grove of overwintering Monarch butterflies.

 Alas, only one Monarch was found:

so we practiced self-portraiture in the butterfly grove:

and then ate our picnic lunch:

and had fun spotting these guys:

before we returned to the Valley to find gray skies

heavy with rain. It did not dampen our spirits any

because our senses were full of the sights and sounds

of the California coast.