For our midweek photo experience let’s start by heading down to the Main Beach that runs along the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. I was driving by there one day last fall and saw that the sand was just loaded with gulls. I then came back the next day and there wasn’t a gull in sight. These birds were having a blast at the beach that day or in the words of Cyndi Lauper, “gulls just want to have fun.”

The next three shots are from Four Mile Beach on the north coast. This incredible spot sits just four miles north of Santa Cruz. If you like birds in quantity, this is your place. There were so many epic days up there this past winter. I’ll be sending out pictures highlighting these incredible mornings when the sky, ocean and nature all blended together and created photo magic. When I take my camera to Four Mile I’m always excited because I know I’m in for a treat. It’s a great way to start the day. Either that or I just knock off a couple of pop tarts.

Saw an interesting item concerning the sky in the newspaper a couple of days ago. Around midday on Saturday, villagers high up in the Andes in southern Peru were startled by an explosion and a glowing fireball that many thought was an airplane crash. Turns out it was a meteorite that left a 100-foot wide by 20-foot-deep crater. Boiling water was coming out of the crater and particles of rocks and cinders were found nearby. This had local residents very concerned.

Many people who had gotten close to the supposed meteorite have reported health problems. 100 to 150 people have been treated for headaches, nausea and dizziness at a local medical center. Jorge Lopez Tejada, a representitive of the Regional Health Directorate, confirmed that very strong odors are coming from the supposed meteorite crash site. Despite the fact that masks are being worn, the odor causes throat irritation and nose itchiness. Seven police officers, who were hospitalized after collecting samples from the area are recovering after receiving treatment. A local municipal authority, Marco Limachi stated, “the animals aren’t eating and the people are stuttering, it seems, because they are frightened and worried about the impact.” I can’t say that I blame them. Anytime a glowing fireball lands in my backyard I don’t sleep well that night.

It’s been a tough summer for Peruvians. This comes after a 8.0 magnitude quake hit the central coast of Peru back on August 15th. It destroyed 85,000 homes, caused 510 deaths and rocked the capital city of Lima. Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes, with the biggest coming back in 1868 that killed several thousand people and also caused damage in Hawaii. The deadliest earthquake on record occurred in China back in 1556 that wiped out 830,000 people. The largest U.S. quake was a 9.2 magnitude in 1964 in Prince William Sound, Alaska that killed 125 people and caused $311 million in property loss. Alaska is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, experiencing a major earthquake almost every year. In the words of the legendary Johnny Carson, “I did not know that.”

So that’s it for today. All flights are on time with no delays. Welcome aboard and thanks for flying with Sunrise Santa Cruz.

As some of you know, I am all about dressing for success. That is, if you consider a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals the clothing recipe for success. Anyway, for someone like myself who’s trying to live the tropical lifestyle by wearing shorts 365 days a year, thinking about what I’m wearing or where the clothes are from is not a big deal. New shirt, old shirt, red shirt, blue shirt, it doesn’t make a difference. But there are people who feel differently about this issue.

One of those people is Bolivian President Evo Morales, who considers it shameful that poor shoppers in his country rummage thru used clothing at outdoor markets. Back in April, his Andean nation become the 32nd country to ban or restrict used clothing imports to protect native clothing industries. Each year $1.2 billion in used clothing is sent from wealthy nations to developing countries. In landlocked Bolivia most of it smuggled across the border from Chile, who is the No.3 importer of U.S. clothing after Canada, Japan and West Hollywood.

Applauded and jeered for the striped Bolivian sweater he wore (which was acrylic, not alpaca) to meet presidents and kings after his 2005 election, Morales understands well that clothes make the man. Ramiro Uchani, his deputy minister of small business says, “It’s impossible to think that we can be dignified if, in the name of poverty, we wear clothing that has been thrown out of another country.”

“Bolivia Dignified” is an all-purpose motto Morales applies to everything from nationalizing the country’s railways to overturning a ban on high-altitude soccer games. Persuading Bolivians to shed their U.S. hand-me-down fits his vision perfectly. The problem is that as much as the people would like to dress their children in new clothes, the reality of paychecks is a different story.

Evo Morales has made news before. When the former Indian activist took power in 2005 as the country’s first indigenous president, he vowed to do three things. He nationalized Bolivia’s energy industry, which is expected to double the country’s annual revenues. He formed an assembly to rewrite the constitution, which will ensure greater rights to indigenous Bolivans. But it’s his third initiative that has the U.S. concerned. He wants to legalize the growing of coca, which many Bolivians consider an integral part of their culture. Coca has been a major crop since Incan times and its eradication back in the late 90′s plunged many farmers into abject poverty. Keith Richards is also a backer of this initiative.

Morales controversial coca program, his plan to limit foreign investments, his close ties to the leftists governments of Venezuela and Cuba have predictably anatagonized the U.S. Morales has referred to himself as “the United States’ biggest nightmare,” although many Americans know that person is sitting in the White House.

Let’s move on to the photos. Today’s shots were taken from three different locations along West Cliff Drive. The first two shots are of pelicans and cormorants at Bird Rock where there’s always lots of aviary action. The next two are from a sea stack at the end of Woodrow Avenue with the sun low in the sky and the final two come from early one morning at Natural Bridges State Beach. Lots of in-flight action that day and more shots to come.

So that’s it for a Monday. I hope you enjoyed our updated version of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” My sympathy to New York Giant and Oakland Raider fans. Not the way we wanted to start the season but at least they gave us a few thrills. And speaking of thrills, New York Yankee Alex Rodriquez is tearing it up in the American League. Thank you, A-Rod and please don’t forget to do it in October. Enjoy the byrds.

When August rolls around, I like to pack up the family and head for the warm waters of Hawaii. Unfortunately, due to the effects of global warming on our travel funds, we did not make it to the islands this year. So no in the water all day, fresh pineapple and papaya in the morning, trade wind blowing tropical vacation experience. Instead, we packed up the car and headed up the coast to Marin County.

We stayed in a hotel in lovely Mill Valley that overlooks Richardson Bay, an ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay. Richardson Bay got its name from a young British sailor, William Richardson, who arrived in the Bay Area back in 1822 and was so impressed with what he saw that he applied for Mexican citizenship so he could become a permanent resident. In 1838 Captain Richardson received a 20,000 acre land grant that extended from Sausalito to Mill Valley and out to the Pacific Ocean. Not a bad piece of real estate. Unfortunately, the Captain died in 1856 of an overdose of mercury tablets that had been perscribed for his rheumatism. No word on what happened to Tennille.

Bordering on the bay is the Bothin Marsh, a saltwater sanctuary where the shorebirds come to feed at low tide in the mud flats. This is where I took the shots of the great egret and the snowy egrets. Now you’re probably saying to yourself, “Geoff, what’s the difference between the great and the snowy?” I’m glad you asked. The great egret has the yellow beak and black legs while the snowy has the black beak and yellow legs.

Both birds were almost hunted to extinction for their plumage which was used in women’s hats. This near disaster led to the conservation movement in the US and the formation of the National Audubon Society. Richardson Bay receives over 1 million migratory visitors a year, not including the snow birds who stay at the nearby Holiday Inn Express. The first morning when I walked out into the marsh I counted 23 snowy egrets. Wow! Then I quickly hurried back so I wouldn’t miss the all-you-can-eat breakfast.

There were all kinds of exotic birds in the marshes but these white wonders really caught my eye. The last shot is a snowy egret that I shot one morning at Natural Bridges State Beach. Love the westside. Enjoy the egret experience and have a great weekend.

I was on my way to an Eddie Money concert at the Boardwalk on a warm summer evening in July when I happened upon this pelican gathering. The anchovies (or was it mushrooms and black olives) must have been running at Cowell’s Beach because the pelicans were diving and the gulls were screaming – kind of like an opening act for Money fans. And he rocked the Boardwalk that night just like he did the Catalyst back in the 70′s.

We are gearing up for our first Open Studios coming up in October and I’ll have more news about that next month. So before we go today, congratulations go out to blast list player Jim Berry, whose lovely wedding I attended yesterday on top of Depot Hill in Capitola on just a perfect day to be overlooking Monterey Bay. Lucky we live Santa Cruz. Enjoy pelican Monday.