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.

I was going to start off the week with a continuation of Friday’s blast by moving along West Cliff Drive to the same fog bank surrounding the action at Bird Rock. And then I thought to myself, “It’s a new week, your son is experiencing his first day of eighth grade and the site is Sunrise Santa Cruz, so get out of the fog and back into the light.”

The first shot features the coastline looking east to Lighthouse Point as it is entrenched in the before mentioned early morning fog. But then we get back into a more familiar mode as the next five shots are from a sunrise back in late February.

Sunrise season really kicks in around November and hangs till late March. That’s prime time for me, when I wake up every morning and bolt out of bed hoping for some outrageous cloud action. When I send out these blasts you only get to see a few segments of the dawn experience so many worthy photos don’t make the cut. There were actually a few mornings last winter that were just super spectacular, so much so that when I view them in my computer files I know they have to be seen again. It’s early morning magnificence starring the skies of Santa Cruz. This one wasn’t one of those unbelievably colorful, mind-blowing sunrises but I thought it was worth taking a second look. I hope you’ll agree.

And on a different note, a thanks goes out to my brother Brad who has brought my Santa Cruz based parents into the 21st century by hooking them up to the internet so they can actually send and receive pictures. But more importantly, these two people who brought me into the world are now the 100th members of this blast list so we have hit the century mark. On that front, a lot of people are new to this list so if I haven’t heard from you let me know what you think. As I’ve said before, I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them. And for those fans of the recently canceled HBO surf classic “John From Cincinatti,” no need to worry, “I’ve got my eyes on you.” Enjoy the day and enjoy the spray.