I'm hanging out on the north coast this week.  I came up here on short notice, mainly to experience some winter storms...they've been pretty much nonexistent in Monterey this year.  Here in Fort Bragg, there was a reasonably respectable storm late Monday night..over an inch of rain with some wind.  These gnarled cypresses near my motel have seen much worse in their day.

The rocks on the verge of the sea display a nice variety of marine life.

This is a closeup of Glass Beach in Fort Bragg.  This town has become a tourist destination only in the past decade or two.  Before that it was strictly a working town, mainly lumber with some fishing, and almost all of the shoreline was industrial.  Trash was simply dumped over the coastal bluffs onto the beach, including a lot of glass bottles and such.  Over time, the glass fragments have been worn down to become in effect large, coarse sand pebbles, as this macro shot shows. 

Glass is, of course, shinier than regular sand.  Look at the beach in sunlight and this becomes apparent.  Of course, this is basically a recycling pattern, since glass is largely made from silica...i.e. sand!

I'm now at the Sea Ranch.  I usually make reservations months in advance...this time I did it one day ahead, while in Fort Bragg.  The homes at the ranch are built in earth tones, to blend in with the landscape.  In the early days of the development, in the 1960s, some homes really blended in,  built partially into the ground, with grass on the roofs...this is an example.

I'm staying at Amar el Mar...third time at this home.  I wanted to cozy up in the redwoods, but still observe the sea, and you can do that perfectly here...the home is deep in the forest, but with an ocean view through a corridor in the trees.  It's very quiet and secluded.  But, there's internet and hi def DirectTV, so you can be as connected-or disconnected- from the world as you want.  Perfect.

I call this Poodle Rock.  It's on Black Point Beach, near the Sea Ranch Lodge.  I first came here during an El Nino in 1998, on a massively stormy weekend.  The fury of nature was splendid, and I've loved it here ever since.

A starfish came loose from its moorings...some live on Poodle Rock...and was stranded on the black sand.

Vegetation out on Black Point creates an artistic image.

A look at Black Point Beach from out on the point...Poodle Rock in the middle distance.  The dark rocks, windswept heaths, and the gray, misty skies remind me of Ireland...very much so.