January 8, 2025
The photographer was standing on the Mendocino headlands when he saw an angel on Portuguese Beach. The photographer said he had his eyes closed and was sending prayers to his friends in Los Angeles who were enduring the awesome fires and toxic air engulfing large swaths of that megalopolis.
“When I opened my eyes, I saw the angel walking on the beach below,” said the photographer. “I raised my camera, took the picture, and when I lowered my camera, the angel was gone.”
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January 10, 2025
The photographer saw two ravens rehearsing their act for the Celestial Ballet of Life festival running from now until the end of time in the sky over Mendocino. The ravens were taking turns resting on an ancient fence from which they drew power and inspiration.
When the ravens realized they were being watched, they launched into a spectacular performance of Movement 774 of that perennial raven favorite Making Love to the Wind Spirits. The photographer was thrown into such a tizzy of awe he only managed to snap a half-dozen pictures of the mind-boggling aerial pas de deux, most of which were blurry.
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January 11, 2025
On the beach at the mouth of Big River at low tide, the River and the Sand Bar and the wind-whipped Breakers called to the photographer in the language of sand and waves and water.
“Hey! This would make a good picture,” they said; and the photographer agreed.
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Later that same January 11, 2025
At dusk, the photographer emerged from his house with a bucket of compost and gasped at the sight of what humans call a beautiful sunset. The photographer set down the bucket of compost and went to fetch his camera.
And just a few seconds after the photographer took a picture of the enchanting scene, the pink clouds turned gray and a raven flew by crying, “Carpe diem! Carpe diem!”
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