Two boys from Vallejo were swept out to sea at Ocean Beach (my image above) in San Francisco yesterday. Local meteorologists had called for dangerous surf conditions as the result of the time of year, record high temperatures, and currents. The recommendation on TV was not to wade deeper than knee-deep, because of the possibility of getting swept off one’s feet. SFGate.com says:
The teens, both 17 years old, were presumed drowned after rescue teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department failed to find them in an extensive search of the Ocean Beach area that included air, land and sea crews for almost five hours, officials said.
The boys, whose names were not released, had run into the surf wearing swim trunks, their arms linked with those of three friends, witnesses said. It was unclear how far they waded into the surf, but Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter said, “Ocean Beach conditions on a good day are generally enough to pull a grown man into the water.”
Three boys, two of them 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old, made it back to shore and were taken to UCSF Hospital in stable condition.
The search for the other two, described by their friends as weak swimmers, was called off at 9 p.m. after investigating agencies told the boys’ families they had probably drowned. No recovery effort will continue Sunday, fire officials said.
Coast Guard officials estimated the boys’ bodies may have been carried up to 15 miles out to sea in the time since they disappeared, Baxter said.
The drownings happened just off the beach near Lincoln Way, south of the Murphy Windmill and across from Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant, said Coast Guard Lt. Marcia Medina.
The Coast Guard employed two 47-foot motorized lifeboats and a helicopter in the search. San Francisco Fire Department air- and water-rescue teams as well as people to search the shoreline. Parks officials searched on land.
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A step in the right direction?
I recall a plan that George Carlin had for the elimination of corruption by executing money-laundering bankers during half-time on Monday Night Football. Of course, he was only jesting!
It looks as though Iran might have taken him at his word! According to SFGate.com:
An Iranian court has sentenced a well-known tycoon to death for corruption linked to oil sales during the rule of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the judiciary spokesman said Sunday.
Babak Zanjani and two of his associates were sentenced to death for “money laundering,” among other charges, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi said in brief remarks broadcast on state TV. He did not identify the two associates. Previous state media reports have said the three were charged with forgery and fraud.
“The court has recognized the three defendants as ‘corruptors on earth’ and sentenced them to death,” said Ejehi. “Corruptors on earth” is an Islamic term referring to crimes that are punishable by death because they have a major impact on society. The verdict, which came after a nearly five-month trial, can be appealed.A news website run by the judiciary identified the two associates as British-Iranian businessman Mahdi Shams, who was detained in 2015, and the other as Hamid Fallah Heravi, a retired businessman.
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The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said that TWO pedestrians were hit by 5-inch darts from a blowgun on Friday. At about 2:45 pm, a CHP officer patrolling on a bicycle was called over by a man who had been hit by a 5-inch dart from a blowgun that had penetrated two inches into his thigh. The officer called an ambulance.
As emergency personnel were attending the man, a woman who had been hit in the knee by an identical dart approached them. Both victims were evaluated and released. CHP confiscated the darts to have them tested for harmful chemicals.
Officers are seeking video footage of the crime. People with information should call the California Highway Patrol Marin Area Office at (415) 924-1100.
-Bill at
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]]>Although the past, pre-Super Bowl week has been dry (you might want to tell all the people down in the tornado-prone U.S. South that “we live right!” ), “El Niño lived up to its rainy promise in January, delivering locations around California their wettest year-opening month in years — and offering some hope of recovery from the depths of the drought.” SFGate.com continues:
San Francisco recorded an impressive 6.94 inches of rain during the month, far above the 4.5 inches it averages in January and the most the city has seen in any January since 2008, according to Golden Gate Weather Services.
The total, in fact, is more than the city received over the past five Januarys combined. (Don’t forget: San Francisco saw no rain for the first time in 165 years of record-keeping in January of last year.)
California’s far north saw the brunt. Eureka had 12.06 inches of rain in January, or 186 percent of average, according to Golden Gate Weather Services. Redding received 12.68 inches, or 213 percent of average.
In January, San Jose got 4.09 inches of rain, or 133 percent of average. Sacramento saw 5.44 inches during the month, or 137 percent of normal, while Fresno saw 4.42 inches, or 202 percent of normal.
Southern California’s rainfall figures for the month were slightly lower. Los Angeles, for example, saw 3.17 inches of rain, or 102 percent of average.
So, as soon as all of the Super Bowl visitors leave Santa Clara, LET THE RAINS BEGIN!
-Bill at
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Robin Williams’ Napa Valley estate, Villa Sorriso (“Villa of Smiles”) has finally sold for $18.1 million, after being on the market for $35 million, according to sources. SFGate.com says:
The 640-acre estate was custom built for Williams over a decade ago. Per the original listing, the estate offered a 20,000 square foot mansion of 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, and included a home theater, art gallery, library, climate-controlled wine cellar and elevator. Outside the main residence there is a 3,200 square foot guest house, an infinity pool, vineyard and olive tree orchards, plus gardens, horse stall, tennis courts, bell tower, a lake-sized pond, and hiking trails for miles. The estate rests atop the Mayacamas Mountains between Napa and Sonoma Valleys, adjacent to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.
In 2012, Robin Williams listed his home for $35 million. At that time, he “joked bitterly about how costly his two divorces had been, and told Parade magazine in 2013: “There are bills to pay. My life has downsized, in a good way. I’m selling the ranch up in Napa. I just can’t afford it anymore. … Divorce is expensive.”
After the home was pulled from the market in 2014, it was re-listed at a discounted price of $20.9 million. After his death, the home was on the market at $25.9 million and then $22.9 million. The final selling price was $18.1 million, according to Wall Street Journal who spoke with the co-listing agent Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International.
-Bill at
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]]>Dr. Mary Kay Brewster, 58, who was convicted of two counts of felony stalking and one count of felony vandalism back in November, has now been sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of felony probation for releasing a python and rats in the bedroom of her estranged husband. A woman who watered plants for the victim first noticed rats in the bed. When a deputy came for the rats, the woman noticed the python hanging from the shutters. Dr. Brewster’s estranged husband has a snake phobia. SFGate.com reports:
Prosecutors said she left her estranged husband, listed only as John Doe in court proceedings, thousands of vulgar text and phone messages. Prosecutors also argued Brewster poisoned the plants of John Doe’s alleged mistress — a nurse at the same hospital where Brewster worked — and called her a “skank” in front of patients.
On Wednesday, Monterey County Superior Court Judge Mark Hood sentenced Brewster to jail time and probation. Hood called her actions “sophisticated and vindictive,” “well thought-out” and “not a singular emotional action.” Brewster also must stay away from her estranged husband and the alleged mistress for 10 years.
Brewster’s standing as an obstetrician and gynecologist remains up to the Medical Board of California, which evaluates criminal convictions on a case-by-case basis.
-Bill at
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]]>The 6-acre historic Holmby Hills Playboy Mansion has been listed for sale by Playboy Enterprises. The catch? Hugh Hefner comes with it! You will be required to allow the 89-year-old Hefner to live on the estate until he dies.
The estate has been listed for $200 million, but TMZ “real estate sources” put the true value of the estate at $80-90 million as the result of its run-down condition.
According to the Daily News, in 2011, Hefner allegedly undervalued his mansion when he took his company private; at that time, it was worth $54 million. Now, Zillow estimates the estate’s worth to be $34 million.
People interested in purchasing the estate will be allowed to tour the entire estate except for Hefner’s bedroom.
-Bill at
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]]>With renewed discussion about gun control after the San Bernardino mass shooting, California gun dealers sold about 134,000 guns last month as reflected by the number of background checks performed by the FBI, federal data show. California has long required background checks for all firearm sales, including with private sellers. California has some of the toughest laws in the nation, none of which prevented the San Bernardino shootings. The Columbine, Aurora and Newtown mass shootings heralded record-breaking numbers of gun purchase applications in California. SacBee.com says:
The San Bernardino shooting, along with an uptick in Christmas gun purchases, led to more gun sales in California than seen after either Columbine or Aurora, FBI data show. No other month saw more background checks in California since the FBI started performing them in the late 1990s.
California has seen between 800,000 and 960,000 gun sales during each of the prior four years, state and federal data show. By comparison, a decade ago, between 2002 and 2005, the state never saw more than 345,000 gun sales in a single year.
The FBI generally conducts background checks in two situations: Before a new gun purchase and before a new permit like a “concealed carry” license is issued to a gun owner. The state has seen a sharp increase in gun purchases and a sharp increase in “concealed carry” applications during the last four years.
Background checks give a solid estimate of the number of guns purchased and permits issued, but they are not a perfect measure. A relatively small number of background checks result in denials and some would-be buyers choose not to proceed with a purchase after a check. In addition, some buyers purchase more than one gun following a single background check.
A graph of California firearm background checks by month, along with time frames for mass shootings, is presented in the article.
-Bill at
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]]>… and bring SNOW to the mountains, of course! After all of the rain (and SNOW!) from northern storms that we have been fortunate to receive, the FIRST of the El Niño-type storms are forecast to hit the San Francisco Bay Area through the entire WEEK! SFGate.com continues:
While the Bay Area has been hit over the past few weeks with several good rain storms from the north, this week’s back-to-back soakings are coming fast across the Pacific Ocean from west to east, an indicator of an El Niño system, said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services.
“We’re starting to see a hint of what we’ve been talking about for months as far as the potential for a really strong El Niño,” he said. “What we expect to happen, if this holds true, is this will be the predominant pattern for the next few months.”Some forecast models show up to 15 inches of rain in the next 16 days in drought-parched California’s most desperate areas. The state’s depleted reservoirs will get much-needed recharging this week and hopefully more in the weeks to come, Null said.
Light rain seen in some areas today should lead to heavier rain tonight and into the morning commute (LOOK OUT!). The storms should continue until NEXT WEEKEND, when skies could clear! (Do we live right, or WHAT?) SFGate.com says:
“What people are going to experience is persistent rainfall for the next couple days and for most of the week,” said Mark Strudley, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
The first concentrated pulse of rain was to hit overnight Sunday before tapering off into scattered showers Monday morning. By Tuesday morning, a heavier bout of precipitation will sweep into the region from the Pacific Ocean.
Between Monday and Tuesday morning, forecasters are looking at roughly a half inch of rain on the Peninsula and East Bay. Around a half inch is forecast with each following storm.
The temperatures recorded in the Pacific Ocean have been rising for months to the highest levels since the strongest El Niño event in modern history in 1997 and 1998. Those years saw flooding and mudslides in much of California. In strong El Niño years, these types of storms continued for the next three months.
SFGate.com has good news for skiers and snowboarders!
In the Sierra, skiers and snowboarders have rejoiced as wave after wave of fresh powder continues to dump on Tahoe’s mountain resorts. This week’s storms should deliver a decent amount of snow to the Sierra, with up to a foot falling in some areas through Tuesday night.
-Bill at
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]]>An SFGate.com article written by KTUV News anchor, Frank Somerville, yesterday described his New Years Day – walking the Golden Gate Bridge with a group of volunteers called Bridgewatch Angels. Together, they patrolled the bridge looking for people who might be contemplating suicide.
Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, there have been over 1,700 confirmed suicides on the bridge. In 2015 alone, 37 people jumped to their deaths. On the positive side, 162 other people were stopped from taking their lives last year, by Bridge Patrol officers and the CHP (California Highway Patrol).
Although some of the signs for which folks patrolling the bridge watch are “bridge-specific,” other signs of impending suicide are more general – things that we might try to notice in our friends and family. SFGate lists the specific signs as:
-Anyone alone on the bridge
-Standing/Sitting in one spot for long periods of time
-Poor body posture-Disheveled appearance or clothing inappropriate for weather
-1000 yard stare or “coast to coast” head turning
-Pacing back and forth or walking back and forth mid-span
-Switch directions of travel for no apparent reason
-Placing personal effects on the ground
-Abnormal reaction to your presence (avoiding you when greeted)
-Irritable, nervous, or anxious
-Walking too fast, slow shuffle, running (not in athletic attire)
-Physically angry (shaking fists, yelling at no one)
-Visibly distraught and crying
-Chain smoking
-Texting, talking, or writing a note/writing on rail
-Wallet or personal effects in plastic bag
We can all be more aware. We may even help to save a life.
-Bill at
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]]>Sometimes, my (California) hometown of Livermore makes me very proud! I have always said that I believe in Karma!
Police and fire officials are raising money to help a 6-year-old girl and her family after her mother died on Christmas Day.
Emergency crews responded to report of a nonresponsive 39-year-old woman at a hotel on Friday, according to Livermore police. The woman was transported to the hospital, where she died of a medical emergency related to a pre-existing condition.The unidentified woman had recently moved to the Bay Area from Florida with her 6-year-old daughter, Karma. Officers and firefighters discovered that the girl did not have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas because her mom was battling for her life.
Police and fire officials are raising money to help a 6-year-old girl and her family after her mother died on Christmas Day.
Emergency crews responded to report of a nonresponsive 39-year-old woman at a hotel on Friday, according to Livermore police. The woman was transported to the hospital, where she died of a medical emergency related to a pre-existing condition.The unidentified woman had recently moved to the Bay Area from Florida with her 6-year-old daughter, Karma. Officers and firefighters discovered that the girl did not have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas because her mom was battling for her life.
To donate to help Karma and her family, visit www.gofundme.com/qhge2bys.
Contact Katrina Cameron at 925-945-4782. Follow her at Twitter.com/KatCameron91.
HOW TO HELP To donate to help Karma and her family, visit www.gofundme.com/qhge2bys.
-Bill at
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Eleph-I-Know!
scathingly harsh : vitriolic <truculent criticism>
aggressively self-assertive : belligerent
Wildlife experts and California Highway Patrol officers teamed up for an unusual rescue in the North Bay on Monday afternoon after a truculent <emphasis mine> elephant seal tried to cross a highway and resisted efforts to direct it back into the water, officials said.
Just after 1 p.m., the CHP got calls reporting that a seal was blocking the slow lane of Highway 37 near Sears Point in Sonoma County, officials said.
A few minutes later a caller told the CHP that the seal was attacking a vehicle, though that report could not be confirmed. At one point a number of passing motorists stopped to take pictures of the seal, further complicating traffic matters on the busy two-lane highway.
The Marine Mammal Center, based in Sausalito, dispatched a rescue team, as did the San Pablo Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The CHP was also working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to persuade the seal to swim off to greener pastures.
Highway 37, a low, flat, often fog-obscured two-lane road is perhaps best know for its head-on collisions. Today, it became known for a VERY determined elephant seal! At one point, officials led the seal into the bay, but he decided, again, to attempt to cross the road!
“He’s back in the water now, “ Barclay <CHP Officer Andrew Barclay> said later. “But he seems very committed to crossing the roadway. Every time we get him in the water he waits until we walk away and he’s right back up on land.”
As of about 5 p.m., the seal had yet to swim away, and officials said the animal, which did not appear to be injured, was circling closer and closer to the freeway. A team of Marine Mammal Center staffers were hiding nearby with a crate at the ready.
Although CHP personnel were planning to leave the scene, Barclay said they would be on standby for the evening. He added that because the tide was getting lower, the seal’s ability to leave the water was decreasing.
Officer Barclay said the motives for the elephant seal attempting to cross the highway were not clear.
(Note added December 29, 2015: The elephant seal turned out to be a pregnant 900-pound FEMALE. I wondered from the photographs. She was sedated and is likely already delivered to the Point Reyes National Seashore!)
-Bill at
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“The Golf Course Bandit” is a fox (yes, an actual, 4-legged fox) that has been STEALING items out of golf carts at the San Leandro Golf Club! Outdoor writer, Tom Stienstra posts in SFGate.com:
“A young fox stole my driver head cover out of the cart,” <Charles> Lucke said. “I chased him for 40 yards or so, when he dropped it. He looked up at me as if to say, ‘That was a fun game, what do we play next?’”
A series of encounters similar to this have occurred at the Tony Lema Golf Course at Monarch Bay in San Leandro.
Lucke said he returned with his pocket camera to the course. Again, the fox sneaked up on him and staked out his golf court, apparently waiting for it to be left unattended, when the fox could then nab anything available. Instead, Lucke took an amazing series of photographs in which the fox looks something like a character out of a cartoon.
The last five incidents include cell phones, a whiskey flask, a wallet and car keys. In the last case, the golfer chased the bandit fox into adjoining wetlands, where it dropped the wallet but not the keys, Clore <Herb Clore, president of the San Leandro Golf Club> said.
Golf courses have provided rich habitats for prey species during the California drought. The courses have water, abundant grass, and plenty of people, who discourage the presence of major predators!
Many golf courses have become home for small but healthy resident deer herds that have learned to never stray far from the course. Foxes, too, seem to thrive at golf courses, including those on the San Francisco coast. Golfers have sighted pheasants at Harding Park. Courses with large ponds have been ideal for migratory waterfowl and songbirds, especially resident Canada geese.
-Bill at
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]]>In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, the pharmaceutical company KaloBios (KBIO; 442 Littlefield Ave., South San Francisco, CA), once led by Martin Shkreli, announced that its interim CFO and auditor both resigned, leaving the company with limited executive management!
SFGate.com states:
Additionally, the Nasdaq informed KaloBios that its stock would be delisted. Shares of the company had been halted since Shkreli’s December 17 arrest on securities-fraud charges. Shkreli was fired as CEO of KaloBios on December 17.
KaloBios shares, which in November were trading below $1, spiked to as high as $40 a share after Shkreli and his associates acquired 70% of the company’s outstanding shares.In addition to executive departures and a delisting of shares, Marcum LLP resigned as KaloBios’ independent auditing firm, though according to the filing with the SEC, “Marcum’s resignation was not due to any reason related to the Company’s reporting or accounting operations, policies or procedures.”
Shkreli came to the attention of the general public this fall, when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of a drug used in the treatment of cancer and AIDS by 5,000%. Shkreli also resigned from his position of CEO at Turing.
Shkreli’s arrest last Thursday was related to fraud charges stemming from his leadership of two hedge funds and a pharmaceutical company called Retrophin, of which he served as CEO from 2012 to 2014.
And while his arrest was unrelated to the controversial drug-price increases put in place at Turing, Shkreli told The Wall Street Journal that he believes he was targeted by authorities because of these increases and because he’s become an increasingly public persona over the last several months.
Maybe. Or maybe, Karma has a way of biting you in the hindquarters…. Let’s hope that it becomes a trend among banks, investment companies, and hedge fund companies that have thus far escaped jail sentences for plunging the world into recession in the early years of this century.
-Bill at
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]]>Lake Tahoe (one of my images is above), at roughly 6,223 feet of elevation, is the second deepest lake in the United States, after Crater Lake in Oregon. This summer, many boaters were unable to get their craft into the water, because the very low lake level pulled the water back from most boat launches.
The storms this week added about 3 feet of wet, heavy snow to the area. Another storm, from the north and with less moisture, is scheduled to hit the Bay Area, and then the mountains, tomorrow!
TV news reports that, although some ski slopes in the eastern U.S. have not been able to open this year, other slopes in the WESTERN U.S. have had to close temporarily as the result of avalanche danger from all the snow!
We’ll TAKE it!
(The SFGate.com article has a slideshow of winter snow, skiing, and snowboarding images!)
-Bill at
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]]>At a time when “common sense” seems to be almost ABSENT from most Americans, it’s appropriate that The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District is installing new signs this week to remind people that flying drones over or near the Golden Gate Bridge is PROHIBITED! Officials said that the drones pose safety and security risks for pedestrians on the bridge.
Not that the signs will stop SOME morons! Although an obvious (and cost-effective) solution would seem to be the deployment of shotgun-toting National Park Rangers skilled in trap and skeet, that solution seems unlikely to “fly” in the gun-fearing Bay Area!
“Whether due to operator error or technical problems, drones can and do fail,” district officials said in a statement. “When they drop from the sky, they pose great risk of causing traffic, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, especially given the crowded conditions on the bridge.”
Drones are also banned from flying near the bridge and its surrounding property, including National Park Service land immediately north and south of the span, according to the district.
Drones found flying near the bridge will be tracked and confiscated, while the operator will be identified and may face prosecution, district officials said.
“For decades, the only people who had access to our airspace were highly trained pilots who came from a culture where safety was deeply embedded,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement. “Now, thousands upon thousands of brand new users are starting to fly, and the reality is that most have very limited or no aviation experience.”
Huerta said registration “provides us with a key opportunity to teach them about the rules and regulations they must follow, and it will help them become part of the safety culture that has been deeply embedded in traditional aviation for more than a century.”
Note added 12/23/2015: Drones have been banned in the National Parks over noise and safety concerns since June of 2014. Much of the Golden Gate is a National Recreational Area. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/20/travel/national-park-service-drone-ban/
-Bill at
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo Gallery on SmugMug, where you can also order prints in a HUGE variety of sizes and types, even on canvas and metal! The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cheshirkat and on Instagram at: cheshirkat
SFGate.com presents a slideshow of 12 cozy winter lodges, including 4 in California: the Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite (Groveland, CA), the Lost Trail Lodge (Truckee, CA – a 4-mile trek on cross-country skis is required for access), the Basecamp Hotel (South Lake Tahoe, CA), and the Tamarack Lodge & Resort (Mammoth Lakes, CA)!
The list was selected from a compilation of some of the best winter lodges in the West by Sunset Magazine, from an original article on Sunset.com: “Cozy winter lodges.”
Stay toasty!
-Bill at
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo Gallery on SmugMug, where you can also order prints in a HUGE variety of sizes and types, even on canvas and metal! The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cheshirkat and on Instagram at: cheshirkat
]]>For the second time in two months, a rare, venomous sea snake (Pelamis platura) has washed up on California beaches HUNDREDS OF MILES from its normal habitat range! The first time that the species was seen in Southern California was in San Clemente, during the El Niño year of 1972.
The dead 27-inch-long male yellow bellied sea snake was discovered last week during a Surfrider Foundation coastal cleanup campaign in Huntington Beach.
A 2-foot-long yellow bellied sea snake was discovered in October after slithering onto Silver Strand State Beach in Ventura County. It died shortly after being taken to a local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office.
The yellow-bellied sea snake has a bright yellow underside and a paddle-like tail with black spots. The snake is the widest-ranging snake species on earth, and is found in warm tropical waters off the coasts of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central America, the Mexican mainland, and Baja California.
Greg Pauly, herpetological curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, believes the reptile in Huntington Beach may have been prompted to navigate north of its normal tropical habitat by the spread of abnormally warm ocean temperatures because of a strong El Nino this year.
“It is incredible and fascinating to have two of these aquatic, highly venomous snakes suddenly show up around here,” he said. “But this is not an invasion, and no one has ever died from the bite of this animal.”
“Their fangs are tiny and they can barely open their mouths wide enough to bite a person,” he said. “So, unless you pick one up, the biggest safety concern with going to the beach is with driving there and then driving home.”
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo Gallery on SmugMug, where you can also order prints in a HUGE variety of sizes and types, even on canvas and metal! The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cheshirkat and on Instagram at: cheshirkat
A storm coming to the Bay Area is expected to be the biggest of the season so far! SFGate.com says that the first impact of the storm, on Friday, could bring 50-mile/hour winds, 30-foot waves, and 2 inches of rain! KTVU.com is calling for a second part of the storm to hit on Sunday afternoon and night, with the potential for rain over the next 5 days! This storm is NOT a typical El Niño storm, since it is much colder and will add greatly to snow accumulations in the Sierra Nevada, excellent for California’s water supply.
“It looks like we’re going to get tested over the next couple of days,” said Kiri Fisher, owner of the Cheese School, who was forced to relocate for three months after an early-season storm last year sent floodwaters into her shop at Folsom and 17th streets in the Mission District. “We’re certainly on high alert now.”
Forecasters expect up to an inch of rain in San Francisco through Friday and up to two inches in the North Bay. The biggest worry, however, is the predicted winds — the National Weather Service says gusts could hit 50 mph.
The punch is expected to be greatest farther north, with hills in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties forecast to receive up to 2 inches of rain. Humboldt and Del Norte counties may see up to a foot.
The Sierra, meanwhile, is on track to receive as much as 2 feet of snow at the crest. Forecasters posted a winter storm warning, anticipating that snow levels will drop to 4,000 feet by Friday morning and advising travelers to use caution.
The effects of El Niño should not be seen until early in 2016. Even if it lives up to its potential, the rains and snow will likely not eliminate California’s water deficit. The expected above-average rain will bring additional problems to the state.
Although wet weather is needed after four years of drought, the boost from El Niño could be problematic. The Federal Emergency Management Agency released a report Wednesday warning of hundreds of millions of dollars of potential damage across the state and detailing a comprehensive response plan.
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo Gallery on SmugMug, where you can also order prints in a HUGE variety of sizes and types, even on canvas and metal! The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cheshirkat and on Instagram at: cheshirkat
Mariners beware! A cargo ship lost a DOZEN large shipping containers just outside the Golden Gate on Friday evening when it encountered heavy seas! SFGate.com says:
The Manoa, an 810-foot cargo ship operated by Matson Navigation Co., was leaving the Port of Oakland en route to Seattle Friday evening when it encountered 19-foot waves and 20 mph winds just outside the Golden Gate Bridge, which caused 12 containers to slide off the ship, Coast Guard officials said.
Most of the containers were empty, which were loaded with various kinds of packing material, the Coast Guard said. None of the materials inside the containers are hazardous to marine life, officials said, but the owner of the ship hired an environmental contractor to track down the containers and clean up any debris that washes ashore.
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo Gallery on SmugMug, where you can also order prints in a HUGE variety of sizes and types, even on canvas and metal! The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com. Follow us on Twitter at @cheshirkat and on Instagram at: cheshirkat