Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: manzanita

(2 Insets above!) Brrrr...it's really starting to get cold around here! I got up several times during the night to turn up my floor heater which was being very stubborn. It didn't want to budge from 64°F/18°C. I'd turn up the heater with the aim of warming up to about 68°F/20°C. The next time I woke up I'd check the temperature and it would only be one degree warmer, ARGH! Personally I don't mind. In fact, there are few things more wonderful than burrowing under a luxurious pile of blankets. But I do worry about Pumpkin getting chilly. Her cage, which hangs from the ceiling, is covered with towels at night to keep the heat in, and she sleeps in her fleece-lined Happy Hut, AND she's covered with extremely warm down feathers, but I still worry about her feeling the least bit cold. So the heater and I waged war all night long and when my darling little peeper woke me up at 5 till 7am, it was FINALLY sitting at 68°F/20°C. MEH! It was raining this morning but nothing about it was inviting today. Looking out at the murky, steel-grey sky, I made sure to bundle up extra warmly before I went out. The thermometer read 34°F/1°C but it sure felt a lot colder to me. I stretched inside, grabbed my umbrella and went out for my walk. I was pleasantly surprised to find that is was wonderful outside, with autumn smells and a nice pattering of rain on my umbrella. Enjoying my walk up and down our road, I kept track of my laps by moving white pebbles from one rock slab to the other. I couldn't help thinking about yesterday morning's visitor. Guess who stopped by to leave another outrageously RUDE calling card? ON ONE OF MY ROCK SLABS, no less! I stood goggling at what I saw, totally aghast. Just imagine if people did that to one another to establish territory...totally unacceptable! I couldn't stop laughing and as I sent the fox poos flying off into the grass in all directions. "You're a BAD FOX! You're a VERY BAD FOX! And now I'm going to send you into the CORN FIELD!" (I love that episode of the classic Twilight Zone with Billy Mummy and use that quote whenever I can! ) Off I go down the road...and then...why..."IT'S SNOWING!!! IT'S SNOWING!!!!" I began to sing the words and laughed out loud, "IT'S SNOWING! IT'S SNOWING!!!" It was not possible to keep my inner child from giggling, singing and bouncing up and down as we looked out at the world around us. The world had grown quiet now, as the rain turned to snow and fell in fat blobs to melt instantly upon touching the ground. What a wondrous thing to see this remarkable change before my eyes. The temperature was just not cold enough to keep forming snow though. But for a few magical moments, the snow drifted down, changing back and forth from rain to snow and back again. Such a joy. This experience will never get old to me because I was born and raised in San Francisco. For about 40 years of my life I lived in the City and around the Bay Area, where the weather is so consistently...BORING. San Francisco rarely gets very hot or very cold, so I wanted dearly to live in a place with actual seasons. As I felt the rain drops again patter on my umbrella, I smiled with gratefully because I loved experiencing this so much. Today's picture is a lovely flake of manzanita bark glowing in the afternoon sun. I saw this as I was heading back down the Upper Table Rock trail a few weeks back. Have you ever seen manzanita trees before? They have the most wonderful, silky smooth bark, and every year they shed the last year's layer to expose the new layer. The skin flakes off in beautiful curls and fun shapes that are wonderful to see and hold in your hand. (I will include some insets for you to get a better view!) Pam, does manzanita grow where you live? I imagine you hugging your resident trees like I do, sitting in branches from time to time and appreciating their beauty. I bet you would have fun discovering the little clumps of moss that form at the bases sometimes or in the divots that form here and there. These lovely trees would surely put a smile on your face. I hope you are doing well today and I am sending my love and healing energy to you! Explored on 12/2/18, highest placement, #3.

(+3 images in notes) Have you ever seen a tree that has peeling bark? There are many types of trees that do this, and I have always loved the way the outer bark just peels off in shavings. There are two common trees in our area which have peeling bark: the tall and magestic Madrone and the shorter and scrubbier Manzanita. They share the richly toned, skin-like trunks and branches, and they also have flowers which are fairly similar, though madrone flowers are white and manzanitas are pink. I captured thes blossoms at the top of the Upper Table Rock a few years ago.

What a joy it is to dive into an archive folder and discover another treasure! Steve and I went to the top of the Lower Tablerock with a friend back in the spring of 2013, and I had a great time taking pictures. At one point I heard a lot of buzzing and noticed that the Manzanita flowers were being visited by countless bees, beetles and other insects. I spent about 20 minutes clicking away, and this lucky shot was one of my prizes!! Explored on February 10, 2016. Highest placement, #38.

On the afternoon of October 1, 2016, a fire broke out on our property. It raced across one of our meadows, completely destroyed our shop, and roared up to the top of our ridge before finally being put out. One day, when I could bear to witness the aftermath, I wandered up onto our hillside and captured some of the things that I saw. This is a dying leaf on a Manzanita that was burned too badly to survive. Even still there is beauty as it glows warmly in the late afternoon sun.

This burl was at the base of the tree under Shelby's Heart. I thought it was very unique and interesting with an awesome texture, so I'm sharing it too! :D

One of ipernity's fine personalities is my friend Shelby , who is as talented as she is sweet and wonderful. She also has a darling habit of finding hearts in pictures and pointing them out. If she doesn't find a heart, she finds something sweet to add a ❤ symbol to. Today while I was puttering up the hillside, studying everything I passed by, I found myself staring at one of Shelby's hearts! Now, how did she get here, I wonder?! :D Shelby, I know your heart's been hurting over the loss of your dear kitty, Frisco, but I hope this picture will make you smile and lighten your heart just a little. *big hugs* By the way, this heart is actually a special formation on some tree trunks called a burl. Wiki's description says, "A burl (American English) or bur or burr (used in all non-US English speaking countries) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds." Burls are very special because the wood inside is often a beautiful swirled texture of two colors and they are prized by woodworkers for creating magnificent wood items like pens, bowls, clocks, and many other things. If you would like to read more about burls from Wiki, you can read the article here: Wikipedia: Burl . If you would like to see pictures of items created from manzanita burls, you can see some here: Google Image Search: Manzanita Burl Thanks again, Shelby, for the sweet notes that I love to read on everyone's pictures that you visit. You make me smile every time I see them! :)

[best appreciated at full size against black] A few weeks ago I posted a picture of Manzanita buds, the 14th Flower of Spring. Here is a grouping of the flowers in full blossom! Aren't they pretty?! :) Manzanita is a flowering shrub which can grow into a tree if given time--it is an extremely slow-growing plant. It can grow in extremely dry terrain, however, and has beautiful, smooth, orange bark to go along with its lovely dusty green oval leaves. There are over 100 species, most of which are endemic to California and neighboring states. The berries and flowers of most species are edible, and are a popular food for birds and squirrels, as well as butterflies, bees, and other insects. The berries were traditionally ground into a meal, and also made into cider! The young leaves can be chewed to quench thirst, and Native Indians used leaves as toothbrushes! If you would like to know more about Manzanitas, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Manzanita This image was taken in April, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Our property doesn't have many types of trees. The majority are Oaks trees but we also have lots of Manzanitas, some Madrones and Pine trees, a Laurel and an Ash tree. Manzanitas are one of our favorites because of their beautiful bark, pretty leaves and their lovely flowers. These buds will be in full blossom in the next few week, and I can't wait to smell their candy-sweet fragrance! You will love their lovely bell-shaped blossoms! This image was taken in March, 2012.