Toad in the Hole

We dropped everything and went out to Point Reyes yesterday, because we were both getting stir-crazy and life is short.

First the bad news: Fire season has started already. Not on the Point (knock wood) but up in the Delta, on an “uninhabited” island next to Sherman Island, a very smoke brushfire. On the way home, we were remarking on the odd dark clouds high over the Bay. There had been a decent breeze off the ocean out there, and we didn’t realize that the rest of the area was enduring a wind from the east. (My lungs and sinuses are trying to kill me now, thankewveddymch.) Didn’t smell smoke, but of course that’s what we were seeing.

Out on the Chimney Rock trail, we saw this young elephant seal with something nasty around his neck.

He looks particolored because he’d been lying on his side in the water; the wet half of his coat is dark.

We reported him to a ranger, who said one other person had done so just before us, but thought it was a pup they were dealing with. We thought it was a first-year (or so) male; he’s developing a schnozz already. This will make him more of a challenge to the Marin Mammal Center paople to deal with.

The good part of the day I’ll post in an hour or so.