Place: Hiking at Caspers Wilderness Park .......

We went for  a hike to Caspers Wilderness Park..........
On the way, some California poppy were still blooming...in late June....

It was a hot sunny day........the dry San Juan creek gleamed further......

Chaparral from a view point.......

Opuntia cactus were blooming yellow, pink, and orange.....

In front of the visitor center, there was a bird feeder stand...........dove and scrub jay were the predominant clients.....

A dove on the nearby oak...

The amiable ranger gave us a bag of roasted peanuts to fill the ring feeder.....he could not do, as he was holding a nature center resident, a rosy boa.......my  spouse is helping with the peanut filling......

Some scrub jays deliberately or accidentally dropped peanuts to the ground, which the ground squirrels enjoyed.......

A scrub jay contemplating which nut to grab........

View from the top floor of the nature center...........ringed by hills...

Looks like all jays got their share of peanuts..........

A woodpecker trying to sip from a faucet.........

Place: Hiking at O'Neill regional park.......

O'Neill regional park, named after Richard O'Neill, an Irish cattleman, in Rancho Santa Margarita, is barely 10 miles from our Mission Viejo place..
On a recent weekend, we hiked there.....

Matilija poppy were in bloom.......golden top and crepe white petals were a sight to behold!

Saw a couple of ground squirrel babies, peeping from their burrow, under an eucalyptus grove......

Rain has created an art on eucalyptus bark.....

Someone has put painted rocks on the trees lining the trail......its a spectacled kitty...

Saw some tree squirrels.......

California buckthorns graced the edges of the cliffs......

Vantage points offered wide view of the Saddleback mountain...

Pine cones were carpeting the ground...

Loved the hike..will do again soon......

House: Garden flowers......

My present apartment has a decent-sized backyard...and it gets ample sunlight.....
I have been able to grow a variety of flowers.......

House: Fireplace mantel..........

I had always wanted a fireplace mantel...imparts a dreamy feel..
In South California, we don't really need it....
But our new apartment, which was built in the 80s' has one..........nice place to display the souvenirs or gifts accumulated over the years..

People: California beach sirens......

Come summer and california beaches are swarmed by sirens....human sirens...........
Some of my shots.......

Lady with seaweed..........