I always thought I was a Russian Jew.

Growing up in the fifties, my parents always told my brothers and me that we were half Russian and half Hungarian. Our paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia, and our maternal grandparents immigrated from Hungary. Needless to say, we always felt a special connection to "Fiddler On The Roof," as that was probably the circumstances our grandparents experienced. As far as we know, no one from our European family survived the Holocaust.

With adulthood came the birth of services like Ancestry.com and others like it. Several members of my family did genealogy searches, tracing our grandparents and others in the family back as far as they could. One of the things we learned was that our Russian family came from the area around Odessa. It never occurred to me that my dad's side actually came from Ukraine, not Russia. I'm guessing the reason for that is that, at the time of their immigration, Ukraine was probably considered part of Russia or the U.S.S.R, and they considered themselves Russian. In my ignorance of geography, I had no idea that Odessa was in Ukraine, and not Russia as we know it today.

This has definitely affected me as I watch events unfold on the other side of the world. All this time I had no idea that my family was from Ukraine, and not Russia or the U.S.S.R. It's a very strange feeling to learn that there is a connection there that I never knew I had.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands Reserve

Bolsa Chica is one of the California birders' favorite spots. It didn't disappoint yesterday. I saw, and photographed, my first kingfisher.





Great blue heron in a palm tree



Northern Pintails





House finch

Fun With Peregrine Falcons!

Happy Valentines Day from California!

A few more possible entries for the last contest, "Pieces of the Whole."

The old pump from the same vintage fire engine.



The Battleship Iowa



The Raven and the Eagle





A vintage streetlight in Stewart, B.C.

For Peggy and AndyS

I shot these today at Point Vicente Lighthouse, where we stopped last summer.

(I edited this to add the shots of the blimp).

A trip to Malibu Lagoon State Beach

I went to Malibu today to photograph the resident osprey. Unfortunately, the cranky old bird wasn't cooperating. I did get to see a few other beauties though.

Thanks to all who sent me a heart. I am flattered, and I am thankful that I have made so many friends in my brief time here.


A black phoebe surveys the scene from an old weathered tree stump.



A killdeer searches the shoreline for a tidbit. Thanks to fargone for the bird ID.



Egrets always produce the best reflections.