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Today I’m sharing two doors a birding friend shared with me to share with you.
Eleanor say’s this first door is from a Jesuit church in Arequipa, Peru. Her husband posing in front of it adds a great sense of scale. The doors are huge.
Image used with permission
The second door image Eleanor sent me is from a Parish Church in Dinan, France. She thinks the writing on the door is Hebrew. Anyone know what it says? It’s a lovely weathered door and the door hardware we see in silhouette on the door jam looks neat.
Image used with permission.
When I saw she had written the town of Dinan, France something clicked in my brain. I thought, I’ve been in that town. So, I went to my archives and sure enough back in October of 2008 while on a Rick Steves’ tour we stopped there to check out the Ramparts and wander around the town for an hour or so. I took lots of images of buildings and cobbled stone streets, but only one proper door. It’s a door on the second floor of a house. Back in the day they built the second floor jetting out over the first floor. They could increase their living space without increasing their tax burden doing this.
Eleanor’s images started me on a trek down memory lane as I hadn’t thought about this particular trip to France in a long time.
Thank you Eleanor for the doors, opening the door to my memories, and thank you all for stopping by to read the post and see the doors.
This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at https://nofacilities.com/2026/05/28/iowa-doors-and-stories/ Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊
This little Owl family was a treat to find and see this month.
Fun Facts:
Great Horned Owls are fierce predators that can take large prey, including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and other owls. They also eat much smaller items such as rodents, frogs, and scorpions.
When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. The owls use this deadly grip to sever the spine of large prey.
If you hear an agitated group of cawing American Crows, they may be mobbing a Great Horned Owl. Crows may gather from near and far and harass the owl for hours. The crows have good reason, because the Great Horned Owl is their most dangerous predator.
Even though the female Great Horned Owl is larger than her mate, the male has a larger voice box and a deeper voice. Pairs often call together, with audible differences in pitch.
Great Horned Owls are covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against the cold winter weather and help them fly very quietly in pursuit of prey. Their short, wide wings allow them to maneuver among the trees of the forest.
Great Horned Owls have large eyes, pupils that open widely in the dark, and retinas containing many rod cells for excellent night vision. Their eyes don’t move in their sockets, but they can swivel their heads more than 180 degrees to look in any direction. They also have sensitive hearing, thanks in part to facial disc feathers that direct sound waves to their ears.
The oldest Great Horned Owl on record was at least 28 years old when it was found in Ohio in 2005.
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Birdhouses!
Two years ago there was a wild fire in Washoe County, NV. It was pretty devasting destroying 14 residences, 22 outbuildings, two commercial buildings, and 5,800+ acres of private, state, and federal lands.
Davis Creek Regional Park has partially reopened. Not all trails are completely opened yet, and camping remains closed.
Birds, and wildlife are still thriving there. Last week I was birding there and to my delight saw someone or many talented people have used the felled, and cut trees to create birdhouses.
There was a pair of Western Bluebirds setting up house in one, or maybe two birdhouses.
They were seen trying out two different birdhouses while I was there.
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Continuing on with our Morro Bay trip I have for you today some doors, and portals from the Morro Bay Maritime Museum. We stopped by the museum while walking back to our car after dinner one evening. We went specifically to see the DSRV-2, Avalon. The museum itself was closed but, the outdoor exhibits are open and one is free to see them and walk around the grounds.
There’s a mural on the street facing side of the building that depicts the Tug Boat Alma. Alma is famous for rescuing the survivors after a Japanese submarine fired on and sank the Union Oil tanker Montebello on December 23, 1941. The attack occurred 6 miles off shore. The Alma rushed out to search for survivors and picked up 2 lifeboats of full.
DSRV-2 Avalon, DSRV is an acronym for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle. The Avalon is one of only 2 DSRV’s. The door is really a hatch. I believe it’s located on top of the submersible inside that orange cover.
There was a partial bit of tall ship too. I didn’t get a photo of the signage and have forgotten what it said. Sorry! I’m not sure if this is the Poop Deck or the Forecastle, but it has a canon door! Yes, I think it’s listing a bit.
Just in front of the partial tall ship is a display case housing several Lego builds of seafaring craft by Alex Nelson, age 13 at the time he constructed these.
There are a few other boats there that I didn’t get photos of. With any luck I’ll get to go back to see more of this museum.
Fun Facts:
“Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle
Launched in July 1972, the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSVR) Avalon was the second of two identical submersibles. Both DSRV’s were built as a result of the tragic USS Thresher accident in April 1063. The loss of the nuclear submarine Thresher and all crew highlighted the need for the Navy to develop a dependable, rapid deployment, rescue system for downed submarines.
The DSRV vehicles offered a quick response, all-weather capable system for rescuing the crew of a submarine immobilized on the sea floor. Mystic and Avalon are the first submersibles that were designed to be readily transported by land, air, on or beneath the sea. They could operate independently of surface conditions or under ice for rapid response to an accident anywhere in the world with a maximum operating depth of 5000 feet.
After arriving at a rescue site, the DSRV Avalon could dive, locate and attach itself to a disabled submarine (DISSUB). At that point, the DISSUB’s access hatches would open and crew from the DISSUB could enter directly into the DSRV. The DSRV could then detach itself from the submarine and transfer the rescued personnel to the support ship, a specially modified submarine or a surface ship.
The DSRV Avalon was deactivated in 2000 and her sister ship Mystic by 2008. The next generation system, Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS), has replaced the DSRV system. Like the DSRV’s, the newer SRDS is based at the Naval Air Station Coronado Island, California, ready to respond in a matter of hours to a submarine emergency in any of the world’s oceans.”
~ Morro Bay Maritime Museum
This post is part of the weekly challenge Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion over at https://nofacilities.com/
Head on over there to see more doors from around the world or join the craze and add a door or two of your own. 😊
We visited a lighthouse or light station as they’re now called, hiked in State and County parks, ate fresh seafood every evening, and of course I birded.
We we lucky and had some beautiful sunsets. Here’s our first one.
Morro Rock, a State Historic Landmark, was formed about 23 million years ago from the plugs of long-extinct volcanoes. Morro Rock was an important navigational aid for mariners for over 300 years because the rock is approximately 576 feet tall which made it the most visible in a chain of 9 peaks. Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named the rock “El Morro” in 1542. In Spanish “Morro” means crown shaped hill. Morro Rock, sometimes called the “Gibraltar of the Pacific,” is the last peak of the Nine Sisters, which extend from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay.
The rock itself was mined on and off until 1963. Morro Rock provided material for the break water of Morro Bay and Port San Luis Harbor. In 1966, a bill was introduced which transferred the full title to the State of California. Later the San Luis Obispo County Historical Society and the City of Morro Bay succeeded in getting the Morro Rock declared as California Registered Historical Landmark #821. Morro Rock also became State Landmark #801 in 1968. The rock has since been designated a bird sanctuary for the peregrine falcon and other bird species.“
The Crested Caracara looks like a hawk with its sharp beak and talons, behaves like a vulture, and is technically a large tropical black-and-white falcon. It is instantly recognizable standing tall on long yellow-orange legs with a sharp black cap set against a white neck and yellow-orange face. The Crested Caracara is a bird of open country and reaches only a few states in the southern U.S. It flies low on flat wings, and routinely walks on the ground.
A common subject of folklore and legends throughout Central and South America, the Crested Caracara is sometimes called the “Mexican eagle.”
Although it looks like a long-legged hawk the Crested Caracara is actually a falcon.
The Crested Caracara is the only falcon that collects material to build a nest. Other falcons lay their eggs in an old nest built by another species or in a scrape on the ground.
The oldest recorded Crested Caracara was at least 21 years, 9 months old when it was identified by its band in 2015 in Florida. It was originally banded in the same state in 1994.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.
February 18th we had a good storm blow through bringing lots of snow to the area. Down here in the valley we got a months worth in 24 hours.
We got about 6 inches but, up in the mountains they got 20-30 inches. I’m sure most of you were seeing all the car wrecks, and hearing about the major interstate closures out here. Thankfully two days after the storm it was nice enough to get out and run some errands, and make a couple of images.
From my Patio shortly after daybreak the clouds began to break up.
It’s been in the low 50’s the last couple of days and today will be 57 degrees F! The snow here in the valley is melting so fast, but it’s been super windy the last two days. I’m hoping it tapers off this afternoon.
I hope you back east fared well through the Nor’easter and all are having a good week!
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