Whatever Weds. Anniversary Get-Away

Copyright ©2026 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

Last week He-Man and I had a get-away celebratory few days in Morro Bay and surrounding area for our 45th wedding anniversary.

We had a nice room with a balcony view of the famous Morro Rock.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com
This is the first look of Morro Rock from our balcony after checking-in.

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.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com

and soft pink daybreaks.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com
Daybreak soft and pink.

Fun Facts:

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.

Fun facts gleaned from~https://www.morrobayca.gov/383/Morro-Rock-Beach

I’ll be sharing more of our get away in future posts.

iPhone 14 Pro

more to come…

Wild Wednesday 34/52 Rowing

Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I met Gordon and some other friends early Saturday morning for a day of photography. We photographed the US Masters Rowing Championship meet at Lake Merritt in Oakland CA.

We got there as the sun was rising, and a little later we got golden-pink hue on the Alameda County Court House and lake.  This was the prettiest scenery I saw on Saturday.

Alameda County Court House

Then we waited for the races to begin. There were singles, 2 person teams, 4 person teams, 8 person teams, and mixed teams. Going in I knew absolutely nothing about rowing, but I did learn the difference between Sculls, and Sweeps on Saturday. It’s all about the oars.

In Sculling each team member has a pair of oars. Their boats tend to be smaller with 1, 2, or 4 rowers, and sculling boats do not have a coxswain.

Sweeps- each team member has one oar, and their boats can have 2, 4, or 8 rowers. Larger boats with 4 or 8 rowers will often times have a coxswain steering the boat.

The Coxswain is the member of the team that sits in stern of the boat, and steers the boat. The rowers have their backs facing the direction they’re going so having someone steer and call out what is needed from the rowers is necessary. They also coordinate the power, and rhythm of the rowers.  They are loud, we could hear them from clear across the lake.

2 man team- They’re sculling.  I tried panning. It wasn’t easy because they’re going slower than you think they are when trying to pan.

2 Man Team-Sculling

4 man team- Sweeps with a Coxswain

Sweeps 4 man team with Coxswain

The funniest thing I saw that day was a seagull trying to chase a drone out of its airspace.

The Drone was filming the races, and streaming a live feed back to a BIG monitor for spectators and teams to watch in the rowers staging area.  The gull never got any closer than this to the Drone during this territorial spat, but it squawked at the Drone the whole time it chased it.

Territorial Spat

A team headed to the staging area-

Rowing Team

Rowing shoes

Looking Up

Making some adjustments

Making some Adjustments

Rowing Oars

The starting line in the background

Wildflowers around Lake Merritt

It was a 3 day event. I have no idea who won in the end, but it was fun to hang out and photograph some of it, and learn a little something about rowing.  It looks like a fun sport.

I hope your week is going well, and you have a lovely week-end!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 300mm f/4 & Nikkor 24-120mm f/4| Hoodman Digital Film| PS CC 2018

more to come…