Arrived last evening after a week in San Diego and a short two-day drive here.  Spent one night in Lost Hills in the Central Valley.  Watched a glorious sun rise at Kern National Wildlife Refuge near there yesterday and found our first American Bittern of the year making like a stick in the middle of a levee road. 

We had weathered an intense thunderstorm after making camp there the afternoon before.  Raining again here all day.  All it does in California is rain.  The hills are emerald green, think Ireland, with patches of yellow, white, and blue blossoms.  The reservoirs are full except for those they don’t want to fill so as to provide flood protection when the snow melt rises next month. 

We have settled into a modest but still expensive RV park situate between multi-million dollar homes and a golf course.  There is a trail to the beach and we may watch the wide Pacific from our dining room window.  This morning it was slate; now it is battle ship gray.  I’m hoping for blue when we return from a few day stay with Alex at Alamo Square in San Francisco. 

We packed this morning and will miss our little abode on the road, but will have fun in town.  Tonight we will celebrate his birthday in restaurant.  Tomorrow I will bake granola and peanut butter cookies to replenish our stocks of home-made baked goods.  Perhaps I may even bake a small loaf of bread to remind myself what it tastes like after so many weeks of store food.

It being cold and stormy in San Francisco we wonder if we are moving north too soon.  Canadians in our last campground had planned to go home but stayed after seeing this winter prolonged.  We have ferry tickets to Alaska and are committed.  The equinox has come and spring should follow.  We hope.  Meanwhile, San Francisco is always cold.  We know.  Our next stop will be in the Central Valley where nights are cold and days are hot.  Again, we hope. 

But that is not until the week after next.  We’re ready for adventures in S.F.  The wind howls and the rain falls.  Lovely.  The weather lets us catch up on our chores and allows the birds to catch up with us on their trek north.  The first orioles have returned to California.  More coming.

We have seen some 260 species of birds so far this year (in the United States) and that is without a visit to Florida or south Texas.  Only one “life-bird”, a Streak-backed Oriole in Arizona.  Hoping for a few more in Alaska.  Many delightful views of birds we see rarely and many adventures finding them.  Bet we find a few more year-birds in San Francisco in places like Golden Gate Park and Lands End Park.  Also many strange birds too in this fair city.