Steve Maller Photography

We had a lovely morning adventure today. We loaded up the kids and went out to Año Nuevo state beach in search of their resident Elephant Seals. Although it’s neither the mating season or the breeding season (the most popular times to see them) we wanted to have a day. So off we went. We parked in the main parking lot and walked the 2.5 miles or so down to the beaches where the seals congregate. At this moment in their year, the seals are molting. It’s primarily the large males who are on the beaches alongside the juveniles. The mature females are somewhere out in the Pacific between Pescadero and the Hawaiian Islands loading up on squid.

Anyway, we ran across a couple of pups who were actually up and (sort of) about. Both were kind enough to offer me the opportunity to photograph them and photograph them I did.

It was a whirlwind of art, food, wine and fond memories, and now we’re back home. Max and Sam enjoyed their time with their Grandma, Walter seems no worse for the wear, and Lara (our Italian exchange student) is a delightful, lyric addition to the usual goings on around here.

Thanks for all the well-wishes!

Edgar Degas made the original version of this sculpture, petite danseuse de 14 ans (“small dancer aged 14”),  in wax, and it was cast in bronze after his death. It is one of the multitude of treasures we beheld yesterday at the Musée d’Orsay here in Paris.