Tuffy, 1991

Tuffy & Shawna - Marin County  1991

Shawna riding Tuffy. Taken at Sundown Stables, I think.

Tuffy, 1985

Tuffy - Vacaville  1985

Tuffy being ridden by Heidi, his trainer. Photo is captioned on the back: "Tuffy's first show (and ribbon) / Ranchotel - 1985"

(Ranchotel Horse Center was built in 1970 in an area just west of Vacaville known as Lagoon Valley.)

Sundown Stables - Home of Ultra Tuff

We first met Tuffy at Sundown Stables where Hali was sponsoring a horse. ("Devil," a very nice fellow, not devilish at all.) She purchased Tuffy in 1987.

Monday Horse Blogging: Tuffy, 1983-2016

Tuffy Running - Marin County  2009

The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) breed registry is now one of the largest in North America.

The American Paint Horse shares a common ancestry with the American Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred. A registered Paint horse should conform to the same "stock horse" body type desired in Quarter Horses: a muscular animal that is heavy but not too tall, with a low center of gravity for maneuverability, and powerful hindquarters suitable for rapid acceleration and sprinting.

- Wikipedia

Tuffy (more formally, Ultratuff) was a paint. And, once he got a ribbon! (See tomorrow's post.) He and Hali mainly participated in trail riding, usually in Marin County but also elsewhere in California.

He had a bad case of horse colic last June, but seemed to recover from it. As a result we were obliged to put him on a no-hay diet. The colic reoccured, in a much more severe form last October, when we were in Osaka. We were kept up to date through iMessages from Sarah. Later in the day we found out that a vet who was at the stable at the time attempted to treat Tuffy, but after consulting with Tuffy's vet the decision was made to put him down. For the best, as we didn't want him to suffer.

The next several posts will be an "All-Tuffy" week at the mikereport.

Loma Alta

Mt. Tamalpais from Loma Alta - Marin County  2016

Road, Loma Alta - Marin County 2016

Once I got to the top I was above the fog.

Two photos taken at the top of Loma Alta, using a Canon G5X.

Sunrise

Sunrise - Marin County  2016

Sunrise, Coyote Bush - Marin County  2016

Interesting. When I started out you could see fog filling the lower elevations, but as the sun rose the fog increased and began to obscure the view.

Buckeye

Buckeye - Marin County  2016

I hiked to the top of Loma Alta in late September, hoping to break in a new pair of North Face hiking shoes before a trip to Japan.

Nice views all the way up to the top, but I still got a blister in Japan.

Highway 5 Truck Stop

Highway 5 Truck Stop #1 - Stanislaus County  2016

Highway 5 Truck Stop #2 - Stanislaus County  2016

OK, so maybe the truck stop isn't in Stanislaus County. Very close, though.

Two iPhone pano photos.

End Commercial, 2016 and 2006

End Commercial - San Francisco  2016

End Commercial - San Francisco  2006

Had more telephoto range for the 2016 photo.

Melrose Avenue #56: Provocateur / Trinity Boxing

Provocateur - Los Angeles  2016

Trinity Boxing - Los Angeles  2016

Trinity Boxing is located in an alley just off Melrose. Highly recommended by Yelp reviewers.

Monday Heron Blogging

Blue Heron, Cows - Point Reyes  2016

Mike spotted this large bird swooping overhead, uttering loud squawks all the while. Maybe it had something to do with the falcon sitting on a post in the background.

Blue Heron, Swooping - Point Reyes  2016

On Fairfax Avenue

RVCA - Los Angeles  2016

Fax Orders - Los Angeles  2016

Apparently the "V" in RVCA is really a "U."

Both photos taken using a Canon G5X, this time with an appropriate ISO setting.

Hon's, 2016 and 2006

Hon's Wun-Tun House Ltd. of Calif. - San Francisco  2016

Hon's Wun-Tun House Ltd. of Calif. - San Francisco  2006

This year and ten years ago. Top photo an upwards-rotating iPhone panorama, bottom photo taken with a Sony R1.

Looks like they've upgraded the awning!

Ocean, Beach

Ocean, Beach - Point Reyes  2016

Very gloomy, didn't stick around. But now, in retrospect, looks kind of interesting.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail - 2

Coyote Bush, Lagoon - Point Reyes  2016

Grass, Dunes, Lagoon - Point Reyes  2016

After my hike I dropped by the Visitor Center to get the coyote bush ID. Usually it's much taller, but here the offshore winds keep it pushed down.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail - 1

Pond - Point Reyes  2016

Bracken, Coyote Bush - Point Reyes  2016

Two photos taken with an Olympus wide-angle 9-18mm zoom lens.

Monday Peregrine Falcon Blogging

Peregrine Falcon - Point Reyes  2016

Mike was hiking on the Abbotts Lagoon trail at Point Reyes last September when he noticed a roped-off area near the beach. Getting closer he saw that the area behind the rope was a Snowy Plover nesting area, not to be entered. So, anyway, of course he noticed plenty of footsteps inside the prohibited area. But then he also noticed a fierce-looking hawk, also inside the area. Mike got as close as he could, racked the Olympus 14-150mm zoom out as far as possible and took a number of photos.

Back at home the ID was pretty clear: a Peregrine Falcon. Wow!

One of the world's fastest birds; in power-diving from great heights to strike prey, the Peregrine may possibly reach 200 miles per hour. Regarded by falconers and biologists alike as one of the noblest and most spectacular of all birds of prey.

Bird Nesting Area - Point Reyes  2016

Abbotts Lagoon Trailhead

Road, Fog - Point Reyes  2016

Fence, Fog - Point Reyes  2016

Early morning hike last September. Foggy, overcast.

From the Ferry

Alcatraz, Mt. Tamalpais - San Francisco  2016

Bay Bridge, Cranes - San Francisco  2016

Taken using an Olympus 14-150mm zoom lens. Cranes are across the bay in Oakland.

Also, Alcatraz photo with smog.

Also, some on-site Alcatraz photos.

From Joe's Car

Sunset - Los Angeles  2016

Betta Butt - Los Angeles  2016

Earlier Betta Butt sign photo.

Earlier From Joe's Car photo.

Grant Avenue

Grant Avenue - San Francisco  2016

Fire Escape - San Francisco  2016

Telephoto lens compression in top photo. Photoshop perspective adjustment in bottom one.

Petaluma Sightems

Petaluma River - Petaluma  2016

Horse, Feed Store - Petaluma  2016

Taken in September.

Melrose Avenue #55 : Blam / Give Me My Girls Back

Blam - Los Angeles  2016

Give Me My Girls Back - Los Angeles  2016

Both photos taken with a Canon G5X, not at ISO 12,800.

Monday Gull Blogging

Gulls, Richmond Bridge - Marin County  2016

From the scenic pullout.

Petaluma Theaters

Boulevard Cinemas - Petaluma  2016

Mystic Theatre - Petaluma  2016

September, wandering around Petaluma.

Eastern Bakery

Eastern Bakery - San Francisco  2006

Eastern Bakery - San Francisco  2016

Two photos of Eastern Bakery on Grant Avenue, taken 10 years apart. 2006 photo was taken with a Sony R1, current one with an Olympus E-M10.

8075 / Beverly Blossoms

8075 - Los Angeles  2016

Beverly Blossoms - Los Angeles  2016

Beverly Blossoms is not on Beverly Boulevard, but on Third Street.

Also:

Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2015: Madison Partners is pleased to announce the sale of 8075 W. 3rd Street, a recently renovated, Class A office property in the coveted 3rd Street area of Los Angeles. Located immediately adjacent to the world-class locales of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Hollywood, the property was sold to a local investment and development group which focuses on strategic acquisitions of well-positioned urban assets.

Follow Me Beauty

Follow Me Beauty (Chinatown) - San Francisco  2016

I used an Olympus E-M10 and a 14-150mm zoom lens for this photo.

I Swam Out Into an Ocean of Possibility

Neon Rabbit, Self-Portrait - Los Angeles  2016

Ocean of Possibility - Los Angeles  2016

We walked from Fairfax to almost La Cienega on Third Street . . . trendy expensive shops.