Eagles and Ospreys, Oh My!

We got up at the usual time, had a quick bite to eat and headed over to the marina at Lake Cachuma to take the eagle cruise. Yesterday afternoon we were the only ones signed up for this morning's cruise, so we were half-way expecting to find the tour postponed. But, two other couples were there, so we were on! It was a cool, but sunny morning, just right for an adventure.

Below is the marina, with the mountains in the background. Most of the snow is gone

"The Meeting" - California style

The first eagle sighting of the morning. This is a juvenile. Our guide, Melissa, guesses this youngster may be three years old.

We spotted many osprey, here's one that stood out.

A common loon.

And a grebe

We were lucky to see two eagles in flight.

And finally, a golden eagle.

It was a fun tour and well worth the $15.00 each!

There was a little of an irritating occurrence this afternoon. I thought it would be a very easy thing to get a fax number from a local medical testing facility so I can have my doctor fax an order for a cholesterol screening while we're here. Ha! Not so fast....One place told me because my doctor is in Colorado and my address is in Texas, they won't do a blood test in California. I called another place, and they started to tell me they wouldn't do it. When I pushed a little, they said as long as my personal physician faxed the order, they would do the blood test. Sheesh! You'd think I wanted narcotics or something, the way they acted. Is this just California? Hmmm....

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I follow several other blogs and have met some of the bloggers. Gordon and Sandra are currently in the Phoenix/Mesa area where we were last year. I've been reading all about the places they've visited like Carefree and the Mesa Swap Meet, which brings back great memories of our time there. And I've received comments from Jo Wishnie, she and Fred spent time here at Lake Cachuma last April. Our activities have refreshed her memories of this place. That's another great benefit of this lifestyle, our memories stay fresh through the experiences of others who visit the same places!