Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne US author (1804 - 1864)

Well, no butterflies alit on our shoulders (there was quite a group of people, some of them very active children), but they did amaze and delight us and lift our spirits.

Saturday, after Scout Committee Meeting, Andrew, Benjamin, and I headed west in search of Monarch butterflies

There is a sheltered tiny little valley in Natural Bridges State Park where Monarch butterflies spend October through March. If it is warmer than 55degrees, the butterflies can fly. Many were flying Saturday.

This is a picture of some of them resting high in the trees taken through the Ranger's telescope.


Like many State Parks, Natural Bridges only allows dogs on paved areas. So after visiting the Monarchs, we went in search of a dog-friendly beach. Along the way, we enjoyed the beautiful ocean-front homes in Santa Clara. We also saw surfers (although I thought the ocean rather calm), kayakers, sailboats, joggers, lovers, walkers, bicyclists, people on the beaches, one beach near the Boardwalk that must have been nothing but dozens of beach volleyball courts - only a few in use. No skaters, I don't think.

There was no parking anywhere near a beach, so after a brief walk along the beach walk, and some aimless driving around Santa Cruz - including passing by the famous Santa Cruz board walk which I was surprised to see was still and quiet - we headed north along the coast highway. We stopped at a coastal access area and took a nice paved trail down to the beach. With Anna, of course. A little bit of rock climbing, exploring, talking to another beach walker, and it was time to go.