Stormy weather is heading towards us from Los Angeles and so we saw rough seas with big waves along the coast today.

We programmed the sat nav to direct us to the coast and we travelled as far as the Russian River. On the way we saw so many birds of prey that we gave up counting them. There were eagles and hawks soaring in the sky and on fence posts and perched on over head wires. We saw a coyote running in a field and a dead raccoon on the road. I spotted 5 deer too. There were little lambs and calves in the fields.

The best wild life views we saw were at the inlet where the Russian river meets the sea. Here there were many grey seals adults and babies resting on the sand and in the river and sea. Also there were pelicans amongst the hundreds of gulls floating on the river and on the sand bank. We felt so privileged to see all this, hope you like the photos.

We had dinner in a Russian cafe with a difference. The lady cooks Russian food, you help yourself and then pay what you like for the food. She was from St Petersburg and was very friendly. The food was delicious and the room was filled with Russian artefacts. It was like being invited to dinner in her living room! A lovely experience.

The Pacific Ocean was full of ferocious breakers. The whole of California has had a long drought for many months and it has now broken. The last 3 weeks they have had long awaited for rain. Today though was dry the storm is predicted to hit us tonight. This is why the sea was so rough.

What a lovely day we enjoyed today. I love California in the Winter, it is mild and green.