The full moon of June 3 brings some extreme morning low tides. This will be the Lotus Moon in Chinese tradition, to remind us to nurture beauty from adversity like the beautiful aquatic flowers that bloom out of muddy ponds. The planet Venus is at elongation, its highest annual point on the western horizon, sparkling just after sunset unless the fog slips in.
The wildflower season shows no sign of slowing down. The latest on the scene—the tiny, blue sky lupine—is blooming in the pastures around Bear Valley, where a great blue heron has been serenely hunting gophers. More birds are filling the air with song as they establish territories. Red-winged blackbirds have returned and are swaying on the tule grasses of Olema Marsh. Brown pelicans have also returned to their northern range and are splashing in the surf off Limantour Beach. These stirrings of summer are upon West Marin.
This Friday, May 26, National Park Service and United States Coast Guard staff will gather at 10 a.m. at the Lifesaving (Claussen family) Cemetery to honor the surfmen buried there. Visitor centers, the lighthouse, and the park’s roads and trails will be open over the Memorial Day weekend. Traditionally, the Sunday of three-day weekends sees the heaviest traffic.