Knitting California by Nancy Bates

Take your knitting to the next level and create beanies that celebrate Monarch Butterflies, California Poppies, Redwood Trees, Kelp Forests, and more! Just be warned: everyone in your life is going to want one of these hats.

Eureka! From the sea life of Monterey and the surfing culture of SoCal, to the glamour of Hollywood and the majesty of the Coastal Redwoods, California has some of the most unique and diverse landscapes in the United States. Capture the history, spectacular scenery, and fascinating landmarks California offers with original beanie patterns created by knitting designer, author, and proud Californian, Nancy Bates.

The 26 beanie patterns in this book range from simple beanie constructions depicting the gold rush or the Golden Gate Bridge, to more challenging stitch patterns such as the Forests of the North. From wine country to orange groves, gray whales to monarch butterflies, and everything in-between, the beauty of California is depicted in these charming beanies.

Clear charts, easy-to-read keys, and thorough instructions help any knitter, whether beginner or experienced, through these gratifying projects. Show your love for California with these beautiful beanie designs you can wear any time and any place.

26 BEANIE PATTERNS: Including both simple and more challenging stitch patterns, there is something for everyone with these 26 beanie patterns.

INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY OF CALIFORNIA: From the state flag to the beautiful Big Sur coastline, each beanie pattern celebrates the beauty of California.

THE PERFECT GIFT: Perfect for any knitting enthusiast, this book is the gift that keeps on giving with the beanies also being great gifts for fans of California.

SPECTACULARLY PHOTOGRAPHED: Each pattern is accompanied by photos of the finished beanie and California’s landscapes, landmarks, flora, and fauna.

EASY-TO-FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the 26 beanie knitting patterns has been tested and offers clear charts so that knitters of every skill level can knit a beanie in no time.

 

 

Draw the Great Outdoors by Harrison How

Local author Harrison How has published a fun and easy guide to creating beautiful ink drawings of your favorite outdoor spots, from redwood forests to tidepools to beach dunes and more. Drawing outside is a wonderful way to calm your mind and learn to appreciate the little details in your favorite parks.

Explore all the beauty nature has to offer with 20 awe-inspiring land and seascape sketches. In this accessible, step-by-step guide, artist and nature enthusiast Harrison How shows you how to effortlessly capture the ancient wonders of the world in stunning panoramas. Harness the tenacious spirit of the arid deserts as you form Ever Shifting Sand Dunes. Hear the call of the wild as you chart the weathered rock and eroded slopes of the world’s most dramatic mountain peaks with Majestic Volcanos or Cliffs and Rocky Ranges. Unearth the mysteries that hide beneath the waves in Otherworldy Tide Pools.

Harrison breaks the most complicated scenes into mini-tutorials so you can master every detail with ease. You’ll also learn how to seamlessly layer everything together from the smallest shrubs to the largest canyons for picture-perfect drawings. No matter your age or skill level, all you need is a pen to bring the outdoors to life.

Life in a California Mission

A great resource for 4th grade Mission projects!

On the afternoon of September 14, 1786, two French ships appeared off the coast of Monterey, the first foreign vessels to visit Spain’s California colonies. Aboard was a party of eminent scientists, navigators, cartographers, illustrators, and physicians.

For the next ten days the commander of this expedition, Jean Francois de La Pérouse, took detailed notes on the life and character of the area: its abundant wildlife, the labors of soldiers and monks, and the customs of Indians recently drawn into the mission. These observations provide a startling portrait of California two centuries ago.

By Jean François de la Pérouse; Introduction and Commentary by Malcolm Margolin; Illustrations by Linda Yamane.

 

 

Aptos (Images of America)

 

Aptos Images of America

Aptos is a coastal town filled with beaches, a federally protected redwood forest, a community college, shopping centers, a golf course, and more. It is also home to the self-proclaimed “World’s Shortest Parade,” which takes place every Fourth of July. The true meaning of Aptos lacks definitive evidence; however, all sources agree that it is derived from an Indian word. The most common belief is that Aptos translates to “the meeting of two streams” or some variation of that phrase. The two bodies of water the name describes are known today as the Valencia and Aptos Creeks. Another explanation is that the town is named after a famous Indian chief. A third theory comes from Fr. Juan Crespi’s interpretation of the native language on the Portola Expedition of 1769. Although the native people had been here for thousands of years, the first deed of land was not granted to Rafael Castro until 1833. In its relatively short life, Aptos has changed significantly.

This is a collection of stories and photographs, selected by Kevin Newhouse and the Aptos History Museum Committee that best allows readers to travel back and visit Aptos through the years.

Northern California Nature Guide by Erin McCloskey

One of our favorite field guides! Beautifully illustrated and easy to peruse, this guide to Northern California’s wild diversity of life is great for kids and curious adults. 

People who live in Northern California have access to a dramatic variety of landscapes, climates and biodiversity. Marine and coastal zones, rugged mountains, humid forests, wild backcountry, grasslands, sagebrush scrublands, deserts, streams and lakes all contribute to its unique, scenic wonders and ecological grandeur. Conservation International defines the California Floristic Province—the area of California west of the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Range—as a world biodiversity hotspot, owing to an unusual concentration of endemic plants. Of approximately 8000 plant species in the geographic region, about half are endemic. Many areas of Northern California, especially in the mountains, have been protected, and the significance of that foresight is inestimable.

Lone Pine’s newest field guide – the NORTHERN CALIFORNIA NATURE GUIDE – is a handy aid for area residents and visitors alike in identifying the animals and plants you’ll find when visiting Northern California’s great outdoors. The book features 267 types of animals and 117 plants found in the region. Each species is portrayed by an accurate hand-drawn color illustration. Accompanying text presents the common and scientific names of the species, descriptions of size and other identifying characteristics, natural history and fascinating facts, and where you can expect to find that species.

The book is conveniently organized by color-coded categories: mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, fish, invertebrates, trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses and ferns. 

The Fylling Guide to Nature in Your Neighborhood

Get to know some of of your less familiar wild neighbors with this beautifully-illustrated field guide! 

In the same lighthearted yet scientifically accurate style of Fylling’s Illustrated Guide to Pacific Coast Tide Pools, this portable guidebook reveals the splendidly strange animals and plants just outside your door. Marni Fylling’s full-color illustrations make species identification a snap, and concise descriptions include fascinating (and sometimes grotesque) factoids about frequently encountered plants, insects, arachnids, birds, and mammals. With Fylling’s guidance, the everyday becomes extraordinary: Pigeons share nest-building and egg-sitting duties, and mate for life—with occasional dalliances; squirrel teeth grow about six inches per year; spiders owe their characteristic creep to their “hydraulic” legs; poison oak and poison ivy’s itch-inducing oil is also found in pistachios, cashews, and mangoes; and much, much more.

Geology of the Northern Monterey Bay Region

Are you getting curious about rocks? Want to know more about the fossils you’ve spotted in the creek at Nisene Marks, or the cliffs at Seacliff? Want to learn more about the Sand Hills of Henry Cowell, or how to “read” the history of our area hidden in stone? You’re in luck – local author Frank A Perry has written a comprehensive guide to the geology of our home! There’s even information about the history of adobe bricks, and the restoration of the Castro Adobe State Historic Park! 

The northern Monterey Bay region has more interesting geologic features packed into a small area than almost any other part of California. Its dynamic history has been shaped by dramatic uplifts, volcanic eruptions, rising and falling sea levels, and the ever-moving San Andreas Fault. The book explores in simple language an amazing diversity of topics. These include rocks, fossils, earthquakes, beaches, minerals, water, marine terraces, and the Monterey Submarine Canyon. The author places each within the context of human history, and the book includes activities, places to visit, and sources for further reading.

Introduction to California Spring Wildflowers

An easy-to-use, fascinating field guide to the most commonly-encountered wildflowers in California. 

In the spring, California’s rolling hills, green valleys, and coastal slopes are colored with wildflowers treasured by both residents and visitors to the state. First published more than forty years ago, this popular guidebook has helped thousands of amateur and intermediate wildflower enthusiasts learn the names of the flowers located in some of the state’s loveliest and most accessible areas—from below the yellow pine belt in the Sierra Nevada westward to the coast. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, it is now easier to use and more accurate—the perfect guide to take along on outdoor excursions in California and surrounding regions.

The New Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life of California

This newly-updated field guide is the perfect companion for your long beach walks. 

Newly revised and expanded, this guide to the most common animals and plants of the California seashore is a must-have companion for any curious beach visitor.

Look no further than The New Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life of California for the essential tidal guidebook. More than 600 species of the sponges, molluscs, crustaceans, sea stars, sea anemones, jellies, fishes, seaweeds and other flora and fauna you’re likely to see are described here in concise detail―that’s more than double the entries from the original and ever-popular Beachcomber’s Guide to California.

Each entry is photographed in splendid color for identification in the natural habitat, and there are new indicators classifying introduced/invasive species. Also included with each species are common and scientific names, description, size, habitat, range and interesting notes, such as how the Dalmation polyclad has about forty eyes or how it takes ten years for a common lampshell to reach full size.

The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds

Learning to draw birds can do wonders for your ID skills! The combination of close observation and sharp drawing/sketching skills can help your brain hone in on the small details that separate species. Don’t think your art skills are up to snuff? No worries! Anyone can learn to draw, and this staff favorite is a perfect starting place.

From publisher Heyday:

John Muir Laws’s guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. As Laws writes, “To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird’s skeletal structure. To pose this skeleton, you must be able to perceive the energy, intention, and life of the bird.”

This how-to guide will perfect the technique of serious artists but also, perhaps more importantly, it will provide guidance for those who insist they can’t draw.  Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises, Laws delivers what he promises: that “drawing birds opens you to the beauty of the world.”