We had a beautiful day for our final scheduled walk of the season with Tom Guglielmo as our leader. During an initial stroll along the bayside we saw clusters of Laccaria trullissata, a rather substantial autumn brown mushroom with reddish-purple gills and a bulbous base growing in the sand dunes under a pine. Except for a couple of crumpled old earthstars, that was all we were able to see in a fungal way. We weren't deterred from having a great time though. Tom and George doned their bathing suits and plunged into the ocean while Betsy and others (bundled in warm down coats) relaxed on the beach and soaked in the sun and salty air breezes. Others, including my family, Damon, Rena and Don walked through the adjacent bird sanctuary taking in the colorful foliage and catching glimpses of yellow-rumped warblers, hawks and egrets. Then we shared a feast of cheeses, crackers, homemade mushroom-onion bread, egg salad, chicken salad, mushroom salad, olives, fresh tomatoes, figs, grapes, dark chocolate, juices and mineral water. No one wanted to leave.
To see a larger image of each shot, click on each photo.