Shmuel Thaler

A recent sunrise streaks the sky over the Monterey Bay in a cacophony of vibrant color as anglers head out from the Santa Cruz Harbor in the first light of day.

In a quintessential Santa Cruz moment, the Stars and Stripes flies at the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse as surfers, cyclists, dog walkers and pedestrians make their way along West Cliff. In fact, some are cycling surfers and surfing dog walkers.

Dusk paints the sky in a pastel palette above the Fireside Inn as a family heads to their vehicle after an outing to the Boardwalk Bowl. The Fireside Inn, located on Second Street on Beach Hill in Santa Cruz was built in 1957 and most recently remodeled in 2014.

Streaks from a recent sunrise are reflected in a home's window at the corner of Alta Vista and Miramar drives in Santa Cruz.

The cliffs along the Pacific Ocean rise in the background as visitors to Natural Bridges State Beach make their way back to their vehicle in the parking lot at the end of Wes ...

A white-crowned sparrow alights on Thursday on a plant on the bluffs above the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz. Depending on the season, this sparrow can be found throughout most of North America. White-crowned sparrows that breed along the Pacific Coast tend to have yellow bills and duller white head stripes and birds that breed from Alaska to Hudson Bay ten ...

Waves crash at Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz ahead of an expected storm. The second day of an atmospheric river brought heavy rain to Northern California, with the heaviest downfalls north of San Francisco. A high surf advisory is in effect for the Bay Area coast from Point Reyes south to Big Sur including the Southern Monterey Bay until 6 a.m. Friday. The National Weath ...

The first section of a 945-square-foot modular prefabricated accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is craned Thursday into a backyard on the 100 block of Plateau Avenue in Santa Cruz. The unit was built, permitted and delivered by Monterey-based Framework First after being constructed at their Salinas facility. The ADU will allow Steve and Katrine Dettle's family to continue to u ...

A pair of rowers stroke their way toward the mouth of the Santa Cruz Harbor as the landscape across the Monterey Bay rises in the background.

Morning sunshine backlights leaves on Saturday under a blue sky along Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz. Friday's heavy rains gave way to clear skies on Saturday. The Sunday forecast calls for a partly sunny day transitioning to rain likely returning late Sunday afternoon and night. There is a 90% of more precipitation falling Monday.