fort ord and the pajaro dunes

my kiddos from the student oceanography club at the monterey bay aquarium had a field event on saturday at fort ord. we were helping the bureau of land management and return of the natives replant a hillside with native plants. our kids were incredible and helped to plant over 1,000 plants in three hours! we even had a harp player keeping us entertained while we planted! 

this was my first time in the fort ord national monument...and it was amazing! we were seemingly in the middle of nowhere among beautiful oaks and rolling hills. i think pete and i are going to have to come back to this place soon... 

a sampling of the baby native plants we were planting

our planting location. never underestimate the

abilities of forty 11-13 year olds!

our planting entertainment. i'm not kidding. it was awesome!

 the beautiful mossy oaks on the drive into the site.

the oaks were covered in moss - until you got beyond the fog line.

the rest of our weekend was spent at the pajaro dunes with pete's extended family. his family has been getting together on president's day weekend for over forty years! in addition to the beach, this year we had the olympics and a four month old to keep us all entertained... :)

 beach treasures for a nerd - pelagic barnacles on drift kelp!

this kelp must have been floating around for awhile
before being deposited on the beach.

 wing feathers of a gull. there were a lot of dead

birds on the beach - seven birds, five species. :(

 a little plover

 a group of sandpipers hiding in the beach wrack

best sandcastle ever! some creative kid used the

plethora of washed up shells and crab carapaces

to decorate his/her castle. the walkway was even

paved with shell fragments. winner!