adventures from week #2

madeline's second week in california brought even more adventures! maddy got to participate in the week-long young women in science camp at the monterey bay aquarium. i have been volunteering for the program for six or seven summers so it was really special for me to see maddy in the camp this year. the highlights of camp included sea otter tracking from cannery row, sea kayaking in the elkhorn slough, scuba diving in the great tide pool, and boogie boarding. she also made some new friends and got to enjoy the aquarium for five days! 

 boogie boarding with new friends

 the excitement of catching a wave

scuba diving in the great tide pool at the aquarium

we celebrated my dad's birthday on the 28th with ice cream and sorbet from a local ice creamery in santa cruz. it was nice to be able to celebrate with family and to share our memories. 

after science camp ended, we headed straight to the mountains for some time on the stanislaus river where pete's family has a spot on leased forest service lands. other than the mosquitoes, we had a great time. maddy even learned how to split wood. uncle pete is a good teacher! when at the river swimming is a must, even if the water isn't much warmer than the ocean. we also had time for lots and lots of card games.

 mosquito protection

 learning how to split wood

 pete's new ax was advertised as "shaving sharp" - so of course he had to try!

wading into the chilly stanislaus and trying to determine
if getting to the other side is really worth it

maddy's favorite day came late in the trip, but i think it was worth waiting for. she got to visit with the dolphins at long marine lab and play dolphin trainer for a bit. she was in love!

 pete, maddy, and i with primo

 maddy asking puka to "talk"

puka showing off his stuff

our last big santa cruz adventure was none other than the infamous mystery spot. this is a spot in the santa cruz mountains where balls role uphill, people list with an extra 17 degree tilt, and the eye trickery is enough to make you dizzy for hours. 

sarah, i swear we gave her no alcohol! :)

i took madeline to the airport this morning and put her on a plane bound for minnesota. her mom met her at the airport and took her to a swimming beach...ironically, it was hotter than any beach she visited in california. 

thanks for the adventures, munchkin!

blue whales! and other adventures

my niece madeline arrived in california on thursday and is spending two weeks with me and pete. maddy is the first of four (currently) nieces and nephews who will make this trip the summer after her/his 13th birthday as a way to introduce them to another part of the country. 


in three days we have: toured san francisco, including the golden gate bridge; taken a steam train through the redwoods; walked through a grove of giant redwoods; picked 25 pounds of strawberries (!); and watched blue and humpback whales feeding in the monterey bay. we're on a food adventure too - sourdough, thai cuisine, and fresh veggies from the farmers market. no canned mushy peas in this house! :)


on monday maddy will start five days of young women in science camp at the monterey bay aquarium where she will have many more adventures. the schedule for the week includes kayaking, boogie boarding, SCUBA diving, and sea otter tracking. i volunteer with this group a few days during the summer so i'll get to accompany maddy on the boogie boarding day, but i wish i could join her for the whole week! 


here are a few photos of our adventures. more can be found at my picasa site (link to the right).

 a balmy summer day in san francisco!

 our mode of transportation around the city

 300 foot tall redwood in henry cowell state park

 my little tree hugger! :)

 steam train adventures

 our trusty steed, dixiana, the 100 year old steam engine

(note to the dal ferro's - we made it to the top!)

 the strawberry bounty. we might have gotten a little carried away...but there is nothing more delicious than sun-warmed strawberries straight off the plant.

 a blue whale!!!! a first for both of us. "see largest animal that
has ever lived on the planet" - CHECK!

 humpback whale (also a first for both of us)

mile buoy outside of santa cruz complete with california sea lions

wishing you were somehow here again...

who knew a hallmark holiday could be such a harsh reminder of loss? i guess we all know that there will come a day when we won't have a living parent to celebrate on days like today. but i never would have guessed that it would be this year. 


my dad collapsed from a heart attack eleven months ago tomorrow...and yet it seems like yesterday in many respects. some days it doesn't even seem real, despite the very real sorrow that i feel to my core. 


i went for a long hike today in my favorite place in the santa cruz mountains - fall creek. i hugged a giant redwood and walked beside moving water...water that helps me feel connected, brings me confidence, and gives me hope. 


as i was nearing the ridge i came across this orchid. the unfurling stem reminded me that in spite of everything, we grow. even through sorrow, we grow... i miss you every day, dad.  

key largo adventures

my days in key largo were vastly different than my days in miami...and for that i am grateful. i arrived in key largo midday and immediately boarded a dive boat and enjoyed some time underwater checking out the local reefs. life always seems less complicated underwater. i was back on the boat the next morning for a deep dive on the US coast guard cutter duane (intentionally sank as an artificial reef in 1987) and a drift dive along another section of the reef. the dives that morning delivered some big beauties - an eagle ray and several goliath groupers. very cool! 

this isn't my photo, but just to give you a sense of
the magic on the USCG cutter duane (the crow's nest)

after i got back onshore, i visited a wild bird rehabilitation center. the birds on display have permanent disabilities, but the center releases around 400 birds a year that they have nursed back to health. the most common birds they treat include hawks, owls, pelicans, and turkey vultures. at the edge of the facility, wild birds congregate...at one point there were six different species of birds in one 10 foot x 10 foot space. 

 an egret showing off its plumage

 the curious peregrine falcon

the menagerie of wild birds - ibises, cattle egrets,
great egrets, pelicans, gulls, and turkey vultures

amazing spikey spider!

my last stop of the day way the dagny johnson botanic garden. it is the largest contiguous track of tropical hardwood hammock in the US. i was ill prepared, however, and did not bring any bug spray so i was swarmed by mosquitoes the second i stopped moving. i also made the mistake of taking the unpaved nature trail at one point...which was mosquito heaven. i think i killed five mosquitoes at once with a single slap of my hand. ugh. pete usually attracts them all so this was a new experience for me! i managed one photo of the giant spiders that were dangling between the trees before the mosquitoes got the better of me...

sadly, this photo doesn't do this spider justice. the body is about two inches long by three-quarters of an inch wide. the longest legs were close to three inches...these things overall were at least as big as my whole hand! 

vizcaya gardens - miami, florida

pete and i headed to the airport early on saturday morning for our flights...to different cities on the east coast. his travels took him to pittsboro, north carolina, for a week-long woodworking class; my travels took me miami, florida, for a conference. any guesses as to who is having a better time?!


i manged to escape my hotel room and the conference for a bit today to find a gem hidden near downtown miami. visiting botanic gardens is one of my favorite travel activities and the vizcaya museum and gardens certainly did not disappoint. the property sits on biscayne bay and is a mix of native plants (mangroves included) arranged in the style of an english garden with a backdrop of florida limestone (aka coral). i have to say that miami earns a gold star for this locale.

garden entrance

 the orchidarium (that's what the sign said)

 the ship and tea house

 limestone bridge

 marine themed alcove (check out the shells on the ceiling)

 crazy manicured english-style gardens

the wild-hair caterpillar!
(i don't know what it is really called, but isn't it cool?!)

alcove in the "secret garden"

pinnacles national monument

my annual wildflower trip to the pinnacles national monument occurred a couple of months later than it usually does, but the wildflowers were still a sight to behold! the fields of bright orange california poppies and pink shooting stars that are common in early april when i usually visit were replaced by elegant clarkia and butterfly mariposa lilies. 

 venus thistle (the native thistle!)

 larkspur

 lance-leaved dudlea

 elegant clarkia

 butterfly mariposa lily

puffball

i was also treated to a number of non-botanical sights - one coyote, a california condor, a swimming snake, lizards, a skink, and many checkerspot and swallowtail butterflies. 

 western fence lizard (i LOVE the blue belly)

checkerspot butterfly

and of course, all this beauty amid the fabulous geological formations that gave pinnacles its name. 

 western pinnacles

high peaks trail

our first official long distance ride

pete and i (and five of his co-workers from the marine facilities division of the USGS - hence the MARFAC on their jerseys) rode the strawberry fields forever on sunday. pete and i settled for the 65 mile route while some of his co-workers took on the 100 mile route. the weather, company, and rest areas were lovely, which somewhat made up for my really, really sore butt.


to train for the ride, we've been riding all over the county and back for the last three or so months. somewhere in that time we decided that an exciting ending location (other than our house - think winery!) would make the riding more exciting...destination biking here we come!

Gerry, Peter, Pete, Rob, Jenny, Jackson, and me before the ride

(whenever i see this photo the sesame street song "one of these
things is not like the other" starts running through my head)