Hot Sunday Hike

Yesterday, I went for a hike up at Zim Zim Creek. I was quickly reminded why summer isn't the best time for that part of the county - it was in the ninetys, and Zim Zim offers little shade. This is also the reason I didn't see a single soul all day after leaving the car.


As the falls came into view, I thought how nice it would be to swim in the deep pool at the foot of the falls.




You can imagine my disappointment, though, when I saw that the pool was full of thick algae.




It was also home to schools of fish, orange dragonflies, and some garter snakes. I pressed on up the mountainside, around the falls, and then down to the creek above the falls. I found this nice pool, and some cool relief. It had fish as well as a turtle to keep me company.

I had never been this far up the canyon, but from the trail high above it appeared to be uninhabited wilderness as far as the eye can see. This is a long wilderness corridor extending from Clear Lake to Lake Berryessa, roughly 25 miles.

Coyotes at the House

One evening in Santa Barbara the coyotes started chasing each other from one side of the house, out onto the patio, and back. After watching awhile, I went over to the Annex to get my camera, which was just a little bit scary being outside with them. They didn't care that the TV and lights were on, or that I was watching them through the window. I just managed to get the last 30 seconds before they headed off. I think there were at least 10.

Above the Fog

I was in Santa Barbara the past week attending to house matters. Sunday, I took a day off and decided to get out of the week-long fog and drizzle that has persisted there, and hiked up to La Cumbre Peak. Below is the view I was hoping for along with the warmth of the sun.

Climbing up through a cloud, I was amazed by how many flowers were still in bloom.

The ghostly burned over bushes were remains from the Jesusita Fire.

Up near the top, I broke into sunshine. This beautiful Tiger Whiptail lizzard was enjoying the warmth as he hunted the ground for bugs and small lizzards. They are large, very fast, active, and seldom stop moving when out.

Above the fog at almost 4,000 feet.

Pretty thistle.

The yuccas added a high desert quality.

These flowers reminded me of sea worms - the kind that stick out of the sand.

Fun With Cormorrants

Saturday morning, Jeanine and I were teamed up to care for 4 pelicans and 4 Brandt's Cormorrants who were up for possible release. Pictures are courtesy of Jeanine.

Here, I am checking the head end of the last one. The skin on and under its mandible is bright blue. Cormorrants are strong, fierce, and can escape your hold like a snake. Jeanine took all four BRCO's to Fort Baker for release. It must have been fun to see them leave together with such a dramatic backdrop.

Good luck, find fish, and beware the hooks and lines! Thanks, Jeanine, for sharing these.

Furthur Concert

Saturday afternoon, my friend Jim and I headed to the Shoreline Amphitheatre (yes, re) to be a part of the Furthur concert/scene. Furthur is composed of two of the remaining Grateful Dead members, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, and five "friends". It is basically a continuation of The Dead, with its devout followers, old hippies, and a couple "normals", Jim and I.

As the show began, we immediately saw what would be our view for the next four hours, unless we stood up the whole time or went up to the "grass" area.

Leaning to the right, I cold see a little better.

We opted for the grass area on top, which I thought was much better. The music was much cleaner and balanced sounding. You could also get closeups of the band on the jumbo screen. The crowd was 100% mellow.

We did go back to our seats for awhile. In this clip you can see a person who seemed to be an interpreter. He/she (I wasn't sure) had a music stand, and was illuminated by a green light, and appeared to my untrained eye to be interpreting the whole concert, including non vocal jams, etc. This person's effort and enjoyment was incredible to watch.

Back up on the hill, Jim entertained himself with a found light stick. The band was awesome, and appeared much more together than the fans. My favorite piece was an approximately 25 minute version of "Eyes of the World". It brought back memories of the first trip to the Trinity Alps that Nick and I took, as we played it a number of times on the road. Hey Uncle Bill, Furthur's next tour stop is Masontown, West Virginia, July 15! Break out the tie-dye!

Other Happenings

My student Amy did an amazing job pulling together her senior project after a traumatic year. I was technically her mentor, helping with her portfolio, making contacts, and keeping her on track.

Elaine gets a big shout-out for volunteering 31 hours to teach her how to make a quilt. It actually all became fun because Amy seemed to be having a great time, and shared an endearing sense of humor.

The men, about to do frog dissection.

Love the safety glasses!

The annual rocket project. First period shows off the goods.

Some of the guys.

We took Nora and Mercedes out for lunch on Mothers Day, three days after Mom passed away. We will never be able to thank them enough for all they did for Mom and Dad, and guiding us through some difficult times.

Letting off a little steam. Mike Clark got us all out of our funk for awhile. Here he played Hollywood photographer and had us cracking up - much needed relief!

Mom Would Have Loved This Day

It has been raining every few days the past few weeks. Normally, it would be brown and dusty in the hills, but not this year. I took a nice long hike today up Oat Hill Mine Trail and then at the top, hiked into the Duff Ranch, now land trust property. It was the kind of hike Mom would have enjoyed a few years ago. There was the bluster of cold rain, wildflowers, rocks, clouds, and rivelets of water.

Here is Mom a year and a half ago consoling her friend Rose who had just lost her husband. Mom was such a caring and unselfish person - right up until the end.

It was drizzly or rainy most of the day.

Three deer in no hurry to move.

The hidden deck and cave where I could take shelter from the rain to eat lunch.

Looking out from the cave.

Staying dry in the cave. Moments later the chair collapsed due to rusty welds.





Rain, rain, rain. In June.


Everywhere I saw beauty today, I thought of Mom and how she would have enjoyed it so much. This is how she spent many days - hiking canyons and pointing in amazement at the wonders of nature.

Mom and I two years ago.