Turf Removal

Due to the drought and the fact that our lawn was ugly, we decided this summer to remove the turf, and hire a landscape business to work some magic on the front yard.  We were lucky to qualify for the turf rebate program, and the money from that was a big help.  Plantings had to be water thrifty, and hardscapes porous.

 We hired Glorious Gardens, which is owned by two women who are the contractors.

 The day the crane came with the boulders was exciting!  The operator must have been a whiz at video games because he was so adept at placing the boulders, turning them, and wiggling them into the ground.

Let me tell you, Linda and Emma are two of the hardest working workers we have ever seen!  The temperature was in the mid 90's all five days, and the humidity was very high also.  They also are very nice people, and aimed to please.

 Working the boom within inches of our eave!

Gail was amazed!

 The soil was stripped of turf, tilled, roots pulled out, and amendments added.  The plants were added (54 different kinds), drip irrigation installed, paths of decomposed granite tamped down, and gravel mulch placed everywhere else.

 We can't wait for plants to grow and fill in!  Its hard to see, but there is an airy Palo Verde tree towards the front in that cleared area.

 That odd tree on the right is a Kalanchoe.

I took these photos in a hurry and will post some better ones in the future.  Goodbye old turf!

A Military Weekend

Friday, Gail and I went on a tour of the aircraft carrier USS Midway.  After the tour and dinner, we returned to the Midway to take part in the GI Film Fest, a series of films and speakers that took place over 10 days in San Diego.  The Midway event was a showing of the film Max, a chance to meet trainers and their dogs, which are trained to be service dogs for vets suffering from PTSD.  We also met Max and his trainer (actually one of 6 dogs used in the movie).

The USS Midway, commissioned in 1946, and decommissioned in 1992, the longest serving aircraft carrier on the U.S.

 Tight seeping quarters for the enlisted sailors!

 There was even a brig for naughty sailors.

 Throughout the ship were realistic mannequin sailors doing their jobs, such as these in the 3rd engine room.

 Controlling steam from boilers and using it to adjust throttles to the engines is a dangerous and precise skill.

 The self-guided tour was by audio players and headphones, and was narrated by some of the ship's former sailors.

 This was a hands on demo of the steam throttle controls.

 This giant computer could store up to one gig of memory.  By comparison, my iPhone has 60 gigs of memory.

 There were many different aircraft on display.

 Gail and I took control of this one.

 The enlisted dining hall served SOS daily.

 An officer's cabin looks quite comfy!

 The ship had numerous pods on its sides, which turned out to be 25 man life rafts.

 Looking down on the flight deck from the bridge.

 This is where the flight controller sits to monitor all landings.

 We loved the navigators's chair.

 The ship's stern with sailors and life rafts.

 In the evening, we got to meet "Max" on the right and his trainer.  Max is a Belgian Malinois, a popular breed for military duty.

 These dogs are in training to be service dogs for vets with PTSD.

 The film was kicked off by Max, his trainer, the producer of Max, and a KPBS personality.

There were many families that came to see the film, but we had several issues with it.  It was a dog film seemingly geared for family, but it was very violent with shooting, gang gun trafficking, and dog fights.  The movie incorporated every plot trick and stereotype in the book.  We felt it missed the mark, and could have been more informative about the amazing dogs that serve our country, and the people that work with them.

Saturday night, we went back to San Diego to see Project 22, which was a much better documentary about the high suicide rate of veterans - 22 a day!  The directors were two vets who took their message on the road for 22 days, to spread the word to other vets and raise awareness about how to heal through alternative forms of therapy.  Sadly, there were only about 15 people who turned out to see this worthwhile film.  That was our military weekend!

Back Yard Nature

We've had a resident spider the past few days, and the morning light really lights up its web.

 The Muhli Grass around the hot tub finally bloomed, and it is particularly striking  when back lit by the morning sun.  It is also called "cotton candy plant."

For the second time, lately, a Cooper's Hawk has come to our bird bath just before dark.  It may also be scoping out the birds that come to our feeder.

Day at the Park

Yesterday, I spent the day at Balboa Park dwelling on displays of personal interest.  First stop was the Automotive Museum.

It happened to be Makers Faire weekend.  This man made his own 3 wheeled bike that could lean into corners.  There were hundreds of other makers all through the park showing off their inventions.

I love the creativity shown by early auto makers.  Everything is there to see, and it is practically all mechanical.  There were so many manufactures that solved problems in their own way.  Above is a V-16 engine in a Packard, I believe.

A motorcycle engine powered British 3 wheeler.  Having 3 wheels put it in the motorcycle class, which was a lower tax bracket.

A Moto Guzzi, part of a large motorcycle collection.

Next stop was the zoo.  That is a Chuckwalla lizard, found in parts of San Diego County.

This Komodo Dragon must be close to 10 feet long!

This Galapagos Tortoise enjoyed getting its chin scratched by the keeper.

The flamingos were particularly orange!

This gorilla maintained a yoga pose for several minutes.

I ended my visit watching the Orangutans.  Time to hit the road and get some of that delicious soup Gail has been working on today!

San Gorgonio Mountain

Continuing our quest for challenging hikes that aren't in the 90's or above, we set out for San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest in Southern California.  We stayed in a motel, since campgrounds were closed near the trail head.

 At the trail head of the Momyer / Alger Creek Trail, we were informed of the potential hazards, including ZOMBIES and STUPID HUMANS!  It should have warned us about the damned insects!

 We crossed the Santa Ana River, which was running a bit.  When we crossed in the late afternoon coming back, it was dry - interesting.

 Looking down at the riverbed as we ascend the relentlessly steep trail up towards San Bernardino Peak, 10,600 ft.

 After about 4 miles we reached Alger Creek, which was pleasantly running cool, clear water.

 There were several brook trout where we stopped for lunch.  This one is launching out of the water for an insect.

 Running water was a pleasant surprise!

Okay, it wasn't such a great hike in some respects.  About two thirds of the day we were harassed by swarming gnats in our faces.  This drove Gail to some drastic measures.  It would have been interesting to have met some other hikers on the trail!  We only saw one all day, and Gail had de-masked at that point.

 We climbed on through a large burn area where the trail was sketchy due to so many fallen trees.

 We eventually turned around at this point after climbing about 3,150 feet in elevation.  The peak was still another 2,000 feet higher.

Coming back down through the burn area we lost the trail briefly a couple times.

Near the bottom, Gail had a yellow jacket wasp under her hat that stung her on her scalp above her eye.  It was very painful, and she still has some effects from the sting 2 days later.  Yesterday morning we were all set to do a bike ride on the Santa Ana River Trail, which terminated by our motel, before driving home.  Unfortunately, as I pulled my bike out of the van, I saw it had gotten a flat tire since I loaded it up on Tuesday.  So it wasn't the perfect trip by any means, but we did get plenty of exercise!  Gorgonio is one tough mountain!