Ireland Part 1

We just returned Sunday from our two week trip to Ireland, and were we ever shown a wonderful time by  my sister Berta, and her husband Paul!  The lowdown on this trip is going to be in several installments.

 LAX has an interactive game of concentration.  I'd like to meet the person who did this in 37 seconds! We managed to not check any baggage.

There was also an art exhibit. Gail took a picture of this piece, a painting, not a photo!  We left Carlsbad at noon on Sunday, and arrived in Sligo, Ireland at 8:00 p.m. Monday.

 On Tuesday morning, Berta and Paul gave us a little tour of their two acres.  Gail and I sure were happy to see green fields, rain showers, and water flowing - what a pleasant switch from Southern California!

Gail tried out the swing over the stream despite being jet-lagged.  

 Next we headed up to the barn that Justin built when he was around fourteen/fifteen.  He even did his own thatching on the roof.

 The only materials that didn't come from the surrounding land were the windows and doors.

Also behind the house are solar panels and another out-building.

 Paul and Berta have enlarged and modernized their cottage into a most charming home.

 Karl and Laura came over with their son Oran.  Here, Laura is showing Oran my phone video of Susanna dancing to "What Does the Fox Say" - an international hit with the two years old set.

... actually, everyone.

Well, I have to call it quits, and I'm not even through the morning of the first day!  To be continued.

Rattler

I had my first rattlesnake sighting of the year this morning over at my hiking park.

 A young Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, about 30 inches long.

My 2014 snake tally for the park so far:  1 Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, 1 Striped Racer, 1 San Diego Gopher Snake.
2013 park tally: 1 Red Diamond Rattlesnake, 4 Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes, 1 San Diego Gopher Snake, 4 Striped Racers.
Other sightings of interest at the park:  Whiptail lizards, Roadrunners, Cooper Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, Osprey, and Northern Harriers.

Opening Day!

Yesterday was kind of the "opening day" of summer fun for us.  We had our first monarch butterfly emerge from its chrysalis (one we had taken down to the Johanson home), the first filling of our pool, beautiful cactus flowers blossoming, and first barbecue.

Our latest cactus in the front desert garden before the withering heat set in later.  It was 98 degrees, 8 % humidity, and gusty Santa Ana winds yesterday, and so far today.

Gail's new Spring Cactus.

Gail did a lovely place setting for our first BBQ.  Notice the Irish postcards and travel information.  We are getting excited about our upcoming trip to Ireland in just 10 days!

I am at my manly man BBQ station, pretending to make it look difficult and artful.

Meatless kabobs right off the grill.

Also,  Gail and I did our own beach walk and cleanup, walking from San Clemente State Park, past the Nixon White House at Cotton's Point, and past Trestles almost to San Onofre and back.  We collected 5 bags of trash, a broken surfboard, and broken beach umbrella.

SUMMER FUN, SUMMER FUN!

Pinyon Wash Overnighter

Monday, we headed in Blue out to the Anza Borrego Desert.  We left the pavement at Pinyon Wash and took the jeep trail about two miles up the wash to a place we had car camped last year.  We only saw one jeep go by the whole time, so we felt far away from civilization.

 We set up camp under the shade of a small desert tree.

 Nearby, were granite boulders that had tumbled down the mountain.

 In honor of Nick and Cassidy, we bowled a few frames.  You can see how the flash floods from last summer came through here.

 Desert bowling, a beautiful thing.

 From our perch on a huge granite boulder, we watched the sun go down.  You can see Blue in the middle of the picture.  Tomorrow, we hike to those mountains in the distance, and climb up though canyons.

 An ocotillo plant in the dark.

 We had a magnificent full moon that allowed us to take a night hike further up the wash.

In the middle of the night, we woke up and wondered why it was so dark.  I sat up and saw that there was a lunar eclipse.  The "blood moon" was a total eclipse that lasted over an hour.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my tripod along, so the shot is blurry.

A cholla cactus with pretty blooms.

In the morning, we began our day's hike up Pinon Wash in the slopes of Bighorn Mountain (below).  Our destination was Blue Spring, a wildlife watering spot frequented by Bighorn Sheep.

 There were many ocotillo cactus in this area, with many in bloom.  They are 15 feet or so high, and always have a vase shape.

 Barrel cactus in bloom.

 Beaver tail cactus in bloom.

 One of three Mylar balloons we pulled out of cactus.

 More cholla blooms.  Cholla is also known as "jumping cactus" because the needles seem to jump off the plant to stick you.

 High on a cliff, we spotted a Red-tailed Hawk on her nest.

I spotted an elusive Zebra Tailed Lizard.

 Gail took an interest in rocks this trip.  This was one of our favorites.

 Rugged, steep, trail-less country, and very little shade, made it seem hotter than it was.  It was probably in the high eighties.  We each drank three liters of water on the hike that lasted about six hours.

We never did find the spring.  We should have gotten coordinates and brought my GPS.

 A barrel cactus in bloom.

 The highlight of the hike was when Gail spotted this Gray Fox trotting across a slope.  It paused for several seconds to stare at us - wow!

There were several areas of spooky looking cliffs that looked to be more good nesting sites for raptors.

 On the drive out of the desert I spotted "snake on road", hit the brakes, and pulled a U-turn.  Gail asked if I had spotted a Mylar balloon!  Since there was no  place to pull off the road, I put on the emergency flashers and told her to jump out get him off so he wouldn't get run over.  You should have seen her jump when she touched its tail! It went into strike position and hissed at her.  Luckily, no one came over the rise behind us doing 70!

Just before we got to Julian, we spotted a flock of wild turkeys on the seemingly lush mountain.  Our last stop was for pizza a few minutes later in Wynola  *****!

Sarah Comes to Carlsbad

We had a visitor this week from Anchorage, Alaska!  My sister Sarah arrived in Carlsbad on Monday, and stayed until Friday afternoon.  We had trips to see Andria's family, the beach, the zoo, Old Town, and our own little house.  You know you're having fun when you forget to take enough pictures!

 Susanna took to Aunt Sarah almost immediately.

 Sarah, our family Yoga Master, captivated Nora and Soren with lessons.

 Here we are arriving at the San Diego Zoo.

 Susanna can't get enough of the sky tram, which she calls "the big swing".

Can you tell we're brother and sister?  Thanks, Sarah, for making this week a fun vacation for us all!

More Animal Happenings

This pair of House Finches are on their second family of the spring.  They build their nest above our bedroom door. We have lovingly named them Iggy and Neko.

Nearby, Gail has turned one of her past art projects into a plant stand.  She has kindly allowed Iggy and Neko to tear off little pieces to add to their nests.  The Crown of Thorns loves Gail's "installation", too!

After the first babies  fledged last month, I took down the old nest - you can see why!  While the babies are young, the parents carry off feces in fecal sacs.  However, the last few days in the nest, they leave the feces around the rim.  There must be a reason for this.  In about 4 days, the parents built a new nest, and are now tending their eggs.  So industrious!

 Reptiles are emerging - wahoo! This beautiful gopher snake was crossing a road at my local park.

Its skin looks to have recently shed, resulting in shiny, vivid colors.

New Visitors

 This Spotted Towhee lies low in the bushes, but darts out every few minutes to ground feed around our feeder.

 The first rabbit we've seen in at least a year.

 A male and female Black-headed Grosbeak have been hanging out the past few days.  They love the sunflower seeds!

What a difference between the sexes!