Dad's visit

My husband's dad, 91 years young, came to visit us last week. He flew in from Phoenix - a two-hour flight into San Jose. He arrived Saturday, July 21, and just flew home yesterday (Monday, July 30) These two photos were taken at church Sunday. The first one is during coffee time and the second one was just before bible class began.

This past week we visited our nephew and his wife who live just north of Santa Cruz. We visited them Thursday evening for dinner, and then again Sunday for a picnic. These beautiful flowers were sitting on the table welcoming all who arrived. I think I was told they are Star Gazer Lilies.

While visiting, my daughter and I wanted to go walk down to the beach area. This photo is looking back (east) toward the place where my nephew and his wife live, toward Highway 1. This area north of Santa Cruz is protected from development and will always be zoned as agricultural. The land between the highway and the bay/ocean is all farm land. What you see here is a field of brussel sprouts.


When we got to the beach we could see birds flying out around the water. I not only had my camera with, but also brought my binoculars. The wind was blowing pretty hard and it was a challenge to plant myself firmly in the sand and focus out on the water. I knew there were seagulls flying around, but I could also see dark colored birds. I wanted to know what they were. I finally got a decent glimpse and realized they were all brown pelicans. This was the best I could do for a picture.

On our way back from the beach we saw this bumble bee on a thistle. Photo taken by "Red." Here are other photos taken by Red (my daughter) on our way back to the "farm."

Looking back to the bay/ocean - looking north toward Half Moon Bay.

Looking south toward Monterey. You can see the marine layer (aka fog) between Santa Cruz and Monterey.

And here is another shot looking south toward Santa Cruz and Monterey. We were standing on the dirt road between here and the brussel sprouts.

And here is one more shot of Dad enjoying himself during the picnic.

Not wanting to grow up or grow old

T.D. at 6-1/2 months, aka Timothy. My parents were the only folks who called him Timmy. Friends and other relatives called him Tim or Timothy. And his godparents called him Timmer.

Tim was born July 29, 1972 in Colorado. Before he turned two, we moved to California, so Tim does not remember living in Colorado.

Here is Tim celebrating his 5th birthday.

Summer of 1982 - (Tim is 10 years old) - we took a tour of the Hershey plant, located in Oakdale, Calif. And Tim's t-shirt said "Have a Hershey Kiss."

May, 1986 Tim was confirmed by Pastor Bestul. Pastor Bestul is still the pastor of our congregation. He and his family came to our congregation Dec. 1983.

Fall of 1986 Tim started high school. If memory serves me correctly, the only "subjects" Tim liked was extracurricular sports. Before high school Tim always enjoyed playing AYSO soccer and Little League baseball. Once he was in high school he enjoyed being on the JV wrestling team.


While in high school, Tim would always score high grades in aptitude exams, including the SAT. Here is one of those awards. As for Tim's regular classes, he always was disinterested, therefore, he would only do the absolute minimum to barely get a passing grade.

But here is Tim on graduation day, June 14, 1990. The fun part about that day was that I also graduated from DeAnza Community College with our commencements only a couple hours apart. Good thing the high school was only about a mile down the road from DeAnza. We were also fortunate that my husband's parents came out for a visit to attend both commencements. Quite an exciting day for the entire family.
Shortly before graduation, Tim completed all the requirements for earning his Eagle. We then attended the ceremony in August, 1990.

Beginning Fall semester 1990, Tim started classes at West Valley Community College. He found college classes more interesting than high school, but he was never in a hurry to take his life to the next level, namely a four-year university to earn his bachelor's degree. Tim enjoyed attending West Valley and for several years helped students with their math by working part-time in the Tutorial Center, even while he attended the University of California in Santa Cruz. When Tim finally graduated from UCSC, with a double major in math and physics, he decided to pursue his masters degree in math and decided to attend the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. While living in Alaska, Tim taught part-time in a private high school. Before finishing his masters' degree, Tim moved to Barrow, AK, accepting a teaching position for a community college. After a year in Barrow, Tim then moved to Portland, and taught part-time at Portland Community College and Vancouver, WA. He then finally completed all his classes to earn his masters degree in math from UAF.

Here's Tim grading papers on Christmas Day 2004 when he came home for a holiday visit. Tim was teaching a couple of math classes in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA areas.

The summer of 2005, Tim was offered a teaching position at a community college in Saranac Lake, New York. Saranac Lake is about 5 or 6 miles from Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. And Tim lived in Bloomingdale, a borough about 5 miles from Saranac Lake.

And then last summer Tim moved back home. After a month or so vacation in Alaska, Tim then had to start looking for work. He didn't get any teaching positions for the fall of 2005, so he found a part-time job working for REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc). He did get an offer to teach a couple math classes for the spring quarter at DeAnza College, and then taught one more math class this summer at Evergreen College. He is now preparing to go back to Alaska for a month's vacation to bike and to fish. He will leave in a few days and then his dad will join him another week later. But first, we are all going to Santa Cruz today for an art festival that my nephew (Tim's cousin) is participating in. So, here's to you, Tim. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Around the house, part 2

I thought my morning glories were so pretty a week ago - they seemed to be even prettier this weekend. At least there are more flowers this time. And the beautiful heart-shaped leaves - some of them are 4-5 inches across.
Here is a shot of the cannas with the morning glories. Don't you love the color combination? :o) Some of the leaves of the cannas tropicana are 10-12 inches across, and they are about 15-18 inches long.

The other day I was in our front yard - that's where I got one of those hummingbird pix. I am still trying to get a photo of some bees or at least one bee (the large kind) on one of our crepe myrtle flowers. I'll succeed one of these days. Meanwhile I found this praying mantis clinging to our stucco wall. I'm surprised he/she wasn't in the rose bushes or any of the other plants. Of course, if he/she would have been in the plants I may have missed him/her.

This plant is just starting to bloom; it's a marguerite daisy. This plant is located in the side yard on the east side of the house. I look forward to seeing the rest of the buds bloom, which shouldn't be too long - hopefully by next weekend.

In our backyard we have a Japanese maple just outside our bedroom window. Under the tree we have some kafir lilies. Here is the one of the blossoms.

Also in the back yard just across from the kafir lilies is this red geranium.

And then along the west side of our house we have a passion flower. Here is one of the blooms.

Just next to the passion flower are more of my cannas. The climbing plant beyond the cannas is a flowering maple. I'll have to get a close-up shot of it one of these days.

Back to the front yard. Here is a blossom from one of our trailing lantanas. If you think you see Easter lily leaves around it, you are right. The lantana is creeping its way toward the pathway where the Easter lilies are located.

And then back around the east side of the house we have Naked Ladies blooming.

Around the house

For the past couple of days I have seen this little fledgling house sparrow visit my feeders. Imagine trying to get a photo from inside the house, with at least one cat, and usually it was two cats trying to attack it at the window feeder. I know the pic from inside the house isn't very clear, so I was glad to see the little bird go to the other feeder.
Then I rushed outside to see if I could get a decent shot of this fledgling at this feeder which is surrounded by my morning glories and cannas.

Earlier in the day I was out in the front yard and I happened to be at the right place at the right time with my trusty little camera. I've been experimenting with my camera, too. And I decided to try using the "action" or "sport" mode to see if I can get a better shot of these birds in action. And apparently I did just that.
This shot was later in the day and taken at one of my hummingbird feeders in the back yard. Too bad it's only his back, but again I managed to get an action shot.
If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you will see a male house finch at the same feeder the fledgling sparrow was at. This pic was taken late in the day, getting close to sundown.

Lower Klamath NWR and Butte Valley area

Thursday morning, July 12th we left Klamath Falls (where we stayed overnight) and headed for Lower Klamath to finish the auto tour. Shortly after getting to Lower Klamath we could spot Mt. Shasta. Here is a view of Mt. Shasta as I zoomed in on it.
Click on this photo to get a larger view of a red-winged blackbird I was able to capture along the road tour. Other birds I had seen, but don't have any photos of: western meadowlark, marsh wrens, terns sp., brown-headed cowbird, cliff swallows.

Here is one of my better shots of a great egret we saw along the road. Other birds seen along the road: gadwall (many mamas with their chicks), red-tailed hawk, American white pelican, Forster's tern, and a male ruddy duck. We also saw several flocks of white-faced ibises flying all over the refuge.
As we left Lower Klamath NWR, we came into Butte Valley National Grassland and Butte Valley Wildlife Management area. As we were driving along my husband spotted this bald eagle along the roadside. This was our first bald eagle in California. We've seen bald eagles before in Alaska and New Mexico, but never in this state.
As we drove around the Butte Valley Wildlife Management area we came to a small lake - Juanita Lake. Local folks were camping there and fishing. Walking along the trail around part of the lake I spotted this cormorant.
Then as we left the wildlife management area, we kept watching to see if we would see the bald eagle again. He apparently moved from one snag to another about 40 feet from the first snag. And here he was surrounded by (I think) a bunch of crows. Click on the image to get a larger view. The eagle is in the lower left of the tree/snag.
As we continued to travel south on US 97 to catch I-5 we stopped by the vista point to get some photos of Mt. Shasta.

Tule Lake and Lower Klamath NWR

Here is a better view of the Lava Beds in the foreground and Tule Lake in the background. My husband and I drove over to the Tule Lake/Klamath Basin Visitor Center and saw a robin, a couple of Brewer's blackbirds, and a lizard. The lizard was sitting on the wall sunning himself and allowed me the privilege of getting a snapshot of him.

While touring around Tule Lake and Lower Klamath we encountered Western Grebes, Clark's Grebes, and even a horned grebe. We saw several flocks of ibises in flight. That was quite a sight to see. We also saw coots, a common merganser, a double-breasted cormorant, many yellow-headed blackbirds, and a northern harrier. Here are some other photos I took.
I think this is milkweed. Can someone verify this for me?
Another wildflower I cannot identify - but there were quite a few of these all around. It looks like something caterpillars and butterflies, or even dragonflies, etc. would make use of. As a matter of fact, throughout the entire trip there was a plethora of dragonflies, darning needles, and damselflies everywhere we went.
Clark's Grebes

White-faced ibis. Second photo also includes a Brewer's blackbird.
And here is a double-breasted cormorant with his "harem" of gulls.

And if you click on these photos you can get a better view of the red-wing and yellow-headed blackbirds on these tule reeds.

Modoc NWR and Lava Beds National Monument

Wednesday, Jul 12th, we drove through part of Modoc before going to Lava Beds National Monument. At Modoc, we saw a juvie red-tailed hawk, killdeer, Canada geese, black-necked stilts, and a couple more American avocets. The shorebirds were still difficult to identify. We think we saw common snipes or short-billed dowitchers. Then before we left Modoc we saw this great egret.
As we were approaching Lava Beds we saw some quail, a stellar's jay, and a couple of mourning doves.

This is the sign in front of the visitor center. If you click on the picture you will see how hazy it was. When we drove up to Alturas on Tuesday we were aware of a fire that was burning south and west of Susanville. There were quite a few firefighters that stayed overnight at various motels in the town of Alturas, including the one we stayed at. The fire was never a threat to the NWRs of the area, thank goodness, but visibility wasn't as good as we had hoped.

This is a moth I found while taking the Lava Beds sign pix. The moth was sitting on a lamp post. Unfortunately the picture doesn't show its beautiful colors. When it spread its wings, it had an irridescent blue-green coloring. The moth was about 1-1/2 to 2 inches long. Any "bug experts" out there - can you ID this moth?

Here's another view of the area from the Visitor Center.

While driving around the Lava Beds we came across some distinctive plants. I haven't been able to find the names of these wildflowers yet, but I did find them to be quite striking, especially within its surroundings. Just click on the pix to get a larger view.

These shots are of Indian paintbrusth - the first one gives you an idea of how the paintbrush is dispersed among the sage. And then the other two shots are close-ups. I found the third pic neat since the paintbrush was up against a rock with lichen.

And here is another shot of the lava beds in the foreground and mountains in the background about 20 miles away. Not too far from here we found the following wildflowers. They look like orchids, don't they?

And this is the view of Tule Lake in the background, from the north end of Lava Beds National Monument.

From Lodi to Alturas

Tuesday morning (Jul 10th) we headed out for Alturas and Modoc NWR from Lodi. We took I-80 east to Reno to catch US 395 to head north. Shortly after re-entering California on US 395 we saw several raptors at various locations. It was difficult to identify them from a distance, but I would make an educated guess that we had seen a couple of Swainson's Hawks, and a couple of red-tailed hawks. They are such fascinating birds to watch as they soar up over the drafts. Before we reached the Modoc overlook we also had seen a great egret and later saw a small flock of snowy egrets.

At the Modoc overlook I came across this wildflower. Sorry, don't know the name of it. Maybe someone
reading this can help me identify it.
Looking out in the distance we could see something white farther out on a tiny "island." At first glance I thought they were egrets, but then realized they looked "heavier" or "fatter" than an egret -- oh, they were American white pelicans. As we approached Modoc's "auto tour," we also saw many mallards, mostly mamas with their chicks. We also saw several shorebirds - but they were difficult to identify.
When we approached one of the drier areas, we saw two raptors perched on this "foot bridge." But by the time I got my camera focused only one of them was perched. Not sure, but I think they were both juvie red-tails. Photos were hard to take with only a 10x zoom. Most birds and waterfowl were quite "shy" of human presence. My husband and I had to chuckle that every time we stopped and I tried to get out of the car for a picture, the birds would take off, or at best would move farther away. I think you can click on the photo to see a larger picture.
In the course of the day, we managed to see (and able to identify) Calif Quail, more Am White Pelicans, swallows (I think they were cliff swallows), egrets (mostly great egrets), black neck stilts, red-winged blackbirds, white-faced ibises, double-breasted cormorant, American avocets, black-crowned night heron, and even a robin or two.
In the water, I also saw a couple of muskrats. Isn't this one cute?



Below, a silhouette of a red-tailed hawk. At least we thought it was a red-tail.



Wednesday's photos (Jul 11th) will follow in another post.

A Trip to the NWRs of Northern California

Last Sunday my husband and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We had planned to visit the National Wildlife Refuges in Northern California, namely, Modoc NWR, Tule Lake NWR, and Lower Klamath NWR. Tule Lake and Lower Klamath are a stone's throw from each other. And Modoc is about 50 miles east of Tule Lake NWR. But before we got started Monday morning we had to make a detour. Our son had gone to the Sierras with his two dogs for the weekend and had truck trouble and had to get it towed in. Luckily, he was only about 6 miles away from a town that had a tow truck. To make a long story short, we headed up to Shaver Lake in case he was going to be "stranded" there overnight and he would need to get back into San Jose before the truck would be fixed. On our way to Shaver Lake, we drove through an area near Millerton Lake where I saw in a distance a very large nest in a big old dead tree out in a field. We think it was possibly an eagle's nest, but we never saw any eagles flying around or perched anywhere in the vicinity. We did see vultures and hawks flying around. The hawks were most likely red-tailed hawks - but I couldn't positively identify any of them. I did see a hawk "diving" down to a field - possibly going after his lunch or dinner -- and this one had red markings, so it was probably a red-tailed hawk. Then while we were "parked" at the towing place waiting with Tim to make sure the truck would be fixed by day's end, Dave noticed some of the birds flying around nearby. He pointed out some birds he thought were possibly swallows. I got my trusty, new binocs and checked it out. Yes, cliff swallows were flying around and heading back to the eaves of one of the buildings of the towing place. Meanwhile, Dave and I knew we weren't going to get to our destination before nightfall, so we opted to stay overnight in Lodi, CA and get a fresh start the next morning. And the only birds we found there around the motel in Lodi were starlings and house sparrows. I didn't get any photos taken on Monday, but here are a few pix I took Saturday morning around our yard.

More posts with more photos of our NWR trip will follow.

Birding??? Challenge

A couple weeks ago Larry challenged those of us who would be interested in birding a spot we've never birded. Believe me, it was a bigger challenge than I thought it would be. I was disappointed because I did not get one single picture of a bird. I had decided to visit West Valley Community College located in Saratoga, California -- about 4-5 miles from where I live. It is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, consisting of 143 acres, and has been in existence since 1964 -- about the time when the Silicon Valley experienced one of its growth spurts. The campus is a wooded area with the various buildings spread out, yet a short walk from one building to another. Walking around and through the campus makes you feel like you are far into the country. I chose to go last Sunday (Jul 1) around 5 p.m. and the campus was pretty close to being isolated. It was very quiet and I felt very peaceful walking around for about an hour. At times I thought I'd be able to find some birds and possibly get a picture if I sat down on one of the many benches there -- a real park atmosphere. Anyway, the best I did was spot a few California Towhees, but no photos -- they were too far away and flew off when I tried to get closer. The campus is definitely not devoid of birds; I saw many birds in flight. And I even heard more birds than I saw. But I'm not good at identifying birds by ear -- something I still have to learn. The birds that I saw and can report on were crows, towhees, swallows and titmice. But the trip wasn't a total loss. I still enjoyed my little adventure and have decided to share with you what I did find while walking around the campus of West Valley Community College.

This is part of a sugar pine tree that died while growing in the Sierras. Quite impressive standing next to it. The size of this prickly pear cactus tells me it's got some age on it. Anyone want to guess how old it is? My guess is that it is at least as old as the school has been there (1964).
These little ones are California ground squirrels. I think they were just born earlier in the spring. They didn't wander off very far from their "nest" so I think they were waiting for mama to return. They look smaller than what I found out about the size of these little critters.

This is a "natural" arbor of a coastal live oak. I did not get a photo of the Calif. Holly - it wasn't much to look at.

These are cannas - unlike the kind I have in my garden. These are planted near one of the buildings.

This is a grape vine growing over the pergola located at the Child Developmental Center on the West Valley campus. The second pic shows a close-up of the grapes, about the size of a marble.

This was another prickly pear cactus I came across - closer to the parking lot. And you can see that it's about ready to bloom.

The light blue flowers in the foreground are Lily-of-the-Nile (forgot its other name). And I don't remember the name of the purple flowered bush behind them. But it sure was attractive. This was growing in front of one of the fine arts buildings.

And this was the view of the Mt. Hamilton range from the parking lot. This picture also shows how wooded the campus is.

Eight Random Facts Meme

Lynne from Hasty Brook tagged me for this meme. I haven't done this before, so I hope I do this right.

Here are the rules for Eight Random Facts Meme:
Players start with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write their own blog about 8 things, and post these rules.
At the end of your blog you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.
Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I grew up around music all my life. I learned to read music and play the accordion (for a very brief time) when I was 8; learned to play piano as an adult - but don't play anymore.

2. I've always sung in choral groups since elementary school. I sang in the A Capella choir in high school (as well as the Glee Club). And I've sung solos in church as an adult.

3. Years ago when I was a stay-at-home mom I canned or made jam from the fruit trees in our backyard (namely apples, plums, and peaches), and I made home-made bread (from scratch).

4. I grew up as a practicing Catholic, but then after marriage became a Missouri Synod Lutheran, and I still am.

5. I graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore, and waited until my kids were in junior high before pursuing a college degree.

6. As a child I always liked to play "school." And originally aspired to become an elementary school teacher until I realized I liked the courses that were offered in Library School more than wanting to get a teaching credential.

7. I have just completed my sixth year as Medical Librarian in the hospital where I work. I also am one of those very few fortunate folks who can walk to work. The hospital is only two blocks away (walking distance) - only one block as the crow flies.

8. My husband and I are facing another remodel in our home (due to start next week). This time we are tackling the family room with a new fireplace face and new flooring among other smaller details.

OK - the folks named below are the ones I am tagging - my apologies if any of you have already been recently tagged.

1. Barbara at Trying to Catch Up
2. Delia at Beginning to Bird
3. Dorothy at Woods View
4. Kate at Kate Smudges
5. Sandy at Gardenpath
6. Patrice at From Patrice
7. Annie in Austin at Transplantable Rose
8. Wren (Jane) at Wrenaissance Reflections

Fewer trees in cities

Did anyone else see the article in Time Magazine, published in the June 21, 2007 issue? It's located in the Life section under Environment. Click here to see a copy of the online version. The article was written by Dan Cray. He reported that urban trees are declining, and with that goes a decline in a city's air quality. Just as the countryside benefits from a canopy, Mr. Cray mentions that cities need a canopy, too. I'm sure we all know that trees filter out dust and smoke, and absorb carbon dioxide, but they also provide shade which many cities are lacking. So many urban trees have succumbed to various diseases, like Dutch Elm and the beetles that are now killing the pine trees. And cities don't have the manpower or the money to maintain trees and roads and sidewalks. Another problem is "urban sprawl." Too many folks think they need a 3500-6000 sq. ft. home, and are placing them on these postage-stamp-sized lots. No room for trees, much less any other flora. Interestingly enough, NASA reports that city temperatures are rising. But what are the cities doing about it? Instead of planting more trees (again they lack the funds), they are designing parks with tennis courts and playgrounds. But where does that money come from? I can understand more tennis courts and more playgrounds, but what good is that if there is no shade to be had on a hot summer day? Well, I'm glad to see that the Bay Area's mayors aren't the only ones to blame. :)

(B/W photo from ADELVA in Photobucket)

Happy Birthday, America!

Today we celebrate the birthday of our nation, and celebrate our freedom. While getting a photo of our flag hanging out in the front yard, I thought I would throw in a few more pix. These are all pictures of our crepe myrtle. We have what I call a "late bloomer." Most everyone else's in the neighborhood bloomed back in May and June. Our tree doesn't bloom until most of the other flowers in our front yard are done blooming.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!