Finally, Whales

After awhile, we moved away from the Common Dolphins who had surrounded us. We were heading back towards land, our cars, the end of the tour. We hadn't seen any whales but had be so amazed by the dolphin activity that the experience seemed completely worthwhile. We knew that there was no guarantee and that it wasn't even likely we'd see whales.

Then, "Thar She Blows." One of the passengers had seen a spout and the ship's crew confirmed we were in the presence of majesty. There were two or three gray whales in our vicinity. They moved the boat towards them, wanting to get close enough for us to get a good view but making sure not to spook the whales. Unlike dolphins, whales will swim away from boats if they are alarmed by them, they told us.

Making things even more difficult, we were moving towards submerged animals. From the surface, no one knew where they were or exactly when or where we might see them next. They told us that after taking a breath, gray whales dive and usually wait seven to twenty minutes before surfacing again.

So, we all stood out on one side of the ship, practically holding our breath, hoping to see something. I started to wonder if we hadn't spooked them or misjudged their direction, if we were even looking in the right direction, if I was ever going to see a whale when they spouted again.

I saw it. Then, I clearly saw the tail of a whale diving and then another tail. Alright, now I have really seen a whale.

We continued waiting and the whales would resurface again and again and again.

The time between sightings was five minutes plus. And since we didn't know where we'd see them, I didn't even try to take pictures. I figured I'd be lucky to see them with my own eyes and decided not to try to force any of my own sightings into a view finder. (photo credits to come)

My brother, however, was able to point his camera towards where the whales were and record a video. It isn't the same as seeing them in person but here is footage of the whales we actually saw.
It was a remarkable experience but it was still difficult to see much of the whales. I'm glad we didn't get closer and basically left the whales alone. I'm learning that the best whale watching I'm likely to experience will be while viewing a video or looking at photos the professionals take.

After awhile, I left my brother to go find Sam and watch the whales with him for a bit. When I found him, he was over it. He'd grown tired of straining to see the whales and was ready to hang out in the cabin and eat M&Ms. I was happy to be there with him.

Surrounded by Dolphins

After seeing Risso's dolphins, on our whale watching tour, we sailed along some more.

Passing the Channel Islands.

Getting a closer look.

They seem like they would have been a fun place to explore. Maybe next time.

All of a sudden, the water was teeming with dolphins.

Every where we looked, we saw them.

We were surrounded by dolphins.

We learned how the Common Dolphin travels in pods of hundreds or even thousands and works together to herd fish.

Pelicans follow the dolphins because they know where there are dolphins, there are also fish.








From the top deck of the ship, I looked down and watched as dolphin after dolphin leaped and swam right in front of Sam.

We stayed in their midst for a long time.









After-
wards, everyone was giddy.










It was an experience I will remember all of my life.

We Saw Risso's Dolphins

After sharing lunch in Ventura, we boarded the boat for our Whale Watching cruise.

Several of us had taken motion sickness prevention medicine before the boat ride. Unfortunately, I still felt pretty green behind the gills when the boat was heading out at high speed and hitting the waves hard. Maybe fried fish for lunch wasn't the best idea?
Soon, we saw the Islands.

"Land Ho."

They were beautiful on the horizon.



Then, lo and behold, dolphins.

There were 15 or 20 in the pod.





Everyone headed out onto the side of the ship for a closer look and to take pictures.

I had only seen dolphins in the wild one other time. I'd been with my folks and brother that time too. We were swimming in Galveston the weekend after Amy's wedding. It had been amazing to see them while we were in the water with them.

But seeing them out to sea, from the boat was awesome too.

From the Island Packer's website, we knew the chances of seeing whales were slim. It sounded like we were most likely to see dolphins. We were thrilled. I was doubly happy that they slowed down the boat and my stomach was able to settle down a bit.

They told us these were Risso's dolphins. Our guide said this is the largest number of them he'd seen together at one time. Props to Island Packers for offering such an info filled, enjoyable, affordable experience.

The shot above is a close up of one of the resource books they had on board for us to use.

And here is one of John displaying the props.

More to come...

Are the World's Greatest Tacos in Ventura?

Our second day in Los Angeles was the day with the best weather.

We made plans to go on a whale watching cruise that would take us out near the Channel Islands that day.

Before boarding, we decided to grab some lunch. I requested the Surf 'N' Taco.

When I asked Sam if he wanted to have shark and he answered, yes without missing a beat.

He had eaten alligator in Louisiana and decided to add another ferocious animal to the list.


The place had some campy shots of sharks on their walls.

This one was our favorite.


On the surface, Sam's shark and fries looked the same as the fish and fries but we know they are quite different.

He ate most of the shark even though he said it was a bit rubbery.

My fish tacos were more fried batter than fish and paled when compared to those we get at Joe's.

But I was a fan of the variety found on their salsa bar.

So, while I don't believe the World's Greatest Tacos are in Ventura, we did have fun.

Bridge to John's House

While we were in Holly wood, my folks took Sam to the Guinness World of Records Museum, we met for lunch at Mel's Drive In. Then, I took my mom and Sam to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum while Johanna left for class.

That afternoon, we went to see Bridge to Terabithia. I remember the book getting lots of acclaim when I was young but had forgotten the gist of it. I loved the movie.

After the movie, we went to my brother's house. When John and I were making plans for the week and thinking about activities like Disneyland and Universal Studios, we asked Sam what he wanted to do. His answer was play video games with John at his house. So we did.
Sam enjoyed playing Galaga. Then, he convinced my mom to play. John took her picture.

While it looks like she is enjoying playing here, I think her smile was more about knowing her play was being documented. Thanks for being a good sport, Mom.

Meet the Oscars

Our first morning in LA, we ended up going to Hollywood.

They were setting up for the Oscars.











Sam's standing where the celebrities arrive and are talk with the media before entering the building.

From there, we walked the path they would take along the red carpet through the hallway of what is mostly a fancy shopping area.

We looked at the names of movies that had won best picture in the past that were etched into the wall and noticed spaces set aside for movies of the future.

We climbed a famous staircase.

The Kodak Theatre, where the Oscar Awards are held, is at the top.











Outside, in the courtyard, it was a gorgeous day.















We enjoyed checking out this historic area.















In the above photo, Sam was standing in front of this pillar.

Here is a close up of the top.











These elephants were in the courtyard too.

Apparently, they are very old and significant.












It was fun hanging out.










We walked past some of the stars on Hollywood Blvd.

Sam didn't recognize many of the names but when we saw this one, I said, "There's our governor's."

Sam said, "I know him from the Terminator movies."




I loved having time with my brother.

Partying with the Powells - Uncle Pat

On Monday, Sam and I flew down to Los Angeles to spend time with my folks and brother, John and sister-in-law, Johanna. We were fortunate to have had John & Jo visit us in September and my parents visit in October. But then since we weren't going to be together for Thanksgiving or Christmas, we planned to take advantage of our school district's second winter break and meet in LA for a Powell family get together.

When they picked us up from the airport, I was pleasantly surprised to find my Uncle Patrick with my mom and dad. They had flown out to California early and driven down to visit him and his family in San Diego and Tijuana. Pat had some paid time off to use so he decided to ride back with my folks to say hello.

It was wonderful to see him. Sam taught him how to play go fish. Pat gave Sam a peso of every denomination and we shared dinner. However, I didn't get many pictures. I wanted to supplement this one with some wonderful ones my cousin Alan recently posted on the Powell family website. I love my Uncle's expression in this one of him with my Aunt Alice.

He still has the mischievous smile he was wearing, while cleaning off his plate, in this one.

My Aunt Maria seems to have ambushed him with a hug here.





They look stylish on some Christmas past lounging with my Aunt Cathy, Ariel's mom. I love them all.

Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to come to LA to spend the evening with us Uncle Pat. It was great to see you.

Sam on our wall

Recently, I looked out the back door and saw Sam perched on the fence between our back deck and the neighbor's.

Wearing a sword no less.

I love this kid.











On his way back, he played chicken with the cat.

Els Made our Valentine's Day Happier

Last summer, we were on a pineapple shrimp kick.

At that time, Els sent us a recipe for one of her summer favorites, Shrimp Salad with Mango.

We hadn't had a chance to try it yet but had it tucked away for a special occasion.



I took the day off on Valentine's Day to volunteer for Sam's class's party. We brought fresh berries and home made whipped cream for the class. We had some for dessert too.

While I was shopping for those ingredients, I thought the mango looked good and found some shrimp on sale.

So I decided this was the night to give Els' recipe a try.

We loved it.

I had to make a couple of small changes but here is her recipe the way I made it if you'd like to give it a try it.

1 mango, cut into small pieces

2 green onions, chopped

Juice from 2 limes

Baby romaine lettuce

1 handful chopped coriander (cilantro)

1 tsp. arachide oil (we used grape seed oil)

Few drops sesame seed oil

Cooked shrimp

Put the mango in a bowl with the lime juice. Add green onions and mix. Let sit for about 20 min. Saute shrimp in grape seed oil. Add curry powder to taste. Now mix everything on a big platter and at the last minute add the sesame seed oil. Mix with your hands and ENJOY!! (Note: Els' recipe called for a chopped jalepano w/o seeds to be added to the mango, lime, green onion mixture. I was planning to follow these instructions but the mango hid in my shopping basket and didn't make it home. I'm sure that would have been good but we thought it was fine w/o it too.)

Thanks so much for making our dinner lovely, Els. I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day. We love you.

Tiburon Garden Experiment II

In September, I found some planter boxes by the side of the road.

I brought them home and filled them with vegetables and snap dragons. Click here to flash back to Tiburon Garden Experiment Take I.






We did have a few salads from the lettuce.








And a nice Caprice with the basil but the plants weren't getting enough light.




The peas were pretty but they and the broccoli never produced.





Since then, I've been watching to see which plants were thriving in the cool, damp weather we'd been having this fall and decided to try my luck with some cyclamen and pansies.

So far, they are thriving.

Even the plants in the strawberry pot look happy.

Taking Ariel & Ash to See the Seals

I wanted to go back to Pt. Reyes with Ariel and Ash. I couldn't wait to show them the elephant seals we'd seen with Cam and hoped we might see a whale or two.

Ash made her move to California on an airplane. So the amount of stuff she was able to bring with her was limited. Her grandmother mailed her a care package full of some important things she'd had to leave behind. She was so excited to get her skateboard back that she brought it with her to the beach where she taught Sam a few tricks.



While Cam was watching one of the NFL playoff games, Sam and I took the Ariel & Ash to the ocean.

We started a bit later in the day got off the bus at the first stop with everyone else so it was a bit more crowded but just as lovely.

We saw elephant seals lounging on the ocean side of the point near the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse.

From this distance, I agree with Eric that they do look dead.

Luckily, docents had their telescopes set up again.




We marched up the hill towards the lighthouse







People at this lookout said they had recently seen a whale and were waiting for it to resurface.

We waited for awhile too.

But since we hadn't seen it go down, had no idea which was it was headed, where it might resurface or how long it would take, I was willing to forgo waiting and head down the stairs toward the lighthouse with Sam.

On our way down, Ash yelled down to tell us that the whale was resurfacing. I looked where she pointed and may have seen a spray. Sam didn't see anything. I'm glad Ariel and Ash are excited about what they had saw.

Sam and I had been to this lighthouse before but he said he doesn't remember it.













Glad I have the pictures.

Cam and I had our first view of the ocean as Californians from here.












Sam looked wistful and dreamy by the lighthouse.















Being with him at a lighthouse reminded me of the Powell Family Reunion in San Diego when we visited the Cabrillo National Monument and explored the Old Pt. Loma Lighthouse there with our cousin, Kelly.






Back at Pt. Reyes, we had a clear view of the Farallon Islands. But no clear view of whales yet.



Ariel and Ash joined us at the lighthouse.











It was another beautiful day.









Sam chilled on some rocks.















"Strike a pose, Vogue."
















The climb back up the steep stairs is quite different than the climb down. We couldn't say the sign at the top didn't warn us. It says the stairs are equivalent to a 30 story building.

We made it then got back on the bus and rode over to the Elephant Seal Overlook.

This shot shows how close we are to the seals from the overlook.





There were even more baby seals this time. (click on the photo to enlarge)

I was thrilled.

We heard that we had just missed a birth. They said the sea gulls were cleaning up the after birth. Yuck. But good to hear nothing is wasted.

A bit later, a bunch of sea gulls were gathered around one female. Sure enough, soon there was a new baby with her.

I wouldn't say I actually saw the birth from where we were standing but we were present for it.

On the bus ride back to the car, we saw Elk from the bus. At the time, we only caught a fleeting glimpse but since we knew were to look, on our drive back; we pulled over and captured this stunning view.

We felt fortunate to get such a clear view of them.

All day, we kept saying, "I can't believe we live here." It is amazing. I am thankful.

Watching for whales. Seeing seals.

We were supposed to have had a three day weekend at home to recover from our holiday travel before Cameron headed back to work. But the airport closing meant we spent two of those days in Dallas. We were left with only New Year's Day to rest in California. Then, Cam was back in the office that Tuesday and Wednesday and back in Texas to meet the folks at Dell that Thursday and Friday.

Sam and I had the first week of the New Year off. On Thursday, I spoke with my mom. She told me she'd seen on the news that people in Oregon were watching whales migrating. I told her the whales were supposed to be passing by here too. She encouraged me to go out and look for them.

Later that morning, I spoke with Ariel. She was back from her holiday trip to visit the Nortons in Utah. Ash had made it to California and they thought going whale watching sounded like a good idea. Our car was parked at the airport. So, they came and picked us up. Then, we drove up Hwy 1 to the Muir Beach Overlook. I'd read that it was a good place to watch for whales and had almost gone there on a different day.

This day was beautiful, from the shelter of the car. However, we didn't realize how windy it would be on the overlook.

When we got out of the car, the first thing we saw was a guy chasing after the hat the wind had blown off his head. The wind hit us hard and made just standing difficult.

The sun shone so brightly on the water that it was nearly blinding. Despite these circumstances, we took turns looking out at the water through the binoculars Ruud has given us when we saw him in Lafayette. We enjoyed the view but not the wind. Our first attempt at whale watching lasted only about 30 minutes. Alas, we did not see whales.

We decided to go down to Muir Beach and hang out there for awhile. The wind was less intense on the beach. It was nice relaxing together.

That weekend, after Amy's visit, Cam, Sam and I decided to head out to Pt. Reyes to attempt seeing whales another time. Cam had read that elephant seals were also migrating and that Pt. Reyes was an ideal place to view them during this time.

We parked at Drake's Bay and took a ride through the beautiful park out to Chimney Rock on the tip of Pt. Reyes.

The first trip Cam and I made to the ocean after arriving in California, was to Chimney Rock. We loved it then and were excited to go back.

Cam's talked before about the cows that live on Pt. Reyes appearing to be the happiest cows around. This baby calf, wobbling in front of its mother, was so young that it was still wet.

When we arrived at Elephant Seal Overlook, we were pleased to see that volunteer docents had set up high powered telescopes to aide our viewing.

The cove was covered with seals.

Do you see the seal pups next to their mothers? (click photo to enlarge)

There are two in this photo and a different pair in the photo below.

The docents told us that the weekend before there had been 3 babies born in this spot. This weekend, there were 18.

The males are so massively impressive and bizarre looking.



Because we were the first visitors to the cove that day, we could look as long as we wanted through the telescopes.
And we had unlimited access to the docent's wisdom.

They told us that the elephant seal parents only stay with their babies for 28 days.

Because their feeding grounds are far away, the parents don’t eat or teach the pups to find food during this time. The pups have been fed solely from their mother's milk.

After the babies are left alone on the shore, hunger and their instincts eventually motivate them to leave in search of food. Out in the open ocean; however, we learned that great white sharks have timed their migration to coincide with the baby seals' first foray into the sea. No wonder the seal pups only have a 20% chance of survival.

While the pups looked tiny from where we were standing, we learned that at birth, they are already larger than Sam. During their first month of life they grow to be larger than Cam.

Thrilled with our educational elephant seal experience, we decided to hike up onto the bluff to see if we could see any whales.











We spent time snuggling.









And had a picnic in one of the most gorgeous spots I can imagine.






We enjoyed catching up with Cam. He had been traveling so much with his new job.



Sam had fun running around...









and seeing the scenes.











But we didn't see whales this time either.















We did find another family of elephant seals.

I love the smile on this guy.




We walked back down to catch the bus back to our car.














And to rest and relax on our way home.

Cam wrote about our trip too.

We have a good life.

Amy's Visit - Cousins on Mt. Tam

The week after we returned from our trip to Louisiana for the Christmas holiday, my cousin, Amy was scheduled to be in San Francisco for work on Wednesday and Thursday. She decided to stay Friday night to spend some time with family.

At her mom's house in Dallas, we'd just looked through a book of her wedding photos. It was a lovely event and the first time Cameron met many of my relatives from my Dad's side of the family.

Sam and I took Amy out to lunch at Joe's Taco Lounge. Then, we met Ariel and Ash for a trip to watch the sunset from the top of Mt. Tam. We'd taken John & Johanna at sunset when they were here for Labor Day.

This lake looked lovely. We think it is the one formed by the Alpine Damn we parked near on our first Marin waterfall hike. It was fun to see it again from this angle.












The views from the top are impressive.

The city was glorious in the setting sun.







Sam & Ash enjoyed climbing around on the rocks.

Ariel wanted the use the camera. She said she had a good shot from where she was standing. I wanted to take one of her.

But her angle was nice.
















The wind was cold and strong up there this time.

The tower on top provided a bit of a windbreak. The view down the mountain from there is interesting too.

We still need to explore Mt. Diablo.

I am happy to have my own sunset picture of it now.



Ash took a picture of the cousins huddled together before we headed back down the mountain.



Sam & Ash sprinted.

They were like deer, running and climbing.





One last shot with the ocean in the background.

The windy roads to the top of the mountain and back were upsetting to some of our stomachs. I took my mom's advice and took Dramamine. It helped a lot and didn't make me drowsy.

Later, we ordered food from Thep Lela, our favorite local Thai place. Cam made it home from a trip to Austin in time to say hello and crash.

The next morning, he was refreshed and shared a breakfast of whole wheat pancakes with fresh berries and whipped cream before Amy headed home to spend time with her husband, Sebastian.

It was great to see her and catch up.

Thanks for making time for us, Amy. We love you.

I need to wake up.

Download this song and listen to it while you read this posting in a different window.

We finally watched the Al Gore movie, An Inconvenient Truth. My opinion of him is more positive after seeing the movie than it ever was before.

The science he shares seems sound. The predictions he makes are astounding.


He said that while 100% of the scientific journals examined in one study supported the position that the climate crisis is real, only 58% of popular media takes that stance.

No wonder we are confused.

Sam watched the movie with us. He said that when Gore showed the impact the melting of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica could have, it made him a little scared. Billions of people live in areas they showed would be covered by water.

While I was impressed with the entire movie, my favorite part was the closing credits.


I love the song Melissa Etheridge wrote for the movie.

If you haven't yet, play it. The chorus reads:


I need to move.
I need to wake up.
I need to change.
I need to shake up.
I need to speak out.
Some thing's got to break up.
I've been asleep and I need to wake up.
Now.

While she sings, the credits list things each of us can do to stop the climate crisis. Additionally, the website has six pages of suggestions. But here are some of my favorites:

If you are a parent, join with your children to save the world they live in.
Learn...
Put your knowledge into action.
Plant trees.
Lots of trees.
(photo credit)

When you can, walk or ride a bike.
(photo credit)

Require lower emissions from automobiles.

Speak up in your community.
Vote for leaders who pledge to solve this crisis.
Write to Congress.
If they don't listen,
run for Congress.
(photo credit)

If you believe in prayer,
pray that people will find the strength to change.
(photo credit)









As an old African proverb says, "When you pray, move your feet." (photo credit)

Dallas @ Pablo's

After spending an extra night with my folks in Dallas and hanging out with them the following morning, we decided to make the most of being stranded and visit more of Cameron's close friends.

Sam considered hanging out with my folks while Cam & I went to see Pablo and Kristie until he heard about Pablo's X-Box.

We got out and enjoyed the day too.

We went to an authentic Mexican restaurant where the waitress spoke to Pablo in Spanish and the rest of us attempted phrases like, "Agua, por favor."

Cam hadn't seen Pablo's new home. It was very nice.

That evening, the guys laughed and laughed to some Mystery Science Theatre DVDs Anthony gave Cam. And we ordered extraordinary pizza. (Where was it from, Pablo?) I liked the one with eggplant best.

The next day, we went out for brunch at a fabulous spot. (Where was it Cam?)

Thanks so much, Pablo and Kristie for making what could have been a miserable experience into a real joy.

And as you may remember, we did finally make it home.

I want to thank Cam for keeping those who are interested in knowing what we've done in the New Year current through postings on his blog.

Dallas at Alice's

After our time with Anthony and his family, we hit the road.

Our goal was to make it to Dallas that evening, crash in a hotel somewhere so no one was waiting up for us and then connect with my parents in the morning.

I'm lucky; my parents care enough about seeing me that they would happily drive from their home six hours away to Dallas for the promise of some hugs and a few hours of our time.

They were staying in my Aunt Alice's home. We met them there the next morning.

We gave them the produce we'd picked the day before. They gave us gifts they brought back from their recent trip to Hawaii.

Sam demonstrating a Hawaiian dance.

We talked at my aunt's house for awhile then left to go have dinner with just my folks.

Then, we headed to the airport. We were supposed to catch a flight that would get us home that evening.

We were going to have the weekend to rest and relax at home. But the weather and American Airlines didn't cooperate.
Thankfully, we had family and friends in Dallas who welcomed us into their homes.

I want to thank my Aunt Alice and Uncle Suvid for their hospitality.

We were happy to have extra time with everyone.

Meeting Anthony & Jeanette @ Dean O's

Before leaving town, we were scheduled to meet some of Cam's best friends, Anthony & Jeanette at one of his favorite places to eat. I thought Dean O's pizza was on Cam' list. It wasn't but it did make Eric's.

Unfortunately, Cam had an upset stomach and wasn't able to enjoy the crab meat or crawfish and jalapeno pizza as much as usual.

Cam and Anthony talk almost every day.

Often, we hear Cam laugh and laugh and laugh.



It was wonderful for Sam and me to finally meet them.







After lunch, we stopped by Anthony's childhood home so Cam could see Anthony's mother and we could meet Lucas Cameron.











Cam was pleasantly surprised and incredibly honored when he learned that Anthony & Jeanette had given Lucas his name as a middle name.
Luckily, Cam was in their area for work and was able to meet Lucas when he was just days old.

He's grown a lot since then. We had a fun time together and look forward to spending time with them again.

Farewell, Lafayette

December 28th, was our last day in Lafayette.

Before we left Jim & Liz's we harvested some fresh satsumas and grapefruit from their trees to share with my family.

We had a bit of time left before we needed to leave to meet Cam's friends Anthony & Jeanette for lunch at Dino's so we decided to walk around the pond again.

It was a beautiful day. The weather was what I expected Louisiana at Christmas time to be like.

I tried on and felt pretty in the outfit Jim and Liz had given me for Christmas. Cam and I agreed it looked like something I would have picked out myself.




I enjoyed getting pics of Cam and his dad.







Here's a pic of Jim's green house.

I took refuge from the cold in it while calling my family on Christmas Day.

It was so nice to have time with Cam's Dad's side of the family in his hometown.

Crawfish Boil

After the swamp tour, Cam ran out to Lucas Cameron's baptism while Sam and I cleaned up and got ready for dinner. After the baptism, we met Cam at Gator Cove for a crawfish boil.

I was excited to try crawfish again.















I'd had it once before in Galveston, TX with my friend, Heather.






Alligator was on the children's menu. So, Sam ventured from the norm and gave it a try. He thought it tasted like chicken.

He surprised me by also trying the crawfish and asking for seconds.







It was yummy and fun.









Making our own cocktail sauce from ketchup, mayo, horse radish, and Worcester shire sauce was added a lot to the taste experience.

After dinner, we went outside to see the gators in their pen.

What a full, eventful, flavorful day.

Going on a Gator Hunt...

Going on a gator hunt.

I'm not afraid.

I've got these guys by my side.

While we were in Louisiana, for Christmas, Jim offered to take us on a swamp tour. We were all very excited about the idea. He worked until early afternoon, while we explored Baton Rouge.

After touring the LSU campus, we drove back to Lafayette, about 40 miles on I-10, the elevated highway which runs over the Atchafalaya Basin & Henderson Swamp.

Cam had said that if you get behind a semi truck that jack knifes on this highway bridge, you can be stuck for hours.

All of a sudden, we saw brake lights ahead.

Traffic slowed down and finally stopped. Fortunately, we only sat there for 10 or 20 minutes. Enough to make us extremely grateful when traffic started crawling along again that there was at least one lane open ahead. Turns out some guy hauling a manufactured home had some trouble and had to pull off to the side of the road.

We made it back but not with much time to spare. At Jim & Liz's place, I grabbed a quick bite to eat while Cam and Sam tossed the fishing line out a couple of times. Then we were off. In search of alligators, as Sam said.

Jim offered to let each us borrow a hat from his extensive collection. At first, I thought I would rather be stylish but when we got to the water and I couldn't find my sunglasses, the brilliant sunlight on the water made me decide I'd rather be able to see than be seen.

It was peaceful and beautiful on the water.


Sam enjoyed dangling his hand in the water.

It was a bit cold so we didn't really expect to see alligators.

Just hoped.









We saw snowy egrets and great egrets.









And Great Blue Herons standing still, taking off and perched in trees.





Sam thought the Night Heron looked like a penguin.

It was unreal.




As were the trees.











We were all happy to be out on the water together.







We saw turtles.











And had fun together.









Jim had some impressive binoculars.









Sam chilled.










We soaked it all in.











Our tour guide, showed us this alligator home. He put the entire oar into the hole showing how far back it went. It sounded like he thought gators were in there but too cold to come out. He showed us a gator nest up close too.

We saw an owl.










And at least two nutria.

I was happy because I completely missed the first one.



The sun was setting.

It was a beautiful, glorious, afternoon.

Thanks, Jim.

How it's going. Kumbaya

A week ago, Friday, was my last day working as an aide at Sam's school. I had a big send-off.

Then, I was back on Monday working as a substitute. I spent the day with a fifth grade class while their teacher had jury duty. They asked me to come back on Tuesday but I had already committed to work at another nearby elementary school.

There, I worked with a fifth grade class for most of the morning, covered a fourth grade class for an hour and spent the afternoon in kindergarten.

Wednesday, I was a parent in the morning, driving Sam and two of his classmates to see a play at the Marin Center, Cuentos del Arbol." (Tree Tales.) (For some reason, they don't use buses for field trips at this school.) That afternoon, they asked me to stay and cover for a teacher who had a meeting.

They asked me to work another time last week too but Thursday and Friday, I was already scheduled to sub at the nearby middle school. I was working mostly with eighth graders.

I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. They were a blast, respectful, responsive and kind.

So far, so good. Thanks for encouraging me in this next phase of my career. I enjoy having complete control of my schedule as well as the novelty and challenge associated with walking into a different situation every day. Being off when Sam is off is huge too.

Ideally, this summer, I'd like to restart work towards a master’s degree in school social work or mental health counseling. The education system has a large number of kids who need someone looking out for them. That, and the big breaks make working as a school social worker sound very appealing but I'm not sure I will really get to concentrate on the issues I am most interested in countering.

Recently, I contacted the Marin Abused Women's Services about volunteering in their call center. Their mission of, "Creating Safety and Justice for Women and Children" is what I am most interested in doing. Of course, I want safety and justice for all. But their website says that "95% of domestic violence cases are attributable to men."

They developed the nation's first "batterer re-education program." That program's tag line reads, "Men helping men create peace."

I had a boss once who told me it wasn't about everyone sitting around in a circle singing "Kumbaya."

I really wish it could be. One step at a time, huh?

In the meantime, peace, happiness and love to you and yours.

photo credit

The New Queen of Substitutes

A week ago, Friday, was my last day working as an aide at Sam's school.

I was moved by the hugs, cards, drawings and letters of thanks I received from the kids.

They said things like:

"You are the New Queen of Substitutes."

"You have bin the best aide."

"Miss Maddux rocks!!!!"

"I will miss you very, very, very much."

"I am happy for you."

"I liked it when you were here but hope you like the kids you meet."

"I wish you have a great time being a teacher."

"I hope every time our teacher is sick you will be our substitute!"

"Have fun being a substitute."

"You are respectful, nice and caring."

"You are a great person to be around."

"You are very kind."

"I had so much fun with you."

"You are a good person."

"I love the way you smile."

"I love you : )"

"xoxoxo"

"You are the best aide I ever had."

"I know you will be a great substitute."

"You have taught me a lot of stuff."

"You helped me learn a lot."

"Your friend..."

I could not ask for more.