An Icy Pond

These photos were taken in mid-December, before we had the dump of snow that seems like it will never go away.

My husband took the kids and Henry over to our summer swimming hole, a.k.a. the settling pond for the pivot irrigation system. As you can see on the right hand side above, a lot of dark silt settled out of the stream water. Only enough water was left to fill the "deep" end (about waist deep during the late part of the summer), and much of it had frozen.

I arrived a little bit later and found them in a good mood. From Desert Boy's grin, you can see he was having a jolly time. And if you look carefully in the photo, you know why he's grinning.

It was rock chucking time!

The ice was just thick enough to hold most of the rocks on the surface, but every once in awhile, one penetrated and fell into the chilly water below.

Henry likes to chase things, like rabbits, and sticks, and balls, and rocks. And even though he's an extremely loyal dog, he's not always the brightest dog.

And when he chased one rock out in the middle of the ice...

...he went in. Fortunately it wasn't too hard for him to get out.

And then he just shook himself off and went back to chasing more rocks. Icy water was okay with him!

If all goes well, we may have another icy adventure next weekend.

South Pacific Musings from a Frozen State

Quiz today!

Don't worry, you won't be graded. But if you know the answer (before you scroll down and read it), you should leave a comment so we can all congratulate you. And take that "we" a little loosely. I'll congratulate you. And maybe my dad will. He's a retired professor, so he appreciates students who can figure out tough questions. But don't count on anyone else congratulating you. You never know, though.

Okay, okay, I can read your mind, and you're saying Get on with it, why don't ya? (Or maybe you say you. Whatever.)

QUIZ

1) What is the only country that is located in all four hemispheres (West, East, North, and South)? Did I really need to write out all four hemispheres? Because I probably didn't, but I wanted to be sure I was clear. I guess if you don't know what the four hemispheres are, you really have no chance of answering this question correctly anyway.

2) Hint--this is the same country that is the one that is likely to be the first to disappear due to climate change. This probably isn't much of a hint, but perhaps you have an astonishing grasp of countries with height-challenged land masses.

3) They drive on the left side of the road here. But because this nation is made up of 33 atolls and one raised coral island, there really aren't many roads. Now that's more of a hint. You're probably guessing that those dang Brits were responsible for getting this country all messed up, and you're right! This country became independent from the U.K. in 1979.

4) Even though this is an island nation, the police force for the approximately 100,000 inhabitants includes only one patrol boat. I am sadly out of any side comments.

Have your answer ready?

The

official

answer

is

a

little

further

below

so

you

won't

cheat.

It's

Kiribati.

That's what you guessed, right? Kiribati, pronounced Keer-ee-bas (don't ask me why), is this sunny, hot, tropical nation located out in the South Pacific.

I had the opportunity to get acquainted with it on our drive to California, when we listened to the book The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost. (During our previous drive to California three years prior, we listened to Three Cups of Tea, another engaging nonfiction book set in an interesting locale. This may become a tradition as we battle the snow over Donner Summit.)

The Sex Lives of Cannibals is about a guy and his girlfriend who spend two years out in Kiribati. The girlfriend has a job with an aid agency, while the boyfriend just lazes around and doesn't do much. Which is quite in keeping with an equatorial nation where it is sweltering hot all the time, the power frequently cuts out so that the fans don't work, and the food selection is remarkably limited, consisting primarily of fish, fish, and more fish.

Some of the observations made in the book made me have absolutely no desire to go visit, such as the abundance of disposable diapers thrown onto the coral reef surrounding the main island, and the use of the sea water as a toilet by many. Doesn't make snorkeling sound too appealing. Or the lack of reliable air service in and out of the islands. In fact, upon further research, I found that the Peace Corps pulled out of Kiribati largely due to this reason.

Just because I don't want to go to the place doesn't mean it wasn't fascinating hearing about it. They have unusual customs, even if The Macarena has become the number one hit song and is played repeatedly 24/7. The outer islands sound nice, more primitive and down-to-earth than the main island, which is full of corruption and vices of the modern world.

Apparently despite bad air service, lack of air conditioning, and an unendearing description, tourism does play an important part of the local economy, contributing 1/5 of the GDP. It's not clear how people arrive, but I guess that's just one of those silly questions. Details, details. Tourism had a bump in 2000, as the country moved the dateline just in time for the Millenium so that one of their islands would be the first spot to usher in the new era. I mean, that is something you just have to admire.

I also admire their planning for their demise, when they are no longer able to live in their country because it will be flooded by rising sea levels. The President said, "To plan for the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I think we have to do that." He wasn't all about talk though. The country asked New Zealand and Australia to accept Kiribati citizens as permanent refugees. Those are good choices, New Zealand and Australia have lots of high places that shouldn't be flooded in a long time. And they drive on the left side of the road, too.

The Wikipedia entry on Kiribati has little tidbits that just leave me wondering--like why has Cuba played such a big role in medicine? Why do they show a photo of the underwhelming Presidential residence? Why do they use the Australian dollar yet New Zealand represents them in the United Nations? And is The Macarena still the number one song?

Just thinking about the island nation of Kiribati on this frigid morning makes me feel a little warmer. And it makes me appreciate (some of) their idiosyncrasies. I'm sure if they were to hear of life out here, they'd find just as many crazy things that would make them not want to visit. It's good that we're not all alike!

Happy Epiphany!

January 6 marks the end of the Christmas season, the day the Three Wise Men reached Bethlehem with their gifts for the Newborn King. It also means that it's time to take down our Christmas tree and put away all the Christmas decorations. I think I'm going to kind of miss them! We finally put names on our stockings so that Santa will know where to put the gifts next year.

(If you missed the story, Desert Boy was expecting presents in his stocking Christmas morning and asked me in a very sad voice why his stocking was empty. I told him the presents were under the tree, but that wasn't good enough, he really thought Santa would put something in the stocking! I pointed out that our stockings didn't have names on, so he helped me remedy that.)

Of course we still have plenty of snow outside to remind us of the white Christmas we had. That may take a lot longer to disappear than the Christmas decorations. Sigh. January can be a tough month to get through. But we have Emma's first birthday party to look forward to! And plenty of Knock Knock jokes from Desert Boy. In fact, we need some new ones--he tells the same ones over and over so many times that we start to roll our eyes. Do you know any good Knock Knock jokes?

Point Reyes National Seashore

While we were out in California, we decided to go to Point Reyes National Seashore, a place we had never visited before. My husband's sister and her family were our gracious guides.

Our first sightseeing moment was the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the overlook on the north side and learning a few tidbits about the bridge, like it was built in 1937 and painted International Orange.

It was windy and raining, so we didn't stay long. But of course we (meaning compulsive me) had to take a few photos, and we had some willing models.

Our plan was to head up Highway 1 to the National Seashore, but that way was flooded, so we had to take an alternate route. The alternate route took us through a redwood tree grove (ah, those lovely trees!) and was quite scenic. I was really enjoying a total change of scenery, and cousin Lola was in the backseat, keeping Desert Girl and Desert Boy happily entertained.

When we got to the main visitor center, we looked at some of the exhibits, ate our picnic lunch, and then decided to head out to the lighthouse.

This was the view from the parking area at the lighthouse. The storm clouds just added to the dramatic scenery.
We found a short trail that went to a viewpoint, and took it to stretch our legs.

We were glad to have rain gear!

Ruby and her mom.

The ocean was a long way below us, but its effect on the landscape and vegetation was obvious. The vegetation was fairly short, having adapted to a rather harsh climate.

Next up was the trail to the lighthouse.

The direction of the prevailing wind was obvious by the lean of these trees. Ruby looks like she's enjoying a walk in the park!

Some black-tailed deer were munching on the vegetation, not particularly afraid of human visitors.
Then we got to a tiny visitor center and a set of stairs leading to the lighthouse, set on the cliffs below.

Not too many people were braving the weather, so we nearly had it to ourselves, even though it was a weekend. And the sun came out for a few brief moments.

It was about a 300 foot descent to get to the lighthouse, over 300 stairs.

The foghorn and light were automated years ago and are now housed in this little shack. Not nearly as picturesque as a real lighthouse!

Due to the height of the cliffs, they didn't need to build a tall lighthouse. In fact, it was a challenge to get all the materials to this location. In addition, they had no fresh water source except for what fell from the sky, so they built a cistern and collection basin.

It would have been a rather lonely life as a light house keeper, and I think I might have gone slightly mad seeing the ocean but not having an easy way to get down to it.

My brother Ed enjoyed the scenery, too.

After checking out the area, it was time to head back up. I had Emma in the front carrier, so I was ready for a good cardio workout.

And up. They had painted numbers on the steps so you knew how many more you had to go.

On one step I found this neat little snail.

It sure was a strange-looking creature!

We got to see the beach to the north again on the trek back to the parking area, along with the slug-like elephant seals that were on the beach.

A break in the rain meant it was time for some goofing off in the parking lot.

Emma was fascinated with the dog.

After a quick snack, we decided to head to the beach, where dogs were allowed (they weren't allowed on trails in the national seashore).

This was some of the landscape we drove through to get there, green pastures with lots of cows. Ranching was a historical use of this area, and many ranches are still in operation within the national seashore.

Some of the cows were dairy cows, while others were beef cows.

We parked in a huge parking lot and were virtually the only vehicles. Apparently there's a lot more visitation in the summer!

Despite it being December and wearing winter coats, some of us still had to take off our shoes and socks and run through the sand!

Desert Boy and Lola decided to play the wave game, trying to just let their feet get wet.

The shore was a little on the steep side, so it was hard to judge how big the waves would be.

They got some good exercise running back and forth.

Desert Boy was absolutely fascinated with the waves. After all, he doesn't get to spend much time at the ocean.

He was spellbound.

Will my toes get wet?

And to see the action, click on the video below.



Before we left the beach, it was time for a family photo.

Thanks for the good memories!

A Trip to the Beach

Enough of the snow and cold, let's go to the beach!

The week before Christmas we actually had the chance to do that. We drove to the San Francisco area to visit my brother who was traveling and my husband's sister and her family. The weather was a bit rainy, but it was a lot warmer than where we had come from.

One afternoon we headed out to the beach to check out the tidal pools. We had checked when the low tide would be and fortunately it worked out for us to go when it was low tide, and it was a particularly low tide. That made it extra fun to see what's out there.

It was a short walk from the parking area down to the beach. Then we went down some stairs and had the tidal area right in front of us to explore.

We took Emma in her stroller, which wasn't the best choice, but it worked out for part of the time.

I loved it that my nieces, who have grown up in California, are still fascinated by all the cool creatures that live along the shoreline.

It felt like we were on a scavenger hunt, with each find bringing oohs and ahs.

The stroller was left behind at the edge of the rocks, and Emma was toted in my husband's arms. He stopped to look at Ruby's find. I'm not sure he knew what to think.

It was a strange little creature.

My brother enjoyed the coast. And he enjoyed getting away from the office!

We continued going farther and farther out on the rocks. We descended down into the middle tidal zone and found some starfish and anemones.

Look, everyone!

This seriously wasn't a posed photo, but it sure turned out well. The overcast day made all the bright colors really stand out. The rain made the creek running through the tidal area muddy, but that didn't detract from our viewing.

Nearby we found some places where just the salt water was trapped and found some beautiful anemones.

Ruby was good at finding things! She found a crab shell and had fun posing with it.

Emma certainly didn't know what to make of all this. It was her first visit to the ocean.

After awhile, we decided it was time to play on the beach. After all, digging in sand is so much fun. For all ages!

Emma knows what to do with sand, although this sand was a bit wetter than what she's accustomed to.

Sand is for eating! At least one time. After one mouthful she decided that was enough and didn't put more in her mouth.

Sigh.

I think that's progress.

Art on the beach.

Lola was doing some serious digging.

And then it was time to play with Emma and see if she would walk. She did well taking assisted steps.

High stepping on the beach.

Emma thought walking with her aunt was terrific!

Eventually the rain started coming down hard and we decided it was time to go. It was a great excursion, and one we will remember fondly!