This is it, as techno-savvy as we get. As we prepare to get married, actually do it, and then travel for a year you can be with us every step of the way. Isn't that lovely?
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Amongst the great belching turd-like marvels
Just 20 miles north of Santa Cruz is a California State Park that, each November through February, becomes a wretched, foul-smelling orgy of rippling blubber and profane vocalizations. Sounds great, doesn't it? I know! We thought so too and so eagerly made our reservations to go out to Ano Nuevo to check out the Elephant Seals that congregate on this point during the mating season. The massive bulls belch and squawk and fight with each other while the females and pups do everything to stay out of the way of the 4000 pound beasts.
Well, not that it didn't have soccer before, but I have often wondered how it is that a city like kansas city, and even salt lake were able to get Major League Soccer before Seattle. And how was it that, up to now, San Jose was the most northerly city with a MLS soccer team? But now thats all change, because Seattle just announced their new team. I can't wait to go!
Its meditatively quiet, and all around you are lithe fronds swaying to some unheard but ethereal symphony. Only problem is that its COLD. So very cold. Especially if you are wearing a 15 year old wetsuit, as I was.
I am taking a series of dive courses to prepare myself for research diving, and we dove today at a site just south of Monterey, near Carmel, CA. It was BEAUTIFUL, the sort of classic kelp dive that they make movies of. I made a movie too, but its not so good. But I posted it anyway, because that is what I do.
I think that a 2.5 week interlude between posts may have done the trick. If, indeed, we still have any readers out there I will be quite surprised. But we do have new pictures on a subject that I've gotten many questions on: Christine's new job. Yesterday I made my first visit to cubicle-landia. Both of us are new to the cubicle thing (I have one at USGS), which makes it kind of exciting and new. Sort of. To get the full picture of Christine's new undertaking, check their website.
Indeed, it is a wondrous thing. Migration is really adaptation, and there is some of that going on here right now.
First, the butterflies. We went today on an exploratory bike ride that brought us, amongst other places, to Natural Bridges State Park, a small park in town. This little bit of green space happens to contain a grove of eucalyptus trees and, despite the fact that eucalyptus is not native to california, in just a hundred years or so Monarch butterflies have really decided that this tree is for them. And, as a result, Natural Bridges State Park has become an annual repository for a good part of the west coast population of monarch butterflies. We'd been by once before, last weekend, and were less than impressed. Today was much more, well, impressive. All of these beauties arrived over the last few weeks.
And its not just butterflies. With them came the other migrators that we've noticed thus far anyway - birds (saw my first loon in the line up surfing pleasure point on thursday), and whales (haven't seen any yet, but you know they are here. This place is practically crawling with parasite-ridden, krill-stank marine beasties)
And then there is us. Just another couple of migrators. Passed a few key tests of survivability (to put it in those adaptation terms) this last week. First, I sat for my first exams in about 12 years. Didn't do so bad either. In fact, if you come over to the sh*tbox you just might see one of those beauties hanging on the fridge.
And, on a sadder note, the mini-van lost its Washington name tags and is now being forced to identify itself with California. We've already covered this territory though, so enough said.
And, perhaps most importantly, Christine was hired by a local non-profit as their Outreach and Promotions Coordinator. She starts tomorrow. If you are lucky, I might post a picture of her in her power outfit in a future blog.
I really do, the pressure to come up with a costume is too much for me. I can deal with the pressure of exams, papers and all of that crap, but costumes...its too much. But I made it through this one and we actually had an excellent week. It was a two-pronged affair and started on Saturday with a trip downtown with a crew from Monterey to see Hells Belles rock it. If you haven't seen them yet, well, you really just need to. Some excellent costumes were brought to bear as well, with Nick as a parking cart, Sam as a character form the Darjeeling Limited, Marianna as a feminist (complete with truly fetching armpit hair), Christine as a soul train dancer (I think?) and Mark as the famous "Ramboner". I went as a pageboy.
But in Santa Cruz Halloween is actually all about the actual day, and the rumor was that down town gets a bit out of hand. So despite having an exam the following day Christine and I went down to walk around. And it was indeed rather special. WE didn't stay long, though. Maybe next year we can really dig in.
Another highlight of the week was a visit from Tom and Carrie from P.A. It was wonderful to see them!
As the Coastal Hazards Specialist for Washington Sea Grant I spend my time on research, education and outreach on topics like chronic erosion, climate change, tsunami and other coastal hazards.
