A Light in the Forest

Sunlight penetrating the forest depths in Redwood Regional Park.

I highly recommend this park to anyone who lives in or visits the Bay Area. Definitely worth a side trip.

Ragweed

Ragweed. This is the weed that is making me sneeze, and itch with allergies. It is just one form of ragweed as there are many many different times from what I understand. This is the kind that grows here in our desert but is not a native plant here. I fight it and fight it and it always seems to win. On the plus side the horses seem to think it is as good as candy although how they can eat the stickery stuff is beyond me. These are little ones that escaped my figures and hoe. I have seen them get up to six feet tall with multiple stems full of flower stalks and seeds. And it is a very ugly, very tiny flower.

SANTA ANA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Winter weather finally found its way down to the Rio Grand Valley. 3 Days of below freezing weather with overnight lows in the 20's - woke up to a coating of ice.

Fortunately, freezing weather doesn't last in South Texas. With temps back in the 70's today we headed to Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,088 acre refuge established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds. We had gone there back in early December but found it was closed due to flooding. The Refuge flooded in the summer of for the first time in over 50 years. The water was up to 10 feet deep. The Refuge is bordered by the Rio Grande.





Resacas are former channels of the Rio Grande



Bird BlindBoardwalkSaw a few birds. It was a windy day. Will return in March when migration should be picking up.



Observation Tower





Rope Bridge



















White watermarks from flooding. Will have to see if the trees come back in the Spring.





Most of the 12 miles of paths are still flooded









Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n!

Melissa & Gary

Another Rose

Austin and Karen in the Tournament

Last but not least are Austin and Karen.

I know firsthand how great they are together.

They had incredible games today. They were so consistently strong. I loved watching them play.

They ended up in the championship game, against Jack and Diane. They played incredible games today too. Which means this particular game was amazing.

They won a very tough game. I'm so proud of both teams!

Jack and Diane won the Runner Up position.



Which means Austin and Karen won the overall Championship! Awesome job, Karen and Austin! We are all proud of you!

Bonanza

This photo is of Loren Greene who played Ben Cartwright, who was the head of the Cartwright clan on the Bonanza show. These old newspaper photos where in my scrapbook from when I was a kid and these shows were actually on. The article that went with the photos of the Bonanaza stars was when the newspaper in Tampa, Florida where we were living in 1962-1964 had polled readers on what there favorite show was. We knew by the photos that the favorite was Bonanza, still a favorite for those of us who watch the old reruns, and write fan-fiction stories for websites that publish them like www.womenwritersblock.net

First Ascent of Kang Nachugo by Climbing Rangers

In mid-September, one of our lead climbing rangers, David Gottlieb, took off for Kathmandu on a climbing trip through the Himalayas. David's climbing partner, Joe Puryear, is a previous Mt. Rainier climbing ranger and friend. Their goal was a first ascent of Kang Nachugo (6,735 meters), found within the Himalayan Valley of Rolwaling. Joe set up a climbing blog, so that friends, fellow climbers, and family can stay up-to-date on their progress. We all waited patiently for news of their climb and verification of their safety. Thankfully, a post on October 25th stated simply that they were successful and were safe. Their blog now has a full trip report, complemented by some amazing pictures - definitely worth a full read-through. We just want to say "Congratulations" to both Joe and David, while wishing them safe travels home. We hope to see you on the Mountain soon!

Snow

I took this photo from our kitchen window looking over to our neighbors house.

Flower Vase

I don't know anything about this flower vase that mother had except that it says 'handpainted in Japan' on the bottom

Dove

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

I've been counting down the days for something exciting-my dear friend Barb and her husband John coming to camp with us. We met them at the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge and wandered around for a short time. A very short time compared to how long we probably both would have stayed because the mosquitoes were out in killer force even with bug spray on. It is a beautiful refuge from what we did see and we saw a few birds while there.

Refuge Facts

• Established: May 17, 1937.
  
  


• Size: 5,834 acres (land), 25,700 acres (Proclamation Boundary Waters).
  
  


• Located on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks.
  
  


• Approximately 13 miles long (north to south) and ranges from a quarter mile to 1 mile wide (from east to west).
  
  


• Location: 10 miles south of Nags Head, North Carolina on NC 12.
  
  


• Administered by Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge as a part of complex; Alligator River Manager supervises the Mackay Island, Currituck, and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Managers.
  
  


• The Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is complete.

Natural History

• Area was historically used for market waterfowl hunting, commercial fishing, farming, and
  
  livestock operations.
  
  


• Refuge is comprised of ocean beach, dunes, upland, fresh and brackish water ponds, salt flats, and salt marsh.


• Bird list boasts more than 365 species; wildlife list has 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species (low number due to salt environment) of amphibians.
  
  


• Concentrations of ducks, geese, swans, wading birds, shore birds, raptors, neotropical migrants are seasonally abundant on refuge.
  
  


• Refuge has 1,000 acres of manageable waterfowl impoundments.
  
  


• Several shorebird nesting areas and wading bird rookeries are located on the refuge.
  
  


• Endangered and threatened species include: peregrine falcons, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers.

Refuge Objectives

• Provide nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including the greater snow geese and other migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants.
  
  


• Provide habitat and protection for endangered and threatened species.
  
  


• Provide opportunities for public enjoyment of wildlife and wildlands resources. Public use programs focus on interpretation, environmental education, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and fishing.

Death Valley :: Scottys Castle

Be forewarned – this post is graphic intensive – lots of photos!



Thursday, March 8th - - Continuing on with today's excursion, it was only a few miles further north to Scotty's Castle. Walter Scott was a shyster. Using the lure of untold millions of dollars worth of gold in his mine, he duped wealthy business men into financing his imaginary mine – though they didn't know the mine really didn't exist! He eventually incurred the favor of a wealthy business man from Chicago. Albert Johnson, in poor health found another kind of wealth from the dry desert air and an escape from the busy life he led. He enjoyed Scotty's company and the tales he told, whether true or not.



In the early 1920s Mr. Johnson began construction of a vacation home – his wife didn't care much for camping and sleeping on the ground but she enjoyed being in the desert. Within a short time, the palatial house became known as “Scotty's Castle” and the Johnson's went along with it all, perhaps getting a great deal of pleasure in the ruse they were playing on friends and guests who visited the ranch and listened to the stories told by Scotty.



You can read more about the story behind Scotty's Castle on the Death Valley website. It's a fun and interesting story!





As you are driving in from the south, through pretty much barren land, nestled in a small valley at the end of Death Valley National Park there is a little oasis, likely the only potable water in that end of the valley, and nearby is the site upon which Mr. Johnson chose to build his little house.





The courtyard between the two buildings with the clock tower in the background.



Inscribed above the door is “Death Valley Ranch” which is the name the Johnson's gave the place.



The interior of the house is dimly lit, the windows are covered with the original draperies some of which were made of leather. The draperies are closed to block out the sunlight and help preserve the furnishings. Oddly enough, photographs are allowed to be taken inside – even with flash!







The main entry-room was impressive with its floor to ceiling fireplace spanning two floors. The second floor has a balcony that goes completely around the entry-room.





The tour guides dress in period costumes from the 1930s, which is when the Johnson's opened their home to tour groups to help pay for the upkeep of the ranch.





Decorative tiles over the kitchen sink.



The kitchen stove, with copper cooking utensils. The little white appliance on the left of the shelf above the stove is a toaster. Their vacation may have been in a remote area, but the Johnson's had the latest and most modern features.





A floor level view of that fireplace, taken from the kitchen doorway.



A corner fireplace in one of the guest rooms upstairs.



The music room. To the left was a long alcove with a player organ. As part of the tour, they turn it on and play one song. It was beautiful and quite loud.





The elaborate ceiling of the music room. The cables are part of the original construction, used to keep the walls from bulging outward.





A beautiful stained glass window in the west wall of the music room.



Looking up the spiral staircase that leads to the top of the tower, which can be seen on the right side of the photo below.





A front view of Scotty's Castle. The pool in front goes the entire length of the house, and more. The tour guide said it had never been filled with water. If you look closely you can see a cross on the hill above and behind the house. Scotty's grave is to the left of the cross, he died in 1954.





I was amused by the “old prospector” weather vane atop the front tower, probably depicting Scotty on one of his legendary mining expeditions.