Coal Oil Point

Right before I had Harvey, Andrew purchased an updated point-and-shoot. We call it our real camera and it doesn't get as much action as the iPhone. Still, I've made an effort to use it when I get outside. The hard part (compared to my phone) is pictures take so much more effort to upload and share.

I wish I knew this family so I could give them this picture. Frolicking on the beach, the place kids and dogs love best.

I love my community! I'm glad Harvey was born here: SB will always be an extra special place for us, no matter where we end up.

A question on my mind: Should I sell my surfboard and/or wetsuit? I got the wetsuit right before getting pregnant. The board has been used about twice a year...and mainly by guests-from-Hawaii. Also, I was swimming in the ocean sans-wetsuit a lot last summer but we had SO many shark warnings that I decided I better stop (Harvey was in me!). So, hmmmm...I know I ought to banish clutter but then again, what's a house without a surfboard?

Something in Flight

 I spent a long time watching the birds at the beach yesterday. I was keeping an eye out for things that fell into the latest April photo challenge theme "flight." Today, I realized there are lots of different photo-of-the-month challenges streaming through facebook/twitter/instagram and probably other social media sights I don't have yet. I guess I'll go with whichever one suits my mood.

Laying in the warm sand on my blanket, I was prepared to delve into "A Storm of Swords" the third book in the George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series. It is really good. HBO has a Game of Thrones series that is based on these books.  And I do adore those quality HBO shows.  I became so entertained by bird watching, I never cracked the book. Pelicans and gulls were carrying big strands of kelp and nest-building materials. They are funny creatures.

 The tide was low so I walked as far the beach would let me. I came to this lava rock at the end, which reminded me a lot of what you'd find at the cove-like beaches on Maui. There is no "coast" in Hawaii, just darling coves and daring cliffs strung together to make islands.

 Behind me were rambling staircases, with chains, blocking them off from public access. I bet the houses at the top of this cliff are pretty rad. I'd be game to house-sit, if you know who lives up there.

 I liked this one, because I was so focused on the seagulls above the pier, I didn't see the frolicking kid until afterwards. Children and dogs are immune to the chilly West Coast water.

 The fluffy, frosty, foamy sea reflects the bright sky. I miss my family in Hawaii a lot, these days. But it is true that I get way less homesick here than I did when I lived in Oregon. Sunshine and beaches really do provide comfort and happiness. Andrew knew what he was doing when he moved me here.

Honolulu Zoo

Family fun in the city.

Ghost Town Gallivanting

According to a Death Valley park ranger, Rhyolite, NV is the second-best-noncommercial-ghost-town in North America and if I'm at all interested in human history it's a must see.  And oh, how I am!  Plus, it was my very first time ever in the glitzy/barren state of Nevada.  While it was far from thrilling--the idea of a ghost town had sounded utterly romantic and eerie to me--I gave it my best shot...  Enjoy. 

The Old Bank Building.

 Magnifique! Rhyolite sprung up as a mining town in 1905 and grew to around 5000 wanna-be prospectors overnight.  It emptied out about as quickly as it grew.

The Warning: Rattesnakes signs posted throughout the town kept me on the beaten path.  I saw zero snakes in Death Valley so I got the sense it was to keep bottle-collectors and antique-scavengers away.

You could almost hear the ghostly pitter-patter and haunting squeals of the children of yesteryear...

 

I hoped for a tumbleweed and creaking saloon doors. This general store was the best I got.  The clap-board-front can also be found in Makawao, Maui or Sisters, Oregon.

Stylin'! 

The famous Joshua Tree hangs out in this National Park too. 

Utterly bizarre 20 foot statue next to a tourist trap on the way out of "town."

Views from La Perouse

Hiking around La Perouse Bay on our last Maui trip. La Perouse was a French explorer who anchored at this site in 1786. This place is now a protected area. As the sign says, show the dolphins aloha.

I think this was the last place lava flowed on the island.

Oooh, don't silver, green, and black look sophisticated together?

 

Parking in the lava.

Wild billy goat in a prickly kiawe grove.

Sugar Sugar

Sugarcane Factory, Maui, August 2009

The source of those little sugar packets on your restaurant table.

Near the dump.
On a road full of potholes.
Somewhere between the
Airport and resorts.
Sugar grows
And burns.

The Brilliance of Cloudy Days

The thing I love about cloudy days...

Is the incredible dimension added to the world.

I have a healthy obsession with film grain mode.

And the moon.

Please remember to look up.  

The Beauty of Science

A few weeks ago I found myself spending several hours keeping Andrew company in the science lab. I spent sometime looking for and photographing any prettiness I saw in there.

I love science. It isn't my passion but it certainly contributes a lot to my life (technology, medicine, materials).  The man I love is a scientist. While I think and explore with words and pictures he is consumed with ideas, systems, structure, patterns, and DNA. I find people who are passionate about what they do attractive. Even if I don't understand it.

Flying into SB: Aerial Views

With the current storm outside these pictures seem a wee bit irrelevant . But after several cold cozy holiday weeks in Maryland/DC it was nice to come home to t-shirt weather in January.  Above we have a view of the harbor, downtown and the foothills behind.

Zoom into downtown: red tiles roofs galore. I both work and live under one.

This is Hope Ranch, a very posh neighborhood.  When I went sailing we went right along the coast line and got our rutter tangled in a kelp bed. Someone told me the Hope comes from Bob Hope.  While mapping out my new town, I had suspected that it might be hideous (or at least hope-less) since place names often mislead. I was wrong.

Clearly, I prefer the window seat. If this blog is any indication inflight  snap-happiness has become quite a habit.

Train to LA

Depart by train from Santa Barbara at dawn.

The view.

Why it is called the Surfliner.

Venice Beach color.

Cool dudes.

Black & white boardwalk.

Crowds attract crowds.

Almost sunset.

We spent a day in LA before flying out of LAX for the winter break on the East Coast. I figure even when I have a loss of the blah-blah-blog words I can flash around some images. What's your take on these photo-journal blog posts?

Green Eyed Girls

Beach photo & famed inspiration.

Elephant Seals, Central Coast

Staring us down with those innocent eyes.

Twins!

The pick of the litter.

The chest bump: males begin the dance for dominance.

Open wide!  They make the funniest sound. 

The California Central Coast and Highway One are definitely worth checking out.