Friday, October 7, 2005
Bird Lovers Alert!
If you want to see the most beautiful photograph of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) then head over to Stone Bridge and be prepared to be stunned by beauty.
Electricity on Two Wheels
the pirate's electric bike
back in 2001 when we lived in santa cruz some non-profit outfit, whose mission it was to reduce auto traffic, a noble cause, offered a $500 rebate on the purchase of an electric bike, the only condition being attendance at a 2 hour bike safety class. so we did the class and bought 2 fat tire cruisers with electric drive add-on equipment manufactured by curry and installed by electric sierra cycle, a small business right in santa cruz. the bikes cost $800 each and we didn't even have to come up with the total and work for the rebate. $600 out of pocket and we were on the street. we loved our bikes. RD commuted to UCSC 5 miles one way and up some serious hills. i often rode with her and went to work afterward.we liked the owner of the bike business and went by often to say hi. when he showed us the new model he had designed and caused to be manufactured we wanted it. the cruisers were good but they were unsprung and the battery and motor added quite a bit of weight, and thus they had a kinda rough ride. his new model has front and rear springs, the battery is in the center making the weight distribution much better, and applying the brakes turns off the motor. we bought one for each of us. RD rode off every morning light rain or shine and i rode along many days. we took our new bikes on some adventures in the hills. in the last year we lived in santa cruz we had sold our house and lived in a rental closer to the ocean, so we rode down to the sea after dinner quite often. down was easy 'cause it was literally down a semi-large hill. coming back up was also easy with reddy kilowatt at our fingertips.
our synergy cycles have a range of about 20 miles and a top speed on level ground of about 17 mph. they have a modern twist shift that controls 7 speeds and front and rear brakes. the motor drives but is freewheeling for over speed. it is controlled by a little thumb thing analogous to a gas pedal on a car. the battery recharges in about 4 hours from very low. the bikes have a very good battery powered headlight and bright blinking taillights. also nice "luggage racks" on the back. the bums recommend keith hodgson at electric sierra cycle.
bonus picture. the pirate and his bike somewhere on the upper campus of UCSC
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Me Me Meme
Okay, SB_Gypsy sent us the meme a while back, and we've been reading other blogger's responses, so thought we should do our share. So here's our meme response. One thing you should already know about us is that we don't play by the rules. We don't always list five things as requested.
'The Meme':
1.) What were you doing 10 years ago?
DPR--mirabile dictu!! we own a house. a bit of fallout from my position as property manager in a real estate office. i had earlier schemed my way into law school in my middle age by doing well on the lsat and presenting a decent essay written with the wonderful editorial assistance of RD. after one semester i realized that law was not my calling. now i worked in an office with my boss and his wife, very nice people with a small real estate business. they taught me how to manage residential property. the office part was easy for me. getting money, bank deposits, paying bills, owner's statements. dealing with tenants, repair people, owners......not so easy for me, but an ok job all in all. most people were nice, and responsible. there is always the tenant from hell though, and i had mine. don't get me started.
so my entry into the real estate biz eased our way to home ownership. now we have projects: new roof, remove lawn and replace it with flowers and veggies, paint the house inside and out, on and on.
RD-- We had just purchased our first home. Creek in the yard, great old stone retaining wall, funky out buildings. The house had green shag carpet, avocado green formica countertops in the kitchen, harvest gold and avocado green linoleum (circa 1967), green exterior paint with a garish turquoise front door. When we painted the house our neighbors drove by and applauded our efforts.
I had left the university in 1994 when the state of California was facing an intense budget crisis. Campus morale was at an all-time low, and I decided to leave the Economics Department where I administratively advised the graduate students how to complete their PhDs in International Economics or their Masters in Applied, and get out there to change the world. So by 1995 I working as the office manager for a women's health clinic-- Hormone Balancing for Women. Even though I was merely office staff, all of the employees were expected to handle crisis phone calls-- so I became well versed in PMS and menopause talk. I became so accustomed to talking about vaginal dryness, depression, and insomnia I couldn't understand why most people just didn't talk about that all the time, everywhere. Becoming well-versed in the vernacular of intimate details is quite an interesting element to any job.
2.) What were you doing 5 years ago?
DPR--we're still in our own house. no more lawn! lemon tree. fig tree. tomatoes. flowers. i'm still managing property, but rapidly burning out. sometime this year i give up managing, keep doing accounting and start doing fixit and maintenance on the rental units. whew! all my responsibility is balancing the books and fixing faucets. no more screening prospective tenants. no more hassles with late rent payments. no more wackos to evict.
RD--
We remodeled the kitchen. First tore out all the cabinets and pulled out the linoleum all the way down to the sub-floor. We topped the new light maple Shaker cabinets with Italian ceramic tile and granite inserts. A lot of work and a lot of fun. The backsplash was spectacular. We tiled the floor with matching ceramic tile.
I went back to the university in 1996, and was hired to be the Assistant Director of Student Media. So in 2000, I was advising all the students who published the campus newspapers and poetry journals. The job was the very best match for me in terms of interest, competence, and love. I worked with the best and brightest students who were full of passion and creativity. They still believed they could make a difference with their assertions and their forthrightness.
3.) What were you doing one year ago?
DPR---we were newly arrived in washington state for our new life of leisure. contrary to what we had pictured we got a fairly new house not requiring immediate attention. so we built a sauna.
RD-- I was still working for the university in California via telecommuting, iSight, instant messaging. I was training my replacement, and still managing the entire budget (nearly $1 million). I was falling love with Washington. I was falling in love with the pirate again. Spending time together is one of the best bonuses of retirement.
4.) What were you doing yesterday?
DPR--recovering from travel.
RD-- Ditto.
5.) Five snacks you enjoy
DPR-- chocolate, toast, chocolate, dark beer, chocolate.
RD snacks-- chips of any kind, fruit, cheese, wine
6.) Five songs I know all the words to.
DPR---happy birthday (traditional)
find the cost of freedom(neil young)
RD ---anything by Joni Mitchell on her first 5 albums
7.) Five things you would do if you had a million dollars
give some away
spend some
save some
8.) Five things you like doing
DPR--day hiking
bike riding
gardening
reading
building
RD things: Same as the pirate, except delete building and add baking and cooking.
(oooh,oooh, i forgot cooking. me too for cooking! DPR)
We like flirting with each other.
9.) Five bad habits
DPR--smart ass humor
overindulgence of consumables
RD-- assuming the worst about everything
not trusting anyone
trying to control the universe
canceling dinner dates
preferring to be alone
10.) Five things I would never wear again
pirate:
a tie
a dashiki
bermuda shorts
an rotc uniform
RD-- skirts that flare out
shoes with spiky heals
any hairdo
bell bottom pants
11.) Five favorite toys
DPR toys---computers
electric bicycle
riding mower
battery powered drill
RD toys--- iBook
digital camera
electric bicycle
Thanks for reading.
'The Meme':
1.) What were you doing 10 years ago?
DPR--mirabile dictu!! we own a house. a bit of fallout from my position as property manager in a real estate office. i had earlier schemed my way into law school in my middle age by doing well on the lsat and presenting a decent essay written with the wonderful editorial assistance of RD. after one semester i realized that law was not my calling. now i worked in an office with my boss and his wife, very nice people with a small real estate business. they taught me how to manage residential property. the office part was easy for me. getting money, bank deposits, paying bills, owner's statements. dealing with tenants, repair people, owners......not so easy for me, but an ok job all in all. most people were nice, and responsible. there is always the tenant from hell though, and i had mine. don't get me started.
so my entry into the real estate biz eased our way to home ownership. now we have projects: new roof, remove lawn and replace it with flowers and veggies, paint the house inside and out, on and on.
RD-- We had just purchased our first home. Creek in the yard, great old stone retaining wall, funky out buildings. The house had green shag carpet, avocado green formica countertops in the kitchen, harvest gold and avocado green linoleum (circa 1967), green exterior paint with a garish turquoise front door. When we painted the house our neighbors drove by and applauded our efforts.
I had left the university in 1994 when the state of California was facing an intense budget crisis. Campus morale was at an all-time low, and I decided to leave the Economics Department where I administratively advised the graduate students how to complete their PhDs in International Economics or their Masters in Applied, and get out there to change the world. So by 1995 I working as the office manager for a women's health clinic-- Hormone Balancing for Women. Even though I was merely office staff, all of the employees were expected to handle crisis phone calls-- so I became well versed in PMS and menopause talk. I became so accustomed to talking about vaginal dryness, depression, and insomnia I couldn't understand why most people just didn't talk about that all the time, everywhere. Becoming well-versed in the vernacular of intimate details is quite an interesting element to any job.
2.) What were you doing 5 years ago?
DPR--we're still in our own house. no more lawn! lemon tree. fig tree. tomatoes. flowers. i'm still managing property, but rapidly burning out. sometime this year i give up managing, keep doing accounting and start doing fixit and maintenance on the rental units. whew! all my responsibility is balancing the books and fixing faucets. no more screening prospective tenants. no more hassles with late rent payments. no more wackos to evict.
RD--
We remodeled the kitchen. First tore out all the cabinets and pulled out the linoleum all the way down to the sub-floor. We topped the new light maple Shaker cabinets with Italian ceramic tile and granite inserts. A lot of work and a lot of fun. The backsplash was spectacular. We tiled the floor with matching ceramic tile.
I went back to the university in 1996, and was hired to be the Assistant Director of Student Media. So in 2000, I was advising all the students who published the campus newspapers and poetry journals. The job was the very best match for me in terms of interest, competence, and love. I worked with the best and brightest students who were full of passion and creativity. They still believed they could make a difference with their assertions and their forthrightness.
3.) What were you doing one year ago?
DPR---we were newly arrived in washington state for our new life of leisure. contrary to what we had pictured we got a fairly new house not requiring immediate attention. so we built a sauna.
RD-- I was still working for the university in California via telecommuting, iSight, instant messaging. I was training my replacement, and still managing the entire budget (nearly $1 million). I was falling love with Washington. I was falling in love with the pirate again. Spending time together is one of the best bonuses of retirement.
4.) What were you doing yesterday?
DPR--recovering from travel.
RD-- Ditto.
5.) Five snacks you enjoy
DPR-- chocolate, toast, chocolate, dark beer, chocolate.
RD snacks-- chips of any kind, fruit, cheese, wine
6.) Five songs I know all the words to.
DPR---happy birthday (traditional)
find the cost of freedom(neil young)
RD ---anything by Joni Mitchell on her first 5 albums
7.) Five things you would do if you had a million dollars
give some away
spend some
save some
8.) Five things you like doing
DPR--day hiking
bike riding
gardening
reading
building
RD things: Same as the pirate, except delete building and add baking and cooking.
(oooh,oooh, i forgot cooking. me too for cooking! DPR)
We like flirting with each other.
9.) Five bad habits
DPR--smart ass humor
overindulgence of consumables
RD-- assuming the worst about everything
not trusting anyone
trying to control the universe
canceling dinner dates
preferring to be alone
10.) Five things I would never wear again
pirate:
a tie
a dashiki
bermuda shorts
an rotc uniform
RD-- skirts that flare out
shoes with spiky heals
any hairdo
bell bottom pants
11.) Five favorite toys
DPR toys---computers
electric bicycle
riding mower
battery powered drill
RD toys--- iBook
digital camera
electric bicycle
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
The Steller's Jay
The first time I saw a Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) was on my first trip to Yosemite National Park. This beautiful blue bird was quite the squawky insistent thing as it hopped from branch to picnic table to branch again, looking for a camper's handout, or as the pirate says, "anything it could steal." They are bold and fearless. I suppose they are easily dismissed because they are such an omnipresent nuisance in western conifer forests and campgrounds, but they are also beautiful to look at. The Steller's Jay only shows up in our Washington backyard in late summer and fall. It comes to feast on our sunflowers, but doesn't mind making a lunch at the seed feeder.Enjoying the feast of the last sunflowers of the season.
Apparently enjoying the birdseed as well.Tuesday, October 4, 2005
The Brown Pelican
We've always loved watching the Brown Pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis). They're incredibly graceful in the air, and while they don't have the sleek delicate beauty of the Great Blue Heron or the Great White Egret, we think they are stunning birds in their own right. Click on the photos below to get a good look at these beauties!
We just learned that the Brown Pelican is unique among the world's seven species of pelicans because it is found along the ocean shores and not on inland lakes. It is the only dark pelican, and also the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food. We have watched Brown Pelicans do this and have to admit that their execution of plunges leans a bit toward clunky and clumsy when they hit the water, but their dive down is as streamlined as the kingfisher's.
Here are some cool facts from the Cornell bird website:
• While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch. They sometimes even perch on the pelican's head or back and reach in. The pelican itself, however, is not above stealing fish from other seabirds. It also follows fishing boats and hangs around piers for handouts.
• The Brown Pelican frequently lowers its head onto its shoulders with the bill open, pulls its head back, and stretches the pouch over its throat and neck. The exposed neck looks like a large lump sticking up out of the pouch.
• Unlike most birds, which warm their eggs with the skin of their breasts, pelicans incubate their eggs with their feet. They hold the eggs under the webs that stretch from the front toes to the hind toe, essentially standing on the eggs to warm them. This peculiar incubation method made them vulnerable to the effects of the pesticide DDT. The DDT made the eggshells thin, and the incubating parents frequently cracked their eggs.
We just learned that the Brown Pelican is unique among the world's seven species of pelicans because it is found along the ocean shores and not on inland lakes. It is the only dark pelican, and also the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food. We have watched Brown Pelicans do this and have to admit that their execution of plunges leans a bit toward clunky and clumsy when they hit the water, but their dive down is as streamlined as the kingfisher's.
Here are some cool facts from the Cornell bird website:• While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch. They sometimes even perch on the pelican's head or back and reach in. The pelican itself, however, is not above stealing fish from other seabirds. It also follows fishing boats and hangs around piers for handouts.
• The Brown Pelican frequently lowers its head onto its shoulders with the bill open, pulls its head back, and stretches the pouch over its throat and neck. The exposed neck looks like a large lump sticking up out of the pouch.
• Unlike most birds, which warm their eggs with the skin of their breasts, pelicans incubate their eggs with their feet. They hold the eggs under the webs that stretch from the front toes to the hind toe, essentially standing on the eggs to warm them. This peculiar incubation method made them vulnerable to the effects of the pesticide DDT. The DDT made the eggshells thin, and the incubating parents frequently cracked their eggs.
Monday, October 3, 2005
Reflections
We are home. The return trip was beautiful. Here's what we saw from our window.
Sunrise on Mount Shasta
Heading east to the cascades
Eastern view of Mount Shasta
Klamath Lake, Oregon
Fall arrives in the mountains
The rain-soaked Willamette Valley
Sunset on the Willamette River in Portland
Self-portrait of tired bums at the end of a long journey
Sunrise on Mount Shasta
Heading east to the cascades
Eastern view of Mount Shasta
Klamath Lake, Oregon
Fall arrives in the mountains
The rain-soaked Willamette Valley
Sunset on the Willamette River in Portland
Self-portrait of tired bums at the end of a long journeySaturday, October 1, 2005
Heading Home
I don't know if it's true that you can't go home again, but certainly you can't go back to how things were. Spending these past few days meeting up with old friends, driving past our old house, cruising around the busy Santa Cruz streets have brought back memories-- but nothing hit our hearts like being back at the family beach house and sitting around the dining room table with the pirate's daughters. We've sat around that dining table together as a family many times over the past sixteen years, so looking at their faces last night was the most nostalgic moment, the one that drove home just how far we have moved away. It was a little heartbreak. The pirate's daughters will never be those young kids again, coming for their summer vacations and Christmas breaks. One daughter is married and has a step-son of her own, the other daughter is utterly independent and making a life for herself in San Francisco. They are adults, and the passage of time has taken us far from each other.
We are winding up our trip today and will be getting on the train this evening. It's been a fine visit with family both north and south. We hope we've indulged enough in all that sweet love and family affection to last us until our next visit. We also tried to take in as much of our old home town as we could. Here are a few of the sights we have enjoyed during our visit.
We are winding up our trip today and will be getting on the train this evening. It's been a fine visit with family both north and south. We hope we've indulged enough in all that sweet love and family affection to last us until our next visit. We also tried to take in as much of our old home town as we could. Here are a few of the sights we have enjoyed during our visit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)