Still Seeing Red

Strawberries by the Pound

From our garden!  We've had a great strawberry season this year!

She Loves the Red Dot

We may have driven her crazy.

Lunch is Looking Up

Colorful Grill

What to Do on a Hot Summer Night

Water Polo!

Summer School.... Deserted!

Old School American Diner

Pink in the Park

Seen at Lake Murray...

Refreshing on a Hot Day

Italian Cream Sodas!

The Blue Bird of Happiness?

Envious?

Do you think this frog is envious of yesterday's Emerald Boa?   He's certainly green enough!

It Just Might Be Easy to Be Green

If you are this Emerald Tree Boa that is.

We ran into this guy at the San Diego Zoo's Reptile walk.  Don't worry - he's contained.  

He's a non-venomous species of boa, found  in the rainforests of South America.  Adults grow to about 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. They have highly developed front teeth that are likely proportionately larger than those of any other non-venomous snake.

A strictly nocturnal and arboreal species, it spends its days in a characteristic coil over a tree branch with its head perched at the center. At night, it will remain coiled on its branch, but extends its head downward. Curled as if about to strike, it will hold still in this position, waiting for prey to approach directly below. Prey is grasped with the long frontal teeth, pulled in and constricted to asphyxiation.

He's pretty too, isn't he?

Zoo View

We went to the world-famous San Diego Zoo this weekend to see their newest exhibit, which houses some of their oldest residents.

The brand-new Reptile Walk, home to more than 50 species of turtles, tortoises, crocodilians, amphibians, and a surprising collection of creatures native to California, is interesting, startling, and way cool, both literally and figuratively.

The Zoo also has one of the largest captive colonies of Galápagos tortoises in the world and has had these giants in the collection since 1928.  The original tortoises sent to the San Diego Zoo—yes, they are still with us!—are well over 100 years old today, although we do not know how long a tortoise will continue to produce offspring. 


In addition, because Hood Island tortoises Geochelone nigra hoodensis are so rare (estimates were 12 females and 3 males in the 1970s), the San Diego Zoo’s male, number 21, was sent to the Charles Darwin Research Station in 1976 to be part of the breeding program there. So far he has fathered hundreds of tortoises!


They are fun to watch.  I remember (years ago) riding a giant tortoise at the Zoo.  I wonder if it was this guy?

Does this help?

Yesterday I posted what one reader correctly identified as organ pipes.

These particular organ pipes are not inside a church, but rather the Spreckels Organ Pavilion - and we were inside the organ!

John D. and Adolph Spreckels donated the Spreckels Organ, one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs, to the City of San Diego in 1914 for the Panama-California Exposition. This unique organ contains 4,530 pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 feet and is housed in an ornate vaulted structure with highly embellished gables.

Since 1917, San Diego has had a civic organist, who performs free weekly Sunday concerts at 2:00pm.  Dr. Carol Williams has been the San Diego Civic Organist and Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society in San Diego, California since 2001.

We happened to be walking through Balboa Park just after the concert ended (rats!) and the "inside" of the organ was available to tour.  How cool is that?!

Any Ideas...

... where this might be?

Tune in tomorrow for the "inside" story!

Today is Brought to You By...

... the Color Yellow.

Aliens?

I'm not quite sure what this plant it, but it looks interesting!

Under a Tree

A Man...

... and his llama?

Wild Turkey

Not that kind...

... this kind!

Sun Through a Hollyhock

The Place to be on a Hot Day

Purveyors of this:

Strawberries and Cream Anyone?

Last year, Djokovic overwhelmed Nadal for the Wimbledon Men's Singles title.  

Will Andy Murray keep the trophy in its home country, or will Roger Federer take it back to Switzerland again, tying Pete Sampras with 7 Wimbledon Singles Finals?  Enjoy some strawberries and cream with the Queen while you are watching!

Tiny Lizard

Fuzzy and Green

Hopefully soon to be red!

Lake Murray Cattails in the Sun

Lake Murray Reservoir is located within the boundary of Mission Trails Regional Park, which lies between the city of San Diego and the neighboring communities of La Mesa and Santee. The lake is open for shore fishing and private boats (when water level allows) seven days a week.

This lake is very popular for bicycling, jogging, walking, rollerblading, and picnicking. Patrons can walk only as far as the dam gate (approximately 3.2 miles) and then must return.

Cattails are wetland plants with a unique flowering spike, flat blade like leaves that reach heights from 3 to 10 feet. They are one of the most common plants in large marshes and on the edge of ponds.

Happy Birthday America!

Green Trumps Red, White and Blue

From the website of the folks who run the event:

Due to the continuing litigation by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) and its lead attorney, Marco Gonzalez, the Lake Murray July 4th Music Fest and Fireworks Committee has regretfully decided to not hold the fireworks display over Lake Murray this year. This difficult decision was made after careful consideration of the liability exposure which the event would produce and the possibility of litigation directly involving the Committee.

Prior to this decision, we spoke with Deputy City Attorney Glenn Spitzer, who is handling the defense of the City of San Diego in the four lawsuits filed by CERF. He advised us that Suit #1, in which CERF prevailed, has been appealed by the City. Suit #2 has been stayed, pending a decision by the Appellate Court in Suit #1. Suit #3 and #4 have been joined and are scheduled for Trial on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 2 PM in SD Superior Court Dept. 67. These deal with challenges to the Special Events Permitting Process and the lack of an Environmental Impact Report requirement.

Given this information, the Committee chose the prudent option of not proceeding with the event this year. We will consider the possibility of holding the event in 2013, if the courts rule in favor of the City and it becomes feasible to do so. If it is, we hope the community will provide early financial support for this historical event and help to keep it a free, fun, family event in our local park.

Feel free to stop by the CERF website and let them know what you think. 

A Bug's Life

I found this guy hanging out in the parking lot at work.

He was safe on a curb, so no one would run over him.

That's probably a good thing.

For him at least.

San Onofre

We drove past San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station today.

Though it isn't currently generating anything today. The plant's two reactors (Units 2 and 3) have been shut down since January 2012 due to premature wear found on tubes in steam generators, which apparently contributed to the accidental release of a small amount of radioactive steam.

Oh, and for the record?  Though it is July, we still have June Gloom.

Just saying.