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.

Goodbye June

June Gloom is a southern California term for a weather pattern that results in cloudy, overcast skies with cool temperatures during the late spring and early summer. June Gloom in southern California is caused by the marine layer effect common to the West Coast, and is enhanced by the Catalina eddy local to southern California. May and June together are usually the cloudiest months in coastal Southern California.

A typical June Gloom day consists of marine stratus clouds covering the coast of southern California, extending a varying distance inland depending on the strength of the June Gloom effect each day. The fog and clouds, which are formed by the marine layer, move in at night, usually after midnight, and typically dissipate in the late morning, giving way to clear, sunny skies. During a heavy June Gloom season, the condition may persist into the afternoon, or even all day during an exceptionally strong event. If the air is saturated with moisture, fog also may develop with June Gloom. Early mornings during June Gloom are typically foggy, with frequent light mist and occasional drizzle. Fog and drizzle normally are found near the furthest inland extent of the gloom, where the cloud deck is closest to the ground. The fog recedes and reveals low clouds by mid-to-late morning; by late morning to early afternoon, solar heating usually is sufficient to evaporate the clouds altogether.

Last day of June means the end of June Gloom, right?

Bring on the sun!

Quiet Amongst the Crowds

One of my favorite places in all of San Diego is at the San Diego Zoo.  This is Fern Canyon Trail.  

You won't see any animals here (well, maybe some "tourists").   In fact, we saw a mother mallard duck and her little babies!\ on this last trip!

But generally, no animals.  

Including the 2-legged type.  

Tranquility.

A Gift From Joan Kroc

On March 26, 1988, Tiger River, the Kroc Family Tropical Rainforest exhibit, opened at the San Diego Zoo.  It was funded in large part by a personal gift from Joan Kroc.


The Zoo has grown and changed a lot since 1988.  The Kroc exhibit is still there, sort of.  You can find this sign sort of hidden away in the Lost Forest, if you are walking uphill, which most Zoo patrons don't.


The Zoo's new exhibits are always fantastic.   However, though you have to move with the times, it is nice to have a little piece of the past sometimes.


Thanks Joan!

Old School Zoo

One of the oldest places at the San Diego Zoo, the Snake building.  It was built by the US WPA in 1936!

I'd avoid it if you don't like snakes, but if you don't, it is worth the effort to head in that direction.  Some of the snakes are pretty cool.

A Very Advanced Animal

This guy is an okapi.  He looks like he might be related to a zebra, but actually, his closest relation is the giraffe.

He is found only in central Africa, and was not "discovered" by the Western world until the twentieth century.

This was always our son's favorite animal at the zoo (though his older sister believed it was too advanced for him - he should like a horse instead)!

Seen at the San Diego Zoo

We walked around the San Diego Zoo recently.  The Zoo is one of my favorite places to walk (except on super-busy days when we have to share the park with people who think they should be able to smoke anywhere and rude 12 year old children who don't know the difference between a warthog and a hippo.... but I digress...).

I've always thought zebras were pretty interesting.  They are kind of like an optical illusion in nature.

A few zebra facts I learned from the Zoo:

• Each zebra has its unique stripe pattern—like human fingerprints.
• Zebras take dust or mud baths to get clean. They shake the dirt off to get rid of loose hair and flaky skin. What's left protects them from sun, wind, and insects.
• Zebras have their own “smile”—a bared-teeth grimace that is a greeting and helps prevent aggression.
• Zebras are attracted to black-and-white stripes. Even if stripes are painted on a wall, a zebra will tend to go stand next to it!
• A zebra's eyesight at night is thought to be about as good as that of a cat or an owl.

Quick Pit Stop for an Anna's Hummingbird

Time to stop for a drink.

That tastes good!

Are you watching me?

Thinking about taking some of my snack?

I'm coming to get you!

At the Farmer's Market

A Farmer's Market recently opened in our neighborhood.  We visited and met George and Cora, the owners of Dutch Farmers.  They came to this country in 1994 and started a nursery,  In 2008, they battled cancer in their family and decided to start growing organic produce.

Here are some of the results:

Seen on our evening stroll....

Lots and lots of these guys.

I think they might be Lopidea, but if anyone knows differently, I'd be happy to know what they really are.

Color in the Backyard

Like most of southern California, the majority of San Diego's current area was originally occupied by chaparral, a plant community made up mostly of drought-resistant shrubs.

Chaparral is mostly brown. Except for sometimes in March when we have our rainy season.

Because of this, most of the native birds are brown, so that they can camouflage themselves.  Lots of sparrows, modestly colored finches... all mainly brown.

Except for this guy - the Western Scrub Jay.  Not quite as flamboyant as his cousin, the Blue Jay, but he's the most colorful guy in our backyard.

Toto, I Don't Think We're In Kansas Anymore

Not that we were ever in Kansas.  

But, we are also not in San Diego anymore either.  At least for one day.

On the Summer Solstice, I thought it would be interesting to show a few pictures of a place that gets a lot of attention this time of year.

We visited Stonehenge just before the Spring Equinox this year.  We had an amazing early morning tour, wherein we were able to go beyond where visitors are normally allowed, and walk up amongst the stones.  

This arch was put in place 5,000 years ago.  Gives one something to contemplate.

Busy Lizard

This guy, a Southern Alligator Lizard, is one of the more aggressive guys in our yard.  Most of the lizards and geckos will run the other way when they see people, but these guys?  They stand up to us.  

They're not very big, but they are gutsy.

And busy.  He spent the whole afternoon digging in the cocoa mulch covering the rose beds.

And giving me that look that was saying "Get out of my backyard!"

Another Backyard Denizen

OK, this guy scared the daylights out of me.  Well, startled the daylights out of me anyway.  And I am pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

He didn't want to have his picture taken.  I followed him around with the camera and he kept moving (spoiling my pictures!) making this one the best I could get.

This two-stripe gartersnake was long (over 3 feet) but harmless.  At least to me.  If I were a snail or a slug I'd be in trouble.  Since I am not, this guy is welcome in my garden anytime!

Though if he'd announce himself, clear his throat or something so I'd know when he was there, I'd be appreciative.

Built By a Wren

Not quite St. Paul's Cathedral (Christopher Wren's creation) but built by a wren nonetheless, and more useful for this little guy who is currently residing in my backyard.

Bird in Black and White

Summer Vacation?

Out of the Office Window

What We Made From the Lemons

Want the recipe?  

In the Neighborhood

Our Citrus Trees Overfloweth

Fresh Mozzarella

Early Garden Results

Reflections in a Lake

Here Comes the Rain

Venus Transits the Sun

Can you see the little dot on our pinhole camera view of the sun?

It's pretty small.  I enlarged the sun (!) and changed the color temperature to make it slightly easier to see.  Venus is the tiny dot at about 4:00.

Maybe you would enjoy shadows of the recent solar eclipse through our maple leaves instead.  :-)

Navy Appreciation Day at Petco Park

Navy Appreciation Day at Petco Park

Under the Coronado Bridge at Sunset

The New Stealth Ship by a Nose

Tranquility

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants to the theme.