I stopped in Grass Valley for lunch on my way to the Nature Journal Retreat in the Sierra Nevada.
pub lunch
Category: Uncategorized
arroyo hondo
We didn‘t know anything about Arroyo Hondo Preserve before we showed up at the gate; we just saw it on the map and decided to hike there. We were unaware that entry was by reservation, on only two weekends a month. By a stroke of luck, it happened to be one of the right weekends, and they graciously let us in.
This place is a delight! We hiked for a couple of hours, with Allie following her nose (“Smell that? Sulphur!”) to hunt for a hot spring. I don’t know who killed the great blue heron, but their wildlife cam shows several possible suspects.
Due to the construction of a fish ladder under the 101, Arroyo Hondo has one of the only creek populations of southern steelhead trout along on the coast. This is definitely a place to return to.
natural history
It was a first-time visit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History for all of us; we were surprised and delighted by the extent and quality of the collections and the beautiful grounds. The animatronic dinosaurs under the trees are pretty awesome. We got to look at the sun through a telescope! This place is a hidden gem.
gaviota
Alli and I had a lovely afternoon enjoying the best of Gaviota.
Procyon lotor
Yep, it was a raccoon — we heard a lot of chittering and hissing as we tried to sleep.
Eucalyptus conferruminata
Fun gum tree at the El Capitán State Beach campground. The ranger tried to tell me it was a Myoporum but he was nuts.
Colias eurytheme
I was admiring the vivid magenta bougainvillea when an equally vibrant butterfly came by for some nectar.
snake tongs
Our neighbour friend gave us a most practical gift, with the caveat that she hopes we never have to use it. Given that we relocate rattlesnakes a couple of times a year, I’m glad to have this device. It should be safer than the much shorter kitchen grabber tool we’ve been using.
Lema daturaphila
I’ve started a dedicated garden journal, to keep track of my plantings and also the pests. Here’s a new one for us, the three-lined potato beetle. I noticed the cape gooseberry leaves were being munched. Close inspection revealed plenty of eggs and larvae, along with a single adult. There‘s surely more — I need to add beetle-hunting to my morning routine for a while.
passiflora
hashiworks 