|| happy things ||

it doesn't take too much to make me happy

in no particular order:

1.being up close and able to handle wildlife! here's a baby osprey

2. being on the water, especially kayaking

3. ice cream on a HOT day

4. this goofy kid named wangjor

5. my kitties, riley and evelyn

6. rainbows

especially when they're awesome like this one,

circling around the sun

7. puppies with friends

8. leopard frogs ... those slippery little buggers

9. being on the lake

10. my bracelets!

11. seeing breathtaking sunsets as often as possible

is this really too much to ask for?

i didn't think so either.

just ONE more week!

so i have only ONE WEEK left before my summer is over!
i guess time really does fly when you're having a blast
here's a recap of summertime at Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary

i love working with kids!

here we are after a spiderweb team activity

sometimes we bust out the madagascar hissing cockroaches!
and if there's time, we'll hike to one of the lakes on our property.

here we are at big devils lake

so there have been a pair of nesting swallows underneath our dock

here's their nest last week

on monday, august 2 i saw the first baby starting to hatch out!!

so cute and little!

later that afternoon, there were 2 more babies :)

Sea Kayaking = So Much Fun!

The 2009-2010 San Mateo Outdoor Education staff went sea kayaking yesterday in Monterey.

It was really a lot of fun.

Sea mammals galore.

Beautiful weather.

A calm ocean.

Sunshine.

One of the best weekends.

EVER.

weekend fun

all right - - so here's ruth and i getting gelato!

(and KIM, here's my haircut!)

cartwheels over the pacific ocean because why the hell not??

a new year || a new haircut

so i've cut my hair.

all of it.

almost.

there's about 2-3 inches left of it around my head.

my boss told me it's a power cut.

i should go and get a pantsuit.

or new vest and ruffly blouse.

don't forget about stilettos.

i have some black ones, but i'd like stilettos in maroon.

maybe put on some eyeliner and lipgloss.

and slap some gel on my head.

i like it, though.

it's new.

something different.

i feel different.

either more like a woman?

or rather a little boy instead?

i'm not sure.

but i still like it.

change is good.

and life is good.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.. Come Again Some Other Day

Rain in my shoes

Rain in my socks

RAIN on the brain

Rain makes me tired

I need sunlight in my life

Rain is fun for awhile, but when rain becomes part of my skin it's a little too much to handle

I wish it was snowing instead of raining

Creeks turned to raging rivers

Roads, fields, homes flooded with recent rains

Estuaries, too full of water to drain out the marsh

Time for bed and falling asleep to the rain

Sleeping Outside

I watched the meteor shower on Monday night. It wasn't all that great. I brought a sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and camp pillow up to Coyote Hill with me, just in case I ended up falling asleep while I was out. I fell asleep. In TWO HOURS I probably only saw 10-15 meteors. Some were really cool, flying across the entire sky. Others were very quick and tiny, lasting only for a split second.

It was nice to wake up to a frosty sleeping bag, surrounded by 6 other people who also slept out that night. There was fresh coyote scat only a few feet away. That was cool.

I recall seeing more spectacular meteor showers in the summertime, especially during the month of August. The best show I saw in Madison, two summers ago, as I lay down in a soccer field watching the night sky. That was amazing. I don't think anything will ever compare.