Tag: vacation

Surviving the Wrath of the Flying Gods!

My travels to and from Oregon were good. Flights were on time for the most part with perhaps a 15 minute delay between them. As there were at least 90 minutes between Burbank – San Francisco and San Francisco – Redmond, and on the reverse, nothing happened there.

A few days before I left I had to jump out of the way of a car that could have hit me and wrenched my left ankle, but I decided to go on my trip despite my discomfort. On the way home, it was really acting up, so I requested and got wheelchair service, and that made a big difference. I used United to fly, rather than Hell-ta, and am glad I did after seeing their meltdown after the CrowdStrike disaster.

And so, I survived the wrath of the Flying Gods – they attacked after I came back with CrowdStrike’s catastrophic push of a Windows-based patch. How did that happen? Didn’t they test it in a development environment before pushing it to production? Hard to believe.

Oregon! I do enjoy visiting there – such beauty, from wild beaches, woodlands, to high desert. I reconnected with a college room mate from years ago, and with whom I have remained friends with for 50 some odd years.

The first night in Bend, Oregon, I spent at my friend Stephanie’s house. Our plans were pretty low key – a few days on the coast, and the remainder inland in Bend. First, though, get settled for the night before heading west to the coast.

I landed, Stephanie picked me up, we had something to eat and then went to settle down for the night. Visiting good friends like Jay and Stephanie is always wonderful – we pick up where we left off as if time and distance do not exist.

On the Way to Second Beach

On the Way to Second Beach

About 10 years ago we spent several weeks exploring the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington State. This corner of the country is home to rain forests and here, a virgin forest of ancient cedars covered with moss and dripping with foggy condensation. To get to Second Beach, we took a trail through this forest. At times I wondered if we were still on the trail, but there were others, too, bound for the beach.

This forest goes straight out to where the beach meets the forest. One moment you are in a dripping and scary forest, and the next minute, out on a wide flat beach with sea stacks, and behind you, an edge of a forest that all looks the same! Luckily, the exit to the forest and entrance to the beach is clearly marked, otherwise, I doubt few people would make it back to the parking lot.

I don’t think I have ever seen anything as magical as this forest. Nor, do I think, have I ever visited a rain forest. It was very quiet and eerie, but I recall birdsong, dripping water, and the fact it was so quiet even with others nearby. The trail was covered with fallen cedar needles and moss was thick everywhere. A hush pervaded and could be felt like a blanket, yet it was comforting and joyful at the same time. Seeing such beauty reminds us other, older times, and the magic in the natural world.

Watercolor Kit & Other Travel Toys

Heading out for an adventure of three weeks with only a carry-on suitcase and a back pack is forcing me to pretend I am an efficient traveler. The fact is, I am not, and it is very challenging to rethink what I want to have around me when traveling. For me, having enough clean underwear is important – but perhaps more so is not getting bored. I need stuff – to read, to paint, to draw, to listen, to make, to take photos. And this means making everything small and efficiently useful.

First on the agenda is my watercolor and drawing set up. In this 7×10 (or so) zip-up case by Art-Tool, I have their included Moleskine watercolor book, 12 half pan set of Schmincke watercolor paints still wrapped up, travel brushes, ink pens, mechanical pencil and lead, kneaded eraser, collapsible water cup, and a few other things. Many of them are original to the kit, but I have modified it a bit to meet my needs. It’s pretty nifty.

Next, books – audio and written. I like to hear things when I am sewing or knitting by hand. This means lightweight, small head phones and something to provide me with books. My phone can supply both! Another need / want conquered.

Camera . . . as someone used to the capabilities of a DSLR and such, a small automatic point and shoot without the option for controlling everything (should I desire such) was not something I wanted to spend money on. I spent weeks on research – I needed to be able to use manual controls all the way as well as my preferred aperture priority – and finally settled on the Canon G7X Mark II. As the Mark III had just come out, I got a good price on it, and have been using it for months. The battery life is good; I can put it a purse or pocket, and the pictures are good but flatter in appearance than either the X100V or the Nikons I like to use. Post production always remedies that.

We will be doing stops in various ports en route to our friends in the south of Spain. Looking ahead to Iceland, Ireland, and England, it appears to be cool but not cold, and with rain. Layers and a lightweight rain jacket that folds into a pouch are to be packed, but also more summery wear for the weather in the warmer areas. Luckily, we will have access to washing machines so a ton of clothing is not necessary.

I am going a bit nuts, but such is life. I have 3 days to finalize what I want to schlep, and then I drop into the abyss of international travel.

Vacation Videos from the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Some thoughts on videos and blogging . . . 

Technology has caught up with me!  I decided to try some videos at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, just because I could.  I used my phone and digital camera.  In some ways I really appreciate the video as a format, but it also takes up a lot of space.  Videos are like the home movies of old – rather tedious if seen too often.  Still, it is the ability to really show people what something looks like is the beauty of a video – but it is really never the same as being there.  The sounds and smells and other environmental elements are missing (even though there are sounds, they aren’t the ones you might like to hear!).  I am not so sure I like the usage of videos, but what the hey – give it a try!

A short trip . . . 

Last Sunday we headed up the coast to Monterey, California.  Because of a slab leak, our funds for travel were rather depleted by that adventure.  Nonetheless, it is so important to get away from everything familiar, to see new worlds or revisit old ones.  We chose Monterey – it’s close, we like it, and there are many things to see and do.  We stayed at a B&B in an area that allowed us to walk nearly everywhere.  One is the Monterey Bay Aquarium,  It sits right out on the Monterey Bay, with a wonderful viewing deck.  Sunday night we walked down to Cannery Row, to look around, to shake out our legs, and get a lay of the land after being in a car for several hours.

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The Aquarium houses fish, birds, and otters!  Many of the birds and animals have been rescued after being injured.  These otters are just too cute for words – and you could easily watch their antics for hours.

The Aquarium is not only a living museum, but a resource for biologists and other professionals in the area of science.  Animals and birds are rescued and rehabilitated.  Research is conducted in many areas.  Fish are not just in big tanks, but also experienced first hand.  Here is a “petting tank” where you can touch the silky skin of a manta ray.  (Sorry if this video makes you motion sick!)

There are similar displays throughout the Aquarium.  Tanks contain sea urchins, anemones, kelp, fish and other things.  Docents know their subject and can answer a number of questions.  To me, this is one of the best ways to experience the Aquarium – contact, doing, playing.

There are individual displays of different sea life.  One room is dedicated to jelly fish.  I am sure that what they have on display is a tiny bit of all the jellies that live throughout the world, but being able to see them, large and small, swimming and moving, is entirely different in experience than seeing a still photo.

Smaller jellyfish, too.

Besides jellyfish, the kelp beds are well-represented.  There is an enormous aquarium in the center of the building, about 3 stories high.  Kelp is rooted at the bottom, and within the kelp forest swim fish, from bottom feeders to those who use the kelp as a means of hiding from predators.  Here, some rock fish (I think) are hanging out.

So many things to see and do at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!  More to come!