Ventura Dreaming

Summer is Official!

2009-06-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

The Summer Solstice occured at 12:46 a.m. CDT. This is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and marks the Sun's northernmost point in the sky.

Summer is almost here . . . and raccoons have arrived!

2009-06-13T18:36:00.001-07:00

The unofficial beginning of summer came and went (Sam, Jenn, and Meg came down for the Memorial Day holiday and we all went to UCLA for the Reggae Festival). A couple of days ago, we celebrated Hannah's, Dillon's, and several others' graduations from high school. That same day was Tom's last day of teaching for the year and yesterday I cleaned and re-did the pond while Tom cleaned his classroom and put it away for the summer. It's still not June 21st but summer is here!

For the past two weeks, we have suspected a raccoon has been in the yard. Thankfully, it appears to have given up trying to catch anything in the ponds (too deep and steep - yay!) but the water bowls have been muddy every morning and I've seen tracks here and there. This morning, as I was about to get dressed for work, I saw this Mom and Cub coming out from under our backporch. I quickly turned on my FlipVideo and followed them as they climbed over the fence. The cub saw me and climbed the tree but Mom climbed up after it (after I had gone inside for a while) and pretty soon they both came down again. Don't know why they came out in daylight.

Iris Time

2009-05-11T00:30:00.001-07:00

The past two weeks have been wonderful for watching our irises bloom. Each day has brought new colors in different parts of the yard! This seems to be the year for color. Our tulips didn't bloom in large bunches like they have other years, but their colors were gorgeous. Looks like the irises are fabulously colorful but taking turns to bloom a few plants at a time.
(Click on the posting title to see more photos.)

Tree Frog by the Pond

2009-04-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

We heard it loudly proclaiming its presence (looking for a mate?) several weeks ago but we never saw it until recently. I ran into this little guy while I was transplanting some pots over the weekend. (A few more pictures.)

Compassion and Enlightenment

2009-04-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't get tickets to hear His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, speak at UCSB on Friday, but I was able to listen to his talk on Ethics for Our Time, via the internet broadcast on KCSB. (The talk on Nature of Mind is also available via KCSB.org.) Then on Saturday, I was blessed with the experience of watching the group of Tibetan monks who had been working on a sand mandala all week, take the intricate design apart during a beautiful dissolution ritual. Photography wasn't allowed inside the museum so I only have photos and this video of what happened after the monks left the building:

Here is one photo but there are a lot more on our photo page.(My video is very shaky because I was so excited and wasn't using a tripod. There are some great photos of the sand mandala and a really good video on Nooshawk.com.)

A Visit from the Easter Possum

2009-04-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

No sign of the Easter Bunny before church this morning, but I was very happy get an up-close-and-personal visit with one of our local possums. When I looked out the back door this morning, Bob was doing his slow-stalk move so I went out to see what was in the yard. This possum was on the back wall - pretty unusual to see this nocturnal critter in daylight! This just might be the same little guy who fell into our fishpond last fall, now grown a bit bigger. He's very likely the critter who comes and eats the apple cores and fruit slices I leave out most nights.

Back from Spring Break

2009-04-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

(The birthday boy!)
It was such a nice little vacation - Sequoia, Tahoe, and Ventura; great places to live and visit! We had a nice visit with Sam and Jenn, skied a little, saw snow and spring flowers, and enjoyed time at home. Here's a video of our day skiing:
And some shots of us before, on the way to, and after skiing at Squaw and Sugar Bowl . . .

Another Bob

2009-03-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ever since the second story was built and we moved back in, the balcony (via the ficus tree and roof) has been Bob's private door in and out of the house. Who woulda thunk another cat might try out Bob's private territory entrance? Last night, around 2:30, I had finished my book and heard a noise upstairs (Bob was downstairs with me). As soon as we came to the top of the landing, Bob's fur poofed out and he started sniffing around. What a surprise to find a cat - who was very reminiscent of Kate and Evenstar - on our balcony. It must have felt cornered because it spit and tried to scratch me, but it wasn't terribly afraid of Bob!
Thank goodness for digital cameras; I took it's picture and was able to blow up it's tag . . . surprise, it's name is Bob! He refused to leave with me trying to shoo it away, but he was gone this morning, making him the first interloper to figure out the diagonal leap it takes to get off the roof and onto the balcony (and the harder part - leaping down diagonally to get back to the tree and the ground!) Hopefully, Bob will defend his territory a little better next time . . . smelling the roses and thinking it's all good is only good to a point.

After the Rain . . . More and More Spring Flowers!

2009-03-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

We don't get as much rain as we would like (and when it does come, it sometimes causes mudslides and flooding) but I love the rain because it causes the flowers to bloom. Just walking around the yard as the sun came out and looking at the water droplets left on the plants was such a beautiful experience this morning!

Winter Has Returned to SoCal!

2009-02-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

The calendar tells us that Winter begins around December 21 but most years it is not until February that Ventura gets its coldest and wettest weather. (This year, we seem to be bouncing back and forth between rain and snow and periods of mild and really hot weather.)We got nearly 3 inches of rain in the past five days and more is predicted for this weekend. Coming out of the Angeles Crest Forest late Friday night, I encountered rain, lightening, and snow (I was the only one on the road at the time so it was too dark to get any good photos - besides, it was cold and wet!) Yesterday the snow that had fallen at 4,000 feet elevations and higher was clearly visible from our house - yay! I've taken so many pictures of our local snow that I thought I'd add this mirror view from the side of the road on Victoria Avenue. That view is one of my favorites!

And now that we've had some good soakings, the spring flowers are really beginning to bloom!

Ventura CROP Hunger Fight Begins

2009-01-24T01:18:00.000-08:00

We will have our 2009 Kickoff on January 31st at 2:30 (if you would like to attend, please see the Ventura CROP Hunger Walk blog) but I have just setup my online fundraising page. Just click on the posting title or go to my page to learn more and make a donation. We would love to have more walkers this year so if you'd like to join us, sign-up and join us on March 15th.

Ten Consecutive Days of 80 Degree Weather

2009-01-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

"My" unseasonably warm winter birthday weather is finally coming to an end, but this year it lasted much longer than usual. Hope this isn't another indication of global warming!

Loved My Birthday Weekend But the Inauguration Trumps It All!

2009-01-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time at the Los Angeles Arboretum, the Arcadia Residence Inn, and the Huntington Library & Gardens. I loved the tea at the Huntington's Rose Garden Cafe and the weather and clear skies couldn't have been more beautiful, but watching Barack Obama's inauguration before going to work and seeing all the associated events after work and over the weekend was absolutely The Best!

Another Beautiful January 14th

2009-01-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

With the exception of one year in recent memory, my birthday day has been blessed with "unseasonably" warm weather. Maybe "unseasonal" means "un-winterlike" but as long as I can remember, we have had Santa Ana winds or after-rain clear skies year after year on the 14th of January.(KEYT and The Weather Channel can't seem to agree on the actual temperature but the 80s only happen during Santa Ana wind gusts.) It's very SoCal seasonal!

Since I worked late today, Tom got sushi takeout and we had a mild weather, late-afternoon, birthday dinner at Hueneme Beach.

Catching Up Professionally

2009-01-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

After vacation and the holidays and year-end work activities, I finally have time to catch-up on my reading of librarian journals. One thing that passed me by completely was the Google/Time Inc. collaboration of digitizing the Life Magazine photo archives. Just search Google Images or go directly to

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Snow, Beautiful Snow!

2009-01-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

The sun rose into a blue sky this morning, but within hours, the temperature fell and wind began to blow snowflakes down from the sky. What a beautiful sight! It was slushy down at lake level but the flakes quietly built up and left everything beautifully dusted with a white coat. Tom and Sam braved the weather and went skiing while Jenn and I visited Kathy at Mountain Critters and then had a nice lunch at the Blue Agave.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

The first day of 2009 dawned cold, crisp, and clear on the Tahoe North Shore. Sam, Jenn, Tom, and I had a fairly restful and relaxing day after the roommates and their guests left today. I watched the Rose Parade before getting out of bed and going downstairs, then we all had pizza and great meatball sandwiches while we watched the Rose Bowl game.

I kept up another of my traditions - here is a picture of the first sunset of the year:

We Had a Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

Looking back on the whole Advent season, it's nice to realize how calm and happy it was. Sure, we didn't get our Christmas cards and letter started by the 25th, and didn't do our Christmas shopping until the 23rd, but that may just be why we didn't feel stressed. We had a great season of concerts (singing and in the audience), special events at church, fun parties, and good times with friends. On Christmas Day, we had a great time with almost our entire family, small as it is. With Tim and Mary Ann arriving from San Antonio on Christmas Eve, everyone was at our house except for Sam & Jenn who were up north.Here's a picture of the three siblings (Jane, Tim, and Tom) together for the first time in a few years. Other photos of the Christmas season can be found by clicking on the posting title or just looking at the December 2008 albums on our Kodakgallery site.

Winter Has Arrived

2008-12-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

The Winter Solstice arrived well before sunrise yesterday morning but "winter weather" actually arrived last week when a cold storm blew snow onto lower elevations in the Southwest that had not seen that much in nearly thirty years. On December 18th, Las Vegas got 3.8 inches of snow and the I-5, I-15, and CA Highways 14 and 38 were closed when the Cajon and Tejon Passes were covered in snow. Even the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu got a little bit of the white stuff. It was amazingly spectacular but according to the record keepers (of whom I am one) almost twice as much fell in December of 1979. I woke up to a soft rain this morning and am thankful it was clear and dry over the weekend. I got about a third of my spring bulbs planted between recovering from my cold and preparing for our Choir Christmas Concert. These are a few shots of our local mountains after last week's storm cleared.Click on this photo and look closely; you'll see some of the strawberries that survived the rain and cold and are ready to be harvested.

If This Season Is Getting You Down

2008-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Not all of us derive extra joy and inspiration from the Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza season. Understandably, those of us who miss our loved ones find this a tough time. People who have lost their jobs, are ill, or are finding themselves with much less than last year are also feeling less than happy. For all those people as well as those of us who feel constantly blessed, here's a video my friend Janet G. sent this week:

Nick Vujicic on YouTube

Venus, Jupiter, and the Crescent Moon

2008-12-02T08:56:00.001-08:00

I shot these photos from our balcony on Sunday. There was too much light around to really show the crescent of the moon, but it helped when I shot from behind the curtain. Too bad the double-paned windows created some "echos" because as NPR and The Manila Times stated, depending on where you were on the globe, some people could see a "smiley face" and other people saw a "frowny face".:
This article by AP Science Writer, Seth Borenstein - published Tue Nov 25, 4:21 pm ET - put me on notice to look in the sky yesterday. I was so busy and tired after the Alternative Christmas Faire, it took a phone call from Tom (who almost always works in his classroom on Sunday evenings) to tell me to look at the sky Sunday around 6pm.

(Quoting from Yahoo! News):
It's not just families that are getting together this Thanksgiving week. The three brightest objects in the night sky — Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon — will crowd around each other for an unusual group shot.

Starting Thanksgiving evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer so that by Sunday and Monday, they will appear 2 degrees apart, which is about a finger width held out at arm's length, said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. Then on Monday night, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them, he said.

Look in the southwestern sky around twilight — no telescope or binoculars needed. The show will even be visible in cities if it's a clear night.

"It'll be a head-turner," MacRobert said. "This certainly is an unusual coincidence for the crescent moon to be right there in the days when they are going to be closest together."

The moon is the brightest, closest and smallest of the three and is 252,000 miles away. Venus, the second brightest, closest and smallest, is 94 million miles away. And big Jupiter is 540 million miles away.

The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun or unite at a time when they aren't so visible. The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be Nov. 18, 2052, according to Jack Horkheimer, director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.

I took the rest of these yesterday after work - before the moon and planets set into the fogbank that has been hanging out in the area for over a week:

(If you click on the photos, you'll see bigger versions)I took this last one from Oxnard Shores. It was pretty dark but you can see the moonlight on the water and that light on the horizon is an oil platform.

Home & World Improvement Rather Than Christmas Shopping

2008-12-02T08:55:00.001-08:00

Carpet shampooing, wood floor cleaning and oiling, and ivy trimming took up our weekend after Thanksgiving. The annual Alternative Christmas Faire that I've organized for many years took place the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and in only two hours plus a few more purchases over the next two weeks, we raised $7,000.00 for local and global organizations - literacy programs, California wildfire and 2008 hurricane relief, flocks of chickens, building supplies, elderly care, food and services for homeless families and people needing mental health services all benefitted from the generousity of our church's and community's people who made donations at the Faire. It's good to know that even in tough economic times, there are still a lot of people willing to share their resources for the good of others!

Thanksgiving in Costa Mesa

2008-12-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Since Renata had to work the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we stayed in the area and got to celebrate with the SoCal part of our family. (There are just a few more photos to see if you click on the posting title.)

Catching Up: CLA in San Jose

2008-12-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy the annual California Library Association conference learning opportunities, special events, and seeing old friends. This was my second CLA in San Jose (the last one was spent finishing and turning in another set of culminating papers so I could finally get my MLIS!) This time, besides the workshops and speakers, I got to tour the Adobe Systems corporate library shortly after arriving from Tahoe and checking-in Friday afternoon. At the end of the afternoon Saturday, I was treated to wine and hors d'oeuvres and a tour of the Almaden Community Center and Library. What a fabulous place! (These are photos of their TeenSpace.)There were other special events: Brodart invited me to the Friday night Awards Dinner and I attended the State Librarian's Breakfast Saturday morning. After returning from the Almaden Branch Library, I barely had time to enjoy the final hour of the San Jose State School of Library & Information Science Fundraiser at the San Jose Art Museum - a quick bidding time at the silent auction where I got two autographed books, a few more hors d'oeuvres and wine, and a brief look at photos of Frieda Kahlo and some fabulous cardboard and glass art. On Sunday morning, I took part in a poster session about the How I See It: My Place program.
Of course I took lots of pictures; you can see the album by clicking on this posting's title.

Catching Up: Tahoe Trip

2008-12-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

With the Veterans Day holiday and two vacation days off before CLA's annual conference, I drove up to visit Sam and Jenn. I got to finally see their new apartment, visit Ingrid and see her new home, AND finally totally satisfy my Fall Colors desire (the Big Bear trip helped a lot but I wanted to see MORE!)
Photos of Sam, Jenn, Diesel, and Tahoe

Pictures of my visit and walk with Ingrid outside Grass Valley