Lake Hodges Birds Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve 2012

Joyful Fluttering of Wings @ Lake Hodges- San Diego, Christmas Eve 2013

Birds came rejoicing, spreading magic! May all your life be blessed with wonderful colors of joyfulness, happiness, peacefulness and more. Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Arc'teryx in the Summer?

With Arc'teryx  Full Weather Protection Jacket in the Summer for Alpine Mountaineering

Would you entertain the idea of wearing the Outside Magazine's Gear of the Year Award, Arc'teryx, in the summer? Or would you prefer to wear skimpy two piece suits and lie on the beach for summer vacation? When most people probably picture their summer to be wandering in city streets or lazying on the beach wearing their skimpy swim suits, my picture of summer vacation somehow is different. Living in one of the major cities in US with miles of beaches, I do not plan our vacation in another city or in another beach, rather, vacation for us always means exploring the great outdoors. 

Our summer vacation usually meant wearing a superior lightweight, breathable, fully waterproof and full weather protection jacket for comfort and climbing performance. So, where we were this time of the year for our summer get-away? Anyone wants to take a guess? Here are some clues:

Clue 1:

It's Far Enough from San Diego We Had to Fly

Clue 2:

Its Mountains Are Full of Glaciers

Potato Chip Rock At Mt Woodson...... Then and Now

Then (2007): Cousin and I @ Potato Chip Rock, Mt Woodson, San Diego County, CA

Hiking Mt Woodson was one of our "little best kept secrets" before in San Diego.  Not that we are one of the early hikers there, since we only learned of the trail from Jerry Schad's "A Foot and A Field in San Diego". It was a very quiet hike then, and on a cooler day, the number of hikers probably equals the number of rock climbers. Our favorite spot then to have lunch was at Potato Chip Rock. We won't have lunch necessarily right on the chip, but on top of the boulder in front of the chip. We used to just look at the Potato Chip Rock then from the boulder where we would have lunch. Until one day, my cousin from Los Angeles joined hubby and I hiking at Mt Woodson. As usual, we would have our lunch break on the boulder in front of the Chip. However, my more adventurous cousin was feeling so motivated to pose at the chip, that she and hubby tried to problem solve how to go to the Chip Rock. 

Cousin @ The Chip Rock, 2007 

Monterey Bay Walk

This is the second part of our day 2 Big Sur-Monterey Bay vacation. In the morning, we took a 4-hour whale watching tour with Monterey Bay Whale Watch, and in the afternoon, we took a very relaxing walk at Monterey Bay.

Sea Lions are Probably the Most Visible Wildlife in Monterey Harbor

As soon as our whale watching boat docked at Monterey Bay's Fisherman's Wharf, everyone sprinted away. However, as I got out of the boat, I saw a beautiful jelly fish swaying gracefully under the water. I took some time photographing until I was reminded by someone who was obviously hungry as you could hear from the 5-seconds video below. :) 

Harbor Seals or Sea Lions? And Swimming With them In San Diego

La Jolla, San Diego, CA

Some of the common sights you will see in San Diego waters, most especially in La Jolla, are the harbor seals and sea lions. 

 Sea Lions or Harbor Seals? @ La Jolla, San Diego, CA

 Sea Lions or Harbor Seals? @ La Jolla, San Diego, CA

Could you tell from the pictures above which are the sea lions, and which are the harbor seals? How about finding what are different between the two groups?

1. Differing flippers: The sea lions have longer hindflippers that they could rotate allowing them to assume a sit-like position and walk on land. The harbor seals have shorter hindflippers that are angled backwards and not capable of rotation. They could not use their hindflippers for sitting or walking, thus they rest by lying flat on the ground, most of the time on their belly.

The foreflippers of sea lions are longer and skinnier. The seals' foreflippers are stubby and hairy.

2. Differing ears: Sea lions have smal earflaps that you could see, true seals look earless because they only have earholes.


Could you now tell which of the two pictures above are the sea lions and which are the harbor seals from the differences I mentioned? If not, read on, as I will add more differences in this post. Meanwhile, let me share with you a common sea lion and harbor seal behavior that I shared with a visiting tourist who was planning to snorkel in La Jolla Cove. A lot of tourists (and locals too), usually find delight in seeing the harbor seals and sea lions in their natural habitat. They are sure cute and fun to look at. However, they can be intimidating for those who are swimming near them for the very first time. 

Snorkeling at La Jolla Cove

A few months back, while I and hubby were rinsing our goggles, prepping them against fogging, a guy who was all geared up to swim and snorkel came near us and asked: "will you get into the water with those seals?" He was actually referring to the sea lions. The one swimming back and forth makes a lot of noise, characteristic of sea lions. Sea lions make a lot of noise, whereas seals are adorably silent! :)

Hubby told him, "yes, we'll do. Those noisy ones swimming are sea lions."

The guy replied, "Don't the sea lions attack people?"

Hubby replied, "They don't, if you leave them be. They most especially won't if they are in the water!"

The guy looked like wanting an explanation why sea lions won't attack in the water, so I told him, "Sea lions and seals do not attack people in the water. The water is their world, they feel very safe there and are very confident with their survival skills there. Sometimes, they would swim past you, somersault in front of you, kind of probably showing off their superior swimming and acrobatic skills in water, or it may be their way of making fun of us in the water, because for them, we are VERY POOR SWIMMERS! :) "

The guy smiled, feeling more confident now getting into the water, but before he went to the water, hubby added, "oh before we forget, don't make a mistake to come near them on rock or on shore or  anywhere out of water, they could attack you!"

The guy looked at me with confused stare, so I told him, "Yes, on land, on rock, anywhere out of water, the sea lions don't feel as strong as they are in the water! Just like some humans, when they are weak, they act out strong to hide the inner weakness! Sea lions somehow could be like that. When they feel weak, they feel less safe, so they are more prone to defend themselves when they feel like you are invading their space and they misinterpret your proximity as harm. When they defend, it could be mistaken as attacking. That behavior could be seen on land where they feel less confident of their skills. Be careful not to come near them on rocks, like what those other people are trying to do. When they haul out on rocks it means they need rest and space."

The guy said, "very interesting! I did not know sea lions behave like men too, gracious and playful when they are confident, yet, could be A BULLY WHEN THEY ARE WEAK!"

The guy thanked both of us, and looked very happy with what he learned, and then, happily and confidently jumped into the water and swam away. :) 

Whale Watching At Monterey Bay

Whale Watching Monterey Bay

In the morning of the second day of our "Into the Pacific Wild Big Sur and Monterey Bay Vacation", we took a whale watching tour with Monterey Bay Whale Watch. Before the tour, I only had one wish, to see a whale breach in front of me. Well, as you can see from the pictures above ( some of my favorite pictures from the trip), sadly, my wish was not granted! :( There is just no way we could control nature. But nevertheless, it was still a very awesome experience for us. We were that very close to humpback whales, and we saw not just one, not just one dozen, but several dozens. We saw whale sprouts almost every where, that it could be overwhelming where to point the camera. 

Though I took several whale watching tours from San Diego and Alaska, but I never had experienced to be that up close with whales that we could hear their sprouts! Even if my wish of seeing a breaching whale up close was not granted, but I still could say this experience is one of the most fascinating I had with nature. Call me crazy, but for some reason, I am thinking of another Big Sur and Monterey Bay vacation again, haha! I guess, I am not giving up on capturing a breaching whale. But who knows, I may experience them in San Diego.

Going back to Big Sur and Monterey Bay, there are just so much wildlife to experience. Up to now, I still am dreaming of the extremely graceful jelly fish dancing in the waters of Monterey Bay, of sea otters, of sea lions, of mola mola, and many more. I really had a wonderful time seeing wonderful aquatic life not from aquarium, but from the wild waters of the Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. I will share the other wildlife in my later post that we encountered during our afternoon walk at Monterey Bay. Meantime, here are more pictures from our whale watching.

 HUMPBACK WHALE AND BIRD

FOREVER FALL 2013

fall colors at school

I know, it seems like each year, I publish here a "forever fall" post. :) Anyway, it was incredibly sunny today ( but chilly ) that I was inspired to take some snaps of fall colors outside my classroom. As I took it, this wish was silently brewing in my heart.....

Blue Sky, can you please stay?

Till tomorrow when it is time to play?

Ahhh, there is actually a forecast of rain and low elevation snow in San Diego County tomorrow. Coastal areas don't get snow because of the moderation of temperature by the Pacific Ocean, but usually the higher elevation would still get snow. I really do not mind rain and snow, but I kind of wish for rain and snow on weekdays when most are at work and blue sky on weekends when it's time to play! :) Hahha!! Anyway, we are at low elevation and closer to the sea, so I do not worry about snow, and I love hiking in rain still. So, rain or shine, just got to play tomorrow. 

Oh, the picture above is a forever fall, because the colors usually stay until February. :) San Diego is like a "forever fall and forever spring" county!

Day 1 of our Big Sur Thanksgiving Week 2013 Trip

Day 1 of our Big Sur Thanksgiving Week 2013 Trip.

The drive to Big Sur from San Diego is a long 7 hours. In that amount of driving, we could reach Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, or Zion National Park in Utah, but we chose to stay in California. Though I love both Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks, but we just spent some days at Zion during the summer hiking. Last spring, we hiked Grand Canyon from rim down to the river. I felt it is about time to listen to Big Sur calling. :) We actually also spent our 2012 thanksgiving vacation in Big Sur. Our memories from 2012 kept on inspiring me to go back to enjoy the wild scenery, and the wildlife.

from our Big Sur 2012 Thanksgiving Week Vacation

Big Sur 2013 Thanksgiving Week Vacation

We left San Diego about 7:00 am Saturday so that we could still catch some light when we reach Big Sur. Despite having been to the place several times, we still left with high excitement to see the wintering butterflies, whales, sea otters, critically endangered California condors and more wildlife in the wild Pacific Coast. For us, it was not much about seeing the place, which is described by National Geographic as one of world's Top Ten Drives of a Lifetime. It was more about experiencing the wildlife, the wild but beautiful scenery, and extreme peacefulness.

Why do I love Big Sur? Ahhhh, so many reasons, I will slowly share our experiences, perhaps, they would explain why I love to go back in this paradise again and again.

Anyway, here was our day 1 experience, whales will come later on day 2:

Wintering Butterflies at North Pismo State Beach

Pismo Beach is about 5 hours from San Diego. It is a very strategic stop for us, for two reasons: 1. lunch time and 2. experience again the flight of the monarch butterflies as they winter in North Pismo Beach. Below is a short 15-seconds video of the wintering butterflies, currently estimated to be about 30,000 monarch butterflies wintering in the eucalyptus and cypress trees by North Pismo State Beach.

It's very amazing  for me to learn of the flight of the butterflies, how they migrate, and how they winter together. I can't help but be filled with awe seeing them. I added background music in the video above. I actually love adding background music in my personal videos, somehow, I just find nature and music go very well together. I however try to be careful enough to add music that is not copyrighted,and are free to share. Music copyrights is very strict as youtube or facebook could block you if you got three copyright violations. It would be nice if I have my own music studio, maybe I could make my own music. I would probably get a novation impulse at musicians friend so I could make very good soothing music to go with my nature videos. Ahhhh, so nice to dream! Haha!

Going back to our drive, after the butterflies and lunch at Pismo Beach, we continued driving North on Highway 1. Before entering Big Sur, we stopped at San Simeon to check the elephant seals.

 Seagulls and Elephant Seals: Sights at San Simeon

INTO THE PACIFIC WILD

 Some wild snapshots of the wildlife in Big Sur and Monterey Bay, CA
 ( wildlife except the lady in pink jacket above )

So thankful to have a short 5 day vacation into the Pacific wild coast, in Big Sur and Monterey Bay. We left San Diego early morning Saturday, and came back very late in the evening of Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving. As usual, a Big Sur vacation does not disappoint. I have been here many times ( this actually is my favorite vacation destination in California), but I feel like I don't have enough, and could always go back for another vacation. Ahhhh, anyway, I will let the video below and the two picture collages speak about our Pacific Wild memories for now.  

WILDLIFE AND SCENERY FROM THE WILD PACIFIC COAST
( every pictures and video were taken in the wild coast of Big Sur and Monterey Bay, not in any indoor facilities such as aquarium or zoos )

I chose the music "How Great Is Our God" by Kimberly and Alberto Rivera because that is one of the songs that best represents my gratefulness to our Great GOD, feeling HIS GREAT LOVE for all life in this Earth. 

What Happens When You Visit San Diego?

Fun with Visiting Friends

Visiting San Diego? Come physically prepared. Though San Diego is one of the biggest cities in US, but it is very laid back and outdoorsy in style. Though of course, there are the usual big city amenities, but the best part for me of visiting San Diego is enjoying the balance of nature in the city. Come physically prepared, so you can run, chase the waves, jump, hike up in the mountains, to be on top of the world, to touch the sky, to see the colors of life and be inspired.

After our 5 day thanksgiving trip into the Pacific Wild in Big Sur, CA, hardly had no time to rest to have fun with visiting friends, enjoying the great outdoors and building priceless memories. Time spent with friends and our loved ones in the great outdoors, IS PRICELESS! 

Now, am tuning myself back to reality. :) Back to work, I had a mind relaxing and heart inspiring thanksgiving break though very physically demanding ( 8 straight days of wandering )!

One, Two, Three, Wildlife Too Many @ Monterey Bay

One sea lion

Two breaching whales

Three Colliding Jellyfish

Wildlife Too Many

All wildlife pictures above were taken from Monterey Bay, California.

The whales were taken from the boat, while all the other three pictures were taken from the Coast Guard Wharf, Monterey, California. This is one of the popular places in Monterey for kayaking, snorkeling, diving, and well, just simply enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. 

A Day at the Bay

Instead of going to the beach today and catch some waves to ride, we took a leisurely walk at the bay instead.

Mission Bay, San Diego

While walking along the bay, we stopped to see a boat race.

One of the Boats at the Race

Camera Shy Sea Otter

camera shy sea otter picture taken by ktl

Camera Shy Sea Otter To KTL: " Did I tell you to not please take me a picture? Oh no, I have to cover my face again!"

~photo of sea otter taken by ktl, at: US Coast Guard Wharf, Monterey Bay, California. The US Coast Guard Wharf has to be one of the best places to se wildlife in Monterey.

Rainbow After The Storm

Yesterday's Rainbow, After the Storm 

I was busy Facebooking yesterday, when all of a sudden, I heard some excited sound, calling out to me. :)

"DEAR, DEAR, DEAR!" 

I went out of the room, to find hubby smiling so happily. 

"DEAR, THERE'S A BIG RAINBOW AT THE BACK OF OUR HOUSE!"

Oh, he just knows exactly what is a perfect surprise gift for me! I gave him a hug, kissed his cheeks, took the camera out, and had a good time with the rainbow. :)

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
- Dolly Parton -

Fun Friday: Through The "not so many" Years

Blogging for Fun Friday again! What's great is that it is Friday :) Our theme this week is "yesteryears". However, I lost my childhood pictures. :( I no longer have proof to claim that I was cute when I was a baby. :) haha! All my photos then were in my albums and were neatly filed in my closet. However, they were swept away by a big typhoon that hit our province and flooded our house. I was not home that time since I was in Manila for studies. I could not blame anyone if no one took care of all my things in the closet, because at that time I understand everyone's safety was the priority. We actually lost a lot  of our things in that flood.


Thus, what I am sharing here are some pictures from my "yesteryears" back when I was still in the Philippines. The photos were not scanned, I just simply took pictures of my old pictures using my camera.

Simple Happiness, Forever a Beach Bum :)

Just modeling my newly cut hair :)

Enjoying Life

year 2001- my last full year in Philippines

An how am I now in this new land? 

year 2011

Well, I aged, but aside from that, I believe I still am enjoying the same "Joys of Simple Life". 

Enjoying LIFE'S SIMPLE PLEASURES: THE GREAT OUTDOORS!

Hiking and Geocaching: two of My Simple Life's Pleasures in San Diego

Boogieboarding and Snorkeling are the other two of my  simple life's pleasures, because of life's simple pleasures at the great outdoors, I HAVE NO TIME FOR SHOPPING!!

I have grown to love photography, for photos of me, thankfully, I have a hubby who does not complain each time I ask him to take me a picture :)

"Through the years", life always was and is something to celebrate.

Finding Refuge and Healing In Nature

Though it is heartbreaking to see the wrath and unforgiving forces of nature, but....nature has and will continue to be my haven, my source of rejuvenation, a place where I find healing....calming me down in the midst of turbulent winds and seas.

These may be same old, same places I frequent here in San Diego to take refuge....to get healing from everyday's toll....but nevertheless, they never fail to bring me a sense of peacefulness, and thankfulness.

My weekend is a routine I know, a routine of finding strength and energy in nature. We planned to hike to a canyon between Gliderport and Scripps Coastal Reserve from La Jolla Shores, but the tide was so high we could not walk on some areas for the waves were crashing right next to the cliffs that we ended up retreading and took a relaxing walk instead on top of the cliffs.

Torrey Pines Gliderport (top) and La Jolla Shores (bottom)

Then, we took a relaxing hike at Lake Poway. 

Lake Poway from the hiking trails

A little boy I met at the trails asked me, " did you catch a lot of fish?" I told him, "no, I am simply hiking." Then, a few yards after passing him, hubby pointed out to me a school of fish swimming.

Los Penasquitos Canyon Trail

Hiking @ Los Penasquitos Canyon

Last weekend was our first time to hike at Los Penasquitos Preserve and Park. I wonder why we never hiked this trail before. But I am glad that at least we were able to finally find another nature park that feels like an escape from civilization, yet, still is within San Diego City limits and very near the comforts of home. 

The hike here can be as short or as long, depending on anyone's interests. One can hike at the vast open space ( canyon's meadows) or in the rich oak woodland lining the Penasquitos Creek.

A Time to Help, A Time to Pray, and A time for Rest and Relaxation with Nature

First, I would like to thank friends, colleagues and family here in USA for showing their concern and praying with me for my family's safety. Each time I got text, FB message and email, sending me prayers for my family, I could not help but feel so thankful for all the goodness I feel around.

Thursday, I was a little bit worried too, because my father was not picking my call (unreachable) and not answering my texts ( I knew they had no power). Thankfully, I was able to reach my father Friday, assuring me he was in very good condition, and that our place was spared from the devastating path of Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines ), the strongest so far in world's recorded history. Though relieved and thankful my family is safe, still, it's hard not to feel sad for the victims and their families. Some I personally know had lost their homes but thankfully not their lives. It is very hard for me to watch the news, and to see pictures, especially of places which have in some way brought meaningful memories.

I pray for comfort, strength to recover and rebuild to the victims and places that were affected by Haiyan and the other natural calamities that just struck our country. 

During these times, despite feeling sad for the victims, I feel also very thankful for the goodness I see around. Here in San Diego ( where there are a lot of Filipinos), local Catholic Churches have very active fund drive in direct association with Catholic Relief Services to be stewards of the help given for the victims of Haiyan. The local church here is also a key in giving emotional and prayer support to families here in San Diego who still have not heard anything from their family. The Gawad -Kalinga USA based in San Diego, is also very actively organizing relief funds right now for victims of super typhoon Haiyan. If you are called to help but do not know how, please check this link of charitable organizations which assist and help affected areas by recent natural disasters. If you know of family and friends ( or maybe localities) who may be in need of help right now for recovery, you may want to directly send your help to them who directly need help for recovery and rebuilding. I am also happy to learn from the local news that the US military is speeding aid to the Philippines. It is inspiring to see in this very tough times in Philippines the goodness and kindheartedness of people all over, sharing and giving in any way they can.

Having a very long week, both mentally and emotionally, I felt I needed much rest and relaxation therapy. Nature has always been my way of gaining strength and feel rejuvenated. Saturday, we had another date with the fishes at La Jolla Cove. Investing in a warmer wet suit really helped us enjoy water longer.

Snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, November 9 1013

When before, we usually spend most of our weekend on the slopes, this time, we kind of divide our time between the slopes and the water. I will share with you in my later posts, our weekend hikes as well, which we alternate with snorkeling.

Anyway, what was the story from today's snorkeling? Pardon me for this very little story. :)

Girabaldi: "Hey, gotta hide from that lady, she carries something in her hand, I am afraid what she'll do to me!"

Girabaldi: "Ahhhhh, she points that white thing in her hand, but she does not get me!"

Girabaldi: " Hey, lady, what is that you are pointing at me?"

Lady: " A very tiny camera, to take a picture, to have a beautiful memory of you!"

Girabaldi: " Oh, okay, now I can swim freely and safely now. Bye bye!"

Lady: "One smile for me girabaldi, please?"

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Heron

I want to write something, but sadly my mind is so fried, that I can not write anything substantial :( I just feel so tired, I guess, I am still holding on to summer break :) haha! I am not complaining though, I so love my new  students, they have been angels, and have been really awesome in our first week. But maybe what tires me most is having to combine both teaching and schooling, both lesson planning and doing my own homework, after 2 months of summer break! :) I still am not used to waking up early at 5:30 in the morning.

 I am usually drawn to black crowned night herons because they look so unusually focused. The stare is so deep which reminds me of a person in deep meditative thoughts. Unlike most birds where if I come a little bit closer, they would fly away, but the night herons usually would show unperturbed with my presence. Its  focused on what is down the water can not just be disrupted. Night herons are known to be patient hunter, they stand quietly for very long periods of time waiting for a fish or frog to pass by. Sadly though, they also raid the nests for the young of other herons, terns, and gulls for their foods. :( 

Common places where these birds can easily be sighted in San Diego are:

Famosa Slough

Wild Animal Park

Lake Murray

Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend

We probably have to go back to this place again for better pictures, since when we went here last spring, it was just not the right time to take pictures. Frankly, I failed to do enough research about Horseshoe Bend since my research on Page was more focused on Antelope Canyon. You can find my post about Antelope Canyon here. 

After having a grand time at Antelope Canyon, we still had enough time to explore the other interesting places at Page. From Antelope Canyon, we went to Glen Canyon Dam, and made a choice where to spend the sunset, either at Lake Powell or at Horseshoe Bend. Both places are magnificent, and we decided to stay closer to our hotel, so, we went to Horseshoe Bend. There will be other times anyway as we know we would still go back to this part of Arizona and Utah, which is called the Grand Circle. You can find my Grand Circle itinerary post at my group's blog, The Salitype Society. Those who plan to have a more orderly trip in the Grand Circle, you can check the itinerary and places to see in my Grand Circle Itinerary post. 

We made our mistake going to Horseshoe Bend close to sunset. Little did we know that Horseshoe Bend at late afternoon is directly facing the sun, thus it was so hard to take pictures with the glare of the sun facing us. Plus, there were a lot of flying insects that would block our camera's viewfinder that taking picture was really a challenge. Thus, we just enjoyed the scenery and imagined there were no flying insects at all. I could imagine however how it would be perfect to take sunrise pictures here!