Jack Classic Memorial Trip to the London Olympics!

Thanks to Jack Classic,  Erin and I, along with Trish, are heading to London to see the Olympics next summer!

Trish and Erin and I had been talking about going to the London Olympics for a couple years, so when tickets became available this spring, we decided to take the plunge and go!  We bought a package deal which included hotel and some sweet events, and then we put in for the lottery for some additional events on either side of the package!

These are the events we'll be watching!

8/1 Basketball - Women's preliminaries (2 games)
8/2 Basketball - Men's preliminaries (2 games)
8/3 Beach Volleyball - Women's 1 game; Men's 1 game
      Diving - Women's 3M springboard
8/4 Equestrian-Jumping

Trish and I have also been talking about going to Ireland for years and years and years, so we'll be planning to spend some time there while we're across the pond.  We'll also get to visit my old college roommate, Georgie, who has lived in England for probably 20 years. It will be so much fun!  In the words of a 3-year-old Erin, "I am so exciting!"

Needless to say, besides the above itinerary, plans are in their infancy.  We have a year to dream and plan and finalize...and save!.  We can hardly wait!

Ugly Critter Day

We went to the beach today at low tide and found some uglies.

It was a Sand Flea (aka Sand Crab) kind of day.  They were terrifically abundant!  I have shown you these before.

Here is a video of some of the sand fleas we saw in different places.  OK, so a cinematographer I'm not.  But you get a taste of the thousands of sand fleas inhabiting the shore. 



And other uglies:  Gooseneck Barnacles, which look like dragon claws, don't they?

The gooseneck barnacles remind me of a Kevin story.  When he was in Kindergarten, his wonderful teacher, Mrs. W, took the class tidepooling one spring day with the junior high science class of her equally wonderful teacher husband.

Shortly after his field trip, Kevin got to talking to our dinner guest one evening, a Professor of Biology at UCSB, who often taught classes on inter-tidal zones, about the tidepooling trip and the critters he saw.  He described this find, a barnacle with a long stem and craggy features.  Dr. C was pleased that Kevin had learned about acorn barnacles on his trip.

"No, no, not acorn barnacles!" Kindergarten Kevin firmly corrected the professor, "Gooseneck barnacles!"

Prof. C got humble pie for dessert that night!

"The maple kind, yeah...."

Lizard Portraits

There were so many lizards on my recent hike up San Roque Canyon!

I think I interrupted his lunch (see the ladybug?)!

This dark grey guy was neatly camoflauged on the burned log!

Poppies!

I almost missed it!

I had planted a Matilija poppy last fall, after the one a year ago failed.  My yard is now so lush, and many of the plants are so tall, that I hadn't seen this plant in a while.  I had forgotten about it, until the other day when I thought to myself, "I wonder if that matilija has died."

Nope!

It'll be neat when this bush grows big!