Owl Box Success!

While I was away, my neighbor sent iPhone pictures of baby owls near the owl box nest located above the bee hives. I spotted the Mom a few yards from the nest box this morning, and snapped a few pictures with the newly repaired camera. I’m thrilled the owl box got occupied the first year!

Back Home to Repaired Camera

Today was another travel day, from San Francisco back to the DC area. Very glad to be home. Very glad to see the dogs.

While away, my Nikon P900 was repaired and shipped back to me from New Jersey. Seems to be fine once again.

Lots of weeding needed over next few days, but nothing too heavy. Laundry and grocery shopping planned as well.

The Hellscape of San Francisco’s Coast

Beach dunes in San Francisco, on top of the cliffs, are covered in flowers and succulents. Can you see the dog walkers in the first picture?  It’s about a 200-foot cliff, with old World War II pillboxes on top.

Lots of ravens and some pelicans joined the seagulls soaring off the cliffs. The ravens were absolutely fearless; this picture was taken with a cell phone.

Dog Parking

Yesterday was a travel day; Hawaii to San Francisco. Saw this outside a San Francisco coffee house. We need more of this.

Wee Man on the Beach

Daughter, Wee Man Milo, and Son-in-Law

Leaving Hawaii tomorrow; back to San Francisco.

The Poi Dogs of Hawaii

An earlier post showed Taro fields in Kauai, Hawaii near where I am staying. Taro is a root crop, a bit like potato, and is the base ingredient used to make Poi, a traditional staple food of Polynesia.

Poi Dogs are the original native dogs of Hawaii, and are now extinct. Their genetic stock probably originated in Indonesia, same as two other ancient Polynesian animals whose DNA still courses through the forests and farms of Kauai — feral chickens and wild pigs.

More on those animals later, but for those who want to read up on the Hawaiian Poi Dog, see >> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Poi_Dog

Beach Cave, Kauai, Hawaii

I’m in Hawaii until Sunday morning. Look at the matrix of volcanic boulders and ash holding this cliff together. The boulders are enormous, and the cliff above goes up and up and up. One good earthquake, and the whole damn thing would come down. 

Terrifying geology.

So what did I do? I went to ground under this, and lived to tell the tale!

Taro Fields, Kauai, Hawaii

Taro fields in Kauai, Hawaii, where I am vacationing. There’s so much you cannot see in an iPhone picture or video. At .40, I zoom in on the mountain in back to show a spectacular waterfall — just some of the drainage of the over 35 FEET of rain that falls annually on the interior of the island.

On the coast, it’s breathtakingly green and warm; sunny with 2-3 short showers a day. Birds are everywhere, including a ridiculous number of feral chickens.

Off the beach is coral, fish and sea turtles. Doing a big hike with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson tomorrow. Hope I’m up to it!

White Women Voted to Disempower Women

November 2020 exit polls show that 55 percent of white women voted for Trump. This was at least a two-point *increase * for this demographic since the 2016 election.

Point:  Don’t assume people will vote in their best self-interest.

Make Heat Until They See the Light

Sometimes the first light shed on an issue comes from a burning police car. 

Or, as Howard Zinn notes:

“It would be naive to depend on the Supreme Court to defend the rights of poor people, women, people of color…Those rights only come alive when citizens organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, boycott, rebel, & violate the law in order to uphold justice.”

Wee Man On the Beach

Nā Pali Coast Hike, Kauai, Hawaii

Went on a 6 hour hike up steep cliff-edged trails with my daughter, son-in-law, and 16-month grandson. 

Credit to my son-in-law for carrying the wee man without incident up and down some real ankle-breaker areas.

Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii

Drovea to Waimea Canyon State Park today.  Described as “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” it did not disappoint.

If you are American, this land is your land. You own it. Never forget it. Always protect it. Public lands are a public good.

Where the Land Meets the Sea

The volcanic mountains of Hawaii run straight up to the beach, and rise with sides so steep, and covered by vegetation so thick, you can be sure no one has ever climbed to most of the tops. The water is clear, but the rip tides can be fierce and the coral sharp. Warning signs are everywhere and serious. Many areas are simply too dangerous to swim most of the time.

Its Bite Is Worse Than Its Bark

The joy is in the friends we meet along the way. 

Scolopendra subspinipes venom causes extreme pain -- best to not play around.

Wee Man Found a Mango