Pelican beach

After all the running around, we decided a relaxing day at the beach was in order.  The fun part was that the little bay was full of diving pelicans.  You can bet I spent hours searching for the right picture.  

And perfect for Christmas time, they had santa hats

SO, I have way too many pictures of pelicans here, but I couldn't decide.  And this truly is pared down

They weren't the only ones fishing

So, they would circle above the water, and then tilt their heads just so.  Ah, fish sighted!

and down

down they would dive

Splash!

After a dive, they would circle again.  Sometimes coming super close (and we just barely missed a good dive bombing this particular pass)

So I decided I wanted a picture of them just as they entered the water

Dive

Splash

Dive

so close, but splash!

Oh fish

Dive

Splash

And then finally, the perfect sequence

you can even see his toes in the splash

Such pretty birds

Oh wait, another one

I love this dive

Part of the joy of tropical beaches is fresh coconut

Nancy sure enjoyed adorably

I considered the idea of climbing the tree, but ouch

Coconuts transport by water.  I had to take this picture for teaching

Some pretty tropical beach scenes

And back to the pelicans in the evening light

but now they were in pairs

even harder to get the picture now

so many of them

and then!  

I had so much fun watching pelicans!

Christmas Lunch

The next day Raissa and Roberto took us to the place where you traditionally go to have Christmas lunch.  I dont remember what it was called, but amusingly any time we were asked what we had seen we brought up this lunch.  People looked at us like we were crazy at first, Christmas lunch? then consistently guessed the place on first try.  

I didn't take pictures of the food, oh well, but it was roast pig on a spit with all sorts of rice and beans and yummy roots.

After, we went for a scenic drive through Carite forest and a little hike to Charco Azul

Epiphytes on palm trees

Raissa sheltering Alvaro from the rain

The Charco Azul

Pretty rainforest

We then took a very beautiful drive winding our way through the mountains and back to our condo.  I rode with Raissa and Roberto for the second half of the drive.  Eric and Jim's first question when we arrived was to the greenish cast of my face.  But I actually made it through just fine (odd since a little drive on the freeway gets me carsick, but hey)

Old San Juan reunion

After we dropped Serin off at the airport, we went to Old San Juan to putz around until Raissa and Roberto could meet join us (and I could meet Alvaro).  We started at the Castillo de San Cristobal.

Here's the view back across less old town

 a garita

 A green iguana on a wall.  Im not quite sure what their standing is.  Invasive? native? pest? cool?

 Devil's Guarite

 View across old San Juan to El Morro

 I really loved the garitas

Then we met Raissa and Roberto for lunch and got to meet Alvaro.  He is sooooo adorable

 I've missed these two so much.  It was so much fun traveling through Chile with them.  I can't believe its been 8 years.

 We walked the Paseo de la Princessa and then continued around the walls of the city

Alvaro was so cute the entire time

Into old San Juan.  Pretty streets

It really was a lovely day

Puerto Rico 2012

Last summer I got a text from my old friend Raissa that she had a new baby.  It's a little bit of a shock when you hear something momentous from a sporadically contacted buddy.  Eric and I quickly decided to make this years trip to go visit them and meet little Alvaro.  Then Eric invited his family and it turned into a Hale family vacation in tropical Puerto Rico.  

Though, Serin came the week before us with Nancy and Jim and we only overlapped by about 24 hours.  We made the most of that day though, and went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay.  It was dark and wet, so no pictures, but we had a nice wait so...

Shiny bird nests

Our kayak trip crossed this little bay and went into the mangroves you can see in the distance.  We wound our way through, bats, iguanas and birds overhead, glowworms below.  When we made it into the little lagoon, it was dark and the water was glowing with every stroke of the paddle.  Tiny little dinoflagellates fluorescing with every disturbance.   Very pretty

Newest house stuff

More progress is being made on the hour, but oh so slowly.  I have no idea when we will ever be able to move in.  But, it is getting pretty (or interesting, depending on your liking of modern architecture)

Here's the front door.  

Blind anyone who dares to come visit in the morning  (faces East)

They are starting to put the bats on the cedar.  This is the north side of the house

My someday herb garden 

Driveway courtyard with most of the exterior stuff done

Inside tower, with metal panel.  That's the office up there

the sheet rock (not actually sheet rock, but an ecologically better substitute, but what do you call that short?) is going in next week.  We will be gone so wont be able to see it, but it's still exciting.  Then they can measure for the cabinets and think about the floor...

Classes Fall of 2012

Pcc Syvania

Environmental Science 171.  my field trip buddies

Biology 101

Clackamas Community College

Saturday Biology 112

University of Portland

ENV 182

More progress

Things are starting to come together on the house.  The big kitchen window finally went in.  Who knew how difficult that would be to find?

 more siding on the back of the garage

 The view as you drive up

 The 'tower' is rather imposing, but I am going to cover it in vines, so...

 Stairs inside.  Another inside outside wall like the brick one

 The house from the road

 and the house from the lake, so far

 Sunset on the lake

 and we got the fireplace working.  Oh how nice that is!  It really cranks out the heat.

Field trip to Camassia Preserve

My PCC environmental science class and I went on many field trips this term.  I unfortunately took very few pictures, but this was one of my favorite trips.  We went to Camassia Nature Preserve.  It is in West Linn, above the cliffs north of I5.  It is supposed to be amazing in the spring with wildflowers and stuff.  but I loved it now.  

 for the class trip, we were restoring the trail to keep people off the delicate meadows

 It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.  I made them work until dark though, and they didn't love that.  tee her

Rin and Belly

Rin and Mirabel getting cuddly