The quad at UC Merced looking at the Science and Engineering building where I work.
The sunset from our back yard.
Same sunset as above.
We aren't used to seeing palm trees and fall colors at the same time.
Our garage finally cleaned up!
11.20.2010
11.11.2010
Job Update
Atalie recently brought to my attention that now I am the one slacking on writing blogs. So, I just thought I'd give you guys a glimpse of what I'm doing at work:
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| One of my first views of Tahoe NF in early October. |
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| A picnic area in Sierra NF near one of our field sites. |
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| Drilling holes in granite to mount a sensor in the stream (Sierra NF). |
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| The first snow of the season in Tahoe NF. In a few months, the snow will be around 5' deep. |
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| Phil (the guy I'm taking over for) and I installing a snow depth sensor in Tahoe NF. |
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| Up in Tahoe NF getting ready to drive back to Merced. When I'm not in the field maintaining or installing equipment, I'm usually back in Merced at UCM calibrating or trying to get instruments working and, if needed, ordering parts to make that happen. |
11.01.2010
Who you gonna call???
A few people in Patrick's department wanted to round up a group effort for Ghostbusters costumes, and asked him to join the charade for the graduate college Halloween party. Other associates, such as myself, were invited to be sideline characters, which I was all for. Originally I planned on going as the Keymaster, thinking it'd be economical. But when I heard someone else was vying for the position...
(Henry, the Keymaster)
...I selected someone else....
Mr. Stay Puft, the marshmallow man!
Patrick was a charm and helped me spend a lot of Saturday assembling the costume (and assisting me into it!). I had the creative idea of using a vacuum bag for the hat, but I needed a more mechanically savvy mind to construct it for me. :)
We met up with the rest of the group before the party so the paranormal crime fighters could finish work on proton packs and iron-on patches for their jumpsuits.
Glow-sticks inserted in the packs and in the ends of the "guns" generated a neat effect.
By the time the work was finished, the team looked pretty serious and very sharp!
One of our wedding presents was a celebration cookbook (thanks, Aunt Cheri!) that gave us a cute idea for our snack-to-pass. I wish every spider I ran into was an adorable little Oreo spider.
When I heard there was dancing at this party, I knew I'd look ridiculous, and hence, had to commit to at least one song on the dance floor. Needless to say, I attracted some attention, and a dance partner! I didn't disappoint him, letting him know it was the sexiest dance he'd ever have. haha :)
I was also poked, photographed, told I instilled the desire to body-slam, and asked how I felt coming with the Ghostbusters when I represented all that they hate. It was a rather deep conversation for a Halloween party, but the guy was dressed up as a political statement.
Our group pretty much stole the show when we arrived to the party! I'm happy I went as Mr. Stay Puft, as it ended up being a hit, and a lot more fun for me! Plus, where would the Ghostbusters be, without monsters to fight?
(Henry, the Keymaster)
Mr. Stay Puft, the marshmallow man!Patrick was a charm and helped me spend a lot of Saturday assembling the costume (and assisting me into it!). I had the creative idea of using a vacuum bag for the hat, but I needed a more mechanically savvy mind to construct it for me. :)
We met up with the rest of the group before the party so the paranormal crime fighters could finish work on proton packs and iron-on patches for their jumpsuits.
Glow-sticks inserted in the packs and in the ends of the "guns" generated a neat effect.
By the time the work was finished, the team looked pretty serious and very sharp!
One of our wedding presents was a celebration cookbook (thanks, Aunt Cheri!) that gave us a cute idea for our snack-to-pass. I wish every spider I ran into was an adorable little Oreo spider.
When I heard there was dancing at this party, I knew I'd look ridiculous, and hence, had to commit to at least one song on the dance floor. Needless to say, I attracted some attention, and a dance partner! I didn't disappoint him, letting him know it was the sexiest dance he'd ever have. haha :)
I was also poked, photographed, told I instilled the desire to body-slam, and asked how I felt coming with the Ghostbusters when I represented all that they hate. It was a rather deep conversation for a Halloween party, but the guy was dressed up as a political statement.
Our group pretty much stole the show when we arrived to the party! I'm happy I went as Mr. Stay Puft, as it ended up being a hit, and a lot more fun for me! Plus, where would the Ghostbusters be, without monsters to fight?
10.31.2010
Hidden Trophy
After signing our lease, we were given an inventory sheet to complete, documenting the move-in condition of the house. While examining the condition of the back fence and sprinkler system, I realized that one of the two prominent bush/tree things was covered in limes upon closer inspection! From the house, they totally blended in with the leaves, making them a huge and absolutely SPLENDID surprise!
I suppose it wouldn't make much difference to some people, but we buy limes quite frequently for beverages, guacamole & other Mexican-influenced recipes, and desserts. Plus, it just feels exotic and exciting to us born city-slickers to harvest our own fruit!
At first, we picked limes on an as-needed basis. But we quickly discovered they're rock hard off the branch, and yield a lot more juice, with much less effort, after they've sat out for a week. The bush/tree was rather unruly looking too, so we decided to start pruning it a couple weekends ago and simply take all the limes from the branches we chopped, allowing them to ripen. We got a large serving bowl's worth:
(I think there was close to 30 limes in this bowl, although some were fairly small.) The tree was still smothered with limes, and continued to lean strangely from wayward branches. But since our yard waste bin ran out of space, we waited another week to finish the pruning.
Sometimes we don work gloves, but they aren't always a match for the seriously wicked thorns along the branches. As you can see, some of the needle-sharp spikes are several inches long, and even if they aren't, they'll make up for it with extra fine tips.
Lime trees aren't just sharp- if you're not careful, they could become sticky! Our yard & neighborhood is home to many, many snails. Most of the ones on the tree stick to the leaves, but I just managed to see this tiny guy clinging to a lime destined for the house. I'm not a fan of these gooey varmits typically, but this li'l one was so small, I couldn't help but think he was kinda cute. (That's the tip of my index finger, for scale.)
Like I said- smothered in limes. These are what we pulled from the snipped branches after we finished the pruning!
...which filled 3 large mixing bowls, and then some!
We were a bit overwhelmed! Needless to say, lime juice has taken a more prominent position in our diets than before, and we've begun to freeze bags of juice too!
Washing them all was a tedious process, but between ants, snails, dirt, and the occasional bird poo on the rinds, I thought it was necessary. Many tiers of limes in this photo: the bowl in the foreground, a sinkful under suds, top & bottom of dish rack, and a bowlful on the table in the background, and basically sprouting out my ears!
As they await consumption, they serve as decor. Patrick patiently stacked about two-thirds of that latest harvest on a large platter in our dining room.
Some of you are probably sick of hearing about our darn lime tree, as we've already been bragging about it for awhile. Sorry, but all the same, too bad! hehe :) We are enthralled, and are likely to be for quite some time still. :)
Oh, and as a head's up: next year you may have to deal with even more of our ranting-and-raving. The second tree/bush in our yard has wasted-away fruit and pits underneath it we haven't identified yet. We think it may be a plum, nectarine or peach tree, or at least we're crossing our fingers for that, until we find out next season!
I suppose it wouldn't make much difference to some people, but we buy limes quite frequently for beverages, guacamole & other Mexican-influenced recipes, and desserts. Plus, it just feels exotic and exciting to us born city-slickers to harvest our own fruit!
At first, we picked limes on an as-needed basis. But we quickly discovered they're rock hard off the branch, and yield a lot more juice, with much less effort, after they've sat out for a week. The bush/tree was rather unruly looking too, so we decided to start pruning it a couple weekends ago and simply take all the limes from the branches we chopped, allowing them to ripen. We got a large serving bowl's worth:
(I think there was close to 30 limes in this bowl, although some were fairly small.) The tree was still smothered with limes, and continued to lean strangely from wayward branches. But since our yard waste bin ran out of space, we waited another week to finish the pruning.
Sometimes we don work gloves, but they aren't always a match for the seriously wicked thorns along the branches. As you can see, some of the needle-sharp spikes are several inches long, and even if they aren't, they'll make up for it with extra fine tips.
Lime trees aren't just sharp- if you're not careful, they could become sticky! Our yard & neighborhood is home to many, many snails. Most of the ones on the tree stick to the leaves, but I just managed to see this tiny guy clinging to a lime destined for the house. I'm not a fan of these gooey varmits typically, but this li'l one was so small, I couldn't help but think he was kinda cute. (That's the tip of my index finger, for scale.)Like I said- smothered in limes. These are what we pulled from the snipped branches after we finished the pruning!
...which filled 3 large mixing bowls, and then some!
We were a bit overwhelmed! Needless to say, lime juice has taken a more prominent position in our diets than before, and we've begun to freeze bags of juice too!
Washing them all was a tedious process, but between ants, snails, dirt, and the occasional bird poo on the rinds, I thought it was necessary. Many tiers of limes in this photo: the bowl in the foreground, a sinkful under suds, top & bottom of dish rack, and a bowlful on the table in the background, and basically sprouting out my ears!
As they await consumption, they serve as decor. Patrick patiently stacked about two-thirds of that latest harvest on a large platter in our dining room.Some of you are probably sick of hearing about our darn lime tree, as we've already been bragging about it for awhile. Sorry, but all the same, too bad! hehe :) We are enthralled, and are likely to be for quite some time still. :)
Oh, and as a head's up: next year you may have to deal with even more of our ranting-and-raving. The second tree/bush in our yard has wasted-away fruit and pits underneath it we haven't identified yet. We think it may be a plum, nectarine or peach tree, or at least we're crossing our fingers for that, until we find out next season!
10.25.2010
Casual Ct.
With a street name like that, it sounds like we're running a clothing store, but that's where our new rental home is!
We ended up with a larger house than anticipated- 4 bedrooms! They are small bedrooms though, and the high ceilings give the illusion of more space. At least with all the storage space, it should be organized, right? (ha.)
Rent is about twice what we paid for our last place in MO, but it's a reasonable amount considering it's in CA, bigger, has a garage & back yard, is close to school, in a safe/nice neighborhood, came with a fridge (most places did not), and the water/sewage/garbage service is covered (which includes bins for yard waste & recycling too). Plus our options and time were slim, especially with U-haul and hotel costs adding up!
Doris (the Taurus) got some new jewelry since this photo was taken- she now has a CA license plate on each bumper. :)
Unfortunately, our inside photos aren't that great since our walls are still bare and we haven't finished unpacking and putting things away. But this gives you an idea of what the place looks like until you come visit yourselves!
The front door and entry closet are 9 o'clock to the camera. The half wall has space for storage or bar stools behind it, but right now its just a counter-top/junk holder for us. :) For those who remember, our futon is still black, but the cover got dirty during transport so it's in the laundry pile.
From nearly the same perspective as the last photo, but turned to the right: Our "book corner." The hallway to the left leads to the master bedroom. Another hallway on the right side (not shown) leads to the other "wing" of the house, as we call it.
The dining room occupies the other side of the half wall....
...and is connected to the kitchen. Sliding doors lead to the backyard.
The sidewalk wraps around the house. The side furthest from the camera leads to a side door to the garage and a gate to the front.
There's a lot of stuff on the island right now partially blocking the view, so I'm showing you a pic from when we toured the house. Obviously there are tons of cupboards, which were a pain to clean out, but are quite handy now! The dishwasher and sink are on the right side of the island.
The hallway leading to the master bedroom has a section of cupboards we're using for bath towels and sheets. The bedroom is quite plain- just a square room with a window to the backyard- so I didn't bother posting it. It has a second doorway though, into the master bathroom. Double sinks & medicine cabinet on right, separate toilet room in middle, and fairly large walk-in closet on the left.
Doorway to the bedroom is to the left of the walk-in shower. Walk-in closet is to the right of the tub. Add some candles, bubble bath, and a cup of tea and this ought to be a perfect, relaxing tub. :)
The "other wing" of the house is formed of two hallways making a right angle. The left hallway has another big chunk of cupboards, with a utility room beyond them on the left, a bland bedroom at the end we plan to use as an office and for the drum set, and a door to the second bedroom on the right.
Hot off the press news right here. Got these beauties delivered to the house today. SO EXCITED! We have tons of laundry built up, and I'm totally NOT going to miss the days of using a laundromat. It's a very basic dryer (pretty much the cheapest Sears had), but the washer is more high tech.
The right hallway in the "other wing" includes another door to the second bathroom. Pretty nice that it's a full bath too, for our future visitors' convenience. ;)
Past the bathroom is the door to the garage on the left, a small plain bedroom on the right we're using for our outdoor gear, and a bedroom at the end. This one has a little more visual interest, with its half-moon window and a ceiling fan. A remote control brightens or dims the lights and adjusts the fan speed. This room we are reserving for guest accommodations.
Well, there ya have it! We're still putting it together, but I'm sure we'll have it to your satisfaction by the time you visit. :)
We ended up with a larger house than anticipated- 4 bedrooms! They are small bedrooms though, and the high ceilings give the illusion of more space. At least with all the storage space, it should be organized, right? (ha.)
Rent is about twice what we paid for our last place in MO, but it's a reasonable amount considering it's in CA, bigger, has a garage & back yard, is close to school, in a safe/nice neighborhood, came with a fridge (most places did not), and the water/sewage/garbage service is covered (which includes bins for yard waste & recycling too). Plus our options and time were slim, especially with U-haul and hotel costs adding up!
Doris (the Taurus) got some new jewelry since this photo was taken- she now has a CA license plate on each bumper. :)Unfortunately, our inside photos aren't that great since our walls are still bare and we haven't finished unpacking and putting things away. But this gives you an idea of what the place looks like until you come visit yourselves!
The front door and entry closet are 9 o'clock to the camera. The half wall has space for storage or bar stools behind it, but right now its just a counter-top/junk holder for us. :) For those who remember, our futon is still black, but the cover got dirty during transport so it's in the laundry pile.
From nearly the same perspective as the last photo, but turned to the right: Our "book corner." The hallway to the left leads to the master bedroom. Another hallway on the right side (not shown) leads to the other "wing" of the house, as we call it.
The dining room occupies the other side of the half wall....
...and is connected to the kitchen. Sliding doors lead to the backyard.
The sidewalk wraps around the house. The side furthest from the camera leads to a side door to the garage and a gate to the front.
There's a lot of stuff on the island right now partially blocking the view, so I'm showing you a pic from when we toured the house. Obviously there are tons of cupboards, which were a pain to clean out, but are quite handy now! The dishwasher and sink are on the right side of the island.
The hallway leading to the master bedroom has a section of cupboards we're using for bath towels and sheets. The bedroom is quite plain- just a square room with a window to the backyard- so I didn't bother posting it. It has a second doorway though, into the master bathroom. Double sinks & medicine cabinet on right, separate toilet room in middle, and fairly large walk-in closet on the left.
Doorway to the bedroom is to the left of the walk-in shower. Walk-in closet is to the right of the tub. Add some candles, bubble bath, and a cup of tea and this ought to be a perfect, relaxing tub. :)
The "other wing" of the house is formed of two hallways making a right angle. The left hallway has another big chunk of cupboards, with a utility room beyond them on the left, a bland bedroom at the end we plan to use as an office and for the drum set, and a door to the second bedroom on the right.
Hot off the press news right here. Got these beauties delivered to the house today. SO EXCITED! We have tons of laundry built up, and I'm totally NOT going to miss the days of using a laundromat. It's a very basic dryer (pretty much the cheapest Sears had), but the washer is more high tech.
The right hallway in the "other wing" includes another door to the second bathroom. Pretty nice that it's a full bath too, for our future visitors' convenience. ;)
Past the bathroom is the door to the garage on the left, a small plain bedroom on the right we're using for our outdoor gear, and a bedroom at the end. This one has a little more visual interest, with its half-moon window and a ceiling fan. A remote control brightens or dims the lights and adjusts the fan speed. This room we are reserving for guest accommodations.Well, there ya have it! We're still putting it together, but I'm sure we'll have it to your satisfaction by the time you visit. :)
Sequoias in Yosemite
Sorry for the delay in posting, but we've been a bit busy the last couple weeks. :) Now I've gotta play catch-up!
Our first week in California was mainly spent looking for housing. However, as we waited for approval on the application for the place we wanted, we took a break and went to Yosemite with Patrick's parents to see the giant Sequoia trees. They're only an approximate 1.5-2 hour drive away (depending on how slow the car in front of you takes the curves).
It was a beautiful day to visit a beautiful forest. The temperature is a bit cooler there due to the higher elevation, which was such a relief compared to the 90-100 degrees in town that week. Mild weather + potent fragrant pine trees + open window = a pleasant, sensory drive to the shuttle bus parking lot.
The squirrels here had tails longer than their bodies and fur with a pattern that almost looked like scales. Not so visible here, but I thought this photo was the best of him.
This clump was called The Bachelor and Three Graces. Two of the 3 "graces" are growing especially close, and may one day fuse. My presence gives the photo some scale.
In the prior photo, I was taking a picture too, of a lovely little visitor. :)
This one is named the Grizzly Giant. The huge limb on its right side (curving upward) is larger than any of the other "regular" trees in this forest, at nearly 7 ft in diameter. Those are people near the base.
An information plate near the Grizzly Giant provided some points of reference for the tree's height. The other items you see it being compared to are a 19-story building, a Boeing 747 aircraft, and the Statue of Liberty.
Back in the day, a tunnel was carved out of this one so cars could get through! Isn't it crazy this is just the base of the tree? You can't even see any of its limbs yet at the top of this photo!
I think this must just be a piece of bark or a leaf or something, caught by a line of spider web dangling from a tree branch. But it caught my eye since it looks like a little sea horse just sailing around in mid-air. :)
Standing near the roots of a fallen one. I believe there was actually a wake held once for a Sequoia in this park.
A few interesting details:
-We just so happened to be there on Yosemite's 120th birthday.
-We rushed to catch the last shuttle before the park was closed down for several hours. Rumor had it that a dignitary or widely known person was visiting the park. The news revealed the next day it was Oprah, embarking on her first ever camping trip! She had been at the REI in a town near Merced buying gear only hours before!
-Aside from Disneyland, this is the most popularly visited site in CA.
-I think the majority of the tourists in the park must have been European! Tour buses of people speaking foreign languages sounding like Portuguese, French, German, etc. unloaded in the lot, and we actually had a few groups staying at our hotel.
Our time was limited, so we didn't get to explore the entire trail. But we are glad we had the chance to see a good portion of it, since settling in has kept us from gallivanting since. FYI, the upcoming blog entry will have pictures of our rental house!
Our first week in California was mainly spent looking for housing. However, as we waited for approval on the application for the place we wanted, we took a break and went to Yosemite with Patrick's parents to see the giant Sequoia trees. They're only an approximate 1.5-2 hour drive away (depending on how slow the car in front of you takes the curves).
It was a beautiful day to visit a beautiful forest. The temperature is a bit cooler there due to the higher elevation, which was such a relief compared to the 90-100 degrees in town that week. Mild weather + potent fragrant pine trees + open window = a pleasant, sensory drive to the shuttle bus parking lot.
The squirrels here had tails longer than their bodies and fur with a pattern that almost looked like scales. Not so visible here, but I thought this photo was the best of him.
This clump was called The Bachelor and Three Graces. Two of the 3 "graces" are growing especially close, and may one day fuse. My presence gives the photo some scale.
In the prior photo, I was taking a picture too, of a lovely little visitor. :)
This one is named the Grizzly Giant. The huge limb on its right side (curving upward) is larger than any of the other "regular" trees in this forest, at nearly 7 ft in diameter. Those are people near the base.
An information plate near the Grizzly Giant provided some points of reference for the tree's height. The other items you see it being compared to are a 19-story building, a Boeing 747 aircraft, and the Statue of Liberty.
Back in the day, a tunnel was carved out of this one so cars could get through! Isn't it crazy this is just the base of the tree? You can't even see any of its limbs yet at the top of this photo!
I think this must just be a piece of bark or a leaf or something, caught by a line of spider web dangling from a tree branch. But it caught my eye since it looks like a little sea horse just sailing around in mid-air. :)
Standing near the roots of a fallen one. I believe there was actually a wake held once for a Sequoia in this park.A few interesting details:
-We just so happened to be there on Yosemite's 120th birthday.
-We rushed to catch the last shuttle before the park was closed down for several hours. Rumor had it that a dignitary or widely known person was visiting the park. The news revealed the next day it was Oprah, embarking on her first ever camping trip! She had been at the REI in a town near Merced buying gear only hours before!
-Aside from Disneyland, this is the most popularly visited site in CA.
-I think the majority of the tourists in the park must have been European! Tour buses of people speaking foreign languages sounding like Portuguese, French, German, etc. unloaded in the lot, and we actually had a few groups staying at our hotel.
Our time was limited, so we didn't get to explore the entire trail. But we are glad we had the chance to see a good portion of it, since settling in has kept us from gallivanting since. FYI, the upcoming blog entry will have pictures of our rental house!
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