03 kirk
05 thai an
13 missy
21 melissa
22 maura
23 barbara, sarah
25 matt, orion, and me me me
28 bettina
i have a half dozen immediate relatives whose birthdays are also in june. it's always a busy month for my family. anyway, i'm turning 35 this year. all i'm hoping for is a spinning wheel. and may be some sunshine.
i had a terrific weekend hanging around town doing pretty well nothing. the weather was fantastic so i actually went oot and aboot just to take pictures. my most favorite shot from the entire weekend was taken on my hike with my best friend and her husband, marius.
erin correcting marius's contact lens
taken at the highest point on saddle rock trail
anyway, have a great monday, everyone. you too, thai an!
birthday box to missy
taken seconds before handing over to postman at 10:30 am
i couldn't resist showing that picture. i got the box from a recycling pile on the curb. sex wax, such marketing genius: overt sexual references plus a robust coconut scent. why, take my money, please.
tomorrow i'm going camping on anacapa. i hope the weather is clearer off shore. that way i can see where to vomit. and may be get a picture taken.
reflection on cab of 18 wheeler on cindy street at 3:13 pm
rick called me bright and early this morning to wish me a very cheerful happy birthday. he was rather pleased with himself for not forgetting. he even had his calendar marked. it was borderline heartbreak for me to tell him that he's ten days early.
jonathan coombs 19 june 06 at 1:25 pm
abravanel hall at music academy of the west
yesterday my neighbor chris and i went to see a solo piano masterclass.* she and i bonded during the tick episode so naturally, our next step is to experience music.
we're aiming to see a different instrument masterclass each week. join us?
that's jg at inspiration point on anacapa island. what a fantastic trip it was. i loved everything about it, the isolation, the clear blue water, the cargo ships coming and going, the postcard perfect scenery, the primitive camping, and even the seagulls.
a humpback seen near our route home
11 june 2006 at 4:29 pm
seeing a whale within fifty yards put the cherry on top of it all. my only regret is that we hadn't experienced this national park sooner. i bet my best friend would agree.
i celebrated by birthday a few days early this year by having a joint cake party with sarah loebman at the java station knit group.
super rich chocolate raspberry cake from anna's bakery in goleta
i talked erin into getting a cake for us. it was short notice so she couldn't order more personalized inscription. it should have read: happy birthday to maura, melissa, sarah, and thuy.
actually i've been celebrating my birthday for over a week, receiving an surprising amount of phone calls and cards from friends far and wide. i got all manners of presents, too, some just arrived today! look what i got last week:
fuji finepix z1, i got it for myself. i saw it a while back and was completely taken by the large display screen and the minimal build. the reviews weren't great but i bought it anyway, just for the look of it. terrible, isn't it?
sunday i took the z1 for test drive, ending up in montana de oro state park in los osos. i was there to look at the walk-in campsites and to hike my second most favorite trail, valencia peak.
hikers in the fog
that's me on the southwest side of the peak. it was such a reward to summit above the fog. i sat around for some time before the descent.
begin of hike down
looking back up
i took a lot of close ups of flowers; i had never seen so much in bloom. i hope to post them on flickr soon.
blind shot of lichen+fellow hiker
after the hike i went down to the tidepools to continue testing the z1. first i crossed a beach full of curious rocks.
wood? rock? wood? rock?
tiny shells inside half inch hole
tidepool with unintentional reflection of my crazy hair
macro on anemone
foggy spooner's cove
i wanted to go kayaking in morro bay but the fog had gotten way too thick. so i stayed at spooner's and taunted the anemones until the camera's battery ran out.
i am pretty disappointed by the z1 but i am glad that i got to spend the day in montana de oro. i'm also glad that i got to see the walk-in campsites. i am pretty taken by one of the sites so i plan on going back in the fall. hopefully with a better camera.
thank you, everyone, for your wonderful birthday wishes. i had a great day!
