Kids, travel, other stuff

Great Thanksgiving. Both kids were here and it was good to spend time with them.

Quincy gets home Thursday, with one quarter down, 11 more to go. Or so. Next semester she plans to continue with calculus and Japanese in addition to her other first-year courses. She seems to have made friends and loves the area. Last week, she went ice skating in an an outside rink for the first time ever. Not too many of these in El Paso or southern New Mexico.

Jacob will be home after our winter trip (the Keys this year!). He is lucky enough to have a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Miami (he does not think this is a bad thing...), and we will all join up in Miami for a trip to Key West. He leaves to go back to Oregon on his 21st birthday, which means at least we get to spend some time with him on his birthday.

More later. Quincy is Skyping.

Beautiful days in DC

We have had beautiful weather for touring DC -- yesterday we spent most of the day on bikes with the fattest tires in the world (picture below), following around NPS rangers on a tour of forgotten landmarks in DC. The Grant statue (above) is not so much forgotten, but it was good to be reminded that Grant gazes at Lincoln, his commander in chief (and beyond to the Lee estate in Virginia, confiscated to create Arlington National Cemetery). Quincy elected to not join us but did laundry. (Any advice?)

Also spent time at the Eastern Market and just cycling around the city. DC is a great city for biking.

Today we visit Ford's Theater and the Supreme Court. We also hope to hit Mount Vernon, the Newseum, and other highlights of geekdom.

2008 in Review

2008: we hiked our first marathon, climbed mountains, built things, tore others down, found more ways to eat local, learned new technology, made new friends.
Greetings to all, near and far.

2008 was an eventful year in the neighborhood, what with two visits from the local SWAT team, one massive conflagration, and a house-leveling explosion. Family news happily cannot match that, but we had our share of milestones.

Quincy continued her involvement with theatre onstage in Talk Radio (she and Stu also constructed the set) and as a techie in Beauty and the Beast (no photos were allowed...). She was also in the LCHS Showcase Marching Band, which had a very long season since the football team won the state championship! Other Quincy highlights are here, and include a month-long trip to Germany to visit her GAPP partner (her blog about that travel is here). We sadly come to the end of our era of exchange students: the ones we hosted were great kids.

Jacob continued swimming last winter, spring, and summer and filled the spring with academics and preparing for college. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in May and celebrated with two weeks in Thailand. In August, Jacob started college at Willamette University: he enjoyed his first semester and learned, importantly, that kids from small-town New Mexico can hold their own with kids from top high schools from around the country. He really liked his courses, and next semester he will be a teaching assistant for the biology course he just completed. He is also on the Willamette swim team.

Because of Quincy and Jacob's travel plans, this was the first year in many that we had no family summer travel. But Stu and Mel did get away to Cozumel, Mexico, to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Of course, while we were away, a wildfire came within a mile of the house and kept Jacob awake and on watch. Our December travel to Florida (picture, above, in the Everglades) was excellent -- warm and relaxed, with excellent food and beautiful scenery.

As for Stu and Mel? We are still both at NMSU and active in the community. Stu continues his research and service but is best known on campus as the Beer Guy. He is a local soccer ref, the go-to guy for stage and marching band set pieces, and the brewmaster for the Erasmus B. Dragon hiking club (no hiking club should be without one). Melody has colleagues who are experts in the uses of social media and keep trying to drag her into millennial forms of technology (see most amusing example here). In July, she started commuting to work on her reliable Fuji (older than some of her colleagues) and has enjoyed getting to know the local cycling landscape. If the ride home is an uphill grind, the ride in is a downhill thing of joy!

We have lots of room and invite anybody wanting an escape from the cold to come visit. Or gain foreign relations experience: You can see Mexico from our front yard!

Best wishes to all for a great 2009.

Salem's market

It is the end of the season at the Salem Farmer's Market. We found a mouth-watering collection of greens and veggies and fruit. Next time we visit during the market season I want to stay at a place with a kitchen!

They actually had more variety of chile than we have at our market. Snacked on fresh apples for the rest of the day. Yum.

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There is a moose on the plane !

There were likely not more than 20 people on the plane, and this caused some problems. After we were all seated, the flight attendant told us that about 5 of us needed to move from in front of row 8 to behind row 13. (Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.)

But not enough! After we shuffled around, the flight attendant had to tell us again, need more movers! So a few more people moved and the plane took off.

By the way, all Frontier planes have wildlife painted on the tail. This was Floyd the Moose, named for Frontier's Chief Pilot.

And for Teresa: the plane was a DeHaviland

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Cozumel photos

The Harbour in San Miguel hosts ferries to the Mainland (blue and yellow boats) and typically a couple of massive cruise ships. Sunday, so cruise ships stopped in, and plaza was much quieter.


The beaches on the east side of the island were about deserted on Sunday on the south end of the island, but closer to the trans-island highway, the locals were out in force.


The sea was turquoise and the sands were brilliant white. Beautiful.

And now, we return to our program...

No post from Cozumel yesterday since we were concerned that we had left Jacob to deal with our domestic fire emergency. But before we found out about the conflagration, we did some birding. Just as we were watching wildlife, wildlife was watching us... (Photo above). Not much worries me wildlife-wise, but crocidillians of any sort wig me out. Each pond I walked by had at least one resident caiman, and since I knew there could be at least 2 per pond, I really worried when I saw only one.

Talking to Jake assured us that not only was there nothing we could do, but he had everything under contol. So we returned to our play! Highlights of snorkeling yesterday included a walking conch, spotted sting ray, and a sea turtle. The sea was clear and beautiful, and the sand was brilliant white.

We finished the day with dinner at a seafood place frequented by locals. La comida esta muy bueno!

Today we visited the Mayan ruins at San Gervasio. Go figure how Mayan ruins ended up with a Spanish name! The site was much more extensive than the guide book implied (maybe because we failed to get to sites like Chichen Itza and Talum?), but the weather was stupid humid and hot.

We are ready to go home to see what the charred desert looks like. Quin will be home later in the week and it will be good to have the family under one, intact roof again.

Cozumel Saturday

This handsome fellow greeted us at the Cozumel Country Club this morning. Iguanas were pretty much all over the place as were basilisks (great footage from National Geographic on why basilisks are also called the Jesus Christ lizard is here).

Darwin-wise, we thought the lizard to the right needed to find a darker tree...

There was some excellent birding on the golf course at the country club. We id'ed northern jacanas, an American Bittern, a green-breasted mango, yellow-faced seedquit, bananaquit, and a Yucutan woodpecker, all lifers (I think). And the food was even great at the end of the walk.

At the end of the day, we got a rental car from a shop in Cozumel to make snorkeling easier. This is not to say we are testing the amphibious properties of the beetle. But it is easier to get to beaches with a car...

And snorkeling was excellent. The fishies were bright and as curious about us as we were about them. It is the quiet season in Cozumel, so beaches are not crowded, as I suspect they can be in high season.

Beetles were made in Mexico until 2003, and this one looks to be in about mint condition. It runs on nostalgia -- it has wing windows, no air conditioner, a 4-speed manual transmission, and about 2 buttons on the dashboard (lights, hazards). What more do you need? No DVD player, radio, GPS, fan...

Cozumel Friday

Headed north on the island today for birds. Although there was not a huge variety of species, this was the most amazing rookery I have ever visited.

The innkeeper at Casa Viento arranged a bird tour to a mangrove swamp. Although close to the populated areas of Cozumel, the swamp is accessible only by water, and we saw nobody all day. We went in a small boat, and Alberto, the captain, poled the boat most of the way. It was such a super way to go birding -- the quiet transportation did not scare the birds, so they allowed us to get really, really close. (See ibis below, really, really close.)

The rookery was incredible. The picture above is about right for density, but and the rookery was huge, with several large areas of intense nesting. Among the nesting birds we saw were: white ibis, glossy ibis, tri-colored heron, snowy egret, reddish heron, little blue heron. We also saw an ancient, huge osprey nest, green herons, Mangrove warblers, white crowned pigeons, royal and least terns....

Did I mention that we got really, really close? The little guys to the left are snowy egrets. They were adorable.

Finished the day with our second fabulous meal in Cozumel, then a nice, long stroll through town. Last picture is of the gazebo in the plaza.

Quincy lands, Jacob takes off

Quincy arrived in Germany today and met up with her German host. She promises pictures soon. She left home yesterday morning at 3:10. Yikes.

This morning (2:30), Stu and Jake left for the El Paso airport (Are there NO flights that leave that stinking airport when the sun is up???????). His flight is longer; he lands in Seoul tomorrow then he heads for Bangkok, where the weather is 93 and humid. Have fun, son.

Stu made a most excellent dinner that featured no pasta. Since Jacob started swimming, meals about 6 times a week had to include pasta. There are just not that many ways for a vegetarian family to get enough calories into a swimmer...

Jacob was at a swim meet in Phoenix over the weekend where several people in his races were competing in time trials for the Olympics. In the 50 meter, one of Jacob's teammates was in a heat with 6 swimmers who qualified for the Olympic trials. Stu said they were huge, but without an ounce of fat.

A Rose is a ... What??

Found this interesting ...um....kitchen? in Prince Rupert, British Columbia June 2007. I am hoping that the big shiny thing on top is an exhaust and not a cistern. Unfortunately, we did not have time to sample Rose's bus-cooking.

Just to let people know

I am not actually as.......pissed off ot the world as I look in the picture. It was taken in Canada when it was freezing cold, the male members of the family laughing their heads off at some joke I didn't get, and I was recovering from a nasty battle with some illness that I got horse pills for but they didn't do much good. So I have an excuse for looking as if I want to kill the next person who talked to me.

Highlights of 2007

So long, 2007. You were a good year, with some goals retired and new ones made. Family, travel, and new friends were the big hits of 2007.

Goals retired
Kids hit number 50! Beautiful trip to the Canadian Rockies included a trip across BC to Prince Rupert, where we caught the ferry to Ketchikan. We spent a few days hiking, birding, and touring and left with the resolution to see more of Alaska. Kids have now been to all 50 states!

Jake and Mel hit 9,000! After living in the shadow of our beautiful Organs for 17 years, two of us got to the top on a grand day for hiking. (Top of the Organs is about 9000 feet.)

Continuing stories
Stu brews excellent brew! Highlights of the year were the Scotch ale (rich and smoky) and chicha in addition to the usual favorites of porter, bock, IPA, etc. The beer book continues.

LCHS Dawg Soccer wins state! Jacob’s swimming times are dropping. He works hard at 6 am practices and hopes to swim in college next year.

Stu got recertified as a high school soccer referee, thus answering, at least in part, just how do parents avoid soccer withdraw after their kids age out of local soccer opportunities?

New endeavors
Quincy makes her LCHS acting debut (as a drunkard and a woman who reads too much...) in the Crucible in March. In November, she was the Technical Director for Pirates of Penzance.

Jake applies to colleges; gets his first college acceptance and merit scholarship!

Claire Fiedler visits from Germany: includes visit to Cochiti Pueblo where we watched Mel’s friend Sam Suina make drums (see slideshow at http://santeros.nmsu.edu/folkart/index.html).

Other highlights: We host Aaron Long, a high school student for a couple weeks or so over the summer. Mel’s promotion comes through; she now works at NMSU as the Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Success.

Kids and academics: Jacob started a tutoring program for high school students to work with elementary students through the LCHS Honor Society. Up to 10 students have participated. Both kids anticipate good grades for the end of the semester.

Texas City Anchor

(Last post on Galveston, I promise.)

This anchor is a reminder of the Texas City Disaster in 1947 in which 576 (or 567, or some other number, depending on the source) people were killed in a pair of explosions at the docks.

The Grandcamp caught fire on April 16 at the dock. It was carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer: think Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, but the explosives were in a ship instead of a dinky little rental truck. The Grandcamp also carried fuel, adding more fuel to the fire.

After burning for long enough for fire fighters to respond and townsfolk to come watch, The Grandcamp exploded killing somewhere between 500 and 600 people. Early response was complicated by a phone operator strike, but within a couple hours, surrounding areas had all sent response teams.

The explosion registered seismographically as far away as Denver and blew out windows 40 miles north in Houston. The explosion carried a tugboat 100 feet inland. The resultant tsunami was 15 feet high and flooded the surrounding area.

Of course, the Grandcamp was not the only ship in port, and another nearby ship was also carrying fertilizer, sulphur, and, presumably, fuel. Efforts to steer it away from the Grandcamp were futile, and it exploded early the next day.

There are 2 stories about anchors: in one, a 5-ton anchor was found buried in the ground a half mile from the explosion. In another, a 1.5 ton anchor was found two miles away. The one in the photo above is located in Anchor Park at the base of the Texas City Dike.

This web site has amazing photographs and more of the story:
http://www.texascity-library.org/TCDisasterExhibit/index.html

Galveston retrospect

Other Galveston highlights:

• Round of golf with Jay, Stu, Quincy, and Jacob
  
• Beach trips with the extraordinary Sadie
  
• Visit to Saint Arnold, a local place of worship near Jay and Donna's Houston home (http://www.saintarnold.com/)
  
• Excellent time with nice people – good things to talk about, see, do, eat, drink
  

My favorite, though, had to be the shared meal around Jay and Donna's very large table with family and neighbors. Jay started the meal with the grace that I grew up listening to my grandfather, uncle, and father deliver before family meals. It was a special moment.

Thanks, Mitchells. We had a memorable time.

Loggerheads: Not learning animals!

This is no ordinary loggerhead -- it is a research loggerhead.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a sea turtle facility in Galveston where they raise turtles for testing in turtle exclusion devices. These devices are escape hatches for fish and turtles caught in shrimp nets. As new designs for TEDs are developed, they are tested by turtles rasied at this facility.

At the lab, the staff emphasizes that turtles are not learning animals. Does this have implications for their ability to do research??

Travel time: Galveston, 12/28

Good birding in Galveston!

Highlights included a Pacific loon, crested caracara, and lots of waterbirds: roseate spoonbills (pink birds in photo), tri-colored herons, stilts, oystercatchers, little blue herons, ibis (second bird from left, above), in addition to various peeps, gulls, and grebes.

And excellent views of dolphins from the ferry between Galveston and Bolivar (longest ferry crossing in Texas!). The Ferry was also where we encountered the security guard who recited his poetry to us. Love local color in all its forms...

Travel time: Galveston, 12/27

We did eventually make it to Galveston and the Mitchell home there (photo was taken on 12/31, right before we left; Jimmy is missing).

Jake and Quincy met second cousins Emily, Alaina, Jimmy, and the ever-delightful Noah. Jay and Donna were charming hosts (and the lack of heat — not that much of a problem…).

More on Galveston tomorrow.

Travel time: Shiner

Shiner must be historic -- the plaque says so!

No real cigar factory here, but a cute little central Texas town.

Travel time: Shiner, Texas, 12/27

Shiner, Texas: Home of the Spoetzl Brewery, maker of Shiner Bock Beer.

We toured this facility and got free samples. Love these brewery tours.

By chance, we were there on the same day the Rabbi certified the brewery as kosher. Stu talked with him and the Brewer as Melody sampled. Jake drove the rest of the way to Houston...