Monthly Archives: June 2012

As Aretha once sang…

28 Thursday Jun 2012

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Where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean in Jenner, California, there is a long strip of sandy beach. The coast is punctuated with rocks jutting up out of the surf. At sunset, the light is a certain indescribable golden hue that only beaches seem to have. Something else makes the beach special. Not just the photogenic driftwood or the accumulated clouds at dusk.

Goat’s Rock Beach is home to a seal harbor sanctuary. From March to July, mama seals come to the beach to have their pups and hang out. Curious juveniles swim up to kayaks (including ours today) to pop their heads out and watch before slipping back under the surf. On the river side of the shore, you can see dozens of seals laying out, peacefully soaking up the sun. 
Sorry this photo doesn’t really capture the seals. But they’re there. And they’re awesome.
I could sit for hours and watch the little gray, slippery heads venture out of the waters; it’s like having your very own Nature Channel. Just the other day I was enjoying watching the seals brave the curve in the current to make it to the other side of the beach. 
I considered framing this post as a rant, or as a “3 ways how not to ruin nature” deal. I wanted to rail against decisions I thought other people shouldn’t have made. But I decided against it; I’ll let the negative energy slide. The one thing I want to remind you, dear readers, without sounding too preachy or rude or whatever, is to be respectful of signage in nature preserves. Please, please, please.

 If there are a million signs asking to stay a certain distance away from the wildlife, follow those instructions. They are there for a reason, namely being the safety of the animals, and to ensure that they have a home to return next time they are there. 

Harbor seals do not move easily on land. When they are startled on land, they may abandon their pups to go back into the water until the area is safe again. If an entire group of seals is often disturbed by people, they may not go back to that location. Use common sense. Don’t disturb natural habitats, ESPECIALLY the ones that are all special and preserve-y and stuff. 
Okay, I’m done now with that part. But while I’m on the topic of seals, does anyone else remember that movie, Andre? About the seal that the little girl raises and she turned up later in Napoleon Dynamite? I loved that movie. The soundtrack was epic…

https://i0.wp.com/www.stargatecinema.com/images/magictoolbox_cache/22449-04_t_400.jpg
Photo courtesy of Stargate Cinema
Kayaking was great, though! I forgot what a good arm workout it is. We got to see the water and the beach and our house from another perspective, and then we ate a really big lunch. 
P.S. The weather here is perfect.
P.P.S. Here are wise words from our dear friend, Aretha. 

California Dreamin’: Day 1 in Sonoma County

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

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My arrival in Oakland was met with a cool breeze and sweater weather. SWEATER WEATHER. (Remember, dear readers, my native home of Tucson, where the usual “cold” winter consists of maybe needing a scarf and close-toed shoes. Maybe. On the day I left, it was about 115 in Phoenix.) We drove from Oakland into Berkeley, the fabled land of crunchy granola hippie-dom and intellect.
Lunch was at La Note, a French restaurant famous for its authentic Provencal cooking. All the laudatory magazine articles and certificates hanging on one wall were deserved: the service was attentive and personal, despite the long waits at times (it was PACKED); the menu was creative without straying too far from its original French canon; the meal was tasty as heck. Hot chocolate was served—as it should be—in large mugs more like bowls than cups. The reason? To dip in bread, of course!
Chocolat
Slowly but surely we passed through miles of California coast. Farmer stands on the side of the freeway, cows, even a llama seated in some field watched us as we zoomed by. California’s landscape is breathtaking sometimes in its simple beauty: the tawny grass against the blue of the coastal skies alone rendered me speechless.
I love the starkness of the lone tree. This photo isn’t edited yet, this is the natural clear blue of the sky!
At Petaluma, we veered off to go grocery shopping. Earlier in the day, my parents had pined for a farmers’ market or organic, local produce from somewhere other than Whole Foods. Well, kids, ask and ye shall receive. Turns out, Saturdays from 2-5:30, Petaluma has a farmers’ market in the town square! Produce is not the only thing sold there—hats, granola, handwoven baskets, Master Gardener advice, crystals, and the kids can even get a ride on a pony! Plus, the live music was a great touch. Our trunk filled with groceries, we went on our way.
Farmers’ market veg!


By 5ish we got into Jenner, population 107 and elevation 19. At the mouth of the Russian River, Jenner is stunning, if not a wee bit isolated. Many of the homes around us seem to be vacation rentals, but I could see why. With no cellular service (seriously, even with 4G I was SOL) and the nearest grocery store 15 miles away, Jenner is the perfect haven for someone wanting to escape it all.

View from the deck of the house.

 Other than the cell phone thing, our rental is virtually perfect. The deck overlooks the Russian River pouring out into the Pacific, and the closest beach, Goat’s Rock, is home to a seal pup refuge. Plus, this is what it looks like. Not a bad start to a week, I’d say. 

Goat’s Rock Beach

California Dreamin’: Thousand Oaks

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

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Friday’s itinerary went something like this:

  • ·         Wake up at 8:30 a.m. Be able to sleep IN because of fancy light-blocking shades.
  • ·         Be leisurely. No rushing breakfast, no rushing to find driving directions, no rushing, period.
  • ·         Intend to drive to Malibu to get to the beach. Instead, go the wrong way and end up asking a postman for directions.
  • ·         Get recalibrated and drive to El Matador Beach in Malibu. Admire scenic California highways.
Exhibit 1: On the way to Malibu!
  • ·         Arrive at El Matador. Find perfect spot on the shore.
  • ·         Run into freezing cold water, mostly just to say you did.
Exhibit 2: In freezing cold water!
  • ·         Look at cool rocks and birds.
  • ·         Drive back to Thousand Oaks.
  • ·         Go on super long hike through hills and dales and valleys and to waterfalls, all the while panting behind your boyfriend’s dad, who is clearly in way better shape than you are.
Exhibit 3: Waterfall in Wildwood Park

Exhibit 4: I think we walked this entire thing. (It felt like it, at least!)
  • ·         Be concerned about hiking Mt. Olympus. Decide to “train.”
  • ·         Grill for dinner. Be proud of the amount of knowledge you actually have about cooking, including meat. Girls at the Grill power, man!

Where I Am and A Nice Video!

22 Friday Jun 2012

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Sorry I’ve been so delinquent in posting! This past week has been full of preparing for my trip. A new laptop came in (Dell Inspiron 14z, I know it’s not the smallest on the market, but it came at the right price and is still pretty light!), I’ve been scrambling to pack and prepare for my trip to California, which happens before my big trip, etc. etc. And, of course, trying to spend good time with friends before I take off for a long while.

So! I’m currently in Thousand Oaks, California to meet Boris’ dad, stepmom and grandma. I’d never been to Thousand Oaks, which, depending on traffic, is about an hour from LA. The landscape here is really beautiful; their deck in the backyard looks out onto a valley with pseudo-plains and mountains. The fields are the color of straw, and in the sunset light yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of that song, “Fields of Gold,” by Sting.

I’ll try to get some photos up soon!

Tomorrow morning I’ll be flying into Oakland to meet up with my family. We’re going to be hanging out in Sonoma County, where we’ll be lounging, canoeing, birding, hiking, beaching and wine tasting. It’s gonna be pretty sweet.

In the meantime, check out this video by a dude named Matt. Matt has gone around the world dancing. This is right up my alley, and my friend Regina knew that and sent it to me. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend watching it!

The Magic of Monsoons

18 Monday Jun 2012

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One of the (many) treasures living in Tucson, Arizona is the weather. For 9 months of the year, it is perfect: warm, sunny, little need for sweaters. Scarves are more a fashion accessory than a temperature-related necessity, and to be honest, most of the time I like it that way. But the summer is HOT. Yes, it is true, it’s a dry heat. I learned when we went to New Orleans that there is a huge difference, although I’m still trying to figure out whether my body prefers arid or humid.

BUT. But. During the summer, usually in July, come the monsoons. You read it right–monsoons. True, we’re in a desert, but due to the shifting wind flow in the summer months, the high daytime temperatures, and something about subtropical high pressure cells all combine to give us some blessings during the summer heat: monsoon thunderstorms. 


These thunderstorms are not only awesome (in every sense of the word) because they give us a refreshing afternoon rain. They’re also awesome because they make the desert air smell brilliant. During storms, a local plant called creosote emits a unique odor.* It is one of my all-time favorite smells. Whenever I’m in a new city, I always keep tabs on how it smells during and after a rain–so far, nowhere else in the world smells as neat as Tucson.

Anyway, we had our first monsoon the other day. Officially, monsoon season started last week, which actually seems a little earlier than normal, but whatever, I’ll take it. My favorite image during a monsoon is of the dark clouds contrasting sharply with the terra cotta and pinks of the stucco on buildings. I spent the afternoon cleaning and organizing my stuff (only 2.5 weeks until big departure!), and making sure our anxiety-ridden dog didn’t freak out. Here she is relaxing before the thunder claps got too close:

And sometimes, this is what happens after the storm:

Double rainbow! Insert every quote from that crazy double rainbow video here.

*This is, ya know, desert-y stuff you learn from growing up in a place like this. I thought knowing all the different varieties of cacti and desert animals was totally normal until cousins from Jersey visited when I was a kid. For the record, it’s pronounced “heel-ah” monster…

Ever experienced a monsoon? What’s your favorite part? And what does your town smell like in the rain?

Trip Update! The list dwindles…

14 Thursday Jun 2012

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Peddling my many wares at my yard sale

It’s been a number of weeks since my last trip update, so for those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook, where I’ve posted flight purchases and such with many exclamation points, here’s the up-to-date scoop on my travel plans:

Remember last time I posted about our itinerary, I had to figure out what I’d be doing from July 14-Aug. 5? 

Well, I at least know what I’ll be doing from July 25-August 5. GOING TO SCOTLAND! I’ll be traveling to the Scottish Highlands, including the Isle of Skye, hopefully the Isle of Harris, Oban, Ullapool, etc. with Kat Carney, adventurer and photographer extraordinaire. (Check out her beautiful work here.) We’re hoping to hit up some beautiful hiking in the highlands, get onto the water and do some kayaking, perhaps, and we happen to overlap with the Scotland FRINGE FESTIVAL (!!!), which I’ve always wanted to check out! Very exciting.

Also, Boris and I have tickets booked from Athens to Istanbul on August 6. From there, we’ll explore a bit of Turkey until he has to leave for his program, at which point I will somehow get back to Italy by September 1 to start my WWOOFing gig! Whew. Lots of plane tickets purchased in the past couple weeks, all exciting. Still working on booking accommodation and planning for these places, but slowly and steadily it is getting done.

One thing I’m pretty excited about for Scotland–other than trying the Scotch, searching for Nessie and trying to catch some fairies in the fairy pools–is to try Couchsurfing! I know many other folks who have had a great time using it, and I’m looking forward to meeting new people and getting local advice from our hosts.

Now this is what my major to-do list looks like: 
 

Make a list of countries you want to see and the entry/visa requirements (This is yellow because it’s almost done)

Call regional consulate or visa office re: travel within Schengen (I think I figured it out with all my internetz)
Go to Verizon store to ask about phone options
Make doc appointments! (Made AND attended!)
Buy plane ticket (Flying Lufthansa to Athens on July 4!)

Get copy of glasses/contacts prescriptions
Buy travel insurance

Notify bank
Get a credit card(Did a lot of research, my credit card is a Chase Sapphire Platinum. I NEVER HAVE TO GO ON HOLD WHEN I CALL THEM. It’s kind of crazy)
Get wwoofing position

Research volunteer options

Go through clothing & books to purge non-essentials
Yard sale for stuff!

So much progress! And, of course, every week I’m working on my Go! Girl Guides interviews, corresponding with interesting and adventurous women from around the globe, exploring said globe!


Countdown to official departure, T minus 21 days!
 

The Town Too Tough to Die: An Afternoon in Tombstone

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

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When people who have never been to Arizona think of it, I imagine they picture one of three things:

1: The Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon: photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

2: Our many, many headlines, especially in recent years, of Arizona’s conservative political landscape. There were too many image possibilities for this one, really, so I’ll let your imagination wander. 

3: Cowboys! 

Photo courtesy of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, History and Archives Division, Phoenix, # 95-3496.



True story: when I was a kid, my best friend went to sleepaway camp in North Carolina. They asked her if we rode horses to school. 

After all, Arizona was part of the Wild West. Sometimes, I think that hasn’t changed much, but that’s for another post. Arizona was part of that new frontier, and although its territory is one of the oldest continuously settled in the US, it only became a state on Valentine’s Day of 1912. But before that–before the papers were signed, before borders were drawn up, the Arizona territory was a good place to mine, to have a shoot out and to make a new life. 

The state that had fewer than 7,000 people in it in 1860 now is home to more than 6 million people. There are a few places you can go, though, to experience what Arizona once was during its gunslinging days. By no means can these places truly recreate the Old West, but some of them surely try. 

One of these places is Tombstone, Arizona, known as the Town Too Tough To Die. Unlike other spots, like Old Tucson Studios, where classic westerns like Gunfight at the OK Corral and The Outlaw Josey Wales were filmed, Tombstone is an entire town whose economy seems entirely dependent on the stereotypes of the Old West. Famous for the shootout at the OK Corral, and home to some of the best shots in America, Tombstone was our destination on a recent breezy Saturday afternoon.


Sometimes the best trips are the ones unplanned. The first time I found this to be true was during college, when some friends from the dorm were planning on driving up to Phoenix for a Cake concert. Cake! One of my favorite bands ever. Gogol Bordello AND Tegan & Sara were opening for them! But when the idea to go (the night before we’d leave) was pitched to me, my first instinct was to be reluctant. We haven’t planned it out was the first thought that popped into my head. But I was persuaded, we went, it turned out to be still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The lesson I learned that weekend was this: it’s really rewarding to just go with the flow and see where it takes you sometimes!

So the other night, when a friend in town for the weekend mentioned he was going to Tombstone, my interest was piqued. Soon we found ourselves turning onto AZ 80 East off of I-10 and I couldn’t believe we were so close to Tucson but in such a different landscape.

First of all, the farther we went, the more green there was! Not just cacti, but trees! Farms started cropping up. Goats and horses peppered some of the passing land. We sang in the car, harmonizing until we hit Tombstone.

Just as you reach the city limits, on the left hand side is a huge sign for Boothill Graveyard, a burial plot laid out in 1878 and used until about 1884. Thanks to residents devoted to preserving Tombstone’s history, much research and restoration has been done to preserve the cemetery, where many famous (and infamous) folk were buried in the years of Tombstone’s mining boom days.

With a $3 donation, you can get a plot guide! Worth reading just for the descriptions…

Many people were laid to rest on that hill, like May Doody, who died of diptheria; George Johnson was hanged by mistake; 3-Fingered Jack Dunlap was shot by Jeff Milton; Chink Smiley, shot. Some of the more famous burials in this graveyard are Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury & Frank McLaury, the three men killed by the Earps and Doc Holliday in 1881 at the OK Corral.

The headstones of the three men killed at the shoot out at OK Corral

Weiners Anton, died 1882. 

Folks took their poker pretty seriously!
Not sure which is worse here. That his nickname was “Chink Smiley,” or that in the background it just says, “Two Chinese” on the headstone. 

The most memorable, though, was the following:

Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44. No Les no more. 

Main lessons learned from our visit to the cemetery, though? People were called weird stuff back in the day, (although I suppose Apple and Blue Ivy would disagree that it is any different now) and people died pretty awful deaths in the Old West. Lots of skull crushing via wagon wheels and getting shot for dumb reasons and sometimes even accidental hangings.

Tombstone’s population today is around 1,500 and it seems like 60% of them are in the cowboy or saloon girl business. Walking down the main street over wooden planking and under old-timey awnings, we spotted dozens of cowpokes dressed up in 19th century Western wear. To advertise a gun fight, one took place in the street.

Further down the drag we passed the Bird Cage Theatre, which claims to be the most haunted building in America. How many buildings in the country claim that I don’t know, but you may have figured out
from this and this that I am kind of a fan of the macabre: ghost stories, in particular. Would that we could have stayed for a ghost tour!

The outside of the “most haunted building in America.”

The inside of the “most haunted building in America.”

We did stay for a re-enactment of the shootout at the OK Corral, though. Contrary to popular belief, the fight didn’t take place at the Corral, but a little west of it. My favorite part of the re-enactment was the costumes. Why don’t men wear dusters anymore? Can someone please bring this back? Overall, the re-enactment was a bit disappointing; the dialogue was pretty cheesy and dragged on a bit until the last 2 minutes, when the actual confrontation took place. The actor who portrayed Doc Holliday was my favorite, though. He seemed like he came right from the era.

The Earps searching for their targets. 
Doc Holliday giving his monologue.

The final confrontation.

On our way out, we asked the cashier where the best place for a sarsaparilla would be. (PS, who the heck knew it was spelled that way!?) We headed over to Crystal Palace Saloon, where I was sure to ask the bartender about any possible ghost stories. He assured us that he was not a believer “in that stuff” until he began working there; the giant roulette table would move on its own, he claimed, and another bartender met
a ghost in the men’s bathroom once.

I left Tombstone with two nagging questions:

  1. Did Arizonans have Southern accents back then? The actors in the shoot out all seemed to, but Arizonans actually don’t have a regionalized accent…
  2. What would Tombstone be like if it didn’t have to rely on tourism? Would it have survived?
Despite the cheesiness of the show, and the anachronistic dress of the inhabitants, I really enjoyed our jaunt. I wish I had time to go to a few places more before I leave long-term. Besides, we forgot to visit the world’s largest rose bush! In Tombstone, no less! They’ll be waiting for me on my list when I come back! 
Have you ever visited Tombstone? What was your favorite (or lease favorite) thing?

I Heart Tucson: Mercado San Agustin and a Chat with Evan Storey

08 Friday Jun 2012

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Mercado San Agustin

On a recent warm Thursday afternoon, my dear friend Regina and I headed west of I-10 to check out Mercado San Agustin. Thursdays are Santa Cruz River Farmer’s Market days from 4-7 p.m., and the parking slots were nearly full as we slowly inched into our spot along the sidewalk. Tables shaded by tents lined the path leading up to the mercado: the Food Bank, where you can swipe your credit card and receive tokens rather than use cash; a jam & jelly vendor; native flowers and other plants being sold; and farmers with their apricots, tomatoes, cilantro and potatoes.

The sidewalk outside the main entrance to the market. 

We wandered around chatting with farmers (all of whom Regina knew), and making small purchases. Regina got some scapes, I got some sprouts, an onion. We queried a farmer about how long fresh eggs stay good, we chatted with David the beekeeper, who makes delicious honey, which I had bought a few times before at the Tucson Village Farm. He also had some good tips for my travels I’m anticipating in Ireland!

Another tasty treat we sampled was with Gloria from Chilttepica Salsa. Gloria’s one of the folks who uses the community kitchen at Mercado San Agustin; event planners, caterers, food trucks, and individuals jump-starting their culinary careers can apply for access to use this fully-equipped commercial kitchen.

Remember La Estrella bakery? The one I drove so far to get to? Well, you can find it at Mercado, too! Buns, cookies, empanadas, the works. I bought a pack of fresh tortillas and couldn’t help but eat a couple for dinner. Man, I love tortillas. (Side note: as a kid, my absolute favorite snack was a tortilla smothered in butter and honey. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a little cinnamon. SO TASTAY!)

Reg and I got some wonderful handmade soap from Joyce at Dragnass Soap; all her soap is unique in its own little way, as it’s all hand-made. I bought some classic lavender for my mom, and we got a couple samples of watermelon soap. One bar that I didn’t purchase but was tempted to was the Dragnash, which is supposed to be wonderful to get grime out while keeping the moisture in! Joyce is an artist, and she discovered that that particular bar was super effective while cleaning art schmutz off her hands after a long day’s work. She also makes natural deodorant, lip balm and laundry bars!

After a while, as the sun began to set, the vendors also began to pack up. More and more glasses began to clink in the attached Agustin Brasserie, and a jazz quartet began playing inside the restaurant. For more insight into what the Mercado means for Tucson and its community, we sat down with Evan Storey, Director of Operations.

Storey, who’s a native Arizonan born and raised in nearby Casa Grande, had some farming background before coming to work for Mercado San Agustin. He traveled extensively in Spain and Colombia, and his Spanish language skills are impressive; as we wandered through the market and later picked up our drinks, he easily conversed with vendors in both English and Spanish, a skill useful and indeed necessary for this type of endeavor.

Storey’s interest in agriculture really began with the social aspect of the sustainable food movement, and has grown from there. He got involved with the Mercado because he was “passionate about their vision.” When I asked him about that vision and how the Mercado was changing the fabric of downtown, this was his reply:

“Basically we’re taking the fabric of two worlds: downtown–and the trend of urban development, it’s a cool place to be now with the restaurants and the nightlife–and the west side. Tucson’s west side has a long history; it’s one of the longest running sites of agricultural production in the US. We want it to be a district, the Mercado District, with a mix of that downtown urban feel and the historical.

We want to respect and embrace the historical traditions of the neighborhoods. Here, we are developing a future historic district of Tucson.” 

Storey went on to tell us that the new district will be “mixed use.” They want to implement good building practices and create a neighborhood committed to community: the neighborhood construction will be all masonry, preferably LEED certified.  Mercado San Agustin itself is striving to set the example for the burgeoning community there; the Mercado is trying to achieve LEED gold certification by engaging in green practices like using rainwater harvesting and solar energy.

Not only are they making good on their goals of green living, they also are endeavoring to incorporate those historical traditions that Storey mentioned into the market’s events. On June 24, there will be a giant fiesta celebrating El Dia de San Juan, and little more than a week later there will be a 4th of July firework-watching extravaganza. Before both of those events, though, is one perhaps more exciting: the Mercado San Agustin celebrates its very first birthday on June 22. There will be festivities from 6-10 p.m.! Check it out, and don’t forget to do some shopping while you’re there!

If you go:


Mercado San Agustin
Hours for individual businesses vary, check their website.
Farmer’s market every Thursday, from 4-7p.m.