Jed Smith State Park - Gateway to the Redwoods


Spring is coming and the family can't wait to enjoy the Redwoods again. We are so lucky that we can drive there for a day-trip. The weather was in the 60's the last few days and the sun is shining - woo hoo!!

"Be broad minded,
Whole, without relying
On others."
~ Hongzhi Zhengjue

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort & convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge & controversy.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Clinton Wish

President Clinton says he wishes there weren't term limits on the presidency and that he would have preferred to be taken from the White House in a coffin.

He forgets how close Hillary was to granting him that request.

- Jim Barach

13.1 billion light-years away...
observations of a gamma-ray burst from a star that died 13.1 billion light-years away
~ See the red dot?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Professor Tanvir led an international team studying the afterglow of the explosion, using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii.

Swift detects around 100 gamma ray bursts every year

He told BBC News that his team was able to observe the afterglow for 10 days, while the gamma ray burst itself lasted around 12 seconds.

The event, dubbed GRB 090423, is an example of one of the most violent explosions in the Universe.

It is thought to have been associated with the cataclysmic death of a massive star - triggered by the centre of the star collapsing to form a "stellar-sized" black hole

"Dreams are necessary to life."
~ Anais Nin

Having dreams means nothing if you do not try to reach them.
~ Christen Peattie

Pileated Woodpecker


We heard a knocking.... and found one of these beautiful birds in an old oak tree. He was big, the size of a raven! It already had made 3 holes the size of a baseball. He must have been loving that tree for a while. The amazing thing to me was he did not leave right away, since they are apparently shy creatures. Maybe he didn't hear us, heehee.

Unfortunately he has not come back in a month and I think he has found another part of the forest to call home.

Found a pair of these nesting in a tree at our new home. They stayed for a few months and now have moved on. I miss them. They were so sweet.

I think they moved because of the ruckus (dogs, cats, kids, people and cars.) They were right above where we park on a regular basis. I feel horrible putting them out, but I am sure they found a nice tree somewhere in the neighborhood.


Flammulated Owl

Northern California
Mendocino, Lost Coast, Smith River

Check out the photos of our fun trip to the Northern Coast of California and some sleepy towns in the area - Beautiful!!!

Fun at the stables
(click to see scrapblog at this site)

Our good friends in San Diego have finally purchased a beautiful friend for their equestrian daughter. He is so sweet. Such a great, mellow demeanor, he even let the baby pet him... What a charmer!!