Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
"Create a park where people can enjoy San Diego's natural coastal environment as it once was, free from the effects of man and intended to inspire the user to reflect on the grandeur of the sea, and the beauty of the cliffs that was once Point Loma." - sandiego.gov
Blue Sky and Lake Poway
I spend a lot of time sitting in my apartment. In particular, I have a nice squishy chair and couch that I sink into. But after a while, I start getting antsy and full of cabin fever.
This pandemic has been rough. Moving to an entirely new city and state where I don’t really know anyone is rough. What has been my absolute saving grace is the beautiful, sunny weather and the ability to move my limbs in it. As soon as I get out onto a trail, I feel like some energy can finally be released. My isolation and confinement melt away, and I can begin to appreciate being immersed in nature, moving through it, and documenting it. I feel for everyone who is isolated in much more inclement conditions.
I have been telling myself that I would buy a camera as my first major purchase once I started getting a paycheck again (after all the rent, food, other essentials, of course). A little crazy, I know, but I DID IT. A sleek Nikon D7500 that I have been having a lot of fun playing with. There is still so much about it that I don’t know yet, but being outdoors and trying different settings has given me a perfect excuse to be completely immersed in something other than work.
The Blue Sky Ecological Reserve was a great place to capture some shots last weekend. Also, as a side-note, I’m still not clear on the differences between a preserve and a reserve, although it seems that outside of the US, “reserve” is used in place of “preserve.” Blue Sky is about 700 acres set aside to protect riparian vegetation, and since mountain bikes and motorized vehicles are banned, there are a lot of wildlife.
Green Valley Truck Trail
Acorn woodpeckers working away on a dead tree.
Side-blotched lizard.
The Lake Poway dam. On the other side, from the bottom, it looks like a momentous rock wall.
Lake Poway. So many American coots and mallards (and people) (and dogs!). This is the main water supply for the city of Poway, California.
Black phoebe
A view from the other side of the lake.
Buzz buzz honey bees!
Cormorants!
Outdoor exploration refreshes the soul.
Tijuana River Slough and Estuary
The Tijuana River Estuary is the southwestern most part of San Diego County, of California, and of the entire United States. It shoulders up to the border wall separating Mexico and the United States. If you search on Google Maps, you can even see where the border wall extends way out into the ocean, and happens to be in an area with rip currents and dangerous swimming conditions, though I am sure many people have tried to swim from Mexico to the US or vice versa. It is a beautiful area, and one of those fascinating spaces where you can see the delineation between the countries so clearly. It also happens to be an essential stopover area for many bird species traveling all along the west coast - in some cases, all the way from Canada down to Peru, as in the case of the Elegant Tern.
Facing South. Trail leading out to the marshlands, an excellent place for birdwatching. On top of the hill in the distance is the border wall.
Over 370 species of birds have been recorded here!
Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor).
A sewage pipe used to lay across these wooden stands and extend all the way to the ocean.
California fuchsia (Epilobium canum), a species of willowherb native to California.
Whimbrels! (Numenius phaeopus) In spring, these birds fly all the way to northern Alaska to breed.
Snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus) in flight.
Snowy egret (Egretta thula)
The best part of the hike may have been the cat a couple was carrying in a clear backpack with a little hole where it’s head could stick out. Good kitty!
Archipel II
The Galápagos is one of those places that in order to do it right, you really need to find a good boat. There are so many nooks and crannies and places that you can’t reach unless you have pangas to get you on shore. And of course, many of the islands have no towns, roads, or modern habitat-destroying conveniences. We were incredibly lucky on board the Archipel II. The group of tourists were all friendly and talkative, and the crew (though most of them knew very little English), still managed to make me laugh, and were very accommodating. And the FOOD was delicious. Sad to say but happy to report that I ate more vegetables there than I had in the past 6 months of my life. Today’s post is a little tribute to the catamaran that was my home for a week (with a few repeat photos from the first Galápagos blog post).
bonbon treats on my bed!
When I returned, my glasses had sprouted a towel in the shape of a ray! And some chocolates for eyes. I absolutely loved seeing this after coming back sweaty and tired.
Our dining area and wet suits hanging up to dry on the deck.
Another masterpiece!
Someone is very good at making sculptures of animals out of everyday objects!
Napping on the deck.
release the pangas!
Again, thank again to an excellent crew! Salud!
Miyajima’s Mt. Misen
Climbing Mt. Misen was a great excuse to get out of the Airbnb, and although scrambling up to the top of a mountain has left me sore and stiff, it was worth it for the views and fresh air. Mt. Misen is on the island of Itsukushima, otherwise known as Miyajima. It’s about a 45-minute train right southwest of Hiroshima and then another 10 minutes on the ferry. Luckily, public transportation is still running, albeit on a reduced schedule.
Fortunately, I didn’t see one! Unfortunately, I didn’t see one. :(
up and up and up
the first glimpse of a lookout
We meet again, googly eyes!
Do you see the little buddha in the above picture? Almost exactly center frame.
the shiny things on the rock are coins!
Election Woes
*Cover photo is of Ben Raffensperger, the Secretary of State of Georgia, photo credit: Branden Camp/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
I just want to know if anyone else has had as much of a headache as I have had with TRYING TO JUST VOTE. I presume not, because I’m currently out of the country, but now that EVERYONE in Georgia is being encouraged to vote in via absentee, I figured I would tell a little story about all the craziness and deadlines and lack of information that I have gone through. Think of it as a primer/timeline/guide/rant about voting - whether or not it be in the time of the Pandemic of ‘20 - as many of the issues I have faced here were pre-COVID. The pandemic has just magnified the inadequacies of our current system.
*A note about 2020 election dates. First, I’ll stick with pre-COVID-19 times:
March 24: Original Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) election
* must register 180 days before the election date, which for a March 24 election, the earliest date to register for absentee ballot was September 26, 2019
May 19: Original local/state election, also known as the General Primary Election
* 180 days prior to May 19, the earliest date to register for an absentee ballot was November 21, 2019
—BEGIN TIMELINE—
November 22, 2019: Armed with the above knowledge, I decided to make it easier on myself and the DeKalb election office by registering for both elections at the same time. So, I filled out 2 absentee applications, 1 for each election, and e-mailed both PDFs to voterreg@dekalbcountyga.gov on November 22, 2019. A friendly woman, Shari Hillman, replied that she had submitted my applications to the Absentee Department. Glenda Woods, the Election Coordinator for Voter Registration and Elections, then responded from absenteeballot@dekalbcountyga.gov. She told me to choose a party for both elections, that the “checkmark” box on the application form was not checked. I had checked them (and double-checked that I checked it) but it must have been an Adobe compatibility issue. Regardless, I informed her of my party choice, she thanked me, and that was that. (*Note: I know someone who had the same issue in Fulton County, where the checked box didn’t show up, but just in case, he wrote his party choice in the e-mail body. Regardless, he received no response and later found out through the My Voter Page website (mvp.sos.ga.gov) that his absentee application had been denied due to no party affiliation. Again, this was pre-coronavirus, back in December.)
Copy of my e-mail to the DeKalb Voter Registration Office on November 22.
February 4: Earliest date (49 days before the election) to submit absentee ballot for the PPP election on March 24.
*Note: mailed absentee ballot deadline is 4 days before the election (March 20). I think it must be received by this date, not just postmarked, but not certain about that.
February 8: Absentee ballot arrived for the PPP election on March 24.
—CORONAVIRUS HAPPENS/GETS BAD IN GEORGIA (first confirmed case in Georgia occurred on March 2)—
Announced on March 14 (10 days before PPP election): PPP pushed to same date as local/state election for a combined ballot: May 19 (Does this make the original March 20 deadline moot?)
Announced on March 24: the Secretary of State will be mailing absentee ballots to all registered Georgia voters (presumably, this also means those half million who have already registered absentee).
*The SoS office did not begin mailing out absentee forms to all 6.9 million registered Georgia voters until April 20, nearly a month later.
March 31: Earliest date (49 days before the election) to submit absentee ballot for the PPP election on May 19.
*Note: mailed absentee ballot deadline is 4 days before the election (May 15), again, not certain about this.
April 9: I receive the abovementioned absentee application (sent to all registered voters) in the mail for the election on May 19. *Note: I still received this even though I was already registered.
Also announced on April 9 (67 days before combined election): Both PPP and local/station election pushed back again to June 9 (Does this make both the original March 20 and May 15 deadlines moot?)
* earliest day to submit a filled-out ballot for the June 9 election is April 21.
April 18: filled out and mailed the original absentee ballot for the original March 24 election (because why not, even though it might be moot), and just in case, also filled out and mailed the application for absentee voting for the June 9 election (because why not, even though I’m already registered, who knows, they could have decided to throw the old one out).
April 20: Secretary of State office began mailing absentee ballot registrations to all registered voters, nearly a month after their announcement to do so, and weeks after the SoS had already announced an additional postponement of the election to be June 9.
April 21: again, earliest date (49 days before election) to submit absentee ballot for the combined election on June 9.
April 29: my absentee ballot for the postponed May 19 election arrived in the mail (will this even count if I fill it out?).
May 11: last day to register to vote absentee and still be able to vote on June 9 (I already registered (more than enough times), info just FYI).
June 5: my absentee ballot must be received by this date (4 days before the June 9 election)
So, I am left with these questions:
Does the original March 24 election ballot I filled out even count? In a word, it seems like “no.” The earliest date I could have returned it was the same day I received it, on February 8. Presidential candidates were dropping like flies, so I wanted to hold on to my ballot as long as possible and vote for a realistic nominee. (Now, unfortunately, we are down to 1 democratic candidate, so my logic for this is moot). This meant that I was still holding onto it when the Secretary of State announced the postponement of the March 24 election. If that hadn’t happened, I would have mailed it around March 16 to give it time to arrive by the March 20 deadline. Instead, I held on to it. What do I do with it? Do I just go ahead and fill it out and send it in anyway? That’s what I ended up doing, according to the AJC, anything arriving past March 24 will not be counted, and the only thing that will count will be on the new ballot. As of March 24, nearly 30,000 ballots for the PPP had yet to be returned (mine included).
Why did the Secretary of State mail out absentee registration forms to ALL of Georgia’s 7.2 million registered voters? By March 2, 14,000 absentee voters had mailed in ballots for the March 24 PPP, and as of March 24, an additional 30,000 ballots had yet to be returned (as mentioned above, I was in this category). No word on how many absentee ballots were mailed back between those two dates. If absolutely none, the max amount of absentee ballots that had at some point been mailed to voters was at least 44,000; but likely many more. Now all 44,000 (+) registered absentee voters are being sent the same paperwork (like me) and are likely just as confused about it as I am. If they ignore it because they’ve already registered, will their previous registration be canceled? Does everyone need to register again? I can’t find any sources that answer this question.
What is the difference between an in-person “early” vote and an in-person “absentee” vote? Are they the same? Different sources call these different things. I was always under the impression that early voting was in-person and that absentee was …not in-person. But some sources say there are two types of absentee: absentee mail and absentee in-person. Huh?
If it was announced on April 9 that the May 19 election would be postponed until June 9, then why were absentee registration forms sent out on April 20 for the now-obsolete May 19 election? It seems like that would have been adequate time to change the absentee registration form to say “for the election on June 9” rather than what is currently says, “for the election on May 19” to avoid mass confusion:
Application for absentee ballot for the May 19 election. Sent out on April 20, more than a week after the announcement that the election would be postponed until June 9. (Note circled date at top left of application form.)
4. Why can’t the election calendar be more clear? Much of the information on the Election Calendar page on the Georgia Secretary of State website is for people who want to run for office. That’s fine, but it garbles information that is only pertinent to the voter. Further, there are no deadlines listed for the mail-in ballot (e.g., the 4 days prior to the election deadline). I had to find that deadline on another, non-governmental website. It should definitely be listed here as well. Below, I have edited the document to list additional information in purple text.
And I haven’t even BEGUN to dig in to the ridiculousness of the new ballot itself. I’ll save that one for next time.
Galápagos: Puerto Ayora
*storm-petrel cover photo by Athene Blakeman
We made landing on the other side of Santa Cruz island from where we last were (Cerro Dragon). We arrived on the solid ground of Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galápagos at around 12,000 people. It is also home to multiple giant tortoise breeding programs, including at the Charles Darwin Research Station. We had the day to wander the town, find internet (!) (we had no wifi on the boat), go to a corner store, and generally have a little freedom from the normally active itinerary.
A very unique Catholic church with beautiful stained class and murals — on Av. Charles Darwin nonetheless. And of course, it is no surprise to see St. Francis on the right side, the patron saint of animals (and namesake of the Franciscan order, of which this church is a member). Note the tortoise on the left looking over to him with curiosity, or longing?
A peek inside the church.
Some of the architecture on Ave Charles Darwin.
Iguanas are so nonchalant, and can rest anywhere they like without worrying about people bugging them.
At the fish market, where sea lions begged for scraps like dogs!
Looking out onto Academy Bay.
A bust of Darwin on the way to the research institute.
Up next: a trip to see the amazing Galápagos tortoises!
Galápagos: Cerro Dragon
As we made our way from Chinese Hat to Dragon Hill (so named (I hope) because of its large colony of mini dragons: land iguanas!), we first passed by this insane crater island called Bainbridge Rocks. The ocean water is cut off from the lagoon, so it is a very safe spot for pink flamingos to rest.
Image from AmusingPlant.com
We crept up to the rocks as close as our boat could safely go, then peering over the edge, we saw a flock of flamingos! They are those pink things on the far shore of the lagoon. Zoom in if you can! (And don’t worry, I got much closer to flamingos later on in the trip.) What an amazing oasis!
Next, we zipped onto Cerro Dragon, which has the only colony of land iguanas on all of Santa Cruz island.
Do you see the iguana in the above image? In the center? They blend in so well that I often did see them until I was right next to them.
Great blue heron!
The salt water lagoon with tons of birdlife.
Dried salt from the lagoon that you sometimes see iguanas lickin’ up.
I would hide under the shade of that bush too.
Galápagos: Sombrero Chino
A typical day on the boat went something like this:
On this particular day, our first stop was at Sombrero Chino (“China hat” in English), so named because the old remains of the volcanic cone taper upward and stop at a plateau, looking very similar to the shape of a …Chinese hat.
This is one of the best places in the Galápagos to see marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). There are innumerable individuals on this particular island (I’m sure someone has tried to numerate it, but it’s not easy enough to find!). The landscape is that of a barren, hot, lava field. Marine iguanas eat mainly underwater plant life. They can survive underwater for longer than other iguanas — up to an hour! They can dive 15 or so feet to the bottom and then using their claws to cling to the rocks while they eat algae. They take in a lot of sea water when they swim. They have a clever adaptation to deal with the excess salt - they store it in a special sac behind their sinuses and then sneeze out the salt, expelling it from their system. It’s not uncommon to see a lot of marine iguanas lazing around together, casually blowing salt water out of their noses. Here’s a link to an excellent video of the sneezing: https://youtu.be/6G6ZL0fbLHQ.
Below is my own video of a colony of sun-basking iguanas.
The top of the sombrero in the background, Paola in the foreground.
Lava fields and “hornitos” (little ovens) cover the landscape.
Far in the background, you can see a mountain peak tall enough to create its own weather:
Looking out from Sombrero Chino over to Isla Santa Fe.
Do you spy the penguin??!!
And, finally, a few more snorkeling videos of white-tipped reef sharks and swimming penguins!
Next up: Cerro Dragon