Big Sur day trip

Bixby Bridge just out of sight in the distance

Sea caves

McWay Cove at Pfeiffer State Park

Just behind us, a couple was about to get married overlooking the open ocean

Matt provides some scale at an overlook at Garrapata State Park

More sea caves

Encroaching fog

Ice plants on the coast are especially colorful this time of year

House Finch family

A few weeks ago, Matt and I bought a couple of hanging baskets with red Impatiens for our front porch. Not a day or two after hanging them up, a finch pair showed up and decided that one of the baskets would make the perfect place for a nest. We watched them build their nest over a few days (providing scraps of wool and yarn, which they ignored for the most part), and then chronicled the family for the next couple of weeks.  Below are the photos of the chicks -- it was awesome to see them grow and change so quickly!

Here's dad, keeping a close eye on me

And here's mom, about to carry something to the nest

Four pretty blue eggs

Just hatched! At this point, it was hard to tell which end was what, but they all slept in a little wiggly pile (2 days old)

This little guy opened his eye for a few seconds to look at me, then fell back asleep (5 days old)

Starting to get their feathers (9 days old)

They've all opened their eyes and peep loudly for a snack whenever mom or dad shows up (12 days old)

Getting crowded! (12 days old)

Right after this was taken, they all decided to abandon the nest and jump ship.  They nestled themselves in the dirt right next to the nest and spread out (13 days old)

Starting to look all grown up! (17 days old)

This was the last we saw of the chicks, and they started leaving the next one by one about a day after this photo was taken.  I heard them peeping in the tree shortly after they'd all flown, but since then it's been quiet.  Good luck, little finches! (17 days old)

Bolinas Pirate Shack

This past weekend we decided to take advantage of Stacey's short time off between teaching quarters at Stanford and get away for a few days. We stayed in a "Pirate Shack" on the coast in Bolinas, CA, which was part bohemian bungalow and part greenhouse.  We managed to beat the rain for most of the trip, so we were able to explore the Point Reyes coast without getting too wet.

Facing away from the ocean, looking at the cottage from the path leading up to it

Inside the cottage, honeysuckle making its way over to the canopy bed

Bougainvillea snaking its way around the cafe table in the corner

The Pirate Shack was filled with colorful odds and ends

View from the deck

The backyard

Flowers blooming next to the outdoor shower

Echium blooming along the edge of the property

Downtown Bolinas has a handful of little shops and a cafe or two

Tide pooling along Agate Beach

Point Reyes Lighthouse, where we looked for whales but didn't see any

Tons of Douglas Iris in bloom all along the hillsides

Point Reyes has an incredible diversity of plant species

These red and green succulents were everywhere

Lots of orange lichens, too

The full collection of photos lives over here.

Mustard!

We headed up to the city yesterday to take a class in mustard making with good friends.  The class started with a blind taste test of 6 different mustards (ranging from the artisan to the generic), and then local mustard expert Kelly McVicker took us through the basics. She shared some of her recipes, and we each got to experiment with two of our own mustard recipes. We won't know whether the results are edible for a few more days, but so far so good!  

 

Our mustard varieties from left to right: white wine honey, red wine rosemary, Lagunitas Maximas IPA, deli-style spicy brown


UPDATE:
Results are promising!  We ground up the mustard last night, and they look (and taste) like the real thing! 

Favorite Hike

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and perfect for an afternoon under the redwoods, so we headed out to Butano for one of our favorite hikes.  We love this park, not only because it is beautiful, but also because it always seems to be deserted.  We took our time investigating the banana slugs (194), newts (10), lichen, and fungi along the trail. The complete set of photos is here.