The Joy of Giving In

I was walking at Balboa Park when the blossom of a lotus called my attention. I stopped, and enjoyed the moment of watching and drawing inspiration from their beauty.

Lotus Flower, Reflecting Pond, Balboa Park, San Diego

While I was taking a picture of the lotus flowers, suddenly a bumblebee appeared and enjoyed working on the blossom.

Bumblebee on Lotus Flower

Nature was so good, giving me an additional treat. Suddenly a bee followed on bumblebee.

Bee and Bumblebee on Lotus Flower

( you can click on this picture to enlarge)

What a joy it was to be treated with nature's surprises, I just stopped for the lotus flower, and the bumble bee and bee came in to add more life to the pictures. I was planning to inch a little bit closer and take a good picture, when, suddenly, a little voice from behind asked me, "Can I also take a picture?" It was from a little girl. Though there was a lot of open space for both of us to take a picture, but I believe she believed where I stood was the best angle to take the picture, so I smiled to her and said, "Sure, go ahead." She smiled back, hurriedly say "thank you" then she was lost in taking pictures of the flower. What a sight, what a joy, to see a little girl also inspired with her surroundings. Knowing her parents must be looking from somewhere, I did not attempt to take her a picture nor ask her to take her a picture for that will take sometime from her to capture the moment she wanted. Instead, I just watched her happily taking the shots. It is during these times, where the joy of giving in is so much more than the joy of taking pictures.

Music For Inspiration

When I am at home, I usually listen to music. I love to fill the air in the house with soothing sound waves. I am not very up to date with latest pop music though since I mostly listen to smooth jazz and music from nature. Whenever I am cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the house or blogging, music entertains me. A lot of the times I multi-task, I guess that is one thing living in America has taught me :) . If we do things one at a time, it would be hard to finish the work in such a short time and we'll not end up having good dinner at the right time. I can go blog hopping while cooking :) . And what energizes me to do different tasks at one time is music. Actually, it is also hard for me to write without music. For some reason, my thoughts seem to flow better when there is music in my ears. Let me share this quote with you:

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."  ~Berthold Auerbach

I find this very true, maybe it is the same reason why I love going to the ocean because of the music that the splashing waves bring. Whenever I was struggling before with a research proposal, I would go up the mountains and listen to the music of crickets and the flowing river. Letting my mind drift with their tunes, dusts that block my thought processes were swept off and as a result I can think clearly on potential research problems I can study. I would pick up my pen, and soon, the words just came flowing.

About three years ago, because of my love for fine music, we decided to buy a good quality home theater system and sounds. However, I always hesitate to spend so much, that we only bought a pair of tower speakers. They are excellent sound, but I know it would be better to have a surround and subwoofer as well. Now I am trying to search for additional speakers that won't be overly expensive anymore. I am glad to have come across this low price bookshelf speaker deal from The Speaker Company. I know my ears are very sensitive to scaterred sound, the speakers must be audibly correct. However, a lot of times, high quality, high performance speakers are also a pain in the budget. I would like to think that every penny we spent would yield our desired audible results. I am glad to know that The Speaker Company will allow us to return in 30 days if in case we are not satisfied with the audio results. For after all, buying speakers is not like buying computers. Speakers, unlike computers, can last a very long time with us, so, they must have to be right. 

Gettysburg Camping and Hiking Part of Appalachian

When I was still in the East Coast, I must admit I have not really explored the place so well, in fact I have never been anywhere North of Vermont and South of New Jersey. Being new to the country, and most of my friends and relatives living in the West Coast, it was then almost natural for me to spend most of my holidays in California. Back then, I was still more of a beach goer than a hiker, and the California waves were always calling out to me, or was it the call of being with cousins and friends.
When I got married, I had to move to California and join my husband. My husband, though not a Californian by birth, but is a loyal Californian by outdoor activities. He used to hike with his colleagues, and I was left enjoying the beach. I did not mind then, for I really love the ocean. I loved to describe myself then as a "beach bum", where all I cared for was counting how many rides I had. Though in the Philippines I did hike and camp with friends, but I felt like I never got enough of the beach. Until one day, I decided I should join my husband in the trails. Perhaps it was music to his ears when I told him, "Can I join you hiking?" The moment I mentioned that, my husband brought me right away to REI for me to shop for the right hiking clothing and gears. Our very first hike together was at Iron Mountain,

@ the Summit of Iron Mountain, San Diego County

here in San Diego County. It was only a 6.3 miles, 1000 ft gain in elevation hike, but the next day, I found my legs very exhausted and could barely walk. And I could not remember how many breaks I had to ask. That was then I started taking pictures of the sceneries around. I had to make use of that time when I asked for a break. I am proud to say now that I no longer take a break when hiking Iron Mountain and consider this as simply our outdoor gym. I grew as a hiker. From then on, my hiking and taking pictures had gone a long way.
I would remember the time where I joined my husband's colleagues in hiking and geocaching. I was always at the tail end at first, and our hiking leader would always check on me, seeing to it that no one in the group is left behind. That hiking leader, took a 6 months Sabbatical leave from software engineering last March to recharge at the Appalachian trail. He will be completing the whole stretch of the trail which is 2175 miles and passes through 14 states. We expect him to be back here in San Diego this September. The Appalachian Trail is more than just a hike through the woods, it is a National Scenic Trail. Now, Jim's adventure in the Appalachian trail has inspired me to experience it as well. No, I don't think I will ever follow Jim to hike the whole 2175 miles, despite being a lover of the great outdoors, I am not comfortable with the thought of backpacking for 6 months straight and not seeing civilization. I actually would miss the ocean and my boogie rides. I hike, but I also enjoy riding the waves with my boogie board.
However, I can still experience the Appalachian National Scenic Trail by hiking part of it only. As there are many scenic section hikes that the trail also provides in the 14 different states it passes. I have learned from Outdoor Channel about the historical significance of Gettysburg and its proximity to the Appalachian Trail. Gettysburg Battlefield Resort is conveniently located in the towns of Hershey and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Now, the prospect of hiking the Appalachian Trail at Gettysburg will have a very sweet bonus, that is visiting the "sweetest place on Earth", at Hershey, the chocolate capital :) . After all, we bring chocolates when we hike. :) Some tourists will also have a choice of RV camping Gettysburg style, or experience a wonderful PA RV camping. However, since we do not have an RV, we can try our luck on free Gettysburg Camping.
In addition to chocolates and hiking a section of the Appalachian trail at Gettysburg, we can also take an hour and a half drive to visit the nation's capital at Washington, DC. It has been part of my travel plans to set foot in Washington, DC someday, and now, it is so great to learn that I can also hike part of Appalachian trail in the same trip.
For now, they are just plans, so many places to see, so little time :(

A Peek Into My Joys of Simple Life

Let me share with you the simple joys in my simple life.......

In my regular days, when most people are probably still in deep slumber at 5:00 am, I am already awake and preparing for school. Though still sleepy, I have to be awake. By 5:45 am, I am sitting on the bus on my way to school. During the ride, I extend my sleep for even just 30 minutes :( Sometimes, I would take a peek at the bus window to gaze at the beautiful sunrise. If I am inspired enough, I would take out my cell phone and take a snap shot of the early morning rising sun.

Sunrise Using a Cell Phone Camera

But most of the time, I am just too sleepy that I simply close my eyes and continue to be in dreamland. However, when I get off the bus, I am as energized as I can be, for after-all, I should! I should not look more sleepy than my students. At school, I am transformed, no more sleepiness. I just have that inherent joy to share what I love to do the most, that is to teach.

Now, after school or after work, here in America, work continues at home. We have to clean the house, water the plants, do laundry, cook meals. Another simple thing in life that I have learned here in America and take joy in it is to be self-sufficient and not relying on helpers to do household chores that we ourselves can do. Self-sufficiency has opened my world to how much we can save in the process.

At home, I cook our own meals since I believe it is healthier and I can control the amount of salt, etc. Thankfully, cooking is not work at all for me, it is one of the simple things in life I love doing best and take joy in it. I love to whip up everything from scratch.

Tofu and Mixed Vegetables

Mushroom Burger, Green beans, Bok Choy and Rice

We prefer to just simply eat at home and take control of what we eat, and at the same time saving some money in the process.

When the day is longer, that is late spring to early fall, between school and home, there is enough time for us to explore our beautiful world outside. During weekends, instead of dining out and spending money in the mall shopping, we just take our simple delights to the trails or to the ocean.  They are free!

Local Work-out @ Torrey Pines Trail

Another Local Work-out @ Lake Hodges 

Either we hike, or we boogie board. We have fun, we get exercise, all for free!

Now, if not working, or not outdoors to energize our body and spirit, at home, when there is free time, I blog. I blog because I want to share the joys of simple life. I blog because I see blogging as an opportunity to earn additional income.

Yes, this blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation that may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. Even though I may receive compensation for some posts or advertisements, I always give honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Working hard as a teacher, enjoying life at the great outdoors, being self-sufficient, saving money for the future, earning a little bit more from blogging, are what I call, "The Joys of Simple Life." Come, enjoy life as simple as it can be. 

Driving Places...Seeing Our Beautiful World At The Backroads

Car Amidst The Sea of Rocks, Alabama Hills, California

You may ask, how did that car get in there? Are they crazy driving through rocks? Well, that's our trusted "backcountry" car and the picture above was taken from a distance looking East. In the picture below, looking West, you will see the narrow dirt road on the left side of the picture and there is a wide dirt pull out for visitors to park.

Alabama Hills, California

For us who loves to experience our beautiful world not only from the main roads, driving along narrow dirt roads is worth it! Most of the time, we don't simply have to drive, we also have to hike to see more of the natural wonders that Earth offers. 

A John Wayne Pose @ Mobius Arch framing Mt Whitney, Alabama Hills, California

Since we love exploring our beautiful world at the backroads, we do not complain about driving on narrow and sometimes rough dirt roads. From the soft soil and sand on the desert,

Monument Valley, Utah

to the winding and snowy roads on the mountains,

we are ready to explore. Our trusted Honda Pilot is more than ready to bring us to places where we would want to be. On city streets where we drive on main roads only, we use a smaller car for gas efficiency. But on road trips where we have to drive through narrow dirt mountain or desert roads, we rely more on the Pilot. There are just instances that we need a high clearance and 4-wheel drive car, where smaller cars could no longer traverse or would no longer be as safe or as comfortable. 

When we were looking for a high clearance car to purchase before, we first carefully read and researched car reviews. Thankfully, researching for different car specifications and finding comprehensive reviews is now easier to find online, such as the one we can find at TheCarConnection.com. After taking into considerations the car reviews, we limited our choices to 4: these were the Honda Pilot, Nissan Xterra, Toyota 4Runner and Toyota Highlander. After test driving our 4 choices, we chose the one that felt most comfortable for us despite driving through bumpy roads and at the same time has better gas efficiency knowing that big cars burn more gas. The Honda Pilot has driven us to many of our wilderness trips and we are very happy with the choice we made. I am glad for the online reviews we found that helped and guided us in making choices.

Now, a friend of mine is in the look-out for a car. Being new to this country, she is somewhat lost with the so many choices she can find and as to what type of car she wanted. I asked her to determine her driving needs first. If she plans to drive only in the city, then, she can look at different sedans. Being new to this country, my friend is very curious with American cars and other cars that are not very common in our country. She first mentioned about Chevy Camaro. However, we learned that though the exterior really looks sporty and impressive, but the interior has more retro looks than exterior and some may be put off by the unique center controls. Next, she asked about Dodge Caliber, so we researched on its features. We have learned from the review of TheCarConnectionReview.com that despite the aggressive appearance of a dodge caliber, it is docile on the road, that the 2.0 and 2.4-liter engines are underpowered and noisy and the over-all handling performance is disappointing. After dodge caliber, we both looked into subraru outback, she was pleased to know from the reviews that the subaru outback is a good looking car inside and out. Now, she still continues to learn more about other cars, despite she is seriously considering a Honda CR-V. I guess, like us before, even if we already have in mind what to buy, we still went through reading different car reviews to learn more about the pros and cons of different cars. For after-all, buying car is not to simply answer our whims, a car is one of our major purchases, and that we have to really carefully research the features and if the car will be able to serve well our needs.

Cactus Monday- Desert Wilderness @ Joshua Tree National Park

It's Cactus Monday, and I am moving from redwood trees to cactus. For today's post, I will be sharing a natural desert landscape scenery in Southeastern California. 

Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

The Cholla Cactus Garden Nature trail is one of the attractions in Joshua Tree National Park. The trail has massive grove of cholla cactus.

Teddybear Cholla, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Because of its papery sheaths and well barbed spines, the cactus look soft from a distance, thus the common name "teddy bear". 

Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail, Joshua Tree National Park

The segments of teddybear cholla are easily detached from the plant and the detached segments form new plants by rooting and growing. Because of their spines, the loose segments can easily stick to passing animals. The animals then transport the fallen segment far from the mother plant. Thus, its other common name, "jumping cholla". 

The teddybear cholla or the jumping cholla can grow from 3 ft to 5 ft tall. The lower branches often fall off and the older spines turn black with age, thus the vertical and the dark appearance of the lower trunk. Strong spines are also believed to be cacti's protection and defense mechanism against hungry and thirsty animals who would want their internal water.  

Bunny Among the Chollas

Most leafy plants cool themselves off during the day by opening their pores, however, the pores of cacti open only at night. Without transpirational cooling mechanism during the day, the cactus adapt to desert heat by internal mechanisms. Teddy bear cholla for instance can withdstand an air temperature of 138 degrees Fahnrenheit, when other leaves will cook with that kind of heat. The well barbed spines are believed to help them protect from sunlight,  providing the plants shade to protect the chlorphyll from being bleached and their DNA from being damaged by the intense heat. 

  Teddybear Cholla, Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

The chollas in the above picture look like glowing in the sun because of the yellow color of the younger spines, plus, I took that above shot using the "shade" option in the white balance, giving the look some bronze glow. Though the summer in this desert is very hot, but we usually come here during winter where the temperature is from 30s-60s F. During the cooler season (late fall to early spring), visitation to this park peaks, especially during spring when the desert wildflowers bloom. 

Here are some more pictures from Joshua Tree National Park, in San Bernardino County, California.

Hikers @ Skull Rock Trail

Layers of Mountains from Keys View

Joshua Trees @ Hidden Valley, Sunset

The Joshua trees are the largest of the yucca family, grows naturally only in the Mojave desert and nowhere else in the world. The Joshua tree and the other members of yuccas are part of the lily family. Here are some more pictures of Joshua Trees at sunset. 

A happy Cactus Monday, everyone.

For more of Cactus Monday posts, please visit Teri's Painted Daisies. 

On Our Way to Lassen Volcanic National Park

Sunflower Field, 

You may wonder why I posted this way much later after I already have several posts regarding Lassen Volcanic National Park which are: Bumpass Hell, Manzanita Lake and Lake Helen. Actually, I myself don't even know the reason why :) All I know is that if I make one post of our summer trip, it would take me a very long time to write about them, and your eyes may get tired with so many pictures in one post. Thus I had to share the places we've been in installment. However, I did not want also to stay too long in one place, so what I did was to share the highlights of each park we visited first. Now that I think I am done with the highlights of our summer trip at the Klamath Region Circle of Parks , I will be sharing here some beautiful sights and places we visited during our trip.

Sunflower Field as Far as Your Eyes Can See

On our way to Lassen Volcanic National Park, somewhere in Sacramento Valley area, we pass farmlands after farmlands, and there were several acres of sunflower farms in sight as well. Since our trip is not always about the destination, we usually take our time to stop and enjoy whatever sights we see along the way. And one of those places we stopped to enjoy the scenery is at this marvelous sunflower farm. It was amazingly yellow as far as your eyes can see, on both sides of the highway. 

Field of Sunflower

How huge are these sunflowers? Here are some pictures up close, 

Sunflower Up Close

From afar, you can not see the bees, it was just all yellow, however, if you take a closer look, you will see a lot of bees enjoying the sunflower, always as busy as they can be. I can't blame them, they have wonderful flowers to feast on.

Sunflower and the Bees

Now, the pictures above really look warm and "summery". Even the two pictures that follow look as warm as they can be.

Creek We Spotted on Our Way to Lassen

Lassen Volcanic National Park Entrance

However, as we go higher in elevation inside the park, the scenery changes. 

Exposed Colored Earth, Lassen Volcanic National Park

And from afar, the coldness of Lassen Peak was greeting us.

 Lassen Peak from Afar

( Lassen Peak is the largest plug dome volcano in the world and is the Southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range )

And here was I, at the trailhead of our very first hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park, in an atmosphere so different from the warm sunflower pictures above. Only that you can tell from my attire, that despite of the snowy surrounding, well, it was still, summer!

@ Bumpass Hell Trailhead

If you miss my post on Bumpass Hell, you can find it here.

A Dream Hawaiian Vacation

Are you dreaming of a Hawaiian get-away? I do :) It seems the summer is so ideal for the sea, the surf and the sand. What luxury would it be to enjoy the beautiful sky, the golden sand, the blue ocean, the sunset, and that friendly and warm Hawaiian atmosphere? While I was making some plans for a nice Hawaii vacation someday, I came across this almost like a dream Maui Resort, which is nestled on eleven acres along Maui's renowned Kaanapali Beach. Kaanapali Beach is famous for its golden sands as far as your eyes can see.
What is great about this beach resort, is that it combines 2 things I love the most, hiking and the ocean! I won't miss the hiking trails in this beach vacation, and at the same time, I won't miss riding the waves! When I am on vacation, it is hard for me to simply just stay put in one place, even though I love the beach, but I do not see myself as lying down the beach whole day. I can wake up early for sunrise at the beach, ride the waves early in the morning, do some snorkeling, and go back to the beach late in the afternoon to enjoy the sunset. But during mid-day, I should have other things to do, in order for me to not get bored. And being able to hike and do some horse back riding in this resort is a great thing for me! And of course, the beautiful sights around would further make me occupied for all the wonderful photo opportunities I can find. To photograph some weddings by the ocean has been one of my goals, and who knows, I may just have my luck when I spend vacation there. Maui Resort in Kaanapali Beach specializes in Maui Weddings, and I will have greater chances of experiencing and hopefully photographing one, maybe it would be that of a friend. It is not a surprise for me to learn that this resort is famous for weddings, after learning that readers of the Maui News, a local community newspaper, have voted the resort's offerings "The Best Hawaiian Cuisine."
Other than hiking, horseback riding and the ocean, the resort also offers world-class golf, unique shopping, dozens of complimentary Hawaiian activities, and so much more.
Ahhh, now, can't wait when we'll get our tickets to Maui, Hawaii.

At Home With The Redwoods

In my previous posts, I shared some of the trails within the majestic ancient redwood forest and the gigantic redwood trees.

Redwood Highway ( parallel to the coast)

But Redwood National and State Parks is not all about the redwoods, despite the main attraction of course are these ancient tall trees. Right next to the redwood forest is the Pacific Ocean, and there is an amazing diversity of life that exists here.

Wildflowers Along Del Norte Coast, Redwood National Park

The diverse ecosystem here is recognized as both a World Heritage site and an International Biosphere Reserve. These designations reflects worldwide awareness of the parks' resources as irreplaceable, and as such they must be safeguarded. One may complain that the ocean here seldom reflects the blue color from the sky. Especially during the summer, the ocean here is as gray as it can be. The greyness is due to the dense coastal fogs.

The ocean breeze and the dense coastal fog moderates the temperature here in the coast, cooling the surroundings and providing the necessary moisture. During the summer, where there is hardly no rain, fogs provide the precipitation needed so that redwoods continue to survive. Year round, fogs account for about 40% of the redwoods' moisture intake.  Understanding that the presence of these fogs allow the coast redwoods to continue to thrive in only this part of the Earth, I really can't complain why in the 2 days of our stay in the park, we did not see as much blue. 

But then, as much as there is beauty in blue, there is also a subtle beauty in gray. And if we take a closer look, despite the grayness of the surrounding, a lot of wildlife can be observed. At home with the redwoods, is an enormous variety of bird species, tidepool creatures, sea life and other creatures that dwell in the differing environments provided by the ocean.  Redwood National and State Parks' website lists a lot of ocean wildlife that can be observed by visitors, and here are some of the ocean's wildlife we got to experience while we were there.

Ochre Sea Star with kelp

Giant Green Anemone

More Sea Stars

And I spotted this turkey vulture perched on top of a lamp post while we were tidepooling. Because of the misty air and the far distance, the picture quality is not that good, but nevertheless, excited to see this bird aside from the sea gulls on the shore :)

Turkey Vulture

And next to the coast is a prairie, where we saw some Roosevelt Elks and stellar jay.

Elks Grazing on the Prairie

Stellar Jay

For a complete list of wildlife diversity in Redwood National and State Parks, please visit their site here.  They are at home with the coast redwoods in this diverse forest that sits right next to the Pacific Ocean. 

Next, I will feature Fern Canyon, still within the boundaries of Redwood National and State Parks, where some scenes from the Jurassic Park: The Lost World were filmed.