A Change?

Downtown San Diego from Cabrillo National Monument

The picture above perhaps seem to be the odd picture out if you search all of the pictures in my posts. This shows civilization, unlike most of my photos which focus mostly on the richness and diversity of nature. This picture was taken at east side of Point Loma Peninsula in Cabrillo National Monument. In the same park, but just at the west side of the peninsula, the scenery is totally different.

Tidepool Area at Cabrillo National Monument

It is now the world of rocks and the ocean, with civilization totally hidden by the coastal hill.

Small Sea Cave Overlooking the Ocean at Cabrillo National Monument

Walking here is just as fun as hiking in the trails. I love checking the weird cliffs of sedimentary rocks which have very distinct layers.

Carved Sedimentary Rocks

The distinct layers and the intricate carving of the rocks provides a glimpse to the power of the ocean.

Sculpted Rocky Cliff

Wildlife here is different than when I walk in the trail. Here, at low tide, I can view an ocean intertidal zone ecosystem up close. Walking through the algae coated rocks which really are very slippery that extra precaution is needed, I would see small fishes trapped in the rocky pools.

Small Fishes and Anemone

And these poor creatures are feasted by the birds. Do you wonder sometimes why at low tide there are just so many birds on shore? They don't really have to dive down anymore to fish.

Egret Looking For Something To Feed On

Aside from small fishes trapped in the rocky pool, there are also a lot of mussels, barnacles, small crabs, anemone, shells, snails, starfish, and many other small invertebrates.

Resting on the North end of this rocky zone are usually the cormorants and the California Brown Pelicans.

California Brown Pelican

Climbing up the cliff and going up the hill, one faces San Diego's civilization again.

Downtown San Diego from Cabrillo National Monument

North of the park, is the Shelter Island, which is not really an island :) . Shelter Island is still part of the Point Loma Peninsula.

Downtown San Diego from Shelter Island

Now, this is really a totally different scenery from the rocky intertidal zone in Cabrillo National Monument. Yet, they are just close to each other in the same peninsula. Uphill on Shelter Island is some spot to take a picture of San Diego with the yachts parked in the Shelter Island Harbor.

Downtown San Diego from Shelter Island ( Lucinda St)

Now, this is what you call the glare of the city. But thankfully, we have many hide-aways from this civilization, we just have to go down a cliff, or hike a canyon, or round a hill or climb a mountain, and it feels like being transported to a different world. So a change it may be from my usual posts, but this is the city where I live.

Yellow

Yellow Bird On a Tree

Yellow, color of happiness,

Yellow Butterfly, Wild Animal Park

color of the sun,

Sunset @ Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

and the sun smiled so beautifully today in Southern California Lakers land.

Okay, sorry for this thoughtless blabber, my mind is just blank today! I went out hiking earlier, and still enjoying the wonderful gifts of spring,

Yellow Mustard, San Diegueto River Park Trail System @ Lake Hodges

yet my mind is just blank right now I could not write anything :( 

However, since Lakers won tonight, I just feel like sharing the color of happiness, 

that is yellow, which coincidentally is Lakers color. 

Yellow Loving Bee

Pardon me if I am sharing my joy of Lakers winning here in the net, nothing just comes in my mind right now :( I may be suffering from blogging blankness. I am sorry if all I can say right now is, go Yellow....

Yellow Bloom of a Cactus

and yes, Go Lakers. Hope this post will not jinx your chances of a championship.

Yellow Loving Grasshopper

Have a good memorial day weekend everyone.  

Getting Up Close Palomar Mountain

Palomar mountain is one of the quiet, rustic, scenic, nature escapes within the San Diego County. 

View from Palomar Mountain State Park

With an elevation of about 5500 ft, and having roads with stomach-churning turns along high cliffs, it was this year's final leg or Stage 8 of the Amgen Tour of California. 

Lance Armstrong in an interview before the start of the final Leg of Amgen Tour

It is located off Highway 76 East from I-5 or I-15.

Blogging For Fun Friday - 2 Things I Can Not Live Without

This week, our Friday's Blogging For Fun common theme is to write two things we can not live without. Now, if I can only choose the easy pair which we all can not live without: the sun,  

Sunset @ Torrey Pines States Reserve, San Diego, CA

and water.

Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite National Park, CA

However, since these two are given that we really can not live without, therefore, these are exempted from the list. But I must say I really am a lover of both sun and water, especially when I stand in between them, where it allows me to observe the refraction, scattering and reflection of sunlight as it hits thousands of water molecules ( like the waterfall picture above with the double rainbow). 

I love being close to the ocean, listening to the sound of the waves, and looking at the horizon at sunset. Even though I do love mountains and desert too, but I guess it would be very hard for me to live too far from the ocean since I always long to be with it. So, living as close as possible to the ocean would be the first thing that would be very hard for me to live without. 

McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA

I can stand not seeing the ocean for a day, but if in a week, if I don't get to hear its splashing waves, if I don't get to see the horizon as far as my eyes could see, if I don't get to see the transformations of the sky during the sunrise and sunset, I feel a deep sense of longing, to be at the sea again. Maybe, this can be explained by my childhood, as we grow up in one of the not so small yet not so huge islands in the Philippines, thus the ocean was always there for me to give me comfort, and also, to give me fun.

Danjugan Island Marine Sanctuary, Negros Occidental, Philippines

I have not really stayed in a place long enough yet without the ocean to run to whenever I feel sad or lonely, or whenever I just want to celebrate happiness. Maybe, I would be able to adjust, but right now, I know, it will be very hard for me to live very far from it. 

Second in the list of things is my watch, which I find I share this attachment to knowing the time with Melissa. I maybe one of the few persons in the world who sleeps with her watch. I wear it despite there is a big clock on top of our dresser. My husband would tell me that our cellphones have clock too, but the problem with cellphone is, I always forget to bring it with me! Sometimes, I am out of the house already, and I would remember I forgot my cellphone, I would simply tell myself, "you don't need it!", so I would proceed. But not if it is my watch that I forgot, I really take the effort to go back, find my watch, and wear it, since for me, I really need it. I just feel more secured if I have my watch, I just have to be on time always, I guess :) . 

If you are loooking for a blogging community where you will find help and support from other fellow bloggers in any way we can, please click Blogging for Fun. 

A Mother Seal's Love

Shell Beach Tidepool, La Jolla

Since today is Mother's Day, I thought of writing something related to a mother's natural love. A mother's great and natural love for her offsprings is not limited to humans alone, but that natural love is present in other life's forms. In honor of all mothers, this post shares images of a mother's natural love. Love, the most heartfelt, the most caring, is a natural companion of motherhood.

Mom Seal and Pup Feeding Pair

The absence of mother's love is almost contrary to nature. Since I live close to the ocean, and the most observable wildlife for me would be the marine mammals, I decided to share some images here of a mother seal's nurturing love for her young.

Mother Seal Teaching Her Pup Independence

Harbor seals are marine mammals. In San Diego, they are mostly found hauling out on beaches near La Jolla Children's Pool, or on top of rocks. They have to haul out everyday because they need to absorb heat from the sun and they can not maintain their body temperature if they stay in the frigid water of the Pacific coast all the time. They choose a haul out area which is abundant with fish, shell fish, octupus, squid and othe small marine creatures.

Another reason why seals haul out is to give birth. The pups (young seals) are raised in the beaches and estuaries because they are still not old enough to swim fast and they still have to grow blubbers to keep them warm in the cold seas.

Mom and Pup Pair on their Swimming Lesson

The mother seals teach their pups to swim and find their feed in the tide pools and shallow waters near the beach. The pups are born with very weak immune system, they develop their immunity as they drink their mother's milk.

Mom Seal Guiding Her Pup on Shore

The mother seal frequently goes out alone to sea to feed, leaving her pup alone on the beach. While walking along the Pacific shores, you may encounter a pup seal alone on the beach, please know it is most probably not abandoned. The mother may not be that far feeding in the seas. If a lone pup is seen, please do not attempt to move, touch or disturb the pup, as the mother seal may have a difficulty finding her pup later. Also, seal has very strong sense of smell, if mother smells her pup has been handled by humans, she may not return to take care of the pup.

After the mother seal is done feeding, she returns to her pup and lavish her pup with attention. She grooms, caresses, kisses, nozzles her baby constantly. They are such a sweet sight of a mother's tender, caring, and nurturing love. She also nurses her baby with her nutirent rich milk. They spend much time playing, lying on sand, and sleeping.

Mom and Pup Sleeping Together

When the baby seal has gained enough weight, learned how to swim fast to catch their feed, their mom will finally let them be.

Happy Mother's Day to all our moms.

Fun Friday: Durian and Balut

Today is Fun Friday for my  Blogging For Fun group. Our fun theme this Friday is sharing foods we love that others we may find gross. I know there are several foods that I love that are considered to be "disgusting" or "yucky" by some, but then, they are maybe the best tasting for me.

First in my list is durian. What is durian? According to Rainfield, it is the king of the fruits, and I believe so. If you go to Rainfield's Durian post, you will not only see beautiful pictures of durian, from the durian tree to durian flower to durian fruit, but you will also learn more about durian, like how it is pollinated. He has very interesting feature article about this "king of the fruits". 

I love durian, its taste is like no other, and so its smell :) haha! Maybe, if not for the smell, many actually will love this fruit. How bad is the smell? A co-teacher happily brought durian before to our faculty room, and that sent the majority outside, gasping for their breath, searching for fresh air, hehe. And well, the few who stayed in the faculty room, were mostly Asians and a few brave Americans. Durian has a kind of "love me or hate me" relationship. Actually, it is sooooooo hard for me to understand Andrew Zimmerman of Bizarre Foods when he said durian is so disgusting while he eats a lot of other disgusting foods for me such as insects, etc. 

Second in my list is balut. What I like most in balut is its juice. Here in San Diego, when someone realizes I am Filipina, they would ask me if I eat balut, and if I would reply "yes", they would smile and tell me, "I am brave". I do not remember anyone from the Philippines told me I am brave because I eat balut :) . Though, I actually think balut is for the brave of heart :). It does not have an offensive smell like durian, but maybe, its look can be disgusting. Actually, the first time I had balut, I could not even take a look. 

I still have more, but for now, I will take a rest, and enjoy my vanilla frozen yoghurt, yum!