7 years ago
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
grape nuts?
why did they name them grape nuts? why didn't they name them wheat pellets, or crunch-a -saurus, or maybe...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
talented
we couldn't find a clip of the new miss america's (miss michigan) talent, but this clip of miss douglas is sure to please.
another win for the good guys
a michigander has yet again been crowned miss america.
yesterday kristen haglund was crowned miss america. she is the fifth miss america from the great lake state. that puts michigan in second place behind only california (and ohio) with 6. she is the first miss america from michigan since kaye lani rae rafko, which is just about my favorite name ever.
now if michigan can just get its economy on track everything will be right with the world.
yesterday kristen haglund was crowned miss america. she is the fifth miss america from the great lake state. that puts michigan in second place behind only california (and ohio) with 6. she is the first miss america from michigan since kaye lani rae rafko, which is just about my favorite name ever.
now if michigan can just get its economy on track everything will be right with the world.
Friday, January 25, 2008
more point reyes pictures
more pictures of our backpacking weekend and a nice google map of our route can be found at oliviaandchris.com.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
kiva!
we just made our first micro loan through the non-profit organization kiva (kiva.org). kiva arranges for direct micro loans from people like you and i, to people all over the world who are in need of a small amount of money to improve their business and, subsequently, their living conditions. the most amazing part of this program is the 100% loan repayment record. your money ($25.00) will come back to you (without interest) after having a positive impact on the original recipient, and you can then reinvest it in another business if you choose. we heard about this organization a few years ago, and finally have started to participate. this evening, we found three women in peru who raise and sell guinea pigs for food. they need $600. tonight, they got another small piece of that amount. tonight, we got to participate in the supply of delicious guinea pigs to hungry peruvians. everyone wins.
here are the ladies who raise the guinea pigs:
here's a little description of their business needs:
Flor Maria, Dina, and Lucia have been members of the community bank “Musuq Wasi” for between one and two years. From their participation in bank activities, they have learned how to be responsible, punctual, and treat their children. They feel like their bank is a part of their family.
and here is a picture of the delicacy that is the peruvian guinea pig, just before we ate it:
here are the ladies who raise the guinea pigs:
here's a little description of their business needs:
Flor Maria, Dina, and Lucia have been members of the community bank “Musuq Wasi” for between one and two years. From their participation in bank activities, they have learned how to be responsible, punctual, and treat their children. They feel like their bank is a part of their family.
Flor Maria is 36 years old and has an 8 year old son. She has been selling guinea pigs, which are considered a delicacy, for five years. She used to sell vegetables but their price has fallen recently.
Dina is 27 and has one child. She owns land where she raises vegetables and guinea pigs. She has owned her land for one year.
Lucia is 57 years old and has five children. Likewise, she sells vegetables and guinea pigs. She has been in this business all of her life.
Flor Maria, Dina, and Lucia need loans of 900, 600, and 300 soles ( 3 soles = $1) respectively to invest in food for their guinea pigs and seeds. The community bank emphasizes saving and each associate has an interest earning account. These three women plan to use their savings for their children’s education, medical bills, and any other emergencies that can arise. Their dream is to have successful businesses and that their children can continue moving up in the world.
and here is a picture of the delicacy that is the peruvian guinea pig, just before we ate it:
new toothbrush night
marta used my toothbrush to clean the shower head with some lime away. that means that tonight we get sleek new reach toothbrushes with gripper strips.
new toothbrushes and a smooth running shower head. life is good!
new toothbrushes and a smooth running shower head. life is good!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
point reyes national seashore
this past holiday weekend we ventured up the california coast for some backpacking and camping at point reyes national seashore. the park is located in beautiful marin county just north of san francisco. the purple glow of point reyes is much less evident when you are on the ground than when viewed from space as demonstrated in this map.
the amazing thing about marin county, and more specifically point reyes, is that you can be within a few miles of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world (oakland), and yet amongst only tiny villages, breathtaking mountains, and coastal wilderness.
leaving cars at two locations, we set out on saturday morning from palomarin near the south end of the park. we hiked north along the coast for about 6 miles to reach wildcat backcountry campground. our the team was made up of (from left to right) olivia, chris, casey, david, and marta (behind the camera).
we made a number of small side ventures along the way to beaches, lakes, and waterfalls to get a feel for all the natural beauty the park has to offer. below, marta leaps over a stream above where it becomes a waterfall that empties into the pacific.
here marta and casey blaze a trail through the grass with hills to their right and cliffs down to the pacific to their left.
wildcat campground contains seven sites spread out over a small valley above a beach. this photo was taken from the hills above the campground.
on day 2 we hiked north along the coast for 9 miles to the coast campground. here is the whole gang as we broke for lunch along the way. we are on arch rock. it is a bit tough to see the arch when you are standing on it, but we'll take their word for it.
their were lots of boyscouts visiting point reyes. they were on the trails, in the campgrounds, using the "latrines", and pretty much everywhere. i must say that they were a pretty well behaved lot. i guess the word i would use to describe them would be prepared. here a young scout has plopped down next to marta and olivia to catch a little rest on a trailside bench.
this is a view of the trail as it zigs and zags along the cliffs above the pacific. you can see the point (point reyes) along the horizon as it stretches out into the pacific.
this is a shot of one of the many beaches along the hike. the weather was a bit cool for sunbathing, but the beaches made ideal spots to stop and rest our muscles which were weary from lugging heavy packs.
our weather for the trip was nearly ideal. nearly. day 1 was sunny, calm, and warm. day 2 was partly cloudy, a bit cooler than the first, and pretty windy, but still very nice. during the second night we had some rain showers, but they stopped when morning came and we were able to take down camp and get onto the trail in relative dryness. we only had 2 miles to hike to get to chris and olivia's car parked at the north end of our route. we almost made it there before the rain started. it was only lightly sprinkling when the parking lot first came into view, but during the few minutes it took to walk to the car and strap the packs to the roof the weather degraded rapidly. first it turned from a light sprinkle into cold pouring rain, then it began hailing, and finally clumps of slush started falling from the sky. this picture does little to capture how foul the weather was, or just how quickly it came on. luckily the weather problems only affected the last minutes of what was a lovely martin luther king jr. weekend.
since it was such a nice weekend, we should end this posting with a photo of a more enjoyable part of the trip. like this one:
the amazing thing about marin county, and more specifically point reyes, is that you can be within a few miles of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world (oakland), and yet amongst only tiny villages, breathtaking mountains, and coastal wilderness.leaving cars at two locations, we set out on saturday morning from palomarin near the south end of the park. we hiked north along the coast for about 6 miles to reach wildcat backcountry campground. our the team was made up of (from left to right) olivia, chris, casey, david, and marta (behind the camera).
we made a number of small side ventures along the way to beaches, lakes, and waterfalls to get a feel for all the natural beauty the park has to offer. below, marta leaps over a stream above where it becomes a waterfall that empties into the pacific.
here marta and casey blaze a trail through the grass with hills to their right and cliffs down to the pacific to their left.
wildcat campground contains seven sites spread out over a small valley above a beach. this photo was taken from the hills above the campground.
on day 2 we hiked north along the coast for 9 miles to the coast campground. here is the whole gang as we broke for lunch along the way. we are on arch rock. it is a bit tough to see the arch when you are standing on it, but we'll take their word for it.
their were lots of boyscouts visiting point reyes. they were on the trails, in the campgrounds, using the "latrines", and pretty much everywhere. i must say that they were a pretty well behaved lot. i guess the word i would use to describe them would be prepared. here a young scout has plopped down next to marta and olivia to catch a little rest on a trailside bench.
this is a view of the trail as it zigs and zags along the cliffs above the pacific. you can see the point (point reyes) along the horizon as it stretches out into the pacific.
this is a shot of one of the many beaches along the hike. the weather was a bit cool for sunbathing, but the beaches made ideal spots to stop and rest our muscles which were weary from lugging heavy packs.
our weather for the trip was nearly ideal. nearly. day 1 was sunny, calm, and warm. day 2 was partly cloudy, a bit cooler than the first, and pretty windy, but still very nice. during the second night we had some rain showers, but they stopped when morning came and we were able to take down camp and get onto the trail in relative dryness. we only had 2 miles to hike to get to chris and olivia's car parked at the north end of our route. we almost made it there before the rain started. it was only lightly sprinkling when the parking lot first came into view, but during the few minutes it took to walk to the car and strap the packs to the roof the weather degraded rapidly. first it turned from a light sprinkle into cold pouring rain, then it began hailing, and finally clumps of slush started falling from the sky. this picture does little to capture how foul the weather was, or just how quickly it came on. luckily the weather problems only affected the last minutes of what was a lovely martin luther king jr. weekend.
since it was such a nice weekend, we should end this posting with a photo of a more enjoyable part of the trip. like this one:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
i say sexy things to myself
where would one have gone to obtain this kind of high quality audio/video entertainment before the internets was invented? thanks yourtube for this boss video.
a site to see
where was your family picture taken? your answer is olan mills.
just like this family:
the entertaining folks at the blog listoftheday.com have done a fine job of documenting olan mills', well, fine jobs.
just like this family:
the entertaining folks at the blog listoftheday.com have done a fine job of documenting olan mills', well, fine jobs.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
sharp dressed dog
unlike some other hot dogs, this one is dressed to the nines, and ready to hit the town.
i am a firm believer that a hot dog is at its best when dressed with mustard (never ketchup) and at least two of the following: onions, pickles, sour kraut. items like jalapeños, tomatoes, peppers, celery salt, chili, etc. can be added at your whim or to suit your personal tastes. that is just this simple man's opinion.
the above dog was purchased at a stand that sits on the side of highway 17, where it crosses the top of the santa cruz mountains.
it was delicious, but at $5.25 for 1/4 pound dog, it should have come with a side of fries (or gold, or crude oil, or something).
i am a firm believer that a hot dog is at its best when dressed with mustard (never ketchup) and at least two of the following: onions, pickles, sour kraut. items like jalapeños, tomatoes, peppers, celery salt, chili, etc. can be added at your whim or to suit your personal tastes. that is just this simple man's opinion.
the above dog was purchased at a stand that sits on the side of highway 17, where it crosses the top of the santa cruz mountains.
it was delicious, but at $5.25 for 1/4 pound dog, it should have come with a side of fries (or gold, or crude oil, or something).
Monday, January 14, 2008
robbin' and stealin'
on sunday afternoon, we hiked in the windy hill open space, located on top of the santa cruz mountains. it was sunny, windy (as promised), and beautiful. at the highest point in the park, one can see the pacific ocean to the west, the san francisco bay to the east, and the length of the mountains and peninsula stretching from north to south. we have some pictures to prove it.
here is a panorama taken from the highest point in the park (marta is standing at the same place at both the left and right of this picture--click on the picture to enlarge it and you'll see what we're talking about).
look how happy we were on that hike.
it was so much fun.
how can such a beautiful hike end with such ugliness? when we got back to the car, we saw that the rear passenger side window had been smashed, the entire car had been ransacked, and missing was the canvas tote containing our cherished california hikes book, ipod, cell phone, nalgene bottle, ipod car charger, personally significant coin purse, credit card, and, well, pieces of our souls.
now, now, now....before you say that we should not have left our belongings in plain sight, you ought to know they were well hidden. this burglar was a curious thief. we told the sheriffs that we hid our stuff, but they suggested that we never leave anything in the car--ever--and leave the doors unlocked to save the windows. it's something to consider.
marta proudly displays her makeshift window.
does this seem familiar? it should.
while driving from pittsburgh to madison, we stopped along the ohio turnpike to buy coffee. it was late november, raining, cold, 10 pm, and ohio. we were out of the car for 4 minutes. when we got back to the car, the passenger side window had been smashed into a thick coat of glass on the interior of the car, and there had been significant theft. it stunk.
fortunately, marta's parents were traveling on the same turnpike the following day. they caught up with us, provided us with some comforting words, and took a few pictures. that time was a lot harder to deal with.
they can steal our phone. they can steal our ipod. but they can never steal our FREEDOM!
here is a panorama taken from the highest point in the park (marta is standing at the same place at both the left and right of this picture--click on the picture to enlarge it and you'll see what we're talking about).
look how happy we were on that hike.
it was so much fun.
how can such a beautiful hike end with such ugliness? when we got back to the car, we saw that the rear passenger side window had been smashed, the entire car had been ransacked, and missing was the canvas tote containing our cherished california hikes book, ipod, cell phone, nalgene bottle, ipod car charger, personally significant coin purse, credit card, and, well, pieces of our souls.
now, now, now....before you say that we should not have left our belongings in plain sight, you ought to know they were well hidden. this burglar was a curious thief. we told the sheriffs that we hid our stuff, but they suggested that we never leave anything in the car--ever--and leave the doors unlocked to save the windows. it's something to consider.
marta proudly displays her makeshift window.
does this seem familiar? it should.
while driving from pittsburgh to madison, we stopped along the ohio turnpike to buy coffee. it was late november, raining, cold, 10 pm, and ohio. we were out of the car for 4 minutes. when we got back to the car, the passenger side window had been smashed into a thick coat of glass on the interior of the car, and there had been significant theft. it stunk.
fortunately, marta's parents were traveling on the same turnpike the following day. they caught up with us, provided us with some comforting words, and took a few pictures. that time was a lot harder to deal with.
they can steal our phone. they can steal our ipod. but they can never steal our FREEDOM!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
happy birthday
davidandmarta.com is 1 year old. happy birthday davidandmarta.com.
we remember when you came into this world, cold, screaming, and scared. look at you now, you dashing website! we're so proud of you. you must get three to four hits every week. have some cake.
thank you for visiting our website. you are the few, the proud, the well read. you know who you are.
we remember when you came into this world, cold, screaming, and scared. look at you now, you dashing website! we're so proud of you. you must get three to four hits every week. have some cake.
thank you for visiting our website. you are the few, the proud, the well read. you know who you are.
Monday, January 7, 2008
storm wrap-up
the rain stopped on sunday morning and we ventured out to survey what effect the high seas had on seabright beach. we were astonished at just how much debris had been strewn around the beach.
this is what would appear to be an entire redwood tree washed onto the beach:
this massive chuck of wood is a good 40 yards beyond the normal high tide line:
there were many more huge chunks of wood and thousands of smaller pieces. it was quite an impressive display of mother nature's force.
this is what would appear to be an entire redwood tree washed onto the beach:
this massive chuck of wood is a good 40 yards beyond the normal high tide line:
there were many more huge chunks of wood and thousands of smaller pieces. it was quite an impressive display of mother nature's force.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
boardwalk bowl
we hit up the boardwalk bowl yesterday, with our friends beth and rodrigo, to seek refuge from the rain. we bowled three games, and i feel confident saying that we were all moderately successful considering how rarely any of us bowl. i took some video from the bowler's-eye-view of a frame somewhere in the middle of our third game. bear in mind that i am both the bowler and the camera man in this video.
don't let the video fool you. this type of ten-pin heroics was more the exception than the rule.
the hot dogs at the boardwalk bowl are freshly grilled and delicious. if you have the twenty minutes to wait for them to prepare one, i would highly recommend it. the only drawback is the rather paltry condiment selection.
don't let the video fool you. this type of ten-pin heroics was more the exception than the rule.
the hot dogs at the boardwalk bowl are freshly grilled and delicious. if you have the twenty minutes to wait for them to prepare one, i would highly recommend it. the only drawback is the rather paltry condiment selection.
Friday, January 4, 2008
storm of the century
last night was rainy and windy. 19,000 households in the bay area are without power, 400 in santa cruz. actually, 400 households in santa cruz without power seems like it might be about the median throughout the year. there seem to be some major issues with the power grid here. sometimes the entire university looses power for unexplained reasons.
anyway, it is very windy out this morning. this video was taken out our front door in an attempt to demonstrate the force of the wind (it doesn't really do it justice). it is raining pretty hard to, but the video doesn't pick that up very well.
i'll have more on the storm after my ride into work. i don't think the heavy stuff is going to start for a few more hours.
anyway, it is very windy out this morning. this video was taken out our front door in an attempt to demonstrate the force of the wind (it doesn't really do it justice). it is raining pretty hard to, but the video doesn't pick that up very well.
i'll have more on the storm after my ride into work. i don't think the heavy stuff is going to start for a few more hours.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
the perfect storm - california
four feet of snow, 10 inches of rain, 80 mph winds, flash floods, surging coastal waters, and locusts. all are predicted to slam into the golden state this weekend as three separate pacific storm systems are expected. right now we are getting some significant rain here in the lowest elevations of the santa cruz mountains. it started an hour or so ago, and has been coming pretty steadily ever since. there is not much in the way of wind, and no signs of locusts, but we will keep you posted. i'm going to be heading out into the thick of it in a few hours, and i'll let you know what the conditions in the streets are. you can count on davidandmarta.com all weekend long as your half-assed source of storm reporting on the central coast.
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