Pop-Up Family Reunion, San Diego

Downtown San Diego, California

This weekend the Carter Family held its umpteenth delightful Pop-up Reunion. This time we choose beautiful, sunny San Diego, California for our meet-up. By the end of the weekend we all agreed, if one uses number of participants as the measuring stick then this one was the best yet. Our Matriarch Arna with Dovin & Rosa, flew in from Phoenix.  Yvonne came from Michigan and her bro Eric flew in from Florida.  Our Colorado Cousin David, and California Cousins galore: the Carters, the Hughes and the Baldwins. 

The rental many of us stayed at was quite comfy

Cousin David generously did all the work to get many of the Pop-up participants a rental, a beautiful old Victorian house that was chock full of rooms for one and all. Yours truly netted a suite on the first floor that had its own bathroom - its good to be the Princess!

Enjoying a family meal together

Aunt Arna, our family Matriarch and Cousin Carol

Our first event of our weekend whirl was the Seal Tour. The Seal Tour started with the all 'us' Carters meeting up in Seaport Village, near downtown San Diego. 

The Family has arrived & awaiting our Seal Tour 

The Seal tour is a ride on a huge aquatic bus. Yes, I said it, 'aquatic bus', capable of running on dry land and o'ver the briney seas.

The 'Fam', posing at Seal Tour Bus, Seaport Village, San Diego

We boarded the Seal Tour Dryland/Aquatic Bus that whisked us away towards the San Diego Harbor.

Royalty at the Harbor - The Star of India

Before long the miracle happened and out land-tram turned into a sea faring passenger... sea-tram?:

Suddenly we were the Carter 'Salty Dogs'!

Our tour guide was a friendly young woman. The highlight of the bay portion of our tour was a dolphin in U.S. Navy pool, leaping high into the air ala Flipper, an event so rare and so unexpected that our tour guide was moved to joyful tears.

Flowing our fun trip on the Harbor, everyone was a bit hungry so we set off through Vacation Village in search of Sustenance. We settled on The Hyatt Regent's Sally's Fish house - an outdoor restaurant venue. For fun, some of us started out with uber cool 'refreshment'. 

My copper set, Ginger on the Bay

The Ultimate Bloody Mary

Cousin Carol rather stunned by the magnificence of her order

Full up and refreshed, we all returned to home, bed & breakfast or wherever else we were lodged at on this family adventure. But wait, that's not all! Late afternoon we all met up at a fabulous Juneteenth celebration, put on by the Cooper Family Freedom Festival. 

By late afternoon everyone was a bit festivaled out so I will leave us here with more to follow in Part II of our 20232 San Diego Pop-Up. 

Touched by an Omen

Bald Eagles overhead

As I posted once before, I'm getting into a new hobby - book binding. Thus far I've only binded blank books with intent to figure out something interesting to go into the books later on. Recently I came across 2 of my old field notebooks and illustrations from  the summer of July, 2000. That was when I took part in a fantastic Passports in Time (PIT) project, called 'Follow the Smoke.  I decided my notes from that delightful and fulfilling adventure deserved to be combined and bound into a small book.

Pages from my 'soon-to-be-properly-bound' Book

First page from my 'PIT' diary

I gathered up all of my notes from the project out of notebooks and organized them. Then by chance I found a good method for binding them, via YouTube, i.e., America's classroom. 

I decided I needed an introduction to what the book chronicled. After writing up my intro in pencil on one page, I went outside on my 2nd floor patio to spray the page with the stinky fixative (which prevents the pencil graphite from smearing). 

I paused, looking up, and saw a pair of magnificent Bald Eagles. As they passed over my head, I called out, asking them to take blessings to my Mother, and to all of my recently deceased Aunts, Uncles and cousin. I'm sure the eagles will grant me that favor. I thought the sudden presence of the eagles, was a good omen for my new binding project. Omens don't get any better than soaring Bald Eagles.

A little Baldie aerial ballet

[UPDATE:  The combined notes, illustrations and photos from Follow the Smoke is bound into a leather covered book. Sadly I have not mastered decorated, lettered covers so no cute front to my work. I guess that'll need another pair of Eagles overhead. 

 ]

Sailing the Salish Sea

In 2019, when I was living in Port Angeles, I signed up for an Audubon sponsored 3 day sail trip, north into the island strewn waters. I signed on & paid up immediately. Then, guess what - COVID! Long story short, the trip was put on hold... for 3 years! This year the wildlife tour finally set sail. 

Girlie Belted Kingfisher on Rigging at Sequim Port

on the left, the Glacier Spirit

The 'voyage' was 3 days, 2 nights sailing around the San Juan Islands, in search of birds and marine mammals. I was a tad disappointed because back in 2020, the trip promised the 2 nights were to be at a Canadian Bed & Breakfast. This year we'd be staying in Washington state on San Juan Island. 

The Glacier Spirit was docked in the John Wayne Marina, only about 20 minutes from my house. In California I always had to drive some 3 or more hours to get to whatever boat I booked, often spending the night prior to the trip in a local hotel so I wouldn't have to leave Fair Oaks at 3AM to get to my ride on time. So that's points for convenience.

The inner cabin where most of my time was spent

I have to say, I was rather disappointed but that was on me, not the trip itself. I have been used to Jaunts on the Pacific Ocean, where you can find Albatross, Petrels, Shearwaters, exotic gulls, and don't get me started on the whales and other marine mammals! This however is the Salish Sea, inland from the Pacific Ocean and therefore I wasn't about to see any of the above mentioned pelagic birds. Duh, right?

I think the best time for birding the Salish Sea is in winter when certainly the great flocks of waterfowl and other species (I'm looking at you Ancient Murrelets!) are at hand. So there were birds, but they could just as easily be seen from shore. So I relaxed, and just enjoyed what birds were available for staring at. 

Western Grebes

Short-billed Gulls

Lonely Pelagic Cormorant

Bonapart's Gulls in rear, Short-billed Gull down front

Surfbirds, so hard to photograph from a pitching boat

There were about 16 Surfbirds on shell covered rocks, which was
a thrill as I've seldom managed to see more than one at a time, per decade

We were also on the lookout for marine mammals, and there were several species to see.

A snoozing mob of Stellar's Sea Lions

Sleeping Sea Lion with its body guard - a Black Oystercatcher on the right

Saw dozens and dozens of these 'sea puppies', i.e., Harbor Seals

On the first day we got one short look at a Harbor Porpoise, and I was astounded to manage this one photo that's not ready for prime time.  There were more marine mammals to come on the final day the voyage.

Headed away, 'natch

Orcas!

On the final day of the trip, the captain located a small pod of Orcas. The captain is quite familiar with the San Juan Island Orcas and their kin. He said what we were viewing was a pair of female Orca, accompanied by their large, yearling calves.

It's always a great day when I can watch whales

Mom Orca and her yearling calf

All of the above showcases the days at sea. Now for a little on the late day time spent on the island of San Juan, in Roche Harbor. 

Roche Harbor, seen from the docks

Both days on the island I took advantage of the proffered golf cart ride uphill to the condo where I stayed. Contrarywise, both mornings I hoofed it from the condo down to the dock to board the boat. 

The day on boarded started with a home cooked breakfast, and natch, later there was lunch. Around 3PM each day we were taken to Roche Harbor, a cute town on San Juan Island.   

View of the condo I roomed in

At the end of each morning's hike downhill, during which I birded, the hike's end wended down to the town's cobbled streets and pathways.

Cobbled walkway under arbor that leads down to to the piers

Buckets of Hyacinths and Daffodils 

Hellebore

I love spending as much time as possible on pelagic cruises. So I was a tad sad as the boat headed back to the docks at John Wayne Marina. But wait! There was one more surprise. There, as the boat pulled up to the pier, I spotted a small brown 'dog' lolling on its back, on the wooden deck. Then the 'dog's' long tail swung around I realized it was a wild River Otter.  Quickly, it skittered off and dove into the pier waters. A lovely last minute trip bonus, and somehow I was the only one who spotted the slick and slender marine critter, a lovely welcome home gift just for me.