My 39th -- back in Oregon!

OK -- as great as Costa Rica is ........... western Oregon is about as beautiful as it gets (anywhere in the entire world) this time of year. Tree blossoms dance on the wind and every shade of green is bursting forth.

Yesterday (4/26) was my 39th birthday. And it was a fabulous OREGON day from start to finish.
My goal -- be in forest! and soak up its splendor.

En route through the Coastal Mountains we stopped in the morning at Whittacker Creek and saw Spring Run spawning salmon. It is usually very difficult to see spring runners because the rivers are high and a bit muddy in the spring from heavy rains. But 6 days of no rain left the creeks clear and a little low in the rain-fed streams of the coast. We saw 21 salmon in one staging pool, and several more upstream working their way to spawning beds before they die. My appreciation for these amazing fresh-salt-fresh water fish will never cease. AMAZING!

Then -- onward through some nasty clearcuts to get to our destination location -- the trailhead of Kentucky and North Fork Falls. So few islands of old growth exist in the coast range anymore -- and this one is precious. 15 years ago or so I volunteered with an organization (Community Trail Volunteers) to put in several miles of trail below the lower set of falls. The trail retained recreational status to the lush forests below the falls and kept them from being logged. It was on this project that I discovered one of my favorite falls -- the North Fork Falls.

Upper Kentucky Falls

Native Wildflowers (Trillium & Bleeding Heart)











Moss of an Old-growth Maple Grove


With Steve at North Fork Smith River Falls




North Fork Falls (one of my favorites!) -- NFork Smith River falls @ left & Lower Kentucky falls @ right -- the confluence. Looks like what I imagine Middle Earth being like. And with my elf-like friends (Neil B and Megan K hopping around on the rocks with us .... it felt a bit like it too).

Other highlights from the day: bald eagle; skipping rocks on an old quarry pond; heaps of good food with even heaps more good friends; a SweetLife Chocolate orgasm cake (yes that is what they call it -- for good reason); and lots of nice notes and messages from so many good friends/family far and wide.
OH yeh -- and Steve got me an Arc'teryx expedition back-pack for my b-day gift. HOW FRICKEN COOL IS THAT!!!?? A very thoughtful and kind gift. Looking very forward to putting it to good use.
-- Looking very forward to the upcoming year.

San Jose -- Biz'ness before heading north

A few days in San Jose before getting on that plane headed to the north-land.

I wish I had given myself a couple of more day in San Jose. There is no possible way to sort through the libraries and gather up all the air photos I would like to take with me. Things just aren't done that quickly here.
Also, the hydrologists at ICE I am in contact with are out of the country at a watershed conference in Nicaragua -- so I'll have to return to request the discharge data I need.

None-the-less ,,,, it was a very productive few days in San Jose. In addition to getting some good research on my area copied and in-hand I also managed to submit an aerial photo request at the UCR library through my colleague Prof. Guaria Cardenes (Quaternary Sedimentologist at UCR); meet with the director of the Central American School of Geology; establish an agreement of cooperation with the University of Costa Rica for my PhD work; visit my colleague Prof. Nelson Arroyo at the National University; and meet with Clemmens Ruppert at UNA who is doing water quality testing in the low-lands of the Caribe.

Now, ALL I have to do is raise the money to get this research going..........no problem .... right?

Last Daze on the Caribe

No time spent doing thesis editing ....
Some email and phone communications on the PhD.

Otherwise it's been all about the Caribe, good food, family, friends, painting mama Sue's kitchen, yoga class, swimming, running, riding my rusty cruiser bike, and READING A FICTIONAL BOOK FOR ENJOYMENT (hard to imagine the joy of this unless you know the life of a graduate student).

Three toed sloth visits our yard at Casa Anahi

Cuz Aaron gets some construction done at his place .... fun...

Out at our property -- Dad did heaps of work getting it cleared this spring after a SUPER wet winter. Beautiful! Photo taken from where mom and dad's front porch will be once the building begins. Nice View of the jungle!! Howler monkeys and tucans everywhere!!!











Chill times!















Poi with my friend Lara.















Swim and Sea TIME!!! .. hang'en with the folks


















Painting at Mama Sue's.

Another Week on the Caribe –

March 30th – April 6th:
The weather has remained sunny. Here on the Caribe side of Costa Rica in the lowland rainforest it is a bit strange to have a couple of weeks with very little rain. Only twice in the evening this week have we had a short shower of soft giant raindrops. Not enough to really wet this green green green world.

For me this week has been my vacation. I have only made a couple of contacts related to my potential PhD work; an ELAW attorney and a hydrologist with ICE (the nation’s water and electric agency). And I have heaps of editing to contend with on my MS Thesis but have only put in a couple of days this week on that. Somehow it is easier to edit and write here ………. (note to self).

Otherwise, I have been visiting with family & friends (old and new), helping my family with projects (house painting, yard work, property clearing), and enjoying early morning runs and my aunt Jo’s evening yoga classes. At least one avocado a day and heaps of fresh fruit. Oh, and the sloths, kinkajus that grace us often, and especially the howler monkeys that make a racket out at our property daily.

Saskia & Sole'

Highlights from the week:

A day at the beach with the ladies. My mom (Penny), my aunt (Jo), my mother-in-law (Sue), and my cousin (Gayle) saved a day this past week just to be around each other in the beautiful setting of the south Caribe beaches. We all needed it – it was a true “day off.” We swam, talked, read, slept, and rested. The conversation weaved through our lives past and present with tones of both seriousness and laughter. We gave ourselves the entire day …. Topping it off with a delicious meal at one of my favorite eateries (Bread & Chocolate). It is quite a gift to be surrounded by such love from such fabulous women!

Kick'en back!

Snorkeling with dad (John) and cousin (Aaron) on our very good friend Fernando’s boat in Cahuita National Park. Lots of lovely fish here. The coral is still recovering from a massive earthquake about 12 years ago that up-lifted the coral (actually the tectonic shelf it is on) about 2 meters. There has been a lot of growth even though coral is slow to establish.

We also had a couple of nice dinners with family as my cousin Gayle, Bruce, and Aaron all head back to the states this week. Cousin Bruce & me

I only have ten more days in Costa Rica. I’ll try to make the most of it. Sadly, my camera has stopped functioning. I think it’s the battery. I’ll have to steal pics from others to keep the blog interesting.