Kids and dead things

I led another educational tour at the wetlands this week, a group of 7th graders. I generally like that age as they are old enough to talk to you on an intelligent level, and young enough not to have attitudes yet. And this particular group was from a very wealthy area of Southern California. So, we head out onto the trails, and I talk about the wetlands habitat, pointing out herons and egrets, showing them the difference between ground squirrel holes and gopher holes, smelling coastal sage--the usual stuff. There are are a few overlooks on the path at Bolsa Chica where we stop to talk about the mud flats, good bacteria, and the Pacific Flyway. Well, we've just been through quite a few big storms in this area. Do you know what happens in wetlands when storms come through? Lots of trash, gunk, and pollution wash down the storm drains and end up at the wetlands. Even dead dogs. Of course the dead dog ends up right smack in front of my lookout point--in clear view of everyone. God knows where it came from--it likely died somewhere else and was washed down the storm drains. It sure wasn't fresh--its fur was gone, and its skin was hard and red from exposure to the sun and water. I wanted to talk about mud flats and egrets. All the kids wanted to do was look at and discuss the dead thing. I tried telling them it was a coyote because I didn't want them to think it was someone's pet, but they didn't care what it was. They were thrilled to see something dead! They wanted to know how it died: did it get in a fight, did it fall off the cliff, did it drown? One kid said "That's the biggest dead thing I've ever seen." It made his day! They were all fascinated! They completely ignored the beautiful egret that was feeding on the mud flats. I had to practically drag them away to finish the rest of the hike. On the way back they wanted to stop and look at it again. I said NO. A few of the little punks lagged behind me and ran to the lookout point when I wasn't watching them. I know they all went home to their estates in the hills and told their parents about the dead animal, the highlight of their day! I hope the wildlife care center personnel get out there and pick it up before my next tour!

Goodyear Blimp ride

After I saw the movie The Bucket List, I actually made my own list, even wrote it all down. Some of the things I'd already done, like run a marathon, and stand in Red Square in Moscow. Some things are still in the future like attending Wimbledon and owning a pair of Manolo Blahniks. But, this week, I got to cross off an item. I rode the Goodyear Blimp! It was a totally amazing experience! You can't buy a ride on the blimp. It's free but you can only go via an invitation. It's all about who you know. Fortunately, my friend Dan knows the right people and he invited five friends as the blimp seats six, plus the pilot. We arrived about 45 minutes early, we were all so excited! We had to sign our names and watch a safety video--that's it. Easy. Guess what? There are no seatbelts!! You can get up, switch seats, open the window. Once you board the blimp, the ground crew tosses off the weighted bags that keep the blimp from floating away, then they push you up and you're off. The pilot told us that, at takeoff, we are 200 pounds LIGHTER than air. That's wild--especially when you've got 7 people whose combined weight is over 1000 pounds! It took no time to reach 1500 feet above the earth. The view is incredible--very different from being in an airplane. Because the blimp is so much slower, you can really study everything below. We headed south and floated over Long Beach, the LA Port, the Queen Mary, the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and the Home Depot Center. We all took turns sitting in the front seat, and the pilot had fun "body-surfing" on the wind. Our pilot, Nathan, was awesome. He's a tour guide pointing out the landmarks below. He's an historian filling us in on local history. He's a meteorologist explaining weather phenomena and how it affects blimps. He's one of only 70 blimp pilots in the United States, about half of whom actively fly. And he was fun--we tried to buzz an oil tanker in the harbor, but at blimp speed, I think they saw us coming! We learned that blimps react differently when underneath a cloud. You can actually feel it being pushed downward, and you can tell when you get out from under the cloud--it's like the blimp goes "whew, made it!" The winds really determine when you can land--and we had to stay up an extra 20 minutes because of it. And the landing! WOW!! It's a lot of physical work for the pilot. Then the ground crew, about 16 people, run toward the blimp and grab these long ropes that hang from the nose. They assist the pilot in guiding the blimp into a tiny little pole that connects to the nose. The landing was a work of art and choreography, absolutely beautiful. It was a once in a lifetime experience and we are all so grateful to have had the opportunity. It's a great feeling to check another item off my bucket list!

Reflections on my Run

Global warming is alive and well in southern California! I made the mistake of waiting until 10am to go for my run today. My apartment is always freezing in the morning since I only get afternoon sun, so I'm always trying to figure out exactly how warm or cold it will be once I get out into the sunshine. Gees, it was hot! I debated wearing a short-sleeve shirt or a singlet. I opted for the singlet--Thank God! I know I shouldn't complain. I do genuinely feel for my family and friends who are dealing with the crappiest winter in years back east. And I am truly grateful that I can do my winter runs in shorts and singlets. But it's human nature to whine, so I gotta find something to complain about here in paradise. But, something happened today to make me forget about the heat and make this run one of my favorites. As I was nearing the corner to make the home stretch, there was a guy walking his dog. A BIG guy with a LITTLE chihuahua! That always makes me laugh! But the piece de resistance was that little Fifi was dressed in a frilly, ruffled, bright hot-pink dress! How classic is that?? I think it takes balls for a man to walk a dog dressed like that! I ran the rest of the way with a huge smile on my face--it made my day! I can't wait to see them again!

Wetlands Tours

I volunteer at the wetlands near my house as an educational tour guide. When schools send kids on field trips, I teach them about the wetlands, their purpose, and the plants and animals that make that area their home. I've toured kids from 3-year olds through high school seniors. Most of the kids are pretty cool. I've wanted to adopt a few of them, and I've wanted to push a few over the cliffs. Actually, I've probably wanted to push more of their teachers over the cliffs. A few act like it's their day off and they want nothing to do with their unruly classes. That annoys me. Anyhow, I took a group of high-schoolers out today. They were good and they managed to complete their plant research project, do some restoration weeding, and go on my hike. The hikes are the best part, getting out into nature. And we are entering into the best time of the year--all the plants are coming back to life after being dormant during the late summer, fall and early winter. Everything is green, the wildflowers are starting to bloom, the fragrant purple sage is coming back to life, and lots of animals are out and about. Today we saw tons of rabbits and ground squirrels, lizards and cormorants, great blue herons and snowy white egrets (my personal favorite!) But best of all, the highlight of the day, holy crap, we saw a coyote!!! It was a treat because coyotes are not usually out during the middle of the day. He watched us, and even followed us for a while--fortunately he was on the other side of a fence. One of the girls asked "Can he climb that fence?" And while I know he can, I said "Let's hope not!" No need to induce mass hysteria among high school girls! But we were safe and everyone was happy that we got to see him. That coyote, while keeping an eye on us, was doing exactly what we were doing--enjoying another flawless, sunny, 75-degree winter day in Southern California!

My New Year's Resolution

I flew across the country last week for Christmas. Those of you who have read my blog, or know me, are aware of my bad luck with air travel. After losing my luggage 11 times, I only do carry-on whenever I fly now. I like to sit in the front of planes, on the aisle, so I was boarding zone #4 when I left home. Because of that seat assignment, I was the first person forced to check my bags at the gate, checked though to my destination--not to pick them up in the jetway. I was teary and close to hysteria. All of the Christmas presents I bought for my family were in that bag--and, with my luck, I never expected to see it at my destination. To make matters worse, when I got on the plane, there was enough overhead space above my seat. And, I spied the boarding pass of the guy next to me--he had zone #3. What's up with that?? Hes' right next to me. Why am I #4 and he's #3? I was not happy. Well, I made it to Columbus and, like a miracle, my bag actually arrived with me! I almost started crying again! It's been years since I've seen my suitcase on the baggage carousel. A few days pass, my vacation is over and I'm happy to be heading home. This time I was boarding zone #5. The same crap happened! I was forced to check my bag at the gate again. For the record, my luggage has ALWAYS been lost on my way home after Xmas. Always! It's one of the main reasons I started doing carry-on only. This time the guy next to me had boarding zone #2. Zone #2!! I was zone #5--and sitting right next to him! Seriously, what's up with that?? And there were 3 huge, empty overhead bins. They could have loaded at least a dozen more roller bags. This time I wasn't just not happy, I was livid! Miraculously, once gain, I got my bag. At this point, you may be wondering why I titled this blog "My New Year's Resolution." Here's why: I am OBSESSED with beating the airlines at this game. How do they load a plane? You would think back to front. But no, on my way home, the entire front of the plane was full, the back was full, and the middle, where I was sitting, was the last to be loaded. What kind of sense does that make??? None! I must figure out this game, I HAVE to win! So, I'm busy strategizing and coming up with some plans. My New Years Resolution is to beat the airlines at this game. It's my new goal for 2011!

Black Friday sale?

I admit it. I was one of those people who went shopping on Black Friday. In my defense, I only go after 6:30pm. I've been going at this time for about 5 years now. The stores are open until 11pm or midnight, but by dinnertime, most of the crowds are long gone, parking is easy and there are no lines at the check-out counters. Most of the sales associates are friendlier and chattier because they aren't so harried by that point. Christmas spirit abounds--and the big sales and deep discounts last until the store closes for the day. This year the mall was busier than in the past few years, but not enough to be annoying. Hopefully, it's a good sign that increased consumer confidence bodes well for a better 2011. So, I buy a few Xmas gifts, and I'm home before 8:30pm. The next day I realized I bought something for my aunt in a large--she wears a medium. I must have been distracted and picked up the wrong size when I was debating which color to buy. Dang it! Knowing I don't have the patience for the mall on a weekend, I decided I'd go back Monday morning at 10am and switch it out for the smaller size. No crowds, in and out, easy. It was easy--it was also 25% cheaper than on Friday! I mean, I'm not complaining about getting it for less money, but Black Friday is supposed to be the great sale day. Huge discounts, right? And they offer better discounts 3 days later?? What the heck is up with that?? I may have to rethink my shopping strategy next year.

Windy weather

I know I've mentioned it before but I really, really, really hate wind. We've had gale-force gusts for a few weeks now. It happens every year, and I hate it every year. I have a few large planters on my patio. They have been toppled over every day. And they are 4-foot tall trees in 5-gallon buckets! I keep rocks on top of the dirt to prevent the squirrels from digging in them and burying nuts. The squirrels are messy little critters and I got tired of sweeping up after them, hence the rocks--it pisses them off. But now when these plants blow over, the rocks get scattered all over the porch and it is a pain in the ass to pick them up every day. My neighbors stopped by on Thanksgiving to ask if someone was throwing rocks at my windows. Then today I was in the dining room when I heard that familiar crashing sound, and everything blew over in one huge gust of wind. So I'm out there early this morning in my pajamas and robe, swearing, out loud, all by myself. Kicking the rocks out of the way, SWEARING, and moving all the plants. And even though I want calm, still weather, at least the wind chimes sound pretty.