Friday, August 6, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Yosemite puts on an interesting show in February.
Horsetail Falls is a small seasonal waterfall that only appears in late winter and early spring. It flows over the east side of El Capitan, so as a backdrop it has one of the most impressive walls of granite in the entire park. Then – only for part of February, and only when the sky is clear – the very last sunrays of the day selectively linger on the falls, lighting it up with a golden glow that makes the water look like lava.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Nine Things American Women Take for Granted
1. The right to vote. The Nineteenth Constitutional Amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
2. The right to make as much money as men. There are still many out there fighting for women to make the same higher wages as their male counterparts, but 1938’s Fair Labor Standards Act, which “established minimum wage without regard to sex,” made it possible for us to even be pissed about making less.
3. The right to have a “man’s” job. Sure, you had to be paid as much as the guys at work, but you could never, ever be promoted above one. At least not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But it wasn’t until the 1973 Supreme Court upheld a 1968 ruling that sex-segregated ads for employment were made illegal.
4. The right to go to college. Back in the day, educating women wasn’t a priority. In 1870, just one-fifth of resident college and university students were women. Today, women outnumber men on college campuses.
5. The right to choose our own religion. Way back when, the religion of the man that you chose to marry is what you would convert to. No questions, no nothing. Even if you’re an atheist, you can appreciate this.
6. The right to own our own property. The first law that said it was permissible for a woman’s name to be listed on a deed came into effect in the middle 1800s. The catch? She had to have her husband’s permission to do so.
7. The right to choose to have children, or not. Everyone knows about the birth control movement of the seventies; the struggle started even earlier.
8. The right to work while pregnant. The 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act declared that a woman couldn’t be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is, or may become, pregnant. It also stated that she couldn’t be forced to take pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work.
9. The right to not have sex with our husbands. It wasn’t until 1976 that a law was established making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife. Enough said.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Fort Myer's Miracle
Fort Myers Cruises To 6-4 Victory Over Jays
Great day for a ball game.
!!!Two-For Tuesday!!!
2 hotdogs
+
2 sodas
+
french fries
+
cotton candy
=
$11.75
...that 5 people shared.
Miss-A-Miracle
New Miracle T-Shirts
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
...sand dollars✓
I went on another adventure this evening, and ended up in the middle of the ocean. I was called off work, due to the lack of tourist in desperate need of an over-priced ice cream cone. This however was a blessing in disguise. I sat around for a while, sure that there was nothing to do. Eventually I decided to load up my backpack, hope on the scooter, and see if I could find something to do. I traveled down to the end of Estero Island, and over to Lover's Key. I left my backpack in the scooter, and decided to only bring my snorkel and a towel. I walked about a mile, and marked my spot on the beach with my towel, which was quite easy, seeing that there was no one else anywhere in sight. I spent about an hour just walking up and down the shore line looking for shells and little critters. I captured some great shots of some Oliva Sayanas, or "Lettered Olives" making trails in the sand.
After I had walked the same 40 feet back and forth for over an hour, I decided it was time for a swim, to explore what was beyond the shore line. It is very easy to snorkel here, there is a huge sandbar about 100 feet out into the water, and it creates and giant tide pool. I had to swim out a little bit past the sandbar once the tide started to go out too far. I found hundreds of sand dollars, most still alive, slowly crawling along the sandy bottom. I picked you up. Their "feet" feel like tiny little toothpicks, all moving together, trying to move along to find food.
It was truly amazing getting to watch all these sand dollars crawl over and around each other, so very slowly.
[a lightning whelk that I managed to take a picture of underwater.]
There were a lot of fish in the water, but none of which I could identify. I spotted a couple sea urchins out past the sandbar, but they were too deep to investigate. I looked up a couple times to check on my blanket, and I managed to only have one theft, an osprey had landed, decided to explore my findings that I had left on my blanket, and flew off with something in his mouth. I'm not sure what it was, but I must have had something tasty.
While I was snorkeling I found a lot of coral, none of it was alive, like a coral graveyard. I found a small round piece that I liked, and I also decided to take the largest piece, that I could fit in and carry back to the scooter. I think I might try to make a lamp base out of this coral, maybe go back and bring home a few more pieces. Possibly stack them, like blocks, to form the base.
I also found a lot of starfish. They all appeared to be nine legged starfish, but I found one that wasn't.
☹
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Spotted Eagle Ray
Tonight as I was on my usual sunset walk down the beach, I happened to come across this friendly giant swimming next to me in the water. It was about 3 feet across and with its tail, it was at least 5 feet long. I have never seen an eagle ray, but this one seemed really big. He swam along side me as I fumbled to try and get a clear picture. He was maybe a foot or two away from my leg most of our journey together.
(Another beautiful sunset over Sanibel Island.)
...and I finally found my empty.
Art vs. Craft
Living in Florida, I've seen every imaginable form of seashell "art." The mailboxes caked with shells, wind chimes that look like seashells tangled in a fisherman's line, and the over-all hodgepodge of tacky, crappy seashell junk.
This however, is not that junk. I stumbled across these beautiful displays of shell mastery, while looking for a shell at the Sanibel Shell Show.
This lady is truly talented with seashells, and she gets my "shell of the day" award.
This however, is not that junk. I stumbled across these beautiful displays of shell mastery, while looking for a shell at the Sanibel Shell Show.
This lady is truly talented with seashells, and she gets my "shell of the day" award.
*pictures courtesy of etsy.com
Shell-shaped Nautilus House: gorgeous inside and out
"Who cares what the neighbors think? Let's build a house that looks like a snail shell! That's just what a Mexico City couple did, with the help of the astonishing imagination of those wild and wooly architects at Senosiain Arquitectos. This abode is built, and the couple is already living in it with their two small children."
It's more of a sculpture than a dwelling. Taking cues from a Nautilus shell, the house is put together using ferrocement construction, a technique involving a frame of steel-reinforced chicken wire with a special two-inch-thick composite of concrete spread over it, resulting in a structure that's earthquake-proof and maintenance-free.
The open concept inside the house is dominated by smooth surfaces, spiral stairs and natural plantings that makes the inhabitants feel like they're living inside a snail who swallowed the entire contents of somebody's back yard.
While the house is surrounded on three sides by the bustling Mexico City, its West side (where most of its portal-style windows are located) has a breathtaking view of the mountains.
Maybe someday all houses will be made this way.
Master Suite
Master Bath
Nautilus Floor Plan
How to clean seashells:
This is just my basic technique, the internet is full of several different ways to produce the same results, but I find this to be the easiest and most efficient way to clean and care for your beloved seashore treasures.
You're going to need a few things before you start, most of which can be found around the house.
After you have collected your shells and materials needed, you can begin.
You want to prepare your shells for cleaning, by rinsing them with fresh water. This will get rid of any extra sand and debris that's left inside your shell.
After they are thoroughly rinsed, fill a bowl with equal part bleach/water. Less is more with the bleach in this case. You don't want so much bleach that it deteriorates your shell, but you need enough to clean/kill any live tissue or germs left inside. Gently place your shells into the bowl, and let sit. The amount of time these should soak for is dependent on what type of shell you have. Use your best judgement to determine how fragile your shell is, and how much "filth" needs to be removed.
Example: Sand dollars are VERY fragile, they should be cleaned thoroughly before bleaching, because you only want to bleach them for about 10 minutes. Most other shells are strong enough to leave them for a day or two to soak.
Once you are happy with how clean your shells are, it is time to dump the bleach and gently rinse your shells under running water. When all the bleach is rinsed away, use a small amount of dish soap and the toothbrush to scrub each shell clean. (If there's barnacles or anything encrusted to the shell, most times you can just pick it off after its been bleached, because all the animal life has been removed.)
Rinse your shells one more time to remove all the suds, and allow to dry on a sheet of paper towels.
After the shells are completely dry, you can use a small amount of mineral oil and a soft cloth (paper towel) to give your shells an extra shine.
You're going to need a few things before you start, most of which can be found around the house.
Tap Water (sink, shower, garden hose, etc.)
Bleach
Bowl (large enough to fit your shells into)
Dish Soap
Toothbrush (any small scrubber will suffice)
Paper Towels
Mineral Oil
You want to prepare your shells for cleaning, by rinsing them with fresh water. This will get rid of any extra sand and debris that's left inside your shell.
After they are thoroughly rinsed, fill a bowl with equal part bleach/water. Less is more with the bleach in this case. You don't want so much bleach that it deteriorates your shell, but you need enough to clean/kill any live tissue or germs left inside. Gently place your shells into the bowl, and let sit. The amount of time these should soak for is dependent on what type of shell you have. Use your best judgement to determine how fragile your shell is, and how much "filth" needs to be removed.
Example: Sand dollars are VERY fragile, they should be cleaned thoroughly before bleaching, because you only want to bleach them for about 10 minutes. Most other shells are strong enough to leave them for a day or two to soak.
Once you are happy with how clean your shells are, it is time to dump the bleach and gently rinse your shells under running water. When all the bleach is rinsed away, use a small amount of dish soap and the toothbrush to scrub each shell clean. (If there's barnacles or anything encrusted to the shell, most times you can just pick it off after its been bleached, because all the animal life has been removed.)
Rinse your shells one more time to remove all the suds, and allow to dry on a sheet of paper towels.
After the shells are completely dry, you can use a small amount of mineral oil and a soft cloth (paper towel) to give your shells an extra shine.
“The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.”
These are a few of the shells I collected with my mother, while she was down visiting from Maine. My mom hadn't been down to the area since our family vacationed here, when I was about 9 years old. I'm now 22. She loved how warm the ocean felt compared to home, and how beautifully blue the water was. We drove down the island to Lover's Key one afternoon, picnicked under a shady tree away from the sun's heat, next to one of the park's butterfly gardens, then headed for the beach. Lover's Key is a great beach for finding seashells, because the whole beach is covered in them! You can literally dig through pile after pile of thousands of shells. The sand is filled with shells, the shells are filled with shells, it's a beautiful sight for any collector. As we walked across the sand we noticed that there we're a lot of dead sea urchins, maybe due to the oil spill in the gulf, they were littered down the entire length of the beach, like someone had come along and placed each one in just the right spot. I found one that I liked, cleaned out its innards, then added it to my collection on our blanket. We lucked out, and found some really great shells that day, shark's eyes, turkey's wing, kitten paws, lightning whelks, and all so very beautiful and unique. 
Another beautiful day, with the ones I love by my side.
"Eternity begins and ends with the ocean's tides."
These tide charts are specific to Estero Island. (Fort Myers Beach)
*snorkeling and shelling are best at low tide.
| Date (May) | High Tide | Low Tide | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | AM | PM | |||||
| Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | |
| 1 | 5:11 am | 1.6 | 2:15 pm | 3.2 | 6:58 am | 1.5 | 10:09 pm | -0.4 |
| 2 | --- | --- | 2:55 pm | 3 | --- | --- | 10:59 pm | -0.2 |
| 3 | --- | --- | 3:40 pm | 2.9 | --- | --- | 11:53 pm | -0.1 |
| 4 | --- | --- | 4:34 pm | 2.7 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | 9:39 am | 1.7 | 5:46 pm | 2.3 | 12:49 am | 0 | --- | --- |
| 6 | 9:48 am | 1.8 | 7:24 pm | 2.1 | 1:43 am | 0.2 | 1:38 pm | 1.6 |
| 7 | 10:06 am | 2.1 | 9:06 pm | 2 | 2:32 am | 0.4 | 3:11 pm | 1.3 |
| 8 | 10:23 am | 2.2 | 10:30 pm | 2 | 3:15 am | 0.6 | 4:13 pm | 1 |
| 9 | 10:41 am | 2.3 | 11:39 pm | 1.8 | 3:52 am | 0.7 | 5:02 pm | 0.6 |
| 10 | 10:59 am | 2.6 | --- | --- | 4:23 am | 1 | 5:44 pm | 0.2 |
| 11 | 12:39 am | 1.8 | --- | --- | 4:50 am | 1.2 | 6:22 pm | 0 |
| 12 | 1:33 am | 1.8 | --- | --- | 5:12 am | 1.3 | 7:01 pm | -0.2 |
| 13 | 2:24 am | 1.8 | 12:10 pm | 3.2 | 5:33 am | 1.5 | 7:41 pm | -0.5 |
| 14 | 3:15 am | 1.7 | 12:43 pm | 3.3 | 5:52 am | 1.6 | 8:24 pm | -0.6 |
| 15 | 4:11 am | 1.7 | 1:21 pm | 3.4 | 6:10 am | 1.6 | 9:12 pm | -0.6 |
| 16 | --- | --- | 2:04 pm | 3.4 | --- | --- | 10:03 pm | -0.6 |
| 17 | --- | --- | 2:53 pm | 3.4 | --- | --- | 10:57 pm | -0.5 |
| 18 | --- | --- | 3:49 pm | 3.2 | --- | --- | 11:53 pm | -0.4 |
| 19 | --- | --- | 4:57 pm | 2.8 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 20 | 8:39 am | 1.8 | 6:23 pm | 2.6 | 12:48 am | -0.1 | 12:03 pm | 1.6 |
| 21 | 9:04 am | 2.1 | 8:07 pm | 2.2 | 1:40 am | 0.1 | 1:59 pm | 1.2 |
| 22 | 9:31 am | 2.3 | 9:51 pm | 2 | 2:26 am | 0.5 | 3:27 pm | 0.9 |
| 23 | 9:59 am | 2.6 | 11:22 pm | 1.8 | 3:08 am | 0.9 | 4:36 pm | 0.4 |
| 24 | 10:28 am | 2.8 | --- | --- | 3:43 am | 1.1 | 5:32 pm | 0 |
| 25 | 12:41 am | 1.8 | --- | --- | 4:14 am | 1.3 | 6:22 pm | -0.4 |
| 26 | 1:51 am | 1.7 | --- | --- | 4:40 am | 1.5 | 7:08 pm | -0.5 |
| 27 | 2:53 am | 1.7 | 12:06 pm | 3.3 | 5:03 am | 1.6 | 7:50 pm | -0.5 |
| 28 | 3:49 am | 1.7 | 12:41 pm | 3.4 | 5:25 am | 1.6 | 8:31 pm | -0.5 |
| 29 | --- | --- | 1:18 pm | 3.3 | --- | --- | 9:11 pm | -0.5 |
| 30 | --- | --- | 1:58 pm | 3.2 | --- | --- | 9:50 pm | -0.4 |
| 31 | --- | --- | 2:40 pm | 3 | --- | --- | 10:30 pm | -0.2 |
| Date (Jun) | High Tide | Low Tide | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | AM | PM | |||||
| Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | |
| 1 | 6:27 am | 1.7 | 3:26 pm | 2.9 | 8:24 am | 1.6 | 11:11 pm | 0 |
| 2 | 6:56 am | 1.8 | 4:19 pm | 2.6 | 9:47 am | 1.6 | 11:51 pm | 0.1 |
| 3 | 7:25 am | 2 | 5:22 pm | 2.3 | 11:23 am | 1.6 | --- | --- |
| 4 | 7:54 am | 2.1 | 6:42 pm | 2.1 | 12:32 am | 0.4 | 12:59 pm | 1.3 |
| 5 | 8:23 am | 2.2 | 8:19 pm | 1.8 | 1:12 am | 0.6 | 2:24 pm | 1.1 |
| 6 | 8:52 am | 2.4 | 9:59 pm | 1.7 | 1:51 am | 0.9 | 3:33 pm | 0.7 |
| 7 | 9:21 am | 2.6 | 11:29 pm | 1.7 | 2:28 am | 1.1 | 4:30 pm | 0.4 |
| 8 | 9:52 am | 2.8 | --- | --- | 3:02 am | 1.3 | 5:20 pm | 0.1 |
| 9 | 12:47 am | 1.7 | --- | --- | 3:33 am | 1.5 | 6:06 pm | -0.1 |
| 10 | 1:55 am | 1.7 | --- | --- | 4:01 am | 1.6 | 6:51 pm | -0.4 |
| 11 | 11:43 am | 3.4 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 7:37 pm | -0.6 |
| 12 | --- | --- | 12:26 pm | 3.5 | --- | --- | 8:22 pm | -0.6 |
| 13 | --- | --- | 1:13 pm | 3.5 | --- | --- | 9:08 pm | -0.7 |
| 14 | --- | --- | 2:04 pm | 3.5 | --- | --- | 9:54 pm | -0.6 |
| 15 | 5:43 am | 1.7 | 2:58 pm | 3.4 | 7:42 am | 1.6 | 10:39 pm | -0.4 |
| 16 | 6:10 am | 1.7 | 3:58 pm | 3 | 9:06 am | 1.6 | 11:22 pm | -0.1 |
| 17 | 6:38 am | 2 | 5:06 pm | 2.7 | 10:39 am | 1.5 | --- | --- |
| 18 | 7:09 am | 2.2 | 6:30 pm | 2.2 | 12:04 am | 0.2 | 12:18 pm | 1.2 |
| 19 | 7:43 am | 2.4 | 8:14 pm | 1.8 | 12:44 am | 0.6 | 1:54 pm | 0.9 |
| 20 | 8:20 am | 2.7 | 10:09 pm | 1.7 | 1:21 am | 1 | 3:18 pm | 0.5 |
| 21 | 9:00 am | 2.9 | 11:57 pm | 1.6 | 1:56 am | 1.2 | 4:29 pm | 0.1 |
| 22 | 9:42 am | 3 | --- | --- | 2:28 am | 1.5 | 5:29 pm | -0.1 |
| 23 | 10:26 am | 3.2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6:20 pm | -0.4 |
| 24 | 11:10 am | 3.3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 7:05 pm | -0.4 |
| 25 | 11:52 am | 3.3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 7:45 pm | -0.4 |
| 26 | --- | --- | 12:33 pm | 3.3 | --- | --- | 8:21 pm | -0.4 |
| 27 | --- | --- | 1:13 pm | 3.3 | --- | --- | 8:54 pm | -0.2 |
| 28 | 4:33 am | 1.7 | 1:53 pm | 3.2 | 6:49 am | 1.6 | 9:25 pm | -0.1 |
| 29 | 4:46 am | 1.7 | 2:35 pm | 3 | 7:46 am | 1.6 | 9:55 pm | 0 |
| 30 | 5:03 am | 1.8 | 3:19 pm | 2.8 | 8:46 am | 1.5 | 10:25 pm | 0.1 |
| Date (Jul) | High Tide | Low Tide | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | AM | PM | |||||
| Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | Time (EDT) | Height (ft) | |
| 1 | 5:23 am | 2.1 | 4:07 pm | 2.6 | 9:50 am | 1.3 | 10:55 pm | 0.4 |
| 2 | 5:49 am | 2.2 | 5:03 pm | 2.3 | 10:58 am | 1.2 | 11:26 pm | 0.6 |
| 3 | 6:18 am | 2.3 | 6:10 pm | 2 | --- | --- | 12:12 pm | 1.1 |
| 4 | 6:51 am | 2.6 | 7:37 pm | 1.7 | --- | --- | 1:29 pm | 0.9 |
| 5 | 7:28 am | 2.7 | 9:31 pm | 1.6 | 12:28 am | 1.1 | 2:45 pm | 0.6 |
| 6 | 8:10 am | 2.8 | 11:37 pm | 1.6 | 12:59 am | 1.3 | 3:55 pm | 0.4 |
| 7 | 8:56 am | 2.9 | --- | --- | 1:28 am | 1.5 | 4:57 pm | 0.1 |
| 8 | 9:47 am | 3.2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 5:51 pm | -0.1 |
| 9 | 10:40 am | 3.3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6:41 pm | -0.4 |
| 10 | 11:33 am | 3.5 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 7:27 pm | -0.5 |
| 11 | --- | --- | 12:25 pm | 3.7 | --- | --- | 8:11 pm | -0.6 |
| 12 | 3:51 am | 1.7 | 1:18 pm | 3.7 | 6:03 am | 1.6 | 8:51 pm | -0.5 |
| 13 | 4:08 am | 1.8 | 2:12 pm | 3.5 | 7:10 am | 1.5 | 9:30 pm | -0.2 |
| 14 | 4:28 am | 1.8 | 3:08 pm | 3.3 | 8:18 am | 1.3 | 10:06 pm | 0 |
| 15 | 4:51 am | 2.1 | 4:07 pm | 2.9 | 9:29 am | 1.1 | 10:40 pm | 0.4 |
| 16 | 5:18 am | 2.3 | 5:15 pm | 2.4 | 10:46 am | 1 | 11:12 pm | 0.7 |
| 17 | 5:51 am | 2.6 | 6:38 pm | 2.1 | --- | --- | 12:08 pm | 0.7 |
| 18 | 6:30 am | 2.8 | 8:30 pm | 1.7 | --- | --- | 1:36 pm | 0.6 |
| 19 | 7:16 am | 2.9 | --- | --- | 12:07 am | 1.3 | 3:03 pm | 0.4 |
| 20 | 8:10 am | 3 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 4:19 pm | 0.1 |
| 21 | 9:11 am | 3.2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 5:22 pm | 0 |
| 22 | 10:12 am | 3.2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6:13 pm | -0.1 |
| 23 | 11:08 am | 3.2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6:55 pm | -0.1 |
| 24 | 2:55 am | 1.8 | --- | --- | 4:38 am | 1.7 | 7:30 pm | -0.1 |
| 25 | 3:07 am | 1.8 | 12:38 pm | 3.2 | 5:35 am | 1.7 | 7:59 pm | 0 |
| 26 | 3:16 am | 1.8 | 1:17 pm | 3.2 | 6:24 am | 1.6 | 8:25 pm | 0.1 |
| 27 | 3:24 am | 2 | 1:54 pm | 3 | 7:10 am | 1.5 | 8:49 pm | 0.2 |
| 28 | 3:33 am | 2.1 | 2:32 pm | 2.9 | 7:56 am | 1.3 | 9:12 pm | 0.4 |
| 29 | 3:46 am | 2.2 | 3:13 pm | 2.8 | 8:43 am | 1.2 | 9:35 pm | 0.6 |
| 30 | 4:05 am | 2.4 | 3:57 pm | 2.6 | 9:33 am | 1.1 | 9:59 pm | 0.7 |
| 31 | 4:29 am | 2.6 | 4:48 pm | 2.3 | 10:28 am | 1 | 10:24 pm | 1 |
*snorkeling and shelling are best at low tide.
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