Life with Dylan

Category: Nature

  • Some Days You Just Need To Get Outside!

    For most people summer vacation is what they look forward to all year long. Summer vacation means no school, staying up late, and sleeping in past 7 a.m. I’m just like most people, summer vacation can’t get here soon enough! However, I have a love-hate relationship with summer.

    Summer means keeping Dylan busy all day long.
    Summer means double grocery bills because Dylan is a growing boy.
    Summer means making the paycheck stretch for 2 months.

    Thankfully we have some great trails within walking distance of our home and we can spend the day enjoying nature, free of charge … because some days, you just need to get outside!

    The path is paved for walkers, runners, bicyclist, and even horseback riders, but sometimes it’s nice to get off the path and take one of the many hiking trails. You never know what you will find.

    Like this hidden spot under a tree that let us get right next to the water and explore the biodiversity of the ecological reserve … or the flowering buckwheat that is a beautiful shade of peach this time of year.

    Getting outside is something that we all need to do more often. Connecting with nature does wonders for the mind and body … not to mention my love-hate relationship with summer.

  • Exploring the Environmental Nature Center

    Sometimes adventure can be in your own backyard, or in this case your neighborhood, and you didn’t even know it. Getting outside is easier than you think – you just need to know where to look.

    One of the things on our summer to-do list was visiting the Environmental Nature Center (ENC). We are lucky enough to live about 10 minutes from the ENC and always have fun exploring the grounds.

    The ENC covers a little over five acres and has a combination of 15 native California plant communities, wildlife habitats, and walking trails. You can easily spend 2-3 hours exploring the trails. From the desert to the redwoods to the marsh, you never know what you will find.

    As beautiful as everything is, don’t get so lost in the trees that you forget to take a closer look. We found this little guy soaking up the sunshine near the meadow. Yes, the ENC even has a meadow!

    In my opinion, the ENC is like a sanctuary – it is the perfect escape from the daily grind when you need a good dose of nature.

    Dylan and I spent most of the afternoon walking the trails and exploring. Since he has attended nature camp here for several years, he knows the area well. He enjoys being the guide and letting me know where the spiders nest, where the wasps are, and of course where the poison oak is along the path. Armed with sunscreen, walking shoes and my camera, I was more than happy to follow Dylan’s lead.

    The ENC is more than just walking trails – It is a world filled with the simple beauty of flora.

    Oh, and while your walking, don’t forget to look up. 
    The ENC is home to lots of little critters too!

    For more information on the ENC, visit www.encenter.org and to see more of our adventures, you can view our Exploring the ENC album on Flickr.

  • When Nature Becomes a Symbol of More

    I remember walking down the path and seeing this tree stump. It caught my attention. The shape, the coloring against the green foliage, something about this old tree fascinated me.

    No longer a symbol of strength, but a symbol of what once was.
    Yet still a symbol of nature, conservation, and the hope of saving the environment.

    “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
     – John Muir

  • Watching Mother Nature

    Have you ever watched Mother Nature? Have you ever sat in pure amazement at what she holds in her hands?

    If you are like me, then you probably need to continually remind yourself to take the time. The time to watch nature … because nature is all around us and does not stop for our busy lives.

    A few weeks ago Dylan told me about a hummingbird nest at my parents house; so of course I had to see for myself and take a picture. Holding my phone as close to the nest as possible without touching the branch was a nerve-racking experience. I did not want to disturb the nest, nor did I want the nest to fall.

    Mother hummingbird was fluttering around the patio and watching my every move. I quickly went inside the house and let her get back to her eggs.

    About 10 days later we were at my parents house again. Yep, I had to take another picture. I was anxious to see what miracle Mother Nature had performed when I was not looking.
    The eggs had hatched!

    The baby hummingbirds were so tiny. Yes, I realize they are hummingbirds and hummingbirds are tiny, but these were babies. They didn’t even have their eyes open yet! Again, I only stayed long enough to take a picture and then went back to the house.

    Today was exactly one week later and this is what I saw …

    Eyes open. Feathers coming in. Beaks growing.
    These two are looking more and more like little hummingbirds. Sitting snug in the nest, it was almost like the stopped for a moment to pose for the picture. Either that, or they froze fearing that I was going to harm them.

    From inside the house we could see the mom zipping around. She is very cautious and very aware of her surroundings. If she senses anything or anyone is watching her, she will not go to the nest. She flies up, down, and all around the tree as if to cover her tracks before landing to feed her babies.

    Taking the time to watch this family grow has reminded me of the miracles that happen every day. The miracle of life. Like I said before, Mother Nature does not stop to wait for us. She keeps going on while we are busy making plans. I am not saying what you and I do is unimportant. However, I am saying that taking the time to watch nature will make your life that much better.

  • What season is it again?

    Living in Southern California I have become accustomed to not having real seasons. This doesn’t mean that I am complaining about the beautiful weather we have, but I do wish we had just a tad more authentic fall and winter days. Aside from the desperate need for rain, Southern Californians get way to excited about a little rainfall. Less than inch of rain is a big deal.

    Rain clouds? We love those too.

    Why?

    Well, you see, a few rain clouds against a blue sky after the rain in Southern California make for the most beautiful pictures. So I guess I will take the spring-like winter days if it means I have views like this. However, I would like to experience the snow in winter just once.

    What is winter weather like where you live?

  • The World Gardens are bursting with color

    The World Gardens are another hidden treasure at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park that I just can’t get enough of. High atop the park, between Tiger Trail and Condor Ridge, is a secret world filled with an abundance of botanical beauty.

    Thousands of species native to Southern California fill the Nativescapes Garden. This one caught my eye and reminded me of the ocean, which is ironic since this is a succulent that doesn’t require much water.

    The gardens are bursting with color right now and will continue to flourish through February.

    The World Gardens are about a 30 minute walk from the entrance and a bit of a climb, so come prepared with water to drink especially during the warmer months. The Conifer Forest smells divine and is a wonderful place to reconnect with nature; and walking through the gates of the Bonsai Pavilion will instantly transport you to a place of peace and tranquility.

    Throughout the gardens there are benches to sit on and views that will take your breath away.
    So come – visit – enjoy – stay awhile – and don’t forget your camera!

    More pictures can be found in my World Gardens Flickr Album.

  • My secret garden helps me to unwind and reconnect

    Lately I’ve been super stressed out at work. Working for the school district means June is my busiest time of year and no matter how hard I try to stay on task, something always comes up. Whether it is an upset parent because their child missed a deadline or a staff member who needs something fixed, it always seems to be more important than what I have planned for the day. By the end of the day I am frazzled. My to do list looks about the same as when I started the day, which means tomorrow’s list will be even longer.

    Today was probably the worst day this week and I want to do nothing but unwind and find a way to reconnect with what is important.

    That being nature and my family.

    Forget about work.

    Forget about the laundry that needs to be done or the dinner that needs to be prepared.

    Thankfully, I did a some gardening last weekend and have this lovely little corner on my balcony to help me relax.

    It’s not much – I know that, but it is a start. And I feel good about it because these plants were saved from the trash when someone moved and couldn’t take them along. Some were gifts that I finally re-potted and haven’t killed – well, not yet.

    You think the plant stand looks like something you might put a fish tank on? Well, that’s because it is an old aquarium stand. One that I never got rid of thinking I would start another aquarium. However, I think it makes a lovely re-purposed plant stand. Eco-friendly and functional.

    Aside from the plant life, there is a a huge pine tree next to my apartment. This is the tree where Nutty lives along with many birds and other small critters. Around me there is nothing but silence and the sounds of nature.

    I hear a variety of bird calls, an owl hooting, and the occasional plane that flies over.

    I feel a cool breeze on my face.

    My son is unwinding in his room watching cartoons. Hey, to each his own right?

    As I sit here typing on my new Samsung Chromebook (a little birthday gift I picked up the other night) I am at peace. Content with the world around me.

    I can now continue my day and do what needs to be done around the house.

    How do you unwind from a stressful day and reconnect with the important things?
    Do you have a secret garden where you sit?

  • Tranquility and the butterfly house

    Sometimes I like to escape from the busy world around me and find some peace. Even if only for a short time, the sound of silence is soothing to my soul.  Lucky for me I work down the street from the Environmental Nature Center and can escape to the Butterfly House.

    Tiny California Dogface butterflies and beautiful Monarch butterflies fill the air.

    Just stepping through the doors of the butterfly house puts my mind at ease.
    I could sit in here all day.

    Have you visited the ENC Butterfly House?

  • One night of camping with my son that I will never forget

    So last weekend was a Cub Scout camping trip that Dylan really wanted to attend. However, Grandpa was out of town on business and he is the camper … not me. Knowing how much this camping trip meant to Dylan, I said that I would go Friday night and then my dad would take over on Saturday.  How bad could one night be?

    We arrived at Irvine Regional Park around 5:30 pm and made our way up to the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. Looked nice. Buildings, lodges, parking lot, orchard … but we were camping.
    In a tent. On the ground.

    As we walked the 1/3 mile up a steep incline to our campsite, carrying our gear, I remember thinking “What have I gotten myself in to?”

    This is dirt with lots of cactus and bushes. Up in the mountains.

    Well, with the help of one of the other parents I managed to get the tent set up and air mattress inflated. Hard part done right?

    This would be my home for the next 18 hours.

    As the boys ran around and played I settled in. This might not be so bad.

    I love nature and the surroundings were beautiful. Why did I not bring my camera? At least I had my phone for a few pictures.

    The sunset was gorgeous – this picture doesn’t do it justice.  Oh, and the moon coming up over the mountain was awesome. It was so close to us, I wanted to reach out and touch the moon with my hand.

    So now that the sun had set and dinner was cooking I started thinking about where I was. And how it was getting really dark. And how if I needed to go to the bathroom I would have to walk up the hill and across the dirt road … with a buddy since we always use the buddy system for safety.

    Time for s’mores. This will be fun and will get my mind off the idea of what animals would be coming out of hiding during the night. Wood fires are not allowed, so the campsites have these really cool propane campfires that look just like a campfire, but without the smoke in your eyes or any flying embers that could start a fire.

    We had a visit from the ranger who informed us of the rules. Most were common sense and of course the be courteous to your neighbors rule of quiet time between 10 pm and 7 am. Great, this meant bed was at 10 and I could sleep. The faster I went to sleep, the faster morning would come and I could go home.

    Oh wait, I almost forgot the best part of the ranger talk.

    “You are out in the wilderness. We do have mountain lions and bobcats. We do have coyotes. We do have rattlesnakes.”

    Um, hello? Why are you telling me this at 8 pm.

    Long story short. I laid in the tent from 10 pm until 3 am awake. Listening to the coyotes howl and the wind blow. Listening to the footsteps outside my tent that were not proceeded or followed by the sound of a zipper, which meant it wasn’t someone getting up to use the bathroom. Wanting to look outside, but too scared too move. Oh, then there was the low flying helicopter that circled the area around 1:30 am. Talk about your imagination running wild!

    I think my favorite part was at 3 am when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Yes, my son was not too happy when I woke him up to be my bathroom buddy. I believe his exact words were “Really mom?”

    Since it had been a full moon the night before, it wasn’t that dark outside. We saw a few bunnies and even some frogs around the edge of camp. I will even go as far as to say that it was quite peaceful. Once back in the tent I fell asleep. Not sure if it was from pure exhaustion or because I had seen that there really was nothing outside. A few short hours later I was awake – along with most of the camp – thanks to the peacocks down the hill at Irvine Regional Park. Those are some very loud birds!

    I will admit that waking up to see this was incredible.

     … watching my son sit outside our tent and whittle with his pocket knife at 6:30 am was pretty cool too.

    I may not be the coolest camping mom, but I sure did enjoy watching my son. He really is growing up and I am so proud of him. Rather than me taking care of him, he took care of me that night.

    Breakfast was great. There is nothing like a good breakfast burrito with lots of fresh bacon cooked over a camp stove. I was amazed at the kitchen set up these dads had.

    Oh, and we had Starbucks too –  thanks to a Dad who made a coffee run at 6 am.

    The day would be filled with adventures and all things Cub Scout. On the agenda was zip lining, archery, BB guns, and a night hike. I would stay until lunch time and then it was time for the boys to bond.

    I can not tell you how happy I was to see my reinforcement arrive. Grandpa to the rescue!

    Once my dad was there, Dylan wanted to have nothing to do with me. He actually told me that I could leave.
    He really does like spending time with Grandpa on these camp outs.

    I stayed just long enough to watch Dylan go zip lining a few times and then I was out of there.

    The last time I went camping was when I was a Girl Scout. That was 30+ years ago.

    So my famous last words “How bad can one night be?”  Well, let’s put it this way … I won’t be camping any time in the near future. At least not the kind of camping that requires me to sleep in a tent.

  • Happy first day of Spring!