After picking apples, we stopped by Santa Cruz to catch the sunset.  It was a perfectly clear day and the weather was nice for the coast.

There were lots of nice beach homes along Cliff Drive. It must be wonderful to wake up and see the ocean right in your front yard. And to breathe in the fresh ocean air.

A little sandy cove along the cliff. The green plants are mostly ice plants.

Some sea moss and also more ice plants.

Ice plants in bloom. These are white, but I especially like the purple variety. The leaves are plump and juicy - not that I ate them. It was just filled with juice.

There’s even a lone palm tree here. Not something you see often in Northern California, especially along the coast.

Sunset at Natural Bridges State Beach. Santa Cruz, CA.

Nature Walk Note:

We also walked the Monarch Butterfly Trail to check out the .  I didn’t photograph any because it was dark in the grove.

There weren’t many butterflies when we got there. But they say the best time to go is early morning when the butterflies will cluster among the leaves. From middle of October thru February, they cluster in eucalyptus groves. So if anyone is interested in seeing them, there’s still time.

Apple season is coming to an end out west. Many “U-Pick” orchards are closing their doors this weekend. Luckily we made it just in time to pick the last few apples left on the tree.

Gala apple hanging on a branch.

Clearview orchard is open only during the weekends. Located in Watsonville, just a few miles from Santa Cruz. The apples are grown in rows on a steep hill. When picking the apples, you have to be careful and not get your eyes poked by the branches.

This is the first time I’ve been to a “u-pick” farm and wasn’t used to paying for fruits that I picked myself. I guess I’ve always been lucky to get FREE fruits, whether it’s from a friend’s yard or our own.

We found out about Clearview Orchard from a Groupon deal, 10 lb for $10, normally it’s $2 per pound of organic apples. We easily picked 14 lbs in no time! And it was well worth it for fresh crisp apple right off the tree.

Bumper crop of Fuji apples.

On the down side I wish they had more varieties of apples such as Granny Smith. There seem to be only two types, the Gala and Fuji apples. Another downside was that there weren’t any animals around like goats or chickens. It would be fun to have a petting zoo. 

But next time I want to try a different orchard, one with a working farm and red barn too. Gizdich Ranch is also located in the same area and sounds like fun.

The person who came up with this idea is brilliant! It almost feels like the fishes are crowded, but they seem to enjoy the new view.

Now you can turn your backyard fish pond into a small aquarium. It also seems easy enough to put together with plexiglass.

This Halloween has me thinking about Disney’s fairy tale princess. Come to think of it I don’t remember ever wanting to be a princess for Halloween. Maybe a black cat or friendly witch.

This is Snow White. It looks almost creepy but somewhat interesting and sweet. The cover art from the book, The Art of Disney Princess. Available at Amazon or The Disney Store. Image .

I also like this version of Snow White, although the make-up is a bit too heavy for my taste. Photo by Ryan Astamendi.

Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to dogs there are really many breed out there. If anyone is interested in getting a barkless dog, they should consider owning a Basenji.  Also known as the African Barkless dog, African Bush Dog, Congo Dog, and Zande Dog.

Technically there are no such thing as a barkless dog, and these dogs do make a yodel-like sound. And of course there’s the occasional “woof”.

They usually have white feet as well as white on the chest and tip of the tail. And they have almond shaped eyes that look like they are squinting.

Because they don’t bark, they will whine, howl or squeal depending on their mood.

If they are not happy, you’ll hear from it just like a whiny child. To a Basenji dog lover, that may be fine, but I personally think that would be quite annoying!

Photo above from TerrificPets.com Basenjis are hunting dogs that originate from Central Africa. That would mean they will need lots of space to roam.  So not good for those with a small yard.

They are athletic dogs the size of a fox terrier.  They are highly energetic and need an owner that can spend lots of time with them.

Another interesting thing about Basenji is that they can climb and jump very well. It’s said they can climb up chain link fences just as easily. I can’t imagine any dogs being able to do that.

They are not as trainable as other dogs but with the right trainer they will do well.

Here’s one showing off his jumping skill.   They are rather cute with that curled tail. And they kind of reminds me of the Australian dingo with the pointy ears. 

So if that is what you prefer from a dog than go get yourself a Basenji.  Best place to find Basenji that need a loving home would be to get  rescued Basenjis.

Animal Planet’s “Breed All About It - Basenji” on .

Photo from here.

Hoyas are commonly called wax plants. This is probably because the leaves feel almost like wax, or at least to me more like plastic.

There are many variety of hoyas with many different shaped leaves and flowers.  They are tropical vines that make great houseplants and require little water.

The one I have pictured here is “Carnosa Tricolor”.

With some care and proper watering, it will reward you with . Be careful to not over water, as wet soils can kill a Hoya fast.

The flower is the real prize of this plant. I have yet to see the real flower and am looking forward to it. It’s been described that Hoya flowers are very fragrant and some species even smell like chocolate.

Care for your hoya plants by putting them near bright light but not direct sunlight. Let the soil dry between watering.

They don’t like big pots and bloom when root bound. This little plant I have is root bound and there are now 2 buds. I’m not sure when it will bloom, maybe in a few months.

More info about hoyas:

They are epiphytes (like orchids) and like well draining and porous growing medium such as chopped coconut husk or sphengnum moss.  A good mix is about 1/3 of an orchid mix (bark, perlite, charcoal.)

Fertilization is average. And once the Hoyas start to bloom, they will continue blooming from spring to summer.

A popular variety is Hoya kerrii:

Belongs in the frangipani family, apocynaceae.  

It is best to propagate any type of cuttings or seeds in a mixture of moist peat and perlite.

Apios Americana (groundnut) is not peanuts, but they are closely related because they are legumes. Native Americans and early European colonist depended on these ground nut for survival.

Photo from kgNaturePhotography.com

The flowers are beautiful, reminds me of flowering peas. The plant is a climbing vine producing flowers and bean-like fruits. But it’s the tuber that is mainly eaten. Ground nuts are high in protein and grows well in this area.

A healthy harvest of ground nuts here. I just hope they taste better than how they look. Photo from First Church of Dirt.

Ground nut are native to North America and grow along riverbanks to woodland. This unique plant would be a good addition to the garden as food source. Even urban gardeners can get into the fun and plant these in containers.

More info from Herb Roots: “Always chew this nut to a very smooth paste before swallowing or it will resist digestion. Roasting helps it to breakdown in the body too. Groundnuts are the only nut in the world that grows below the ground (peanuts are not nuts by the way!). The plant sends shoots into the earth and form pods. Allow this to develop for 2 months(the plant will turn yellow).”

You can order some from Herb Roots.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.” - Steve Jobs

Memorial for Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011)
Cupertino, CA

It’s one week later. Lots of apples and it smells like rain and roses here.

Great speech by Jobs at Stanford University’s 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005 via . The above quote can be found at 05:08/15:05

These little green guys are tomatillos. Pronounced “toe-ma-tee-yohs”. They are related to tomatoes and are in the nightshade family of plants.

I’ve eaten salsa verde (green sauce) many times at Mexican restaurants and really like them. So I thought it was about time I made my own version. And I’m glad I did as it’s very simple and easy to make.

Before cooking, wash the fruit with soap and water to remove the film left by the husk.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of tomatillos
1 Jalepeno pepper (chopped)
1 garlic
onions
cilantro
2 tbs of fresh lime juice
Sea salt

Wash and cut the tomatillos in half. You can roast or boil them lightly. I find boiling them is much easier.

Cook until it’s soft then put all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend away along with all the other ingredients. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. If you don’t have a food processor, just chopped everything and mix it up with a fork.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just found out about this young and talented musician from England, Helen Jane Long. Her music is beautiful and it goes well with the nature scenes.

Warners Classic and Jazz: “Helen Jane Long’s debut album ‘Porcelain’ is an expressive, inspiring and evocative collection of original compositions which cross the worlds of classical, chill out, and filmic music to create an indefinable combination of music minimalism.”

And some other nice music below.

Expression - Helen Jane long

Photo from Warners Classic and Jazz.

Helen says “I don’t tend to follow any particular formula or pattern when I compose. I just play what I feel. In many ways I use composing as a form of therapy, a way of expressing thoughts and feelings without necessarily verbally communicating them….I hope that my music has a similar effect on those listening to it too”.

This music would be perfect for road trips to the country side.

This one is by Prince Waldecks Galliard