Hiking in L.A.

Had a nice hike today with a friend in L.A. We had to cut it a little short due to time constraints, but I'm glad we went. Some snow and ice on the trail, but only here and there.

Nice to sit by a stream and breathe fresh air for a bit too.

Lots of volunteers seen doing a trail cleaning day. One woman mentioned that MLK day is also a service day- we're meant to volunteer on this day. I hadn't heard this before- I hope it's not a hijacking of MLK day, but I'm sure Dr. King would approve of people doing good things for their community on this day. I plan to remember this for next year- I'd love to join the cleanup day. In any case, the trails were sparkling clean (as they should be, but due to the proximity to LA and the 45+ people we saw in our 3 miles, it's not surprising that this sort of event is required). I made sure to thank the volunteers as they came down the trail. They all looked so inspired!
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UPDATE: Thanks NPR- just heard that this day was designated as a national day of public service by Congress in 1994. I'm glad I learned that today (sad I didn't know before). Better late than never!

Advice from a much-cited scientist

Gaia loves you.
The safe question gets funded, but the best question gets cited.
Failure is fertilizer.
Critics give you gifts.
Wherever you go, there you are.

Apparently I'm not a southern belle

Here's my first pie. At least I didn't waste 2 cups of pecans entirely! I was a little afraid...

It's not perfect- a little overdone on top and underdone (?) in the middle.

I think I need to go spend some time in Georgia.

It is delicious though!

Foraging (again)

This time we located a really bountiful tree on campus. A pecan tree! It's amazing that it spends that much energy making thousands of nuts full of proteins and oils. Precious energy spent...

We were first cued in by the crows-- they were perched up top, dropping nuts! (WHOA JUST HAD AN EARTHQUAKE here!) We heard them drop them on the pavement. When we started gathering them, there was much jibber-jabber amongst them. We could almost make out what they were saying ... "Hey, those colorful moving animals are taking our food. Better try somewhere else."


In any case, I returned with probably 5 pounds of raw pecans. Perfect!

Answer- Shadows

Well the answer is: Yes, I can rule it out, since the shadow must be pointing NorthEast, whereas the mountain is southwest of me.

As to which mountain it is-- I need a compass and a map- I'll take the opposite reading (+180 degrees) to the one I mentioned as the maximum amplitude reading. Both are at school!

In the meantime, here is a picture of my dinner. Stuffed grape leaves (rice, pine nuts, garbanzos), fatayirs (spinach pies), and my own creation, pita with melted goat cheese and uncured back bacon. The latter was a nod to my hubby's need for more protein. I wanted to cook ahead for this week, so at least I have two grab-and-go items. First try on the grape leaves- not bad!