“I know you’re tired but come, this is the way…” Rumi
It may look like a hot and dusty trail, but I think it’s paradise. Let’s explore this path together.
Come With Me
Reply
Category Archives: Travel, Hiking, Adventure!
Interesting Facts About Germany: University of Göttingen (In English and German)
My son spent his junior year abroad at the University of Göttingen but never knew about some of its important historical connections.
Randomly, I found out about an interesting educator, Emmy Noether, from the early 1900s.
“What will our soldiers think when they return to the university and find that they are required to learn at the feet of a woman?”
That was the response of more than one (male) faculty member at the idea of Emmy Noether joining the University of Göttingen to teach mathematics in 1915.
Instead of receiving the title she deserved, Emmy spent years teaching courses, often under the name of a male faculty member.
The official hierarchy dictated that it was HIS course and she was an assistant. More egregiously, she wasn’t paid for her work; she relied on the support of her family to survive.
In 1919 she was permitted to officially teach and began receiving a small salary in 1922.
As a teacher, Emmy was known to speak loud and fast, for being generous and thoughtful, and genuinely cared about her students.
In addition to being an excellent teacher, she also made numerous significant contributions to research in mathematics and physics.
The other interesting fact about Göttingen is something I wasn’t aware of until I watched the Academy Award winning film Oppenheimer.
In 1926, the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer left Cambridge for the University of Göttingen to study under Max Born. Göttingen was one of the world’s leading centers for theoretical physics. (I didn’t know that fact, either!)
World War II interrupted the work and lives of most American physicists. In 1942, Oppenheimer was appointed to the Manhattan Project, code name for the project formed to develop an atomic bomb.
My son attended UofG to further his advanced degrees in Germanic languages and literatures, not the world of science.
Because I am THAT KIND OF MOM, I visited him while he was in Germany and spent a week there. I actually stayed in a visitors room in his dorm. This structure was built sometime during the cold war era, at least I think it was, because it was DISMAL and gray and cold and unwelcoming and the bathrooms were hardly luxurious – but it was fun to see the original Angel Boy in action and meet his classmates and friends.
Best of all, I got to be the obnoxiously proud mom as we did a lot of sight seeing and he was able to use his fluent German language skills all over the country.
Except for (and because of) the snowy blizzard debacle, it was a memorable Germany adventure.
A big thank you to Herr Professor Angel Boy for helping me properly translate my words.
Ein großes Dankeschön an Herrn Professor Angel Boy, der mir geholfen hat, meine Worte richtig zu übersetzen.
________________________________________________________________
Interessante Fakten über Deutschland auf Deutsch: Universität Göttingen
Mein Sohn verbrachte sein erstes Studienjahr im Ausland an der Universität Göttingen, wusste aber nichts über einige der wichtigen historischen Zusammenhänge.
Zufällig erfuhr ich von einer interessanten Pädagogin, Emmy Noether, aus dem frühen 20. Jahrhundert.
„Was werden unsere Soldaten denken, wenn sie an die Universität zurückkehren und feststellen, dass sie zu Füßen einer Frau lernen müssen?“
Das war die Reaktion mehrerer (männlicher) Fakultätsmitglieder auf die Idee, dass Emmy Noether 1915 an die Universität Göttingen kam, um dort Mathematik zu lehren.
Anstatt den Titel zu erhalten, den sie verdiente, unterrichtete Emmy jahrelang Kurse, oft unter dem Namen eines männlichen Fakultätsmitglieds.
Die offizielle Hierarchie schrieb vor, dass es SEIN Kurs war und sie eine Assistentin war. Noch schlimmer war, dass sie für ihre Arbeit nicht bezahlt wurde; Sie war auf die Unterstützung ihrer Familie angewiesen, um zu überleben.
1919 erhielt sie offiziell die Erlaubnis zu unterrichten und ab 1922 erhielt sie ein kleines Gehalt.
Als Lehrerin war Emmy dafür bekannt, laut und schnell zu sprechen, großzügig und rücksichtsvoll zu sein und sich aufrichtig um ihre Schüler zu kümmern.
Sie war nicht nur eine hervorragende Lehrerin, sondern leistete auch zahlreiche bedeutende Beiträge zur Forschung in Mathematik und Physik.
Die andere interessante Tatsache über Göttingen war mir erst bewusst, als ich den Oscar-prämierten Film Oppenheimer sah.
1926 verließ der Physiker J. Robert Oppenheimer Cambridge und ging an die Universität Göttingen, um bei Max Born zu studieren. Göttingen war eines der weltweit führenden Zentren für theoretische Physik. (Das wusste ich auch nicht!)
Der Zweite Weltkrieg unterbrach die Arbeit und das Leben der meisten amerikanischen Physiker. Im Jahr 1942 wurde Oppenheimer in das Manhattan-Projekt berufen, Codename für das Projekt zur Entwicklung einer Atombombe.
Mein Sohn besuchte die UofG, um seine weiterführenden Abschlüsse in Germanistik zu machen, nicht in der Welt der Naturwissenschaften.
Weil ich so eine Art Mutter bin, habe ich ihn besucht, als er in Deutschland war, und eine Woche dort verbracht. Ich wohnte tatsächlich in einem Besucherzimmer in seinem Wohnheim. Dieses Gebäude wurde irgendwann in der Zeit des Kalten Krieges erbaut, zumindest glaube ich, dass es so war, weil es trostlos und grau und kalt und abweisend war und die Badezimmer kaum luxuriös waren – aber es hat Spaß gemacht, seine Freunde zu treffen und den ursprünglichen Angel Boy in Aktion zu sehen.
Das Beste von allem war, dass ich die unglaublich stolze Mutter sein durfte, da wir viel Sightseeing machten und er seine fließenden Deutschkenntnisse im ganzen Land anwenden konnte.
Abgesehen (und wegen) des Schneesturm-Debakels war es ein unvergessliches Deutschland-Abenteuer.
Photo Journey of South Lake Park
A new walking trail opened up in the city of San Marcos.
It’s inland and a bit of a drive, so it’s best to get there in the early morning or late afternoon because the temps are going up.
The trail is only a mile or so, not at all strenuous, but the views are magnificent with California lilacs and mature ceanothus surrounding the South Lake Reservoir — built in 1959, although it hasn’t been used as a source of drinking water since 1984.
I doubled back instead of completing the easier loop and that added an extra mile to the hike.
There’s a lot of coastal scrub, coots, ducks, redwing blackbirds, deer, bobcats, and coyotes. I wish I had seen deer; maybe next time! South Lake is also home to a rare native turtle; the Western Pond Turtle, and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t see them, either.
Definitely remember to bring water and a wide-brimmed hat as it gets super toasty in the sun!
Are You In The Path of Totality?
Do you feel the energy?
There won’t be another total solar eclipse for about two decades, so it’s generated an incredible amount of excitement.
Here in California, while we’re not in the path of totality, we’ll see a partial eclipse of about fifty percent. It’s predicted to commence at 10:03, peaking at 11:11, with the entire event ending by 12:23. It looks like we’ll have clear skies, which is so cool.
The total solar eclipse starts in Texas and ends in Maine, and will last approximately from 11:27 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. Pacific time.
It’s also a new moon. If you’re like me and wonder why every new moon day isn’t an eclipse, Exploratorium Senior Scientist Paul Doherty explains —the orbit of the moon is tilted relative to the orbit of the Earth around the sun, so the moon often passes below or above Earth. At those times, it does not cross the line between the sun and the Earth, and therefore does not create a solar eclipse.
For those of us who aren’t in the path of totality, I can’t think of anything better to demonstrate it than Oreo cookies, right?
Friends are traveling to locations where the total eclipse will be seen, others have booked very expensive tickets on the flight of totality, some are hosting or attending viewing parties, but I will stay close to home.
I really really like the concept of “path of totality” and might (probably will for sure) incorporate that phrase into my daily chat. It’s a destination, a manifestation, and inspiration all at the same time. PATH OF TOTALITY.
I’m ready for the eclipse and a personal path of totality — are you?
P.S. Back up your phones and computers, just in case…
I know this is a cliche and SOOO predictable, but I bet we hear this song a million times tomorrow.
Trail Cam
To find the universal elements enough;
to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter…
to be thrilled by the stars at night;
to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring –
these are some of the rewards of the simple life.
~ John Burroughs
Join me on an early morning walk around the lake trails.
There’s a familiar fragrance of tule, which some people don’t like, but I love love the way it smells. Tule grows in dense stands along freshwater wetlands.
Indigenous peoples ate tule roots and seeds, while the reeds were used to make baskets, cord, sandals, and clothing. P.S. Here’s how to say it: “too-lee”
With all the rain we’ve had, everything was uncharacteristically green…as far as the eye could see…
Pretty Black-eyed Susan flowers!
It’s a human-made lake, not natural, intended to be a reservoir, but the ducks and coots don’t seem to mind a bit.
Native buckwheat.
I didn’t see any coyotes this time, but it was still a lot of fun!
Whisper To Me
Today’s Full Wolf Moon mood…
I heard a whisper
Coming from the trees
And, in that moment
I was gone
Gone away
To return, to where I’d come from.
A little Poem by Athey Thompson
Taken from A Little Pocket Book of Poems by Athey Thompson
Photo credit to Enchanted Seashells of magical tree at Big Sur
Flying Saucer?
Looking through old photos again, I recall this was my thrilling first actual sighting of a lenticular cloud phenomenon. I thought it was Mt. Rainier, but my son, the original Angel Boy, corrected me and said it was Mt. Adams.
It really does resemble alien spacecraft or could belong on an episode of Lost in Space, right?
Some other nicknames for lenticular clouds include “cloudships,” “clouds of heaven,” and “lennies.” They also have a fancy scientific name: Altocumulus lenticularis.
“Danger, Will Robinson!” Maybe the Robinson family stayed away long enough and they’re on their way back to planet Earth. The entire landscape looks otherworldly.
Although there is no significant weather produced by a lenticular, their presence often foretells snow in the next 24-48 hours. Regardless, they’re a good warning sign of an approaching weather front and sometimes a big snowstorm.
Whether it’s Mt. Rainier or Mt. Baker or Mt. Adams, it’s absolutely spectacular!
Yay for window seats!
A Lagoon Swan and a History Lesson
A few photos to memorialize January 2024.
This is my favorite, a swan pedal boat on Agua Hedionda Lagoon. It’s an activity high on the list when the Angels visit this summer. Doesn’t that look like a lot of fun?
Now I’m standing on a path with a view of the trestle bridge and a peek of a blue Pacific ocean. Do any locals know my specific location? I bet not, ‘cos it’s a secret.
After walking all the way around the lagoon, this is a look to the east and a very low tide…
If you block out the electrical poles and the road, it’s easy to transport yourself back in time to when this land was the home of the indigenous Kumeyaay Indian Nation.
This is where they lived, fished, gathered berries, wove baskets, and buried their families. They lived in small family groups which had to move frequently to find new sources of food and water. Each clan wintered in a sheltered valley and migrated into the mountains in the spring.
It’s sacred land and should stay that way in perpetuity.
Surf’s Up!
High Surf Warning, dangerously large breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet with sets to 15 + feet.
The larger waves are south of where I am –at Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla, but I went to my local beach to check it out, and the surf was impressive here, too. In Northern California, they’re reporting ginormous waves of 28 to 33 feet, up to possibly forty feet! I’d love to see waves like that from a safe distance, of course.
Again, there were dolphins, way out beyond the waves, and no way to get a decent photo.
These are two Imgur videos; some people can open them, and I’ve heard that a few can’t, so I’m sorry in advance. They’re pretty cool. It was a lovely morning.
There have been highly unusual sightings of orca whales in San Diego county but I didn’t see them either, I’m sad to report.
From TMZ, check out these videos of Santa Cruz and Ventura!
https://www.tmz.com/2023/12/29/massive-socal-waves-crash-street-onlookers-dangerous-flood-advisory-ventura/
What a way to end 2023!
Sunrise | Sunset
I don’t know how it happened since I had all the vaccines; flu, pneumonia, and Covid – but I got sick!
Fever, chills, headache, congestion–all the worst symptoms. I’m feeling better after a few days of antibiotics. When I didn’t have much to do except look through old photos, I found some of my favorites from the Pacific Northwest. I sure wish I was there!
Sunrise through the trees.
Sunset on Shilshole Bay with the beautiful Olympic mountain range in silhouette.
Overlooking the marina.
It doesn’t ALWAYS rain, sometimes the weather is absolutely magnificent.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 