Our Little, Little Cabbage

Poor Mon Petit Chou! I knew that she had lost a bit of weight, but since we were feeding her the regular, all natural, grain free, highly rated dry food, I attributed her finicky eating habits to adjusting to our new place. However, we took her to the vet for a check-up, and she had dropped from five to four pounds. The doctor was concerned and ran lots of pricey tests (see shaved belly above). While we were waiting for the results, we started feeding her tuna, salmon and wet food. She scarfed everything down and gained two ounces in just a few days. Most of her tests that were abnormal came back normal after her weight gain. The final decision was that I was basically starving my cat. It's not such a good feeling. No wonder she chooses to stick close to Matt (see Titchou/ Matt cat napping shot above).

Used Does Not Always Make Financial Sense

I've been a bit mind boggled when I come across used and new products on eBay that are the same price or more expensive than one could buy new locally or online at a retailer with a customer friendly return policy. There must be a reason for this, and I've talked with others who are just as confused. Is it consumer ignorance, seller ignorance or getting caught-up in the bidding? It irks me.


REKO glasses

Today I was at the Goodwill store looking for a cheap used flower pot (all I found was another pet peeve of mine--flower pots with no drainage holes), when I saw the ubiquitous IKEA REKO glasses. Since we have some but could use a few more, I was all set to buy them. However, the price was $4.99 for a set of four. While I wasn't sure of the exact price, I did remember buying a dozen of them years ago for fewer than $10. I just checked, and the glasses sell for $1.99 for six. I am slightly tempted to call the store and let them know--but I think I'll just sound/be annoying.

Now there is the argument that buying used is better--the Reuse part of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I completely agree (I was at Goodwill after all), but not at a 300% markup.

Julian, CA (aka Pie Town)

Even the local outdoors store is named after Julian's famous pies.

On another Explore San Diego outing, Matt and I recently went to the town of Julian--just over an hour away in the Cuyamaca Mountains. Originally we were going to get up early on a Sunday and head out to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I was a bit concerned about the 100º forecast and our arriving there later than expected, at the hottest point of the day. A phone call with our friend, Shawn, on the way out of town confirmed that we were a bit insane--you visit Anza Borrego from November to March, never in the summer, she told us. Just happy for a change of scenery, we decided to continue our trip east and go to Julian instead. Julian and its cooler mountain climate are just west of the desert park.

What did we do in Julian? We spent about two hours eating bison burgers and fries at Miner's Diner and visiting bird, novelty, second-hand and jam shops along Main Street. We learned that Julian is known for its pies (specifically apple pies--we saw at least four pie shops) and for its roots as a gold rush town. Unfortunately, the concept of gluten-free pies hasn't reached the area yet.


At Miner's Diner (excellent bison burgers) you get a playing card instead of a number, and Matt searching for gold. Matt loves anything to do with mining or panning for treasure.

As we were leaving Julian, I was up for a little walking/hiking along some of the trails within a 20 minute drive--but Matt suggested we leave that for another day when the temperature was under 80º. Since we've become interested in birding (I still can't believe it myself), we'll definitely be back to the area. We learned that San Diego County has over 400 known species of birds--more than in any other US county (or so we were told). The area is also bordered by a number of preserves and parks, in addition to Anza Borrego. Oh, if Matt and I had some fancy motor cycles, we certainly would not be out of place. There were quite a few very expensive rides parked along Main Street, and quite a few people visibly coveting other peoples bikes.

Other things you can do in Julian...


You can buy John Deere Christmas ornaments, take a horse and buggy ride,


shop at Cats, Cats, Cats and More, or make yourself a Julian souvenir penny (for 50 cents).

Doing Our Part

Matt emptying our very handy IKEA SORTERA recycling bins.

As part of being eco-friendly and thrifty, Matt and I have started taking our recycling to a center where we turn it in for cash. Our last visit--after accumulating bottles and cans for a month--netted us four dollars (we don't waste any fuel getting there as we stop when we're already nearby). That's 5/6 of a gallon of gas!

Torrey Pines State Park & Tijuana Estuary

Cliffs at Torrey Pines. Dramatic--and when you hike up them you are higher than the helicopters!

Since our gym is closed on Sundays, we've been trying to get out and spend some physical energy exploring the parks and reserves in the San Diego area. Recently we've been to Torrey Pines State Reserve and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The former is across the street from Matt's office in La Jolla and the latter is just south of Coronado, with a view of the fence separating Mexico and the US and the massive Bullring by the Sea in Tijuana, Mexico.

Spending time together in our new town is our main goal with these outings, but I could tell Matt was a bit disappointed with the lack of birds at the Tijuana Estuary. We had brought our good binoculars and the spotting scope and tripod my dad had given us at Christmas. It did help us get a good view of a Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, few Brown Pelicans, group of Snowy Egrets and group of terns (perhaps Elegant Terns), but the quantity of birds was a bit low.


Western Meadowlark and Red-winged Blackbird

A group of Snowy Egrets and an adventurous juvenile on its own.

We went on a free bird tour at the reserve, and even our guide said that this was not the best time of year for birding. We actually only came across a Northern Harrier (named Harriet by the staff) and a few Belding's Savannah Sparrows on the tour until we were heading back and Matt spied the beautiful Yellow-crowned Night Heron crabbing in the marsh. It paid us no attention as we gazed and snapped photographs: it was too busy catching its dinner. After that, Matt was a much happier bird watcher.


Yellow-crowned Night Heron, spying and then catching its dinner (can you see the crab?)

When we went to Torrey Pines, the weather was much hotter--most people were in the water not hiking. Matt and I tend to don hiking boots not bathing suits, and the breeze off the cold Pacific is all we needed to enjoy our day. While Torrey Pines is not a large area as far as California parks go, it does offer "2000 acres of land are as they were before San Diego was developed -with the chaparral plant community, the rare and elegant Torrey pine trees, miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds."


Beach goers at Torrey Pines and the eroded sandstone up above.


Two forms of Torrey Pines wildlife--Matt and a lizard.