When Mom Went Viral - Blue Whale in the Bay!

When is it okay to abandon a live interview? When a blue whale suddenly appears behind you... #BigBlueLive https://t.co/irRqnHij0l

— BBC One (@BBCOne) August 30, 2015

BBC and PBS have been filming in the Monterey Bay this month. They've hijacked my mom from her babysitting duties and have her out on their boat tracking Humpbacks and Blues. Today her interview got interrupted by the largest animal on earth, a Blue Whale. Her face is priceless.

Leaping Humpbacks!

I got mad at Nicole when she told me she had no pants. She had come to visit me in Santa Cruz in July, and she brought no pants. No pants! What about our cool foggy mornings? And now, she had talked me into going on an 8am whale watching trip on the Monterey Bay, and she had no pants. I laughed at the flimsy dress she thought was appropriate boat wear and gave her a pair of tights, some wool socks, a pair of tennies, a beanie, and a wool coat to put on. As we drove south to Moss Landing, I regretted forgetting scarves and gloves. I work for Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching, and part of my job is to explain appropriate boat wear to customers.

Moss Landing Harbor, Dock A, where the adventure begins

I probably shamed Nicole a bit too much for her lack of warm clothing, since she was visiting from Philadelphia, where it is currently hovering around 100 degrees, but I was cranky because we got up so early to catch the boat. Shortly into the trip on the foggy ocean we spotted Humpback Whales. Sometimes we could hear spouts from their blowholes, but not see them for the thick fog. Their giant dark grey humped backs sliced out of the ocean, we heard the sound of releasing air, then down for a moment, then, when we were lucky, the tail flukes lifted out of the water as they dove down for anchovies. Each whale has a distinctive white pattern under the tail fluke, which can be used to identify different whales, much like a human's fingerprint. The edges of the flukes are lined with barnacles that sometimes dangle like earrings as the whale propels itself down to the depths.

We were hanging with these whales, probably about three of them, and sometimes we'd lose them and have to listen for their blowholes and point in the direction of the sound so the captain could move the boat closer. Suddenly, one of the whales fully jumped out of the water, propelling itself vertically up out of the ocean, and twisting in the air as it splashed back in. We gasped in delight. It was the first time I'd seen a breaching whale!

Soon after, another whale jumped clear out of the water. Then one of them turned to its side, stuck its fin out of the water, as if it was waving to us, and slapped the fin down on the water, over and over again. Before we knew it, there was another breach. It was impossible to tell the whales apart, since we'd just met them, but I think two of the whales were alternating jumps, as if they were playing with each other.

The leaping went on and on! I counted 12 breaches before we had to motor back to the harbor. I have a feeling the whales kept putting on a show after we left too. I caught two breaches in a one minute video I shot, which you can see above. I still cannot believe my eyes when I watch the video.

With all the fog that morning, everything we saw felt like an ethereal dream. We couldn't see the shore or the horizon. The whales were close enough to see details, while mist shrouded the surrounding ocean. Nicole saw these amazing creatures for the first time, claiming, "You know Madeline, it really isn't that cold!" Meanwhile, I was reminded how magical whale watching can be, all the while wishing I'd brought my scarf and gloves.

Link:
Sanctuary Cruises Whale Watching

Happy Spring! May Fair at Santa Cruz Waldorf School

Maypole dancers

We spent May 2nd at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School for their May Fair. The traditional maypole dance, performed by the 6th grade class, was every bit as beautiful as I remember from childhood.

Waterfalls, Bluegrass and Lobster: Baby's First Trip to Big Sur

Bixby Bridge, Big Sur

Big Sur is one of my favorite places on earth. Luckily, it’s right down the road from my home Santa Cruz. Our new baby kept us from visiting rugged and isolated Big Sur over the past 16 months. Finally, this month we spent an entire weekend at Fernwood Resort and in Pfieffer Big Sur State Park. Having a baby limits what you can do in Big Sur, but not by much. Wilder was happy as a clam during our three day trip. 

Lupine in the meadow at Fernwood, where it meets Pfieffer State Park

Fernwood Resort - Fernwood is the party campground at Big Sur - not the obvious choice for a family with a baby. It (kind of) worked for us because our family friends were having a big birthday celebration at Fernwood, and we wanted to be close to the action. Unfortunately, Friday night the campsite across from us was party central. The wanna-be frat boys and girls drunkenly yelled into the wee hours. The baby slept right through it, but it kept me up. It’s the third time I’ve been kept up all night by noisy partiers at Fernwood. Seems to come with the territory.

A Shoulda Been Woulda Been Birthday

Pirate gramps

On April Fool's Day my extended family got together to celebrate my sister's birthday. We also had another shoulda been coulda been birthday to recognize - Wilder's. Wilder's due date was April 1, 2014. He surprised us by arriving the year before, in December 2013. His adjusted age is now ONE YEAR OLD, even though we celebrated his one year birthday in December. For the first few years, preemies are considered to be developmentally the age that they would be, had they been born on their due date. I know, its confusing. Wilder looks like a one year old, which is to be expected, even though his chronological age is 15.5 months. 

The Meadows of Schwan Lake

I found myself in a meadow the other morning, walking with Wilder. The meadow surprised me, being not where I expected it to be - so near my family home - walkable from both my house and my grandmother's house. I had eyeballed the land jutting out onto Schwan Lake, visible when driving past Twin Lakes Beach, wondering how to access it. With a google search I realized the trail begins right on 17th Avenue, which couldn't be more convenient for me.

Things I Wish I Knew Before Bringing Baby Camping

The marina at Pinecrest Lake Resort

Pinecrest Lake in the Stanislaus National Forest is a family camping dream, with movies in an outdoor amphitheater, food and supply stores, restaurant and coffee bar, not to mention a clear blue lake fully stocked with rainbow trout and ringed by Sugar Pines, Redwoods, and granite. Kimo and I felt confident in our camping skills until we brought our 6 month old baby to Pinecrest on a two-night camping trip. Even with grandpa’s borrowed camper van we were overwhelmed at times. 

Point Lobos - Photo Essay

I took Wilder and Kimo to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Carmel, for the first time this summer. Kimo fell head over heels and we ended up visiting the park three times in one month. 

End of Summer Recap (including August Photo A Days 15 - 31)

I started August with daily blog posts of my “photo a day” pics. I’m ending August with a 2 week recap of more than 14 photos. Life really got in the way these past two weeks. Wilder has had lots of appointments, including a new addition to his care team - a Doctor of Osteopathy - who adjusted his bones. I’m not sure if it was coincidental or not, but Wilder seems to have taken off running since the day of his first adjustment last week. 

That very night Wilder lifted his head off the ground while on his tummy for the first time ever. Soon, he was flipping over completely on his own. He seems eager to crawl and sit up. It will be exciting to see which he does first!

Day 15 - Clouds - none to be photographed that day!

Garrapata Beach (and August Photo A Day - Days 11, 12, 13, 14)

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Day 11 - Mirror - I picked up the art deco compact mirror at a stoop sale in Brooklyn years ago. The mirrored glass pot holds a homemade candle from my sister Melissa. She also gave me the vintage souvenir compact with the lady scarf inside. The cover says, "Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk."

August Photo A Day - Days 7,8,9,10

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Day 7 - Spot - Rockview, Santa Cruz

August Photo a Day Day 5 - Pile

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Today's prompt - Pile. I found this pile of seaglass, stones, and prayer beads blessed by a monk (given to us by his grandma for Wilder's isolette when he was in the hospital) on my vanity.

Wilder and I took a hike in Henry Cowell Redwoods this afternoon.
The trail was dusty from the drought. This tree fell over and created its very own pile that looked like a fort.

August Photo a Day Day 4 - In the Middle

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Theme for today is "In the Middle." Mornings like this are rare since daddy wakes up at 4am for work most days. Yay for days off!

Later we went to the San Lorenzo River for a swim. Wilder was entranced by the trees and sky up above.

The trail to the river is gorgeous. 

August Photo a Day - Day 1 - Landscape

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Day One Theme - Landscape - Pleasure Point - on a walk with Wilder to soothe his teething cries

We walked the long way home from the point so I could find an inspiration for a landscape photo. Oddly enough, the ocean just didn't look pretty today. For one, a fog bank loomed grey in the distance. There were no good waves, lots of kelp, and "billions" of sooty shearwaters (as a guy on a bike said to me) flying just past the breakers. With a pitiful looking sea, I found inspiration in a neighborhood scene.

We saw velella  (related to jellyfish) on the beach.
There's hundreds amongst the seaweed in the sand on 26th Avenue Beach right now.

Picnic Date at the Garden of Eden

Railroad Trestle - Henry Cowell State Park
Photo by Madeline Horn

Last week we finally took the world's advice and went on a date without the baby. This was our first outing together without Wilder since he came home from the hospital 2 months ago. We'd planned a matinee film, but we were persuaded by the glorious sunny day to change plans to an outdoor picnic. 

We hiked down to the Garden of Eden swimming hole from Highway 9. The path from the road brings you through redwoods, past lush fern gullies, and along the railroad tracks to the beautiful Garden of Eden. 

View from the beach at the Garden of Eden
Photo by Madeline Horn

Mini rapids and waterfalls flow between a series of swimming holes. A few small beaches allow space for sunbathing before jumping in. Vertical redwood trees spike towards the sky on either side of the river. We picnicked on egg salad sandwiches, cheese, salami, apricots and oatmeal stout. Then we jumped in to the cool refreshing water without allowing 15 minutes - oops!

Photo from July 2013 of me and my sister Melissa at Garden of Eden
Photo by Dorris Welch

A current flows through the middle of the largest swimming hole, giving you something to do in the water - let yourself ride the current, then swim back up, and start all over again. I adore the exhilirating feeling of cool river water on my scalp on a hot day. Nothing compares to it.

Trestle
Photo by Madeline Horn

Kimo is a jumper. He told me how he once jumped off a tree limb into the water at Garden of Eden. To me, it seems fool hardy and dangerous, but it also makes me love him more. He didn't pull any daredevil stunts on our picnic date.

On our walk back to the road Kimo showed me the railroad trestle, a short detour up the tracks towards the main part of Henry Cowell. He grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has a map of all the trails, trees, and swimming holes in his heart. He has many memories in each forest location he brings me to.

The trestle is covered in scratch graffiti - silver paint revealing red rust letters. Lots of the graffiti is from decades past. The oldest piece we found was from 1971! It was fun to photograph, even though I only had my phone to take pictures that day. The trestle passes over the beautiful San Lorenzo River. There are so many spots to wade, splash and swim on the river. It's a never ending source of recreation and inspiration.

San Lorenzo River
Photo by Madeline Horn

Kimo
Photo by Madeline Horn

The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California

"We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” 

- John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Downtown Salinas, early 20th century, when Steinbeck lived there as a boy. Photo from National Steinbeck Center exhibits
Photo by Madeline Horn

I finally made it to the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, on an impromptu trip with my mother and my son. We were in Salinas dropping my sister off at the train station, after a quick weekend visit. It was a special day - my son Wilder’s first museum visit! It means a lot to our family since both myself and my mother have careers in museums.

As a Central Coast native, I especially enjoy Steinbeck’s stories that are set locally. However, I would love his work even if we didn’t share a stomping grounds. Like all my favorite authors, Steinbeck is a true philosopher, capturing the experience of being human with his words. 

The National Steinbeck Center is located at the foot of Main Street in downtown Salinas, anchoring a strip of historic art deco and victorian buildings, sports bars, coffee shops, florists, and banks. Salinas still has a Fox Theater, with a swirling gold and aluminum confection of a box office. Historic photos depict a bustling, crowded, thriving downtown Salinas, which just isn’t the case anymore. The strip was calm on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Many of the businesses were closed on Sundays.

Fox Theater, Salinas - the first of many historic theater box offices this boy will pose in front of 

Photo by Dorris Welch

Visitors enter the National Steinbeck Museum through a large airy atrium. The immersive exhibits bring Steinbeck’s writing to life through audio, text, artifacts, interactives and film. Exhibits are laid out chronologically. I enjoyed interactive elements, such as drawers and doors opened by visitors to further explore themes. Audio of text being read aloud in some sections made it nearly impossible for me to read the large amount of text on the walls. I didn’t represent your typical museum visitor - I had an infant strapped to my chest. That said, I found myself unable to get motivated to read all the quotes and interpretive text.  

The museum has preserved sea creature specimens from Ed Ricketts (“Doc” in Steinbeck’s book Cannery Row) on display, as well as Rocinante, the actual camper Steinbeck drove across the United States in his book Travels With Charley: In Search of America. I would have appreciated them so much more had they been labeled as the actual artifacts. Instead, I wasn’t sure, so I assumed that they were replicas. Later, I read on the museum website that they were the real thing. 

East of Eden exhibit, National Steinbeck Center
Photo by Madeline Horn

The museum gave me a sense of what the Salinas area was like in the early 20th century, when Steinbeck was born and raised there. Exhibits also include sections on Asian and Mexican immigrants to the area throughout history, important to represent in light of the current population of migrant and immigrant farmworkers.

Pillow quote - National Steinbeck Center
Photo by Madeline Horn

We ate lunch at Patria, a sprawling restaurant on Main Street with a full bar that made us feel like we were in the twilight zone. The restaurant is so spacious that we got our own dining room to sit in. Patria’s fanciness and old school European vibe felt out of place in Salinas. However, that wasn’t a bad thing at all. The crab cake was practically 100% crab, and the caramelized onion, goat cheese and bacon pizza was delightful. The prices were surprisingly reasonable for a restaurant whose waiters wore head to toe black uniforms.

I learned a lot about Salinas on our day trip. I was surprised at the wealth of historic information available to the public. I found a historic house at the train station and a sign with a phone number for an audio tour. I also picked up a brochure and map on Salinas’ art deco architecture. By happy accident we drove by Steinbeck’s childhood victorian home (now a restaurant) on our way out of town. Steinbeck’s work is an important legacy for the Central Coast. It was great to explore his world for an afternoon. 

Rocinante  - Steinbeck's home on the road in the book Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Photo by Madeline Horn

Interior of Rocinante trailer, complete with Courvoisier 
Photo by Madeline Horn

Museum Website - http://www.steinbeck.org

The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, San Jose State University - http://as.sjsu.edu/steinbeck/index.jsp

Tiki Graduation Party!

Mom and Madeline in the foreground, Natalie and Jagger behind the bar
Photo by Melissa Burman

Last May my family hosted a tiki graduation party for my sister Natalie when she graduated medical school. The decorations, food and drinks were so fantastic that I had to write a post about it. This post is so late because, oops, I had a baby in the interim. 

Another thing - Natalie's accomplishment was so amazing - she put so much hard work into this degree. We are infinitely proud of her and so lucky to have her in our family.

Photo by Melissa Burman

The bountiful food spread was colorful and delicious. We also had bbq courtesy of my dad. This table is worthy of Pee Wee Herman.

Photo by Melissa Burman

Natalie's fiance Jagger was the bartender. He made a to-die-for punch with gin, fresh strawberries and basil.

Photo by Melissa Burman

Jicama, mango, coconut milk, and lime salad - can you say "YUM"?!

Photo by Melissa Burman

Melissa's famous holiday olive balls, including cheese!

Photo by Melissa Burman

The party took place in a bungalow on the creek in Nichols Canyon, in Hollywood. The Beatles stayed at the house in the 1960s when it was owned by one of their producers. 

The party was a great success with guests from as far as Oregon. It was the perfect beginning to my sister's medical career, which, knowing her, will be full of laughter and triumphs.

Where Pirates Meet Sorcerers at Wilder Ranch

On Old Landing Cove Trail, Wilder Ranch State Park
Photo by Kimo Elliott

We spent Cinco de Mayo at Wilder Ranch State Park, just north of Santa Cruz on Highway One. It was Wilder’s first trip to Wilder Ranch! We didn’t name him after the ranch, which is a California State Park, but we both love to spend time there, at living history events in the old dairy farm buildings and hiking the coastal and redwood trails. 

On a deserted Monday afternoon we took the scrub brush-lined Old Cove Landing Trail out to the coastal bluffs. Butterflies led our way down the path. We were thrilled when we came around a bend to a view of pristine Wilder Beach - completely off-limits to humans as a nature preserve. The water sparkled shades of aquamarine, and the sand was the smoothest buttery white I’d ever seen. It doesn’t get touched by human feet, so the mini dunes you see on most beaches are completely absent. When the ocean irons out the sand, it stays flat.

Around the windy corner (so windy we questioned our sanity at bringing a newborn on this hike), the ocean revealed two long thin juts of angular rock covered in green moss and white bird dung.

Poppies at Wilder Ranch
Photo by Madeline Horn

Our final destination was Fern Grotto Beach, easily accessible down a path with the baby strapped in his Moby Wrap. Two worlds meet on this beach - a pirates cove with rough surf and a fairytale sorcerers lair - the entrance to the cave dripping with ferns all shades of emerald. I worried about bringing Wilder too far in the cave entrance since I’ve heard that some cultures warn to keep babies away from caves. We couldn’t help posing for photos with the dramatic fern archway. Peeking in further, we saw a room that could only be accessed by crawling - not the kind of adventure we sought that day. 

Aside from the wind, the hike was lovely, flat, and easy. It was my first adventure out towards the ocean from the historic center of the park. I would encourage anyone in good health to walk towards the ocean to find magical Fern Grotto Beach. 

Kimo with Wilder - Old Landing Cove Trail
Photo by Madeline Horn

History of Wilder Ranch: 

Ohlone Indians built temporary camps near the ocean to hunt elk, collect shellfish, and harvest wild grain on the land that is now Wilder Ranch until around 1,000 B.C.  Once the Ohlones abandoned the site, humans did not return to settle it until 1769, when the Portola Expedition arrived.  Spanish settlers built the Santa Cruz Mission in 1791 and they used the nearby land at Wilder Ranch to graze cattle to provide supplies for the Mission.  In 1821, after Mexico’s liberation from Spain, land in the area was distributed to citizens through land grants.  The land that is now Wilder Ranch State Park was granted to a Russian fur trader named Bolcoff.  One building remains from this era, an adobe built in 1840.  Bolcoff farmed dairy on the land with his family until he went into debt to a man named Meder who foreclosed on Bolcoff in the 1850s.  Meder lived on the property with his family for about 20 years and built a home there.  Eventually he sold the ranch to D.D. Wilder and a partner.  When the partnership dissolved the Wilder family moved onto the ranch and stayed for five generations.  The Wilders operated a dairy farm on the property for many years.  Eventually they switched back to cattle ranching and leased out some agricultural land to farmers. 

In 1969 the Wilder family sold the land to Moroto Investment Company, who planned to develop the land with commercial, industrial, and residential properties.  Moroto abandoned their plans because of Coastal Commission restrictions and strong local opposition.  Concerned members of the public worked together to preserve the land as open public space and stop the development.  The issue was brought to the ballot and residents voted to put the land in public trust.  Wilder Ranch was classified as a California State Park in 1976. 

Wilder BeachPhoto by Madeline Horn

Wilder Ranch Today:

Modern day Wilder Ranch includes beaches, tide pools, oak woodlands, freshwater streams, and wetlands.  Some of the land is still used for agriculture, since it represents an important part of the area’s history.  The historic core of the park includes the Bolcoff Adobe, a victorian house, an old farm house, and a museum. Wilder Ranch hosts special events that are the perfect family outing with living history reenactments, music, and food. 

The coastal land north of Santa Cruz is dear to my heart - a mix of agriculture and remote beaches. A drive up Highway One always clears my mind. Thankfully, concerned citizens and organizations have worked hard to prevent commercial development of the area. 

Fern Grotto Beach
Photo by Kimo Elliott

In 2005 The Trust for Public Land purchased 154 acres of land located directly north of Wilder Ranch named Sand Hill Bluff for $12 million.  Sand Hill Bluff includes an Ohlone burial ground and a shell mound.  Sand Hill Bluff will be protected along with Wilder Ranch and 407 acres of property called Coast Dairies, located immediately above Sand Hill Bluff.  Together, Wilder Ranch, Sand Hill Bluff, and Coast Dairies form 13 miles of protected coastline, totaling 12,000 acres.  Half of the land at Sand Hill Bluff is cultivated agriculturally, growing brussels sprouts and artichokes. 

It puts my mind at ease, knowing that Highway One will look the same when my son is my age. As a Central Coast native, it's his heritage!

Fern Grotto Beach
Photo by Kimo Elliott

Madeline and Wilder with the barn, Wilder Ranch
Photo by Madeline Horn

Wilder Ranch State Park Website - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=549

Wilder Ranch Brochure - http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/549/files/WilderRanchWebBrochure2009.pdf

How My Life Changed Forever in Boulder Creek

Berry Creek Falls at Big Basin State Park
Photo by Madeline Horn

Winding my way up Highway 9, through a tunnel of redwood trees, past cabin and RV resorts, the community pool, and the hot dog and shave ice stand, it feels like vacation land. The retro red neon Scarborough Lumber sign greets me on the south side of Boulder Creek, with a cartoonish lumberjack wielding a chainsaw whose chain lights up and rotates after dark. Buildings from the 1890s line Highway 9, which runs straight through town - Boulder Creek Brewery, Joe’s Bar, Boulder Creek Fire Department. Look up and you see green, redwood-covered mountains surrounding town, often off-set by a bright blue sky.

I grew up 18 miles from Boulder Creek, but never paid it any mind. I had the ocean and the whole town of Santa Cruz to entertain me. Upon returning to Santa Cruz about a year ago, I started exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains by taking hikes in the redwoods, swimming in the San Lorenzo River, and poking around antique stores. The mountains are a completely different environment from my beach neighborhood. In the mountains, the sky is filled with impossibly tall redwoods, unlike the open skies of Santa Cruz. The air is scented with moist forest soil as opposed to the smell of sand, seaweed, and sometimes fish on my side of town.

Anonymity is not an option in such a small town. People are chatty in the grocery store and genuinely interested in newcomers at parties. Many residents live on isolated dirt roads in the forest, but when they come to town, they all end up in the same bar, pizza place, or gas station.

On Halloween, the streets were filled with families trick or treating. A DJ played music for dancing children dressed as pirates and fairies in the Rec Center. We toured the haunted house, and were terrified by a live midget ape man who howled and shook at us. A man dressed in fur and leather for the Joe’s Bar costume contest told us he planned to wear a squirrel costume to his job as a tree climber the next day, so he could jump from tree to tree in costume.

Redwood forest in Boulder Creek
Photo by Madeline Horn

What got me truly acquainted with Boulder Creek was falling in love this summer with a man who was born, schooled, and raised in the town and who sometimes refers to it as “my beloved Boulder Creek.” His love for his hometown is deep and true. Just yesterday, as he drove up a private dirt road to show me the house his friend had recently built on 10 acres with a view of redwood-covered mountains, he said, “I love showing you new places in Boulder Creek!” He’s taken me to a backyard heavy metal shows, to the hidden cemetery and the trail leading to a waterfall behind it, to a tequila tasting under the full moon on a property overlooking the majestic mountains, to swim holes and swimming pools, Halloween parties, and on hikes, both in state parks, and in hidden spots off the side of the road. Upon reflection, I realize he used the Santa Cruz Mountains to seduce me. 

He’s introduced me to a head-spinning amount of people in the months we’ve been dating. We’ve never walked through town without at least one person, but usually, more like five different people of all different ages, yelling his name and greeting him warmly. I call him the Boulder Creek Ambassador.  

Boulder Creek Cemetery
Photo by Madeline Horn

Gypsy Atlas has been silent since July, but I have the ultimate excuse - I am pregnant with a baby boy! I found out in July and felt so fatigued my first trimester, that blogging while working the 5am-2pm shift 5 days a week was completely out of the question. I fell asleep in the back of my car on my “ten minute” breaks at work. I had to tell my manager very early on so she could take it easy on me when I stumbled back to my desk in an exhausted haze. Most days, I drove home from work and I fell asleep. After my post-work naps I opened my eyes for a short while, maybe ate some dinner, and went right back to bed.

Luckily, my energy is back up in the second trimester, and I am happy to share the news with the world. I haven’t stopped having adventures during my pregnancy, I just haven’t had the energy to write about them. I waited until I’d finished my first trimester to start telling people outside my most intimate circle. Now, at 22 weeks, my belly seems huge to me, and baby is the size of a papaya. Pregnancy has changed everything for me and for my boyfriend. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, I know I’ll never be the same again, and I couldn’t be more excited. 

The blog will adapt to my new life, but I don’t think it will be much different. Exploring my surroundings and finding delight in the everyday and the obscure are as natural to me as eating and sleeping. If anything, I’ll be exploring more with my little one as I show him the incredible things the world has to offer. We may not make it abroad for a while, but one never knows. Mexico is drivable...

The baby will be born in Santa Cruz and brought home to our house by the ocean, where my mountain man has relocated to be with me and baby. We both love the mountains, and will probably move up there before baby starts kindergarten, but we’ll see. Baby boy will be equal parts ocean, from mama, and mountain, from daddy. I know it will make for a good mix.