Hiking Windy Hill - California Buckye In Bloom

California Buckeye is in business on Windy Hill * serving up fragrant blooms to hikers, native bees and butterflies, like the Pale Swallowtail butterfly. This shrubby tree, found over much of the Western United States, is a great wilderness plant counted on by many natives. Before European contact, it was also a food source for native peoples, following an extensive toxic leaching process.

It's not a good neighbor in the  suburbs, however,  since there it may come into contact with non-native bees. That's because it's pollen, though extremely appealing to the European immigrant bees, is toxic to them.

So . . . we love it, but we don't plant it.
*Windy Hill is close to - Silicon Valley, Within the San Francisco Bay Area , is  nearby the 280 freeway

On my Flower-Lovin' Hiker's Bookshelf

              

Old CA In Style - Flowers and Views at Windy Hill

Poppies and Yarrow in Bloom at Windy Hill

We've been hiking Windy Hill weekly, to help my husband get his legs ready for summer field work. 

That's just an excuse of course. 

Sure, the 7 mile loop from Portola Valley up to the top and back down is a great way to get in some hill climbing, but with wildflower season in full force here on the Peninsula, you're not hearing any complaints from local hikers, taking in the flores and colores. The vistas are fantastic as well. All along the way you're treated to sudden peaks at the top of the rounded hills, and excellent views of the San Franciso Bay below.

Less mobile folks can drive along Skyline Boulevard, and gain easy access to picnic tables at the top turn-around point. From there you can get some lovely vistas of the Pacific Ocean on one side of the road, and the Bay from the edge of the picnic area. You can also amble along a shortish side trail to the top of one of the rounded domes - perfect for flying a kite.  

And yes, you can take the pooch. Dogs are allowed on several Windy Hill trails. (If you start off in Portola Valley, check the dog signs carefully as there are multiple trail heads, some of which do not allow dogs).

BTW, Windy Hill is within athletic bike riding distance of Stanford University and Silicon Valley, though it's not a mountain bike area.

On my Flower-Lovin' Hiker's Bookshelf

              

March'ing Through the De Anza Flea Market - Bay Area Field Trip

Directions and More - De Anza Flea Market

Some Junk is Better

Than the Goop I Already Have.

Shall We Hunt For Fleas?

Windmills In My Head (San Francisco Bay Area Field Trip)

I  enjoyed an early moonrise over the Windmill Farm
 as I drove on Vasco Road, through the Altamont Pass
on my way home from  Susan's house.

Took a day off yesterday, to go see my buddy Susan. You remember Susan right? She's the sewing buddy who fitted my No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency shirt, and my CA Romance dress. Susan and her family have recently moved to Discovery Bay.  Her house there is huge, by my two bedroom cottage standards. Her bedroom is more like a studio, perfect for a sewist!

Though people do  commute into San Francisco and the Silicon Valley from Discovery Bay, it's a pretty long haul from the Penninsula. I spent about two hours driving each way, managing to miss the commute traffic, but getting lost twice.  Once I was through the congestion of I880, south of Berkley and Oakland, and transitioned onto I580, the landscape began to calm down.

Once off I580 onto Vasco Road, it was clear I was heading into land that has maintained it's agricultural roots. The area has still got plenty of working farms, farm stands and narrow two lane roads, and the Sacramento Delta is a hop skip and a jump away.

I'm not sure what the key crops are in the fields just beyond Susan's house, but it's pretty clear that energy is a year round, all-season product in the Altamont Pass Windmill Farm.

~ ~ ~

Web Resources

Field Trip: Bayside Sewing With Susan http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2014/05/field-trip-bayside-sewing-with-susan.html

My No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Shirt http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/03/no-1-ladys-detective-agency-shirt-b5526.html

CA Romance Dress

http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/06/sewing-up-california-romance-vogue-8810.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Bay,_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento–San_Joaquin_River_Delta

Altamont Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Pass

Altamont Wind Farm Windmills are dangerous for local birdlife http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Altamont-Pass-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-4230640.php

Heart of Silicon Valley (Mountain View, Red Rock Cafe)

You can hear about the big names and hot companies in the Silicon Valley, but if you want to feel it happening, come by Castro Street in Mountain View.

Go on into the Red Rock Cafe and head up the narrow stairs to find people plugging away on their laptops, working and talking together. This is where they come to informal working groups, Meetups, like those for Android App and IOS (apple/Mac) developers. This is where it's actually going on. 

History is happening here.

Junípero Serra: The Mission Man

Junípero Serra was not exactly the good old buddy of California native people that he imagined himself to be. Were his missions indeed like old-time concentration camps for the enslaved native population who didn't manage to escape the rule of the Conquistidores? Likely many of the diseases that decimated local people spread from the missions.

This statue's up behind a roadside rest stop off Highway 280, one of two major arteries on the peninsula that runs between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. That freeway still bears the name of this man, though many of us don't relish the connection.

What are your thoughts on the man with more than one mission? 

References: 1491 : new revelations of the Americas before Columbus / Charles C. Mann.

Finding History at MacWorld 2013 (San Francisco Field Trip)

MacWorld's not what it used to be. These days it's more like a recreation of the good old days in the 80's and 90's to remember when it showcased the marvelous new apple computer products we were all so hyped about. 

It's a short BART trip from my home in Silicon Valley up to the expo.  So I went, still hyped about my mac and all it's associated mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod), and my work on IOS app development. I mostly saw business apps, some hardware and tons and tons of accessories - cleaner, cases and covers. This stuff I can buy on the web. I didn't find any of the educational apps I was interested in contrasting with my own work. The app display area ("Appalooza") had plenty of room to sit in comfort, as there were so few vendors. 

Upstairs I found some of the tech listen-in sessions that used to excite me, but I just couldn't get my enthusiasm up. So I went for a good long walk to enjoy a little more of the history of San Francisco.

Thanks for the memories.

It's all happening, it just isn't happening here anymore. 

Baylands: Believing

Please, click on the illustration above 
to enjoy the really glorious detail

Baylands: Believing

It took a lot of people believing that marshlands were vital to the future of a good many people and animals, for this area to be set aside. It took a lot of people pushing, talking and, maybe even shouting down other people. From the birds point of view,  it's the difference between a place to settle for a few days, eat up and rest, and flying on in desperation. When you eat like a bird, that's the difference between survival and raising your family and not making it.


Today I vote for believing mixed with a heavy dose of being pushy. 

* * * 

History of the Baylands Nature Preserve (Palo Alto City site)

A few other illustrated Baylands Bites from this journal have included:

Baylands Bounty

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011

Some of us have to really put our heart into searching for supper.

Baylands: Sarcocornia pacifica recovering from overindulgence

Jan 11, 2011 

I’m partial to a pickle myself. S. pacifica likes that salty taste even more than I do. 

A Baylands Bouquet

Jan 02, 2011

California buckwheat,. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum. Please click on the picture above to immerse yourself in the detail of this lovely buckwheat bouquet. What's so great about the. BaylandsNature Preserve? ...

Baylands is for the birds

Jan 09, 2011

I think this gentleman is trying to nerve himself up to go in. I'm like that about lake swimming. I know you're supposed to be tough and jump right in, but....

A Taste for Tidal Salt

Jan 03, 2011

Pretty delicious, particularly if your name is Pickle Weed, Cord Grass or Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. You may also enjoy A BaylandsBouquet. ... to enjoy this really salty repast.

Baylands Bounty (Nature and Travel Silicon Valley, San Francisco Bay Area)

Some of us have to really put our heart into searching for supper.

I'll just stop by Trader Joe's on the way home.

* * *
A lot of folks don't know about how close you can get to our baylands area, when they come to visit Silicon Valley/Stanford University/Mountain View. We always take international and U.S. visitors out there because it's a very short, easy drive from the suburban towns like Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, etc. (about 10 minute drive from any of those). Flat, easy walking, wheelchair/elder accessible. Also different ramps and bridges (somewhat less accessible with mobility issues - but may be possible) get you even closer to the salt marsh.
Also lots of people bike out there.

San Francisco bay scenery, bird life and plant life up close and personal and nobody trying to sell you a tee shirt (I like tee shirts and tourist stuff too!). 

There's also a big golf course and small plane airport on the way out there (some noise from planes, depending on time of day).

Here's a clip from the city web site. "Bounded by Mountain View and East Palo Alto, the 1,940-acre Baylands Preserve is the largest tract of undisturbed marshland remaining in the San Francisco Bay. Fifteen miles of multi-use trails provide access to a unique mixture of tidal and fresh water habitats."

A few other Baylands Bites from this journal have included:

Baylands: Believing

Feb 15, 2011

When you eat like a bird, that's the difference between survival and raising your family and not making it. Today I vote for believing mixed with a heavy dose of being pushy. 

Baylands: Sarcocornia pacifica recovering from overindulgence

Jan 11, 2011 

I’m partial to a pickle myself. S. pacifica likes that salty taste even more than I do. 

A Baylands Bouquet

Jan 02, 2011

California buckwheat,. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum. Please click on the picture above to immerse yourself in the detail of this lovely buckwheat bouquet. What's so great about the. BaylandsNature Preserve? ...

Baylands is for the birds

Jan 09, 2011

I think this gentleman is trying to nerve himself up to go in. I'm like that about lake swimming. I know you're supposed to be tough and jump right in, but....

A Taste for Tidal Salt

Jan 03, 2011

Pretty delicious, particularly if your name is Pickle Weed, Cord Grass or Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. You may also enjoy A BaylandsBouquet. ... to enjoy this really salty repast.

Fine Fruit:Quilt Block, Contest Entry Silicon Valley fusionwearsv

This entry won FOURTH PLACE in the Silicon Valley fusionwearsv contest!

This garage on Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, is where the story that transformed the agricultural Santa Clara Valley into today’s technological Silicon Valley began. When Bill and Dave built their first oscillator in this garage, my husband's family lived just a few blocks away. My father-in-law remembered the area of that time, as a land of cherry orchards. In 1938, my own family was involved in the information technology of the day, as telegraphers. As Silicon Valley grew my family's information skill set evolved with it. My father, sister and myself were computer programmers.

I enjoyed biking over to photograph the restored HP garage that represents an important foundation of the Silicon Valley. I used Photoshop CS4 to alter that and other digital photos I’ve taken, to create my own 1938 vintage-style fruit crate label, honoring the birth of the Silicon Valley. All images are my own. I loved being able to honor the history of the valley by using the technology that it represents.

Tumbling Chips: Quilt within a Quilt Block , Contest Entry Silicon Valley fusionwearsv

I'm much taken by the spirit of modern day style, versus a vintage design. Here I was inspired by the much-loved 'tumbling blocks' quilt block, to create my own modern-day variation of silicon chips gone wild. These chips dance right out of their tidly-bordered frame. The well-behaved, neatly balanced background checkerboard of chips, is outraged by their bolder colleagues non-standard behavior.

Another one of my original designs for the Silicon Valley fusion wearsv contest.

I used Photoshop CS4 shapes, filters, drawing tools and line art tools, to compose a picture of a silicon chip, inspired by a real-world photograph.

Contours: Quilt Block , Contest Entry Silicon Valley fusionwearsv

My Contours' quilt block, represents the beauty and excitement the programmer feels when she realizes her power to duplicate, concatenate and transform.

Sparked by the fusionwearsv contest, I created this piece in Photoshop CS 4, using a combination of contour filters worked against the melding of filtered and conglomerated chips, I created for the Transformations quilt block.

Please CLICK ON THIS IMAGE to see the nice detail in the design

Voting in the Silicon Valley Quilt Design Contest is through June 11'th, 2010

Please follow this link to VOTE