The HSU Calypso Band performance was this past weekend. I took some footage on my camera from the balcony of Eric rockin the bass pans. I'm so proud! Congratulations Eric on your first show!!! I know there will be so much more to come.
 
    Strawberry Rock is a local secret spot in Trinidad at the top of a colossal rock formation. The only way to get there is through sketchy back-roads and narrow paths that lead to a rock quarry. This afternoon I went for a hike to Strawberry Rock with two of my friends, Carolyna and Bridget. We experienced the feeling of being on top of the world looking down with nothing but ocean ahead of us and trees in all directions. We climbed to the very top and then hiked around the rock at lower levels where Bridget found a mysterious box that she opened curiously. Turns out it was part of Geocaching which is a real-world treasure hunting game. Players usually try to locate hidden containers called geocaches using a GPS but we just happened upon it instead. Inside were little treasures like action figures, pistachios, bubbles, bud, a lighter, a pen, notes, a journal full of entries from people who have found the box before us, and so many more entertaining trinkets. We each left something for the box (a punch-card from a local bakery, a couple keys that no longer fit into anything) which we had on our person and we left individual notes in the journal with the provided pen. How often do you open a random, discarded box to actually discover treasure?! In the end we put away all the little Humboldt moments back into the box and left everything where we'd found it while leaving a little of ourselves behind. 
These are some of the treasures we found in the box.
 
The kinetic sculpture race is an annual tradition and it involves racing man-made vehicles that are human-powered and can not only traverse cement but sand and water and dead man's drop as well. Here a couple gypsies clink swords victoriously after cycling up a particularly difficult slope (while each puffed a joint) for the beach portion of the race.
Seals and sea lions are such playful creatures! Spotting one in the bay brings such joy.
This lonely red caboose stirs the imagination. It is usually surrounded by Roosevelt Elk that graze by highway 101 going North.
This foot trail in Petrolia, surrounded by the most extraordinary wildflowers, leads to a secluded beach.
The people here are very passionate and protests are a daily affair. I've seen this sign at multiple events, whether or not it's related to what is being protested.
 
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It was windy and a layer of fog hovered above the ground but the skies were mostly blue. I saw a variety of birds including duck, heron, and hawk. I spotted six doe scattered about but I'm sure there were more hidden behind the veil of cattails.

When I came too near for comfort it became an even more stunning scene of wings and waves as they trailed their feet in the water creating the most magnificent ripples in their wake.
Another classic bench that I am grateful for. It's amazing what can be witnessed while sitting on a piece of wood that somebody so lovingly put there.
I almost always see deer if I squint through the brush as I pass by. Once I saw a buck leap in front of me on the path and splash into the marsh.
Cattails here grow 6 to 8 feet high and it makes the marsh into a maze in some places if you wander off the main path a bit which I admit is a bit irresistible in a place like this.