Little Red Riding Hood

This week marked my first week of riding my bike to work. It's about a 2 mile ride to my office (~12 min) from our house and it's a great one. It's nice to save gas, get some much needed exercise, and do something good for the planet. It's also a rather relaxing way to start and end the day. I ride through neighborhoods filled with birds singing and so far the temp in the morning has been quite nice.

To find the right bike took some time, but I finally found the right one. (Wade however is still on a quest for his new bike... his taste is a bit expensive so we'll have to save up a bit for that one in addition to the gift certificate he got) Mine is a Raleigh too, but with a nice feminine (and light) frame. The bike is super comfortable and great for tooling around town. Below is a picture of the new wheels, and note the ultra cool red ladybug bike bell on the handlebars (haha). :) The chainguard is a lifesaver too - no more grease on my pants!

I also had collapsible baskets put on the back and a removable one on the front. Perfect for bringing groceries home - which we already did this week. And after a serious assessment of what I needed to take to work everyday I got everything down to my one little Timbuk2 bag that fits on the back so I don't have to wear a backpack.

Ok, enough of my biking nerdiness. Just wanted to fill everyone in on my new mode of transportation!

Settling In

Well, we've been here three weeks now and they've been busy ones. We got everything in the house put away and all the decorations put up just in time for a cookout/housewarming party last week. Some EDF colleagues from our DC, NC, and TX offices came into town so we had everyone over after a day of meetings to relax on the back deck. The weather was perfect and everyone had a good time. It was fun to have people over and to get to know some new people at work. I also got my hair cut that day - the shortest it's been - nothing drastic, but it was a change for me. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't quite do the new 'do justice since we were scurrying around trying to get the house ready for company, but you get the idea. (You can also get a peek at our kitchen behind me)

Over the past few weeks I have discovered that my co-worker, Michelle, is also a gardening buff, so she's been my partner at local plant sales (the gardening season is just getting underway here). I've picked up a lime and lemon tree and some native plants that will attract and feed birds and butterflies. We've already seen about a dozen birds and butterflies that we didn't get at our house in Miami and that I've never even seen before, so we're really enjoying the yard and I wanted to make sure the wildlife keeps coming back.

We've also discovered that our army of squirrels was chasing the birds off our feeders so we got serious and sought some "professional" help at the local Wild Bird Center. When we told the guy where we lived he laughed and immediately understood why were were frustrated - because of all the huge old live oaks and pine trees we likely have HUNDREDS of squirrels on just our little street alone. Pretty insane (see Wade's previous post on our squirrel troubles). So, we armed ourselves with some squirrel-proofing devices for our existing feeders and a "Squirrel Buster" feeder and waited. Now, for the dogs, this has been depressing because they LOVE chasing the squirrels off the feeders, but after the squirrels emptied two feeders in less than 24 hours it stopped being funny. (So not funny in fact, we seriously contemplated buying a "squirrel-shocking" or squirrel-flipping bird feeder just to get retribution...desperate times call for desperate measures) So far our investment seems to be working. The birds are enjoying the new feeders and the squirrels are downright frustrated, which makes us laugh with glee. Here's a tip we picked up: don't buy bird food with corn or those little red seeds (also made from corn) - the birds don't eat them and the squirrels go wild for it.

We joined the local YMCA last week (it's really nice and is only a half mile from our house) and have started swimming laps. I'm going to start yoga with my two co-workers too. Everything is so close here that we can bike to most places we need. I'm going to start biking to work (stay tuned for that adventure) and we're both making an effort to drive less.

And here's one last parting shot of how well we're settling in... They've lived together for 2 years, but the orange twins have never been seen snuggling before, until now. :) We had to get photographic evidence. That's Marley on the left looking embarrassed and Hilo on the right looking dreamy-eyed (haha).

On Caging a Squirrel

So how do you cage a squirrel you may ask? Well, you can try the old box trick, but those fiesty little guys aren't to easy to get back out of an upside-down box. One little lift of the corner, and -- POOF! -- they're gone.

Or, as a second option, you can get a SQUIRREL-PROOF bird feeder, and fill it full of seed:

If you opt for #2, be aware that it may take a little time, up to 20-30 seconds, for the squirrel to find its way back out (that pea-size brain doesn't do it too much justice). So if your dog is standing in wait for it to finally make its way back out, AND there isn't a tree too close by for the squirrel to jump directly too, there can be a very gruesome outcome. Fortunately I've had Amelie and Carmel by the collar each time such a well-time event has presented itself!

Adios Miami

Well, we have survived moving day! Last Saturday (the 13th) was moving day. The truck arrived in Miami and Wade helped them pack up the house. After they left he went to get his oil changed before making the drive to Sarasota and found out the radiator on the Civic was leaking. Nice. So after getting it checked out and stocking up on fluid he drove up anyway without any problems. In the mean time, I was prepping the house for the deluge of boxes and furniture about to arrive. One of my co-workers, Michelle, was kind enough to keep me company and help with the movers. The movers finally arrived (see below) and when they opened the truck doors it was completely full - stacked like a 3-D Tetris game (haha).

After a long day of moving, everything was finally here, but there was no where for us to stay, so we stayed another night at my mom's with the kids. Sunday we spent the whole day unpacking, taking stuff to storage (we have no garage, so we broke down and got a little storage unit), and trying to figure out where things would go (and we still couldn't stay there). We did meet all of our neighbors, who are all really nice. They all came over to introduce themselves - one side brought us a plate of cookies and the other side brought us a little mason jar of fresh picked flowers! Yeah, life is a little different over here. :)

Monday we took Wade's car to the dealer to get the radiator fixed (which topped off our already expensive weekend...), kept unpacking, and finally brought the kids down to their new house (see Amelie below in the yard on squirrel patrol - she's the white puff on the lower left).

Monday night was the first night we spent in the house and the kids were having all kinds of fun exploring the house and the boxes. Actually, the cats were ruling the house (see Marley "helping" make the bed below) while the dogs were on the hunt in the back yard.

We have 3 huge live oaks, 2 citrus trees, and other trees spread all over the property, plus an army of squirrels and a symphony of birds and cicadas. We know this because for the first 3 days we were here we could only eat on the picnic table on the deck since our dining room table was covered with boxes! Pretty nice way to dine actually... :)

On Tuesday Wade headed back to Miami to get in another field day, finish up things at our house and say goodbye to his partners in crime at RSMAS. On Friday they had a little going away party for him and everyone pitched in to give him a gift certificate to a local bike shop so he could finally get a road bike. He was really surprised and touched and we already went to the bike store today to check things out (but it was closed).

So it seems everything fits nicely into the house, we love the lay out, and are really enjoying the yard. The kids also seem to approve (the dogs look downright annoyed when we bring them inside now), and most of our stuff has been put away or hung up. Tonight was the first night that the house felt like we lived here - we cooked dinner and we finally got almost all the boxes emptied. Wade just got back into town last night, so it's nice to be a family under one roof again.

Next Tuesday (Oct. 1) we're hosting a cookout for some of my co-workers who are coming into town from all over for a meeting. So that will be our unofficial housewarming party I guess. Should be fun to meet more people and to see how the deck works out. You know me, I can't wait to throw a party!

ATL

This past weekend I was in Atlanta (for work) for the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA). I got to see some good talks and see what makes hard core aquarium nerds tick. It was almost like going to a sci-fi convention... but instead there were aquariums everywhere and phrases like "protein skimmer" and "nitrogen cycle" and "coral frags" drifting in the air. It was a little weird since this is the first meeting I've been to where I didn't already know someone, so that was a little challenging, but it was still a good learning experience. There was also a trade show going on for all the aquarium-related businesses that I went to and here's a video from my favorite booth:

This video is of a tank of captive-bred "clownfish" (more accurate is Anemonefish). This is a growing trend in the industry, but there aren't a lot of fish that have been bred in captivity yet. These guys are one of the exceptions. Aren't they cute?!

At the end of the conference there was a banquet at the Georgia Aquarium. I'd never been before and was able to get a special behind the scenes tour. It was pretty cool actually. The centerpiece of the aquarium is the largest tank in the world - it has a few million gallons of water (think of a 40ft deep football field) and 4 whale sharks in it! After the tour we had a tasty Wolfgang Puck (no really, he's the caterer for the GA!) southern-style dinner and I met a fun couple my age from South Carolina. We had a great time talking at dinner (it was nice to talk to someone finally!) and here's a video of the view from our table:

In the video you can see the largest female whale shark (22ft) swim by, and in the distance the new Manta Ray (the only one in captivity in the world b/c she can have a "wing"span of up to 24ft), and at the very end you'll see the Leopard Lay swim by at the bottom (gorgeous!). Head over to our Picasa site to see more pictures from the trade show and the aquarium.

While I do believe aquariums serve an incredible role as educational tools for the public, I also believe there should be limits on what should be in an aquarium. Two of the original whale sharks died after the aquarium opened, and I heard one joke at the meeting that the staff at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (California) only half jokingly call the GA Aquarium the "Death Star" because whatever it sucks in with its tractor beam is sure to not come out alive... yeah. It's true, some facilities are better than others, but what I am trying to say is wild animals (aquatic or otherwise) are best kept in the wild so do what you can to protect them there and say a little thank you for the "ambassadors" who are stuck in zoos and aquariums (hopefully) inspiring the next generation of conservationists. (I do think zoos and aquariums are a good place for resuced animals though that can't be returned to the wild)

Ok, I'm getting off my soapbox now! I hope you enjoy the pictures and video. :) For those who are keeping track - Saturday is MOVING DAY!!! I can't wait! The nice thing about my trip was when I got home this past Sunday Wade was already at my Mom's with the furry kids in tow. They've sort-of made the move already and don't even know it. Haha. Stay tuned for pictures of the big event... this is the first time we've hired movers and are really excited to have paid help this time around so we don't have to torture friends again!

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On a completely unrelated note - while I was typing this up Sarah (sorority sister) called to tell me she and Evan got engaged!! So congratulations guys!!!! Looks like we'll be heading to TX sometime in 2009 for a wedding! :)

Countdown to the Move

Labor Day weekend I headed back to Miami to see friends and help Wade finish packing. Friday night we met up with the usual suspects at the RSMAS Wet Lab (aka: bar). I have one picture that should give you an indication of the kind of night it was:

Yes, if you read the details closely, that's a surveillance report from a security camera at RSMAS... with (from L to R) Wade, Jason, Johnathan, Paul, and me causing mischeif with a roll of insulation. Don't ask b/c I seriously don't remember. No, really. For more evidence of the evening head over to our Picasa site. It was also my first chance to congratulate Johnathan in person since he officially became Dr. Kool last week!

Saturday I spent most of the day being ill... but not exactly what you think. I have discovered over the years that I have some sort of allergy to vodka and blue curacao... even one drink makes me feel like I had about 8. So, the last drink of my night Friday was one with vodka and without thinking I happily drank it down. So I went from tipsy to icky in a matter of a half hour. On the bright side, I did get to spend all day Saturday in bed with my cats! Otherwise I couldn't even keep water down the whole day. Fun. Needless to say, I did not get much packing done. Sunday we packed and I was able to meet up with Robin for lunch to catch up and see little Kaitlyn (sooo cute!!). Monday was more packing before I had to head back to Sarasota.

And now I am packing my bag to head to Atlanta for a conference this weekend. It's at the GA Aquarium (which I've never seen) so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for my next post! After that we MOVE!!! Sept. 13th is the big day unless one of those storms in the Atlantic has other plans...

San Francisco treat

Pictures are now up at our Picasa site!

After our trip to PA I flew directly to San Francisco for my work trip. Due to the change in plans (thanks TS Fay), I didn't have my digital camera, so I had to make due with a disposable one.

I was there from Aug 20-23rd. I had some meetings on the 21st in EDF's downtown office which has an incredible view of the downtown area, Bay Bridge, and the Bay. On Friday (22nd) we had a company picnic at a local park near Oakland. I got to see my first redwood trees (they had fuzzy bark!) and enjoyed meeting some of my colleagues in our San Francisco office. After the picnic I got a call from CJ (my friend from highschool) that he was going to be starting his work week in San Fran! (He's a pilot) So we met up for dinner Friday. We headed down to Pier 39 to see the sealions (hilarious!!) and Alcatraz (see picture below), but we could barely make out the Golden Gate through the fog. Afterwards we walked down the Embarcadero (reminded me of Duval Street in Key West - very touristy) to find dinner. Since I had missed CJ's birthday earlier in August, I took him out to make up for it. We laughed pretty hard b/c now that we live in the same city we haven't seen each other in months - until we meet up on the other side of the country! We had dinner at this awesome place over looking the Bay that had fantastic sourdough bread (what SF is known for, other than Rice-a-Roni of course, haha). We had a great dinner and some good drinks before taking the trolly bus home. It was a great way to end the week since I'd spent the other nights in SF eating alone and wandering downtown. I was also trying to avoid jetlag and it was freezing (in South Florida terms) so I didn't stay out late on the other nights. It was nice though being able to get up at the crack of dawn (their time) and feeling like it wasn't early at all!
One cool thing about San Fran was how easy it is for people to get around without cars! I took the metro between the airport and downtown and took the trolly bus or walked to other places. It was so nice not to have to drive.

I was also a little amazed at how the fog seemed to fluctuate bewteen just hanging over the mountains waiting to creep in or comepletely covering the Bay. So strange - but it did make me think of the weird fog at our wedding!

This was my first trip to CA, but it was a short one. I think I will definitely be going out again though for work, so I'm hoping to take Wade next time so we can explore and enjoy it some more.