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* The Water Falls * Dogwood Flowers Despite the discouraging weather forecast, a friend invited me to accompany him to go to Yosemite and hike to Nevada Falls during the weekend of May 22nd/23rd. We were there in July 2009 when we hiked up to the top of Yosemite Falls. Earlier years, we had done Half Dome and Glacier Point. We drove from the Bay area on Friday afternoon and got to the park just as darkness was settling in. The Housekeeping Units near Curry Village provide bare-bones kind of accommodation. At $90.00 per night (sleeps four in bunk beds) they are not cheap but the location is right to make it a base for hikes. The valley itself is far from pleasant during the peak season -- overrun with tourists and their cars. The Valley Shuttle buses provide excellent service but some people are loath to give up their cars, traffic congestion and pollution be damned. The night was colder than we expected. Fortunately, a space heater carried from home helped. Woke up on Saturday to a sunny, bright sky that made us hopeful that perhaps the forecast was wrong. But by 11:00, the sky became overcast and a cold wind started blowing. We decided to stay with the plan and take John Muir trail instead of the Mist Trail, and go on to Nevada Falls bypassing Vernal Falls. Never made it. By noon the snow flurries began. The weather did not deter hundreds of hikers on the Mist Trail. We, too, hiked on the Mist Trail. The stone steps were slippery and saw a number of hikers with injuries (bruises and sprain ankles) being ministered to by a ranger. On Sunday, the weather was better but we did not have time to go up to Nevada Falls. Took the short hike to Mirror Lake. Unlike our previous visit when the lake was just a sandy bed, this time there was water and it looked pretty. The water falls are always spectacular at this time of the year. Perhaps this year more so because of the unusual amount of rainfall and high snowpack in the Sierras. The dogwood trees are in bloom, and I have never seen them in such splendour. Raging Merced River ©Musafir Bridal Veil Falls at dusk ©Musafir Distant view of Vernal Falls©Musafir Hikers on Mist Trail ©Musafir Shutterbugs on Mist Trail©Musafir Awesome view of Vernal Falls ©Musafir Upper Yosemite Falls ©Musafir Odd shaped tree trunk alongside Mirror Lake trail ©Musafir Mirror Lake ©Musafir The sheer side of Half Dome viewed from Mirror Lake©Musafir Dogwood trees in bloom ©Musafir Close up of Dogwood flowers©Musafir In depraved May, dogwood and chestnut, flowering judas, To be eaten, to be divided, to be drunk ..... T.S. Eliot - Geroniton For those planning a trip to Yosemite, the water falls should be flowing in force through June. The Tioga Pass and Glacier Point roads remain closed. In 2009, the Tioga Pass Road opened on May 19th. This year, work is still continuing to make the road drivable. Check thefollowing web site to get current status: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm Climbing Half Dome the conventional way after hiking approximately 9 miles from the trailhead to the base of the dome now requires permits during weekends and holidays. This was a long-overdue measure which the Park Services put into place for the first time before the beginning of the 2010 season. The Half Dome cables for climbing the rock will not be in place over the May 28-31 climbing period. If you are planning a climb, check the web site below: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm#trails

* Russian RidgeThe display at Russian Ridge is not spectacular as it has been on some years but it is always a pleasure to walk on the trails. Looking east, one can see the Stanford Campus and, beyond that, Moffet Field and the east bay. To the west, the rolling hills, Rapley Ranch and the small pond adjacent to it. Buttercups and Checker Mallows © Musafir Blue Lupines© Musafir Red Maids © Musafir Mule's Ear © Musafir Johnny Jump Ups © Musafir Looking east, Stanford Campus © Musafir Looking west, Rapley Ranch © Musafir California Poppy © Musafir The poppy flowers;how calmly They fall.-- Etsujin (translated by R.H. Blyth)

* Politicians doing what they do best Recent reports about participation of SEC staff using office computers to view and download pornographic items made the front page of major newspapers. Some Americans were outraged. Well, at least that was what one gathered from their reaction. Antics of politicians, Republican politicians more than the others, are amusing to say the least considering the number of elected Republican legislators who were exposed after getting caught in sexual peccadillos in recent years. But they are shameless, have thick hides. The noise being made by Senator Grassley and his colleagues could very well be a wild hare to sabotage passage of legislation for reform of Wall Street. Nothing new. One can expect politicians to bloviate about such things. Pornography is big business in America. The Internet and modern technology have made it so. While one cannot condone people at work spending hours viewing and downloading x-rated items, for every employee who does so there must be millions more who do it at home. The appeal of pornography is not restricted to a particular class. Whites, Blacks, rich, poor, are all consumers of pornography in some form or other. Most of them will not admit to it but the explosive growth of this sector makes it obvious. And major American corporations are participating in this highly profitable sector. A Frontline report titled American Porn contained the following: It's one of the hottest industries in America. Easier to order at home than a pizza, bigger than rock music, it's arguably the most profitable enterprise in cyberspace. AT&T has been in the business. Yahoo! has profited from it. Westin and Marriott have made more money selling it than selling snacks and drinks in their mini-bars. And with estimates as high as $10 billion a year, it boasts the kind of earnings that most American businesses would envy.That was in February 2002! "Sex sells" - It sure does A Stanford University study covering the period 1997-2001 stated: Sex sells. As the number one income generator on the Internet today, pornography is a ripe business that will continue to grow along with the advancement of technology. With a reported annual growth rate of 40% since 1997, and the status of being the most queried subject on search engines, pornography is a thriving industry and one of the only successful e-businesses.It would be interesting to see an update of the report but one can be sure that the growth rate has accelerated way past 40%. The Genie -- if it is considered as one -- cannot be put back into the bottle despite rumblings from the so called family values groups. Paradoxically, residents of the Bible Belt were reported to be major consumers. See Pornography and the Bible Belt posted here in March 2009. While there are undeniably harmful effects, pornography is here to stay. It has become a part of mainstream society, and not only in America. Recommended reading: How teenage access to pornography is killing intimacy in sex TimesOnLine January 17, 2010. "Teenagers have such easy access to hardcore porn that a skewed view of sex is becoming the norm in society and the idea of intimacy is dying"

* Eyjafjallajokull * April Showers * Wild Flowers Sound of Bees Humming Reports about the volcanic eruption from Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced EY-ya-fyat-lah-YOH-kuht -- try it) in Iceland continue to dominate the headlines. Misery for stranded travelers is not going to end any time soon. But an item in the Washington Post mentioned a happy woman who lives near London's Heathrow Airport."It's been wonderful," said Monica Robb, 80, who on Saturday afternoon was sitting in her back garden under a clear, blue sky, enjoying a lunch of toast and fruit. "I can hear the bees humming." A Cool, Wet April for San Francisco Bay AreaLast weekend was wet and cold. This Sunday morning, the sun is out. Temperatures remain cold enough for sweaters in the evening. Showers in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. The foothills look lush and green. Does not take long for them to turn into what some describe as California gold. Buckeyes have began to sprout. So, cool days notwithstanding signs of Spring are abundant. Have come across more wild flowers down in the valley than at Russian Ridge up on Skyline. A mixed bag of photographs follow. Pulgas Ridge, San Carlos, CA. Mission Bells© Musafir California Lilac © Musafir Star Lily © Musafir Solomon's Seal © Musafir Trillium sessile © Musafir"Commonly found in central part of the eastern United States and the Ozarks." I have come across trillium sessile in Mid-Peninsula preserves, including Wunderlich and Coal Mine Creek. Edgewood Park, San Carlos, CA.Goldfields, Blue-eyed Grass, Owl's Clover© Musafir Tidy Tips© Musafir Owl's Clover© Musafir Larkspur © Musafir Easter Sunday. Stanford Dish, CA.Hikers and cows © Musafir Buckeyes Sprouting© Musafir Hoover Tower and beyond© Musafir For my friends who love to tend to their gardens and walk in the woods:It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day. ~Robert Frost In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood

* Univ. of Montana "On the Spring Equinox the Sun rises exactly in the east travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the west. On the Equinox this is the motion of the Sun through the sky for everyone on earth. Every place on earth experiences a 12 hours day twice a year on the Spring and Fall Equinox." --Univ of Montana Officially, the Vernal Equinox begins today at 4:32 PM on the West Coast (1:32 PM EST). For us in San Mateo County, cloudy weather in the forecast for two more days. Feels cool after yesterday's temperature in the high 80's. But soon, warm, sunny days will be the norm. The valleys are green and inviting; wild mushrooms are gone but wild flowers are coming out. It is the season to be out, to tend to gardens, to hike and run on the trails. Ah, Spring. Make the most of it. "One thing I remember Spring came on forever, Spring came on forever," Said the Chinese Nightingale. --Vachel Linday, "The Chinese Nightingale" Violet Lupines alongside Hwy 35, near Sawyer Trail ©Musafir Mallows at Sweeney Ridge ©Musafir Distant view of Golden Gate Bridge from Sweeney Ridge ©Musafir Field of Mustard Greens near Skyline College, Pacifica ©Musafir Seaside Daisys near Rockaway Beach©Musafir Footstep of Spring (Sanicula arctopoides) near Rockaway Beach ©Musafir Daffodils at Arastradero Preserve ©Musafir Johnny Jump Ups at Russian Ridge©Musafir Common Eucrypta at Russian Ridge ©Musafir

* In Memory of Sarah Meyer Sarah Meyer of Rodmell, East Sussex, died of complications from bladder cancer shortly after 11:00 PM on 3rd March 2010. She was 73. Cremation service has been scheduled for 19th March. In accordance with her wish, ashes will be scattered at the Cornish Coast. This is a tribute to Sarah, not a lament for her. From anti-nuclear protest at Greenham Common in the 1980's to marching against the war foisted on us by Bush and Blair, Sarah was a valiant, dedicated fighter against aggression and injustice. In Bosnia, Sarah conducted homeopathic/Jungian clinics for doctors and psychiatrists in Zagreb and Split, as well as two in the war zone. Her posts under Index Research covered a wide range of topics -- from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to torture; Guantanamo; intrusive surveillance of civilian populations; Israel's use of cluster bombs in Lebanon; war crimes, including use of white phosphorus shells in highly populated areas in Gaza; the environment, and her own experience of being afflicted with cancer. A post in January, 2009: There is talk these days of (new buzz word) “disproportionate” bombing. Tell me, what is proportionate bombing? Are those civilians - women and children - murdered in the Gaza strip, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq or Afghanistan killed by "proportionate" bombs? It is the illegal and unjust wars that are disproportionate. Those who are silent about, or support these criminal actions are themselves criminals.E-mail dated Jan 11, 2009: The birds yesterday filled the garden. I thought of them, perhaps sentimentally, as Gazans in a market, wishing them love and hope. Today, they are splashing in the water, and drinking ... which Gazans are unable to do. That was Sarah, scathing in her denunciation of warmongers. A lover of Bach, books, and gardening, in one of her last messages Sarah wrote: I do so love the sound of rain on window panes, and watching the thrushes in their morning birdbaths. Sometimes sparrows or coal tits try to muscle in, unsuccessfully. They come back later for their splash orgies.And in another: No sadness, please ... though I appreciate that, too. I am not sad.Wistful, however, with the autumn, wondering if it is symbolic for me, or not?It was a pleasure and privilege to be a friend of Sarah. To use an Australian expression, she was bonza. Thanks to all who e-mailed and/or spoke to Sarah following publication in TPV of Hands Across the Seas, after she informed us of the diagnosis and her decision to forgo conventional medical treatment. More and more people are making it known that in case of terminal illness they do not wish to go through invasive medical procedures and end their lives hooked up to tubes. However, not all who believe in the Right to Die and Death With Dignity have Sarah's strength to adhere to that position when faced with the decision to decline treatment. On January 11, 2009, in an article titled "The Dying of the Light" in The Washington Post, Dr. Craig Bowron (a hospital-based internist in St. Paul, MN, wrote: Nothing in my medical training qualifies me to judge what kind of life is satisfying or worth living. Many would say that if we were to become paralyzed in an accident, just let us die. But many quadriplegics, once they've gone through an initial period of adjustment, find their lives very satisfying. Patients can and do make enormous efforts and fight precipitous odds to get back to life as they knew it, or even just to go on living. But the difference for many elderly is that what's waiting for them at the end of this illness is just another illness, and another struggle. And: This isn't about euthanasia. It's not about spiraling health care costs. It's about the gift of life -- and death. It is about living life and death with dignity, and letting go. Poem for the LivingWhen I am deadCry for me a little.Think of me sometimesBut not too much.It is not good for youOr for your wife or your husbandOr your childrenTo allow your thoughts to dwellToo long on the Dead.Think of me now and againAs I was in lifeAt some momentit is pleasant to recall.But not for long.Leave me in peaceAs I shall leaveyou, too, in peace.While you liveLet your thoughts be withthe Living. ---Theodora Kroeber Anthropologist Theodora Kroeber wrote this before her death from cancer in 1979. I think that the poem reflects how Sarah felt. Let us, friends of Sarah, think of her "......now and again". 

* Malaysia Steps Backward * Nicaragua's Dogmatic Position Two items that illustrate the harsh impact of religion on civilians in countries governed under arbitrary interpretation of scriptures. Christian Science Monitor Feb 18,2010 Malaysia caned three Muslim women convicted of adultery by a court of Islamic law, the first time that women in the multi-faith country have been subject to the punishment. Last August, a similar sentence against a Muslim woman caught drinking was deferred amid complaints that shariah courts had overstepped the mark. That punishment is still pending. Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said he wanted to publicize the case of the three women, who also received short jail terms, because of “too much hype” over the earlier case. “People are saying that no woman has been caned before… today I am announcing that we have already done it,” he told a press conference. He added that the women didn’t suffer any cuts or bruises from the caning and had “repented” for their offenses. Four men were also convicted of “illicit sex” and sentenced to whipping. What can one say about such atrocities? I suppose it is better than stoning the women to death, as the Somalians do. Guardian UK Feb 23, 2010 Nicaraguan authorities have withheld life-saving treatment from a pregnant cancer patient because it could harm the foetus and violate a total ban on abortion. A state-run hospital has monitored the cancer spreading in the body of the 27-year-old named only as Amalia since her admission on February 12 but has not offered chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a therapeutic abortion, citing the law. The decision has ignited furious protests from relatives and campaigners who say the woman, who has a 10-year-old daughter and is 10 weeks pregnant, will die unless treated. The cancer is suspected to have spread to her brain, lungs and breasts. They have petitioned the courts, government and the pan-regional Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to intervene. The case has revived controversy over the 2007 law which made Nicaragua one of the few countries to prohibit abortion under any circumstances. Girls and women who seek an abortion, and health professionals who provide health services associated with abortion, face jail. Here in America,too, there are people who would like to see total ban on abortions. Think about the possible scenarios if and when they get their way.

* Rancho San Antonio After the morning fog dissipated, Valentines Day turned out to be sparklingly clear. Hikers and runners took advantage of the weather. It was difficult to find an empty slot in the parking lots at Rancho San Antonio.....another great preserve under Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). Arani Sinha and I were lucky to get space as a returning hiker pulled out from the lower parking lot. We took the PG and E (Powerline) trail but did not go all the way up. Exited on the Farm Bypass 2.1 miles from the parking lot and returned past Deer Hollow Farm on Wild Cat Canyon Trail. Creek alongside Wild Cat Canyon Trail, Rancho San Antonio ©Musafir A Red-shouldered Hawk at Rancho San Antonio©Musafir Wild Mushrooms and Flowers Forager in the woods©Musafir A cluster of Lions' Mane Mushroom ((Hericium erinaceus)©Musafir Edible and excellent. Found near Big Basin on Feb 15, 2010.. About five weeks before Spring Equinox, there are still some chanterelles to be found. But as the days begin to turn warm they will soon be gone except in the north coast. The woods will continue to give pleasure as the display of spring wild flowers begins. Indian Warriors at Wunderlich Park ©Musafir

* The woods, they are lovely * The Meadow * Pileated Woodpecker * Wild Mushrooms Took advantage of a break in the weather to hike at Wunderlich County Park on Wednesday (Feb.10th). Easy to access, the park has a number of trails ranging from 5 to 9.5 mile loops. Some change in elevation as you head west toward Skyline but not too demanding. The trails showed the effects of rains and stormy weather which we experienced in recent weeks. The muddy patches didn't pose much of a problem. We took Bear Gulch trail to The Meadow (a distance of 2.5 miles) sat down and had a picnic lunch of a ragout made with butternut squash, white beans, some diced pancetta, and sprinkling of Herbs de Provence; steamed asparagus spears rolled in hot olive oil and garlic; fresh Ciabatta, with a half bottle of Sangiovase. Coffee and leftover pieces from a birhday cake with chocolate and cream topping. A lot of calories, yes, but we had a 2.5 mile hike ahead of us to return to the parking lot. It was after the picnic that JHL, an avid birder, heard the call of a bird and, looking through binoculars , spotted a Pileated Woodpecker. I tried a few quick shots with my camera but didn't have much time to properly focus before the bird flew away. On the way back we came across some Sulphur Shelf mushrooms; edible and good. There was an area full of White Coral mushrooms; they are not harmful but not worth picking. Altogether, a good day. The Meadow, Wunderlich Park ©Musafir Pileated Woodpecker ©Musafir JHL, bird spotter ©Musafir Sulphur Shelf Mushrooms©Musafir White Coral Mushrooms©Musafir Daffodils are beginning to appear. On the drive back to Palo Alto, saw a patch full of daffodils in bloom alongside Sandhill Road. Daffodils alongside Sandhill Road - ".....can Spring be far behind" ©Musafir Comments Anonymous — 2010-11-20 That's no sulphur shelf. Looks most like gymnopilus (jack-o-lantern mushroom), which causes most of the mushroom poisonings in California. Anonymous — 2010-11-20 Sorry, Omphalotus. Could also be "Laughing Gym". Either way, not something to eat. Be careful what you consider "edible and good". musafir — 2010-12-30 Well, I cooked and enjoyed the sulphur shelf. I'm still around. I'm familiar with jack-o-lantern mushrooms. Musafir

* A Safe, Scenic Road for Bicyclists * The Family (Club) On any given day, unless the weather is really beastly, many bicyclists are to be found on Canada Road between Woodside Road (the town of Woodside) and Hwy 92, a distance of just over 7 miles. And some hardy souls ride on it even when the weather is beastly. A good ride clears the head , gets the kinks out from legs. One can stretch the ride by taking Olive Hill Lane off Canada Road, and then continuing on to Miramontes Road or -- even longer -- to Kings Mountain Road, and then back to Woodside Road. Great rides no matter which you direction you take. On weekends and holidays hoards of bicyclists ride both north and south on Canada Road, and it is fun to see the faster riders jockeying for position to be in the lead. See Bicycle Sundays (closing of Canada Road to cars) in the web site chainreaction.com Photographs below were taken during a ride in the last week of January. Looking west, T-junction Edgewood Road and Canada Road©Musafir Plaque about West Union, just south of the Edgewood Road/Canada Road Junction ©Musafir A field of Oxalis weeds ©Musafir Well nigh impossible to get rid of, I hated to see them in my yard. But, from a distance they look good. Flowering Quince©Musafir Pyracantha bush - thorny, and the berries are poisonous.©Musafir Canada Road, looking north on a work day afternoon.. ©Musafir Outdoor statue, I ©Musafir Outdoor statue, II©Musafir Outdoor statue, III ©Musafir Yellow flowers - Don't have a name; researching. ©MusafirWoodside is where The Family, a private club formed by employees of The San Francisco Examiner and other newspapers owned by the Hearst organization in protest against banning of Hearst newspapers by The Bohemian Club, has its summer camp. The main club, originally located at Post Street, San Francisco, was relocated after the 1906 earthquake to corner of Powell and Bush Streets. Comments Anonymous — 2010-05-26 Thanks for sharing the nice pictures. Canada is very famous for flowers and variety of flowers is found in Canada. Vancouver flowers — 2010-11-10 Califonia's weather is good for flowers. It is always warm and constant sunshine make flowers happy and healthy.