Snowboarding at Bear Mountain

Weather is awesome! Southern California weather with Northern California conditions. Michelle and I are at Bear Mountain this week enjoying a winter wonderland with family and friends.

Tractor Power!

We called a contractor to move snow out of the driveways while we shoveled and snow blowed the walking paths.

Snow Blowing

Slow going even with a small blower!

Snowed Out!

After a torturous drive up the 38 yesterday, we arrived at the cabin needin to shovel our way in. Luckily we arrived later than the other two cars and the path was mostly done :-) Today we need to plow out the rest to get the cars out of the driveway.

Bird Watching

Testing out binoculars, Jim is giving the students a short tutorial. Today, we saw many species of wetland birds using the binoculars and a spotting scope.

Famosa Slough in the Afternoon

My afternoon class is now at the slough. The bird activity is just as great as it was in the morning.

Water Quality at Famosa Slough

David is showing us how to take measurement in the slough's runoff treatment ponds. We are taking measurements in temperature, disolved oxygen, salinity, and pH.

Famosa Slough

We're on a field trip today to introduce studentd to our local wetland, Famosa Slough.

Jason's Movember

My buddy Jason grew a ridiculous mustache this month (Movember).

Movember!? What!?

Click HERE to read all about Movember

By the way Jason, that mustache is insane!

pHear Factor

Exploring concepts of pH using LabQuest sensors. We started this lesson yesterday with a game of pHear factor, blindfolded students bravely tested several samples for describing characteristics of acids and bases.

Torrey Pines Trail

Out on a short hike today at Torrey Pines Natural Reserve. Sarah and Dave are here for the afternoon :-)

Solar Cookin!

As to be expected, the afternoon class had higher temperatures in their ovens. We topped out at 166'F. Given 20 minutes, the chocolate was melted and soon all over some happy faces!

Smores Using Renewable Energy

Well, we had to cook something! All of my math and science students have been working very hard at the start of this year. Since we just finished our first grading period and just rocked the recent district benchmark exams, its time for a well deserved treat with our science lesson!

Solar Ovens Using a Pizza Box

Yesterday, we built solar ovens using a pizza box. Today, we're testing them out and recording the temperature in 5 minute incraments.

UV Experiment

Today we designed UV experiments using a UVA probes.

Oil and Water

Yesterday, our school had an assembly, "Oil and Water". We were able to meet two adventurists who converted an old Japanese fire truck to run on any natural oil. They drove all over North and South America without using one drop of petroleum. http://www.oilandwaterproject.com/

Collecting Stream Data

Buster and Ryan are collecting data along the upper creek at James Reserve. Several locations were tested for water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Meanwhile, I was able to find several aqautic invertebrates including predacious diving beetles, water striders, back swimmers, silver beetles, and caddisfly larvae.

Off The Grid

James Reserve has power needs beyond the few structures that are here. The sensors, structures, and other research equipment are all powered only by solar.

IT-E3 Group Hike

Nice view from here though weather is moving in. This is part of my IT-E3 group of teachers working together to provide enriching science lessons for middle school students.

Bird Nesting Monitoring

There are numerous bird houses on the reserve. Each has a collection of sensors to evaluate how conditions affect nesting behavior. Many have cameras that are streamed on the web.

James Reserve Study Plot

There is lots happening in this study area from robots moving through the canopy to cameras taking images sub surface to study root development. The foil wrap around the manzanita has a heating probe that extends in the trunk to measure xylem and phloem activity.

Living Sensors!

We poured water on what was apparently dead moss. Within seconds, this species hydrates, turns green, and begins photosynthesis. Hydrochemical reaction? It is being used to sense small amounts of precipitation using the camera. It actually is a more sensitive technique than using precipitation sensors.

Weather Sensing

This is one of many weather stations at James Reserve for a variety of experiments. They all transfer data to a web server.

James Reserve Canopy Sensor

I'm out on a teacher field trip at James Reserve. If you look closely at the image, you can see a robot that transverses the canopy to collect sensor data and pinpoint images. James Reserve is managed by the UC system.

Diamond View

What an awesome view of Petco Park from the 15th floor of the Diamond View tower. It would be awesome to experience a game from here.

Cox Grant Awarded!

I would have taken a picture during the presentations but it was a little nerve wrecking with the news camera there. I received a $5000 grant from the Cox Kids Foundation to purchase environmental sensors for my classroom. The reception took place on the top floor of the Diamond View tower in San Diego. An amazing view of downtown and Petco Park from here.

Padres vs. Pirates

Michelle's parents invited us to the game tonight against the Pirates.

New Algebra and Science Students

Here's my new class of crazy kids!

Back to School

Campus is crazy this morning!

Whip It Good!

Whip it! The most well-known Devo song. I remember Devo being popular when I was a little kid.

Devo

Still at Del Mar for the Devo concert. Short clip of Girl U Want.

Del Mar Races

At Del Mar for the races and for a Devo concert tonight. Ohhh! I think I just won a wager, wahoo!

Do Not Use

Really!? Hmm, I have no idea why not or what's the point!? Weird!

Summer's End

Teaching officially starts tomorrow. Michelle and I headed to our local favorite breakfasts at the Coffee Cup. That's my motorcycle in the foreground. Students come back to school next Tuesday, after labor day weekend. Enjoy the last days of summer, there'll be homework on the first day of school!

Morning Cachuma Fog

Really cool to experience the coastal influence on Lake Cachuma. This morning, the lake almost feels ocean like with the light wind, coastal fog, and choppy waters.

Lake Cachuma

Currently camping at Lake Cachuma, near Santa Barbara. We've been on the road, visiting friends and enjoying life. Michelle starts a new job next week and I'll be back to start another great year of teaching.

Venice Beach

Strolling around at Venice Beach today. Haven't been here for quite some time. Lots of the same crazy urban culture! The walk is teeming with artists, performers, and chaotic vendors.

Kilauea Summit Video

Here's a short video of the recent vent in Kilauea's summit caldera. We're about a mile a way from the vent at the Jaggar Museum. Hopefully, this gives a sense of the volume of flow from the vent. Ignore the audio, it was a bit windy from the lookout.

Kilauea Caldera Vent

What an awesome sight this is! We'll be coming back here when the sun goes down to see the colors emitted from the glowing lava 350 feet below the surface of the vent.

Kilauea First Looks

Just arrived at Kilauea!

Keaoua Stone

This was the favorite resting spot for the high chief of Kona. I have to admit, this doesn't suck! Turtles are basking steps away and the shoreline is peaceful and majestic. Check out the wall behind me, all of the walls are hand built without mortar.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau

Visiting the area previously known as the Place of Refuge which is a fair descriptor of the sacred Hawaiian site. Here is where a commoner can seek forgiveness for breaking kapu.

Waikaloa Lanai

Here's the view from our condo in Waikaloa. In the distance, you can see Mauna Kea where we were yesterday. Today, our goal is to swim with turtles. We're first going to Pu'uhonau o Honaunau.

Mauna Kea Observatories

We ventured to the summit of Mauna Kea. The top is frigid with a wind chill likely below freezing. The landscape looks like Mars! This is one of the astronomical meccas of the world. We want to stay for the sunset and star gazing at the visitor center but there's a stubborn layer of stratospheric clouds.

Kealakekua Bay

Relaxing with a snack then we're gonna do a bit of snorkeling! See the tour boats!? There's about 8 of them right now. Some stop for snorkeling, others are just touring by boat.

Captain Cook Monument

We made it! Whew, what a hike! The bay is littered with tour boats but we certainly took the road less traveled by. Mongoose are scavenging along the shore and the water is very inviting! Here's the monument at the shoreline.

Bay Overlook

Here's the view heading down to Captain Cook. This is the south Kona Coast, a bit hazy partially from vog (volcano fog). Lava rock in the foreground.

Captain Hook Trail

Hiking down a crazy sugar cane trail to snorkel in the bay where the Captain Cook monument is. It is a 1300 foot elevation drop and we're not looking forward to the hike up. I can't believe I'm hiking and blogging simultaneously!

Kona Coffee at Mountain Thunder

Taking a brief tour of the Mountain Thunder coffee field. We'll be walking by a field on the way to a snorkeling spot later. Here you can see the beans on the plant. Red are ready to pick.

Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee

Having a cup of coffee at Mountain Thunder with Dave. About to get a short tour.

Green Sea Turtles

A few turtles are chewing up the algae on the south side. Can't tell if this picture came out, cell phone cams don't come with built-in polarizers! The turtles are so mellow and graceful!

Snorkeling!

You can see here that the beach park is very popular for famalies. They mostly stay close to shore. Lots of Hawaiian fish can be found anywhere in the cove but the farther out you swim, the greater the visibility. At the north end, a small group of paddle surfers surf the occassional wave. The south end is protected and very calm.