happy birthday to me!

For my birthday, CD and I watched the sunset on the beach and ate out at Larrupin's, a great restaurant in Trinidad.
AND once again, he made me my favorite cake!






He also gave me a necklace I had been admiring on my friend Amy's etsy store. She does amazing, graceful, beautiful metalwork that praises simplicity and natural forms.

The Bennetts visit for Oyster Fest

Rois and Mike wanted to come up and visit from Palo Alto, to hang out and enjoy a weekend. It's so exciting that they are living in the states now and we can see them so often. Plus, we got to spend a bit more time hanging out with Michael- such an adorable child. As luck would have it, it was Oyster fest here in Humboldt and oh what fun awaited!


The Oyster Festival happens every June and brings people from the whole county together to eat thousands of oysters, drink beer and revel in the Arcata Plaza.

Oysters being grilled:



the mad mob on the plaza:



enjoying some delicacies such as quail egg:



After enjoying/surviving the crowds for a bit, we decided to change locations to the beach and try out a new kite that CD gave me as an early birthday present.

CD and Mike fly the kite while Rois and Michael look on:



CD recovers the kite:


Michael was slightly unsure of the water, but dipped his toes in and enjoyed it



One of the funnest things was that Michael had never spent time at a sandy beach and he LOVED it!! He got quite messy, but was so very happy.
"sand baby"



We spent the evening catching up, eating and drinking and Sunday came way too soon. Before driving back south, Rois took Michael to see the neighbor's chickens. More smiles at meeting the critters. I'm hoping for more smiles with them again soon!

A special treat from CD

CD loves to cook, but doesn't get the chance very often since I'm what you would call the alpha-cook of the house. If I was one of those professional chefs on television, my crew would hate me because I'm quite demanding in how I want things prepared. Even though I've been called a control freak in the kitchen, I've never been offended instead I take it as a compliment: yes, I know exactly what I want. Nothing wrong with that, right?
So lately with my busy working schedule , CD has volunteered to cook and he's been doing great! I can taste the dedication and love in every meal he makes!
On one afternoon, he called me at work to see if I would be interested in a Trentino recipe that we used to get quite often at Piedi Castello, our favorite restaurant in Trento (when we lived there a few years back). At the sound of "Strangolapreti con burro salvia", my mouth watered and my stomach growled: YES! please!

Strangolapreti can be loosely translated at 'priest chokers'; I guess the rough texture of the chunky dumpling might not be good for the delicate priestly throats, hence they might choke. They are spinach dumplings/gnocchi traditionally served with sage infused butter and plenty of parmigiano reggiano. So tasty!!!


Above are the strangolapreti ready for the boiling water. I realized only too late that there are no finished ones as they were plated and eaten very quickly! What a treat!!
We used a recipe from a cookbook given by our Italian friends, but if you want to try and make them, there are many recipes out there including this one.

Good luck Holly!

The beginning of June also meant Holly's departure from the house. She was accepted to a master's program in Eugene, OR and spent the last bit of May searching for an apartment online. Her boyfriend Dave helped load up her stuff on his truck and they drove up to drop it off.
A rainy morning for moving:



A few days later they returned so that she could get her car. We were sad to see her go, but already had plans to be up there in July so we knew we would see her very soon!

Before she left, we all hit some favorite hangouts: Alma's taco truck and Blondie's :)

The beginning of June

The beginning of June always seems to bring changes around here. The morning fog starts appearing in earnest and the days get longer and more relaxed. Well, at least for CD they might be because he's not teaching or working much in the lab this summer. He has begun a collaboration with his old group in Seattle and will be up in Washington for part of the summer, a few days here and there. I will try to make it up there, but the cards are stacked against me with two jobs!
Oh maybe I forgot to mention what I've been up to, other than school and travels. In April, I began working in a neuroscience psychology lab where they study the motor/sensor pathways of zebrafish. It has been a steep learning curve and looks like it will be for quite some time. I'm always interested in the science, but it has been quite some time since my last biology course, and I certainly never learned much about brains and the nervous system! Axons, synapses, neurotransmitters and action potentials, oh MY!
The other job for which I'm still training is slightly related to my old position in Seattle at NOAA. It is a very part-time (every other weekend or so) position at the atmospheric station on Trinidad head. There are instruments that sample aerosols, collect air and make continous measurements of other key data that are used in air quality, weather and climate observations.
Here I am with some of the instruments inside the station:



The station is at the top of the headland and I will have the opportunity to hike or whenever the weather is bad, I get to drive the electric truck. Yipee!



It is very fun to be back in a field I feel passionate about! My oceanography advisor encouraged me to apply for the position. He knew my background and experience which were ideal for the job. Thanks to Jeff B!
So for the rest of the summer, my weekends will be limited and travel posibilities limited by work and whatnot. I hope to still find enough time to go camping and enjoy the great outdoors and I'm also inviting everyone to come and visit us!