On taking the FE and the importance of dog noses...

Big news:  My test, the massive, lengthy exam that has eaten up most of my free time for the better part of 2 months, for which I had to re-learn everything I learned in school 4 to 8 years ago and more, is now, as of Saturday, over and done!  This is fantastic!  Fabulous!  Wonderful!  This is freedom!  This is a little nerve-racking because I won't find out my score for up to 12 weeks, but at least it means the practice problems, review books, note-taking, and cramming is over for now; hopefully that means the math problem themed dreams will end too.  For the past week or so, I have spent my nights restlessly solving plume-dispersion equations, anaerobic digestor, and secondary clarifier problems in my sleep.  The night after my test I dreamt of struggling to solve questions that had been on the actual exam, and last night I dreamt of studying on some strange campus full of people that took the exam with me.

Last night was the most distressing dream of them all, because I was walking at night to a place to study and a friends dog had followed me.  In the dream the dog belonged to a friend that I knew, but don't know well in real life anymore.  While we were walking I kept trying to get the dog to go home, but she kept following me.  Just as we rounded a corner, a very big and angry looking dog came into view.  I tried to get my friends dog to come in another direction, but I was unsuccessful and the two dogs began to fight.  I was screaming and no one was around to help me, and right before my eyes the bigger street dog bit the nose off of my friends dog.  Now I don't just mean the little button nose on the end of a dog's snout, this dog removed the entire snout of my friend's dog.  I was screaming and crying and trying to get someone to help me, and people were just walking by, no one stopped to help.

That was a traumatizing dream, consequently I have spent almost the entirety of this beautiful (85 degrees...in April!) day worshiping my dog's intact nose.  I took her for a hike and watched her nose blow bubbles under water, watched it snuffle around in the leaves, and test the breeze for the scent of something to chase.  We brought a blanket outside and laid in the sunshine, she wiped her nose on my skirt and growled at some menacing leaves, and I just watched and appreciated her noggin in the sunshine.  It was a great day...and this is a great schnoz...

April?!?!

Wow...where does the time go?  How is it April already?  I haven't updated this in a while...and not for lack of trying.  I have like 7 drafts started, I just really don't have much to say these days.  I'm at home, I've pretty much been laid off from work, I'm studying for the FE (which is in 5 days!  eeeeek!).  On a more interesting note, I have been playing with photography a bit, in some new fun ways.  Cory suggested the possibility of pursuing photography as a business, and so I have been playing with the kind of photography people might pay for.  There are, of course, some of the usual puppy portraits and landscapes to share:

 My nosey Josey...

Bella-butt

Sparkling mountain streams...

And beautiful secluded meadows.

But then I have also been playing with portraits and editing...and for now, the only model I have to play with is me.  Sooooo as much as I HATE self portraits, I came up with a couple today to edit and share for practice...soon I will be taking some of some other, more interesting people.  Until then, there's me.  

 Me, in color.

More me, less color.  

These would be better if I had Photoshop, but of course I don't at the moment.  Anyway, that is what I have been up to...cooking, eating, studying, sleeping, and always, taking pictures.  Soon I'll remove studying from the equation and add MOVING!  Not sure where, or even how, but I'm outta here!  Thanks for your patience with my lack of posts...more to come soon, just as soon as my test's overrrr and done!  <3 

minor setback

I inadvertently left my camera in a friends bag for a few days...but now its catch up time...and yes, I did actually take a photo each day for the ones that i've missed.

Thursday:

The meadow by my house, on my evening walk

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Friday:

Mt. Tallac as soon from a sailboat in the middle of the lake!

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Today:

Motley...(too hot for his socks)

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I MISSED ANOTHER DAY!

So sorry i forgot another day, but i posted like a billion the day before (i exaggerated only slightly there) and todays makes up for it, because while it isn't a wonderful picture, its awesome in that its a bear.  thats right, i hung out with a bear at work today.  He wandered toward us for a minute, then off the other way.  Here he is, leaving us be:

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working hard..

I hug trees.  Especially 100 year old incense cedars.

I found this guy today...its a Misumena Vatia I think; they can change colors to light yellow and dark yellow depending on the surface they're on.  This guy was on a Tiger Lilly, so he was bright!

Wildflowers!  I can't identify these, but they're perrty!  

A beautiful doe stopped by to say hello too!

This is my job.  I walk around in the woods and make sure streams are healthy.  Then I try to ID flowers and bugs for fun!  

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big day

today was a big day: at work i did rapid stream assessments and hiked cascade creek from 89 down to Tahoe in an effort to locate any unhealthy areas that might need attention.  Then after work I bought a craigslist cheapo mountain bike (not awesome, but far better than what i had).  And then, while we were in the garage playing with my new bike i looked out across the street and saw first a coyote and then my first Tahoe bear.  He was slinking across the neighbors yard, right across the street!  Silly boy didn't notice that the neighbor was sitting in his chair in his driveway, not 10 feet from the bear.  When I said "is that a bear?" to my roommate he turned around, jumped up, and chased the big lug off his property and up a tree in the vacant lot next to his house.  Sadly I didn't get a picture of the bear or the coyote, but I did take this one at work:

and its alright i guess....not a bear or anything though...

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Mr. Motley

This is my roommates dog (other dog, I posted a pic of Wilson here) looking for all the world like the giant puppy that he is!  What a cutie pie!

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i'm baaaack!

I know that it has been simply AGES since I updated this thing, and seriously, apologies all around!  I have been working roughly 50 million hours a week and for my first month and a half here I had no internet at home.  I do now though, and as promised, I will continue my challenge!  it may be a little tough to get back in the swing of things but i'll do my best not to let you down again!  First things first, here is some of what you missed:

Early morning fog at our spring training down in Coloma, CA.  All of the pictures of flowers below are ones that I took at our campsite during our week of training:

Sunrise on our second or third to last day in Coloma.

The weekend after spending an 80 degree week in sunny Coloma, we were back in South Lake where we got snowed on some more.  On the way back from a trip down to Carson City, NV to do some shopping   I grabbed this shot of snow clouds over Lake Tahoe from highway 50.  

 I spent the snowy Friday before memorial day painting at Fredericks Cabin on fallen leaf lake.  I couldn't resist snapping a shot of a rather white Mount Tallac sticking its head up into the clouds.

A short hike up to a sweet waterfall and my favorite picture of the day is this little guy, who must have had good luck begging from tourists before since he was not afraid to show off his round little belly to us.  No, i did not feed him, in case you're curious.

The sunset at Fred's after our memorial day BBQ...still quite a bit of snow out there...

Nevada Beach in Stateline, NV.  No place like Tahoe to lay in 80 degree sunshine and stare at snow covered mountains!

This is how I get to work in the morning, or at least its how I had to go when high spring flows flooded the bike trail I usually use.  This is probably one of my favorite commutes ever.

Amazing waders for amazing ladies...somedays i quite enjoy this job.

Upper Truckee Marsh...just another day at work...

Last weekend I got to hang with TBI and go with them on their small plane trip around Tahoe.  I rode shot-gun in a 4 person plane and snapped a few shots of the mountains and Emerald Bay while I was up there.  

This one is the Tahoe Keys, the most unnatural creation I have ever laid eyes one.  Its a neighborhood in which every house has their own boat slip.  Interesting, but unfortunately not great for the environment.  

And finally this one, the beautiful Bear River at my friend Lucy's house, where we camped last night and swam this morning, so yes, as this photo was taken today, it can be considered my first "photo of the day" since I quit sooo soooo long ago.  that means its time for one of these:

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wow...its been so long since i've done that!  how very exciting!  Thats all i've got in me for now, I really should have been in bed HOURS ago.  I have a very very busy week ahead of me, but i'll do my best to keep on top of my photos!

goodbyes

tomorrows moving day, goodbye placerville, goodbye apartment, goodbye EID, goodbye little Catcher (thats the little lady pictured below)

hello new beginings.

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in the field...

I worked from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm today, helping out with the IMS program at work (an irrigation management program provided to Ag customers).  I spent the day cruising from vineyard to orchard to vineyard again, using a neutron probe to monitor soil moisture levels with my colleague.  I saw quail, turkeys, llamas, tons of deer, several very sweet and very friendly dogs, and even dozens of peacocks being kept as pets at 2 different vineyards.  We crossed the oldest suspension bridge in California (so i'm told) and this is the view of the river canyon that bridge spans.  The river you see is the South Fork American (a watershed very close to my heart, as I have done most of my learning out here thus far on and in this very watershed).  River levels are historically much higher than this (you can see where the water level used to be, the tops of the bare rock) but these days its running much lower because of upstream dams and a series of drought years.  At least now, for four hours a day, 6 days a week, all summer long, the dams are required to release a minimum of 1500 cfs (guestimate, since i don't have the actual value right here, but its close to this) for the rafting companies.  Rafters got these levels guaranteed years ago, and without it i'm sure they'd all be out of business by now.  Theres so much more I could share about this river, but I'm not all that sure you folks are that interested so I'll leave some for later.  

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elephanttttttttttt incenseeeeeeeee

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mallards

i had lunch up at the park today and this lovely couple joined me, begged and begged and begged for my lunch, and then eventually gave up and waddled off.  I think they're awful cute....don't you?

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