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Communing with an Army of Frogs

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

As I stepped out the door, I was hit by the sun filtering through the clouds and a humidity that I was more accustomed to when living in the South. For a moment, the highway beside the trail cleared and in the brief quiet from road noise, I was surrounded by the soft croaking of an army of frogs. I was taken back to those sultry southern summer nights and the tree frogs that lived around the swimming pool. Each night I drifted of to sleep to the sound of Whippoorwills, Cicadas, and tree frogs while the sweet scent of honeysuckle drifted in through my open bedroom windows.

Just as quickly as it cleared, the highway traffic returned and the quiet moment of communing with the tree frogs ended.

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San Diego Zoo–Meeting a Baby Gorilla

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Our last day in California was spent at the San Diego Zoo–world famous for its animal breeding program.  By random chance, dumb luck, and a little favor from God, we got to see the results of the famous animal breeding program.

San Diego Zoo Baby Gorilla

San Diego Zoo Baby Gorilla

On Friday, March 6, Frank, a western lowland gorilla was introduced to the public for the first time. Frank was born in September and weighs about 13 pounds now. Interesting, our little Wiggles was born in November and weighs about 14 lbs now. By the time Frank is full grown (at about 15 years) he will weigh over 400 lbs. Hopefully Wiggles will never tip the scales at 400 lbs.

For more pictures of Frank (and other baby zoo animals) go to What’s New at the San Diego Zoo and click on “Animals”

Here’s a picture of the Flamingos because they are pretty in pink.

San Diego Zoo Flamengos

San Diego Zoo Flamingos

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Body Worlds 2 & The Brain Our 3 Pound Gem

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Normally, we never would have considered going to the San Diego Natural History Museum–too much “evolution is a fact” for my liking–but while we were vegging out on TV in the hotel, I saw a commercial for the Body Worlds Exhibit.  Body Worlds is the show  where the anatomist, Gunther Von Hagens, created plastination and has created an educational, artistic, scientific exhibit of the amazing human body using real cadavers that have been plastinated (the individual consented to body donation in their lifetime).  I mentioned to Brenton that I would love to go see that exhibit, and when the show dates came up at the end of the commercial he said, “Actually we could.”

Before I go any further, there is something you should know about me.  I was that kid in school who sat in the back of the class in  Human Anatomy 101 and turned white just before I threw up and passed out–Well, I never actually took anatomy 101 because I knew I would get grossed out and pass out.  Me wanting to go see Body Worlds is like a cat wanting to go for a swim–in a frozen lake, but there I was standing in line to enter the Body Worlds exhibit on opening day at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

I made it through the first 15 minutes before having to go stand on a wall and ignore the plasticized bodies all around me.  By the end of the tour, I was fascinated, reading every description, listening to the audio information, going back to see features again.  So what changed?

The change happened in the life beginnings section of Body Worlds.  This is perhaps the most controversial part of the exhibit because human fetuses have been plastinated.  Fascinating to me because I just went through pregnancy and I still can’t believe that I grew a baby in my body.  Controversial because the world doesn’t want to face the humanness of an unborn child. (All of the fetuses were the result of natural miscarriages)  In this part of the exhibit, there were about 6 fetuses at the 3-4 months stage of pregnancy.  Even at that early stage of life, each fetus had unique facial features–no two looked alike.

The quote on the wall said, “The work of staggering genius begins with just one cell.”  And I thought, “They got it!  Human life couldn’t be the product of random chance.”  But I was too hopeful, and later the audio tour discussed the evolution of the human brain.

After passing through the pregnancy/intro to life section, I found each new display more fascinating than the last.  The same God that created the wonders of pregnancy and the miracle of life created ever system of the body to work together so precisely and so miraculously!  The heart is amazing.  The lungs are amazing.  Muscles are amazing.  Skeleton.  Circulatory system.  The reproductive cycle is amazing.  Even our systems for waste removal–amazing!  Fascinating!  Miraculous.

I ended the tour with an even deeper sense of wonder.  I cannot fathom how anyone could study the amazing systems of the body and still believe that it all happened by random chance.  It is too complex, too organized, too planned to be random.

Controversy or no, if you get a chance to see this exhibit–GO!  You will walk away with an even greater wonder and appreciation of the amazing power of God the Creator–that is, unless you are the sort who will turn white and pas out during the exhibit.

I was not allowed to take pictures during this exhibit.  For more information, check out the Body Worlds homepage.

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Mission San Luis Rey–The King of Missions

Friday, March 13th, 2009

The Spanish Missions were founded in Alta California during the time period between 1769 and 1823. Basically, the Russians were threatening to take over the Spanish claimed lands on the West Coast of America. To strengthen the Spanish claim over these lands, Padres were sent to establish a Mission and teach the natives the Catholic faith as well as mold the natives into useful subjects under the Spanish Monarchy.

Over time, 21 missions were built along El Camino Real (The King’s Highway) with each mission being located exactly one days walk from the last. Even now, the missions are along a path, marked out with bells, followed by many Catholic pilgrims.

Mission San Luis Rey

Mission San Luis Rey

Mission San Luis Rey is known as The King of the Missions because of its grand size. The original mission compound covered almost 6 acres. Much of the Mission was a court yard that was often used for festivals and entertainment–even for bull fighting! The current courtyard is about 1/4 the original size. Within the courtyard walls still grows the first pepper tree to ever be planted in California.

The mission is used as a museum, and Mass services are still held in the Chapel.
The interior walls, windowsills, and doorways are an excellent example of the combination of form and function. As we walked through the museum and chapel, I was in awe of the way that the builders–Padres and Friars had taken the time to make everything both functional and beautiful. The walls of the chapel (as well as the doorways and windowsills throughout the Mission) were painted with beautiful Spanish-infuenced designed. The doors had intricate carving and decorative blacksmithing to welcome you into a chamber.

In the chapel, I happened to look up at the beams above the pulpit–carved with an intricate leaf design and polished to a shine. I was reminded that even if no one will ever see your work, God sees it. He will reward you for a job well done.

Mission San Luis Rey Garden

Mission San Luis Rey Garden

I wasn’t able to take any pictures inside the mission because the museum requested no photography. To see historical drawings and photos of Mission San Luis Rey, check out this site. You can also see a few photos of the inside of the church here.

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Point Loma Lighthouse–Cabrillo National Monument

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

March is an impatient time of year for me. Some days bring hopeful signs of spring–robins on the fence, birds singing in the apple tree. Other days bring 6 more inches of snow and forecasted lows of 2°F.  Almost a year ago, it seemed good to Brenton and me to plan a sunny spring break as a reward for bringing a baby into the world.

Last week we escaped the snow and headed to sunny Southern California for a stay at Oceanside.  Our first full day we drove historic 101 from Oceanside to San Diego.  This used to be the main highway connecting Washington to Southern California, but it has been replaced with the more modern and traffic friendly I-5.  From Oceanside to San Diego, Historic 101 in a lovely drive along the beach, through several small towns, and past many antique shops and vintage diners.

We ended our drive by heading a bit farther south to Cabrillo National Monument and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse.

The Point Loma Lighthouse was completed in 1855 and served for 36 years to guide ships safely into San Diego Harbor. The lighthouse was built on the top of a hill 422 feet above sea level. However, there was a serious flaw in the sight selected–fog and low cloud cover often obscured the light. On those nights, the lighthouse keeper had to stand outside and fire off gunshots to warn ships away from the rocks below (this was before the time of fog horns). So after 36 years of service, the old Point Loma Lighthouse was retired and a new one was built a mere 100 feet away.

Point Loma Lighthouse

Point Loma Lighthouse

Being a lighthouse keeper must have been a lonely life. Except for the assistant keeper, your nearest neighbor was a boat trip away across the bay. For a kid, being the keeper’s kid would have been awesome. The keeper’s (and family’s) quarters were actually a part of the main lighthouse structure. The bedrooms on the second floor were tucked right into the roof-line complete with interesting alcoves and short (kid-height) windows. I imagine a kid waking every morning to the sunrise over the bay, spending the day collecting sea-shells and watching hermit crabs.

I’m sure the kids that grew up at the lighthouse spent a lot of time playing in the tide pools on the west side of the island.  Tide pools are basically saltwater puddles exposed when the tide is low.  The water warms up, and the pools are home to an amazing variety of sea-life.  Starfish, anemones, and sea sponges all make their homes in tide pools.  These unique and fragile ecosystems are as fascinating for kids today as they must have been for children growing up at the lighthouse in 1855.  On a warm sunny day, the Cabrillo National Monument tide pools are teaming with families hoping to catch a glimpse of a starfish or a sea anemone.

Point Loma Tide Pools

Point Loma Tide Pools

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