Rose on the Road

Good morning union square.

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:30:03 -0700

Good morning union square.

Photo

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:16:36 -0700

CAP AND TRADE = A GREENER TOMORROW - ACT NOW

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:45:00 -0700

If you know me you know then you know that I am not very politically inclined. But sometimes we just have to step outside our comfort zone and support things that matter to us. One of those times is NOW!

Please join me in supporting the upcoming legislative action that both California Releaf and California Urban Forests Council have been working hard on for greater greening of our golden state!

SB 1572 (Pavley), the Senate’s proposal for an overall framework for cap and trade revenue expenditures, is likely to be taken up on the Senate Floor today.

If you have time today, make calls to your local senators to signal your support for this bill and ask for their ‘aye’ vote.

It’s simple and easy thing to do that can make a big difference! Please call your local senator and tell them your name, what organization you represent, that you are in their district, you support SB 1572 (Pavley), and ask for their aye vote.

According to Conni Galippi of CSG, The basic concept is that part of AB 32 implementation is the cap and trade market mechanism where they will have auctions for 10% of the permits to pollute under AB 32. This will generate some revenue for the state, estimated to be up to $1 billion this year and eventually in the multiple billions annually within the next 4-5 years. These bills are the Legislature’s attempt to stipulate how those funds should be spent.

Urban forestry has an opportunity to receive some of these funds, through participating in the policy that is in these bills. Currently, the bills as written provide broad categories for funding eligibility under which urban forestry would fit. This funding would be required to be used for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This would certainly cover tree planting, but planning, care and maintenance is a little more challenging given two things – 1) it is not as straight forward for reducing GHG emissions, although it could be argued the science is not as tight, and 2) AB 32 and legal precedence require the funds to be spent to reduce GHG emissions; we do not want to do anything that could jeopardize the entire program by presenting projects for funding that may attract challenges. This is a very sensitive political issue right now.

Read on http://californiareleaf.org/programs/newsletter-summer-2012/2

Find your local Senator here - http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/edfund/govtinfo/state.html

So…who’s with me here? If you act, please share your results!

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:13:07 -0800

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary”. - Uta Hagen

staff: Name The Kid Should See ThisLocation Oakland,...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:10:10 -0800

staff:

Name The Kid Should See This
Location Oakland, California

Off-the-grid videos for kids and other smart stuff collected by Rion Nakaya and her three year old co-curator. There’s so much science, nature, music, arts, technology, storytelling, and assorted good stuff out there that the kids haven’t seen. It’s likely stuff that wasn’t even made for them, but we don’t underestimate the minds of children around here.

Also check out…

Perez Hamilton
Juicy historical gossip and rumors presented in the style of another Perez.

Number of the Day
For the aesthetic appreciation of numerals, number systems, and their uses.

My Damn Blog
Solange Knowles gives a photographic look into her life.

Photo

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:09:06 -0800

fuckyaimcharmander: by ilovedoodle Al: love youMe: love u...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:44:08 -0800

fuckyaimcharmander:

by ilovedoodle

Al: love you
Me: love u more

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the...

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:22:18 -0700

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.”

http://www.oliveandcocoa.com/ Quite possibly the cutest new...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:44:00 -0700

http://www.oliveandcocoa.com/

Quite possibly the cutest new catalog out there. So many fresh, sweet, yummy, hip, cool, rich and wonderful items. Can’t wait to shop here.

My sweet boys in their new jackaroo hats…..LOVE THEM!

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:38:03 -0700

My sweet boys in their new jackaroo hats…..LOVE THEM!

July 31st - 7:30 PDT - Welcome home! Back in Los Angeles after a...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 31st - 7:30 PDT - Welcome home!

Back in Los Angeles after a long, long flight. Super packed on the plane and although Qantas keeps you fed and entertained - you can’t help but depart with weary bones.

We were met at curbside by Steven Smith, husband of Lisa Smith, great new friend and WCISA Secretary/Treasurer. Steve and Lisa were so generous in letting us keep our car at their house - it was so easy and the hand touch on the windows was awesome.

Fun trip but good to be back in California

July 31st – 5:15 am AST – Cairns, Australia We rose before the...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 31^st – 5:15 am AST – Cairns, Australia

We rose before the sun today to start our 20 hour journey home. The early morning was quite in Cairns. As we pulled out of the Hilton, we noticed a casino right next door….good thing we turned toward the Marina on our walk yesterday – or we may have missed the plane!

The Cairns airport was not far away. We dropped the car off and headed in without delay. Took a moment to snap one last photo of the live trees planted inside the airport. The tree grate was pretty cool and unique.

Glad to be headed home, but not looking forward to the long trip. Funny though, it will be Sunday morning again in LA – just can’t figure out where the time goes.

July 30th – Cairns Our last day in Oz. We decided to sleep in...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 30^th – Cairns

Our last day in Oz.

We decided to sleep in today – plum tuckered from all the running around and touring. And that we did. We got to the lodge just in time for our last Aussie breakfast – eggs, sausage (bacon for Al), mushrooms, tomato – served with toast. We linger over the last bites taking in the natural beauty that they have captured at Silky Oaks. We decided to spend some time exploring before we leave – but not before returning to our tree house for one last slumber on the hammock. Ah…pure relaxation.

After the car was packed and the bill was settled (yikes) we meandered along the river boardwalk and path. The rejuvenation of the rainforest right there on the grounds was remarkable. It was really neat to see the legacy growing right under our feet. With canoes and adorondack chairs, we are called to stay another day – perhaps another time.

Our return trip to Cairns was uneventful (thank God!) We found our way to the marina and our last night accommodation at the Hilton Cairns – our flight leaves at 5:15 am tomorrow – so we decided to stay close and sleep more! We took a nice stroll along the marina boardwalk – there’s a cool lagoon area in the centre of town where kids can swim and play – today was a farmer’s market which added to the scene for us. We grabbed a burger (first of the trip) at Grill’d – and settled in for a quiet early night.

Tomorrow we head home. We get there only 2 hours after our departure time – man the earth is cool.

July 29th – on the Coral Sea We woke early this morning –...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 29^th – on the Coral Sea

We woke early this morning – excited for our day long snorkel cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. We were looking forward to the sunshine and anticipating seeing some great sea life. The boat disembarked from Port Douglas marina, we had made sure to leave with good directions and arrived in plenty of time. The Quicksilver Sonic was moored in slip 2 – as we made our way out there - I saw a sign indicating the seas were “rough” today. Ah Oh….a wave a worry washed over me (yes, pun intended) just then we heard a familiar voice. How exciting to see our friend Daniel and Heather Stevens along with their daughter Ashlan going out on the same cruise! Instant smiles and hugs all around. As the captain passed, we were joking about the rough waters – he recommended sea sick tablets…I took his recommendation to heart and boy am I glad. It was rough, not the worst I have been in, but by the pallor and activity of the majority of folks on the boat, I was saved by that little white pill. We arrived at the first dive spot – and it got amazingly calm. The reef must provide some type of barrier to the motion of the ocean, either way – it was up and out! Geared up with Lycra suits, fins and mask & snorkel – we all made our way into the deep blue sea. It was spectacular.

I have been known to pooh-pooh snorkel tours. Common complaints that the gear is ill-fitted and the water murky with nothing to see did not hold up on this cruise. It was fantastic. I loved it! We saw a huge array of parrotfish and clown fish – coral lit up like it was electrified. So cool we forgot how cold the water was. Actually, it was warmer in the water than on the boat with the wet “swim costume”. We were soon loaded back aboard to move to another site. There were three al together. Each one more amazing that the one before. Each time we shivered at the thought of it, but proceeded anyway. On the last stop, the crew did a great guided snorkel – where one of the crew members pointed out things along the way – and even passed around sea stuff for folks to touch – and the reef there was like a huge long wall of coral and sea life. It was so cool. I forgot to mention that they provided pool noodles to help keep you afloat – that really assisted us in avoiding over fatigue – it allowed us to see it all. Dan and Heather’s daughter Ashlan, had a ball. She would just keep going and going. The crew even threw bait out around her to bring in the big Trigger fish – it was amazing.

I popped another little white pill for the return trip and thank goodness I did! We had the delight and pleasure of spotting a pair of whales making their way north. The boat slowed to follow them – which made for some of the roughest seas yet. Whew – it was rolling and rocking. Pretty cool show though. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to the Steven’s back at the dock – we really enjoyed the time we got to spend together experiencing the Great Barrier Reef – it made for really great memories.

Completely tuckered out from today’s adventure – we took advantage of the hammock on the veranda of our tree house and allowed the gentle wind to soothe our weariness. The hot shower never felt so good. We enjoyed our last dinner in Oz and took our tired bodies to bed early. Still rocking from the day’s adventure – we were out in no time.

July 28th –Destination: Silky Oaks Lodge, Mossman, Queensland We...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 28^th –Destination: Silky Oaks Lodge, Mossman, Queensland

We left for the airport early this morning. Our flight from Sydney to Cairnes took about 2.5 hours and was smooth the entire way. The “hired” car (what they call rentals in Aus) was at hand in the airport terminal and as seasoned travelers in Australia we were off. Simple enough instructions from the gent at the rental car office, right and a right and follow the road to Silky Oaks.

About 17 km down the road, we caught the sight of gondolas going up the side of the hill. Looked pretty cool, so we hooked a u and went back to check it out. Why not, we had all day to get out to Silky Oaks and may not have another chance to ride the sky train. Ten minutes (and 145.00) later we were headed up the side of the mountain. Hanging by a cable in a six person sky bucket (remember the ride at D-land?) we had a bird’s eye view of the canopy cover – it was so amazing. There were ferns and palms growing 200 feet up in the branch attachments of these gentle giants. We passed 35 towers on our rise to the town of Karunda. Never being one to read fine print, I thought Karunda was going to be like a demonstration village as to aboriginal lifestyles, but it was actually a town. Filled with pubs, street vendors and cafes, it almost took on a carney feeling. We ventured down to the Koala Experience to see about finally seeing a Koala or two – and with another 45.00 entry fee, we came face to face and foot to foot with crocodiles, koalas, wallabies and little miniature kangaroos (called something with a “p” – I can’t remember). They were cool – seemed like stuff animals to me. I had no desire to pay another additional amount in order to hold one for a photo opportunity, so we left that part of the experience to the next fella and made our way back to the gondola for our return trip. One the way down, we stopped along the way to see the Barron Falls – a huge waterfall, the largest Kauri pine, and a cool assortment of wild cockatoos and butterflies. It was super cool and worth the stop.

Back on the road we headed out – back in the direction of Silky Oak. Excited to reach our tree house destination, I decided to read about any fun stops along the way, but upon referencing my bible, Backroads Australia, I got a sinking feeling that we were on the wrong road. We arrived in the town of Mareeba and confirmed my suspicion – yep 35km in the wrong direction and the only way to go was back. We weaved our way through the countryside, found the ill fated roundabout (we turned off one turn too soon) and made way to Captain Hook Highway. This time our route followed along the coast line. We turned inland a bit at Port Douglas where sugar cane reigned as the crop supreme. We passed what appeared to be a controlled burn – kinda scary. They transport the cane by rail with an intricate landscape of rail crossings and pathways. We passed a train with cars loaded just waiting to be carted off. The scenery was great – even the signage worked. The turn to Siky Oaks was in the middle of sugar cane field and marked well. We found ourselves pulling up to our remote destination with no further delay. It was breathtaking. Nestled alongside the river, Silky Oaks, is a collection of treehouse accommodations all sitting high off the ground. Within the 64 acres there are 50 treehouses, 16 river houses and a great main reception and restaurant area. It was the perfect, serene getaway. So glad we are here. We had a nice rest and a lovely dinner overlooking the rambling river. We even slept with the screens only on the veranda so we could be lulled to sleep by the river and night sounds. Ahh……so wonderful.

July 27th – Sydney bound We decided to check out of the hotel in...

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 27^th – Sydney bound

We decided to check out of the hotel in Parramatta a day early and head into Sydney. Our plan was twofold – one to be closer to the airport for our flight on the 29^th to Cairns, but really we wanted the chance to see the city and revive ourselves after the conference. Don’t get me wrong, as I said before, the conference was excellent, but the days were long and we were ready for a bit of r & r.

At the recommendation of the Mellinger’s, we chose to stay at Hotel Blue on the Woolloomooloo wharf. Nope, that is not a typo. It’s just the other side of the Royal Botanic Gardens from the infamous Circular Quay. The Hotel is built in an old shipping warehouse – the rooms are along each side and most are lofts. We found it to be exquisitely appointed, but a bit loud and definitely chilly. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we headed to the wharf for a lunch of whole fresh snapper, prawn fried rice and steamed scallops at China Doll. It was yummy! No gills yet, but based on the amount of fish and seafood we are consuming we are on the lookout for them!

We dropped our bags and headed straight for the garden. The entrance we used was adjacent to an area that is called The Domain. It’s a great meadow where the likes of Jack Johnson and others have performed. Wish we would have been there for Jack – it would have been amazing. But alas…on to the trees. We found ourselves visiting the Palm and fern gardens first. Wow – they were magnificent. Around each curve were trees both common to us and new varieties. All majestic and grand. We wound our way through the garden to the Sydney Opera House. Such a massive building – the architecture is wonderful and the shell-like roof line called to us “come on in”. We had just missed the guided tour, but peeked about on own for a while then while stopping at the gift shop for a souvenir thimble, we ran into Denny and Janet Bornancin. Worked out perfect as we didn’t get a chance to say our goodbyes in Parramatta. It was a nice touch to the day to start making plans to see each other again. Janet and Denny were looking for a good spot to grab a bit, and we had just eaten before starting our garden walk, so we said our goodbyes and went on our separate ways. Love when friendships can just pick up and carry on – after days or months and even in a foreign country.

Al and I decided to climb aboard the miniature train for our return trip. It was great. The conductor/tour guide was a cute Irish gal who added commentary and whimsy to our stroll. We rested up back in the loft and then headed to Kingsley’s Steak and Seafood for dinner. This area is known for its mudcrab – fresh from the waters. Tonight we had it prepare Singapore Chili style – it was red hot spicy and extremely messy and delicious. Matched with a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing and a glass of chilled Pinot Noir from New Zealand (yes, served chilled. Mom would have loved it!) I enjoyed every drippy saucy bite. Having an early morning flight out – we turned in – lapping in the luxury of the feather pillows and soft bedding….sweet dreams ahead.

July 23 – 26 – “Trees down Under” Parramatta, NSW What a whirl...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

Jared Abrojena North American Champion

Rhonda Wood WCISA Champion Women's

Daniel Stevens WCISA Champion Men's

July 23 – 26 – “Trees down Under” Parramatta, NSW

What a whirl wind time at the 87^th Annual ISA Conference. The week kicked off with two day’s Council of Representatives meetings for Rose – not much opportunity to cheer on my climbing buddies in the competition – but Al did the rooting for both of us. It is very rewarding to be part of the leadership of ISA – a worldwide collection of tree care professionals – there is so much energy and activity in the meeting rooms. It’s really great. Our climbers, Rhonda, Dan and Jared did great. They represented our chapter of ISA and North America as well. Jared placed 2^nd overall and Dan had a 2^nd place in the Speed Climb event. Jared had a tough day on the Masters – taking the 5^th place spot – he was pretty happy with his win on the Head to Head Footlock completion. We found out the full results from the preliminary events with Dan ending up in 6^th place in the world. We were really happy and proud of the guys and gal.

Al and I had the opportunity to visit with so many old friends and made many new ones as well. We spent some quality time with Carl and Glenn, always a treat. In fact, we ended up eating together every day! Denny and Janet Bornancin joined us for dinner at El Phoenician – a Lebanese restaurant that served a wonderful spread banquet style and even treated us to the show with both male and female bellydanccers. We gathered with a larger group, including Jim and Nelda, Larry Costello and Francesco from Italy and his colleague. There was kangaroo and lamb ribs on the menu that evening as well as the biggest prawns – all really delicious. Our favorite meal was served at 317 – an organic sidewalk café along Church St. The seafood salad had octopus, calamari, shrimp, feta and avocado with a delicate lemon dressing – it was scrumptious.

The educational program was chocked full of great meetings and opportunities. We heard Francis Swartze’s great keynote on fungi and the benefits they can provide for wood. Swartze’s research has taken him to work with violins and the tonal wood that violin makers dream about. There was equally interesting talks by Ken James, Frank Rinn and a cast of my western chapter colleagues. It was well rounded and really solid. The capstone of the week was seeing our friends Carl and Tim honored by ISA as True Professionals of Arboriculture.

The conference wound down with a Gala dinner and auction – there were almost 900 people in attendance, the biggest group I have ever seen – the staff did a great job and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Our foursome capped off a great five days with a ferry ride into the city (Sydney) for dinner at Wildfire. The ferry ride was beautiful as we pulled into Circular Quay – the opulent Sydney Opera House shined in the night sky – it was really beautiful. We dined on chilled seafood and mud crab, dried Waygu beef and a lovely bitter chocolate rye sourdough. All unique and all delicious. We took the train back to Parramatta and had a late night walk down a deserted Church Street. In the morning, we will go our separate ways, Carl and Glenn off to Ayres Rock then diving, us to the city and then barrier reef. It was the perfect ending to a surprisingly delightful week.

July 22nd – Hunter Valley to Parramatta, through Newcastle We...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 22^nd – Hunter Valley to Parramatta, through Newcastle

We awoke to another bunch a kangaroos this morning – a family this time. Really fun to watch – although the looming storm clouds in the background weren’t such a welcome sight as we considered the drive ahead.

We had connected with our good friends Carl and Glenn Mellinger by email and found out they were staying in Newcastle, a seaside town about an hour away, but definitely on our route. Although anxious to get to Parramatta to see our climbers compete in the ISA International Tree Climbing Championship, we had some time and thought – what the heck. The drive to Newcastle, though a wet one went fairly smooth – the directions led us right to our destination. We had a great visit with a wonderful group of Aussies (some ex-pat Americans, some British and Irish) – it was lovely. The weather, however, was not! Newcastle reminded me a bit of a San Francisco burg – a mix of vintage and modern with lots of nooks and crannies to be explored – if we only had more time!

Our climbing activities were cancelled due to rain. The drive down to Parramatta was wet and wooly. I was definitely ready to dump the rental car by the time we got to town! We checked into the Sebel Parramatta to, I kid you not, the smallest hotel room I have ever seen. Well, maybe not as tiny as the room Suzy and I had at the Empire, but pretty darn tiny just the same. We hadn’t heard many good references for Parramatta, but were pleasantly surprised at the restaurant the hotel suggested for dinner. Cristini’s was a hoping hip Italian eatery – a bit loud – but delish grilled seafood and lovely pasta for Al. The entire block was lined with bustling restaurants and bars – looked like a fun town to us. The hotel was right on the Parramatta River – which due to all the rain was really high and rushing – it made for a great concert by Mother Nature for our walk back from dinner.

It was an early night – tomorrow the meetings and competition will be in full force! We are anticipating a great time visiting with lots of tree friends!

July 21st – The Hunter I take back all the evil and negative...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 21^st – The Hunter

I take back all the evil and negative thoughts from yesterday! Today was stellar. One for the history books. Wanting to get a peek at the view – I looked through the drapes and found myself peering at not one or two but three Kangaroos dining on the 10^th fairway out our patio door! I quickly bundled up to get outside and get a better look. It was great a true sight to behold – and then, as if on cue, two of the kangaroos sat back on their haunches and started going at it…by going at it I mean kicking and punching. I was quick to get a video on the cell – and have sense showed it to everyone I see. It’s a bit hit. Al and I both thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The rain subsided a bit and we hoped to get a round of golf in – we didn’t cart our golf shoes 7000 miles for nothing…..unfortunately the course was booked solid – no golf for us after all. We had seen an advertisement in the room for a “yellow brick guide” - it talked about self paced tours of the wine country and environs – with the rain spitting a bit and a full day ahead, we figured what the heck.

It was a hoot! The guide is a nav system (like a Garmin) that is preloaded with three half day tours of the area lead by local winemakers…upon turning it on, we were instructed to tune the radio into 94.0 for audio. We choice the “heart of Pokolbin tour” – it was led by Usher Tinkler, a local winemaker. He shared some of his favorite wineries with us – Poole’s Rock (his own), Tinkler (his grandfathers), Tyrrell’s (winery of the year) and Scarborough (a class act) – the Hunter Valley is known for its white wine grapes – both chardonnay and Semillon (a sweeter wine – crisp and fruity). There was also some lovely Shiraz and a great Shiraz sparkling wine that I enjoyed a lot. The tour took us up to the lookout where we could see the entire valley – all the way serenading us with local jazz music. The tour lasted for 40 km (about 30 miles) and wound us right back to Chateau Élan….excellent! We started a second tour, “Loveland:” – but the weather had taken a bit of turn so we enjoyed learning about the surrounding area while we tooled around, but didn’t stop at any more wineries. We rounded out the stay with a lovely dinner at the grill – pleasantly surprised by more delicious seafood and local beef.

The Hunter proved to be a worthy stop – way worth the drive.

July 20, 2011 – Coffs Harbour to Chateau Elan, Newcastle,...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:00:00 -0700

July 20, 2011 – Coffs Harbour to Chateau Elan, Newcastle, NSW

Traveling day today…and travel we did. Yet another white knuckle adventure. The day was clear and breezy as we pulled out of the Wyndam, fairly confident of the route and way more comfortable with the roadways…or so we thought…..Our route was about 427 km – 250 miles or so. According to Google, about a five hour drive, “No worries! “ I had planned a couple of side trips based on Backroads of Australia, literally my bible for the trip.

Our first stop was in South West Rocks, a small town along the Maclay River that leads out to the ocean. The turn was marked Tourist Route 12 – it was to take us through several quaint towns with a stop for fresh oysters along the way. As we left the highway we saw the sign indicating the route would add about 80 km (40 miles or less) to the journey. At Rainbow Reach, where the oyster farm was to be found, the sign indicated “no oysters”. No oysters? Seriously? That would have been a great spot to turn around or crack a “u-ie” as they say here. Did we? Oh no….onward and upward. Indeed the foreshore (what we call the bluff or beach) was magnificent. Crystal clear water, stately Norfolk Island Pines, blue sky with lots of puffy clouds….a traveler’s dream. Refreshed by the stop, we loaded up and headed down the road…and down the road…and down the road…..Funny thing about Australia, the road signs are WEAK! We ended up venturing down a country farm road for way longer than I was comfortable with, but I held my tongue and thought, well, it will be but it will be…..we wound along a river getting deeper and deeper in. Just when I was about freak – the road ended at a cross road along the Tourist Route. We came to our senses and stopped to ask about the highway….and after backtracking a bit, we were back on Pacific Hwy. Silent and hungry, we carried on. We did have a great lunch at the Sand Bar – another Backroads recommendation, about 100 km later in the town of North Haven.

Caught a bit (cue laughter) of rain on the remaining 200 km of the drive making our entry into Hunter Valley a challenge to say the least. We took the long way to our destination, Chateau Elan – a great villa style spot on the 10^th fairway of Greg Norman’s golf resort, The Vintage, in Pokolbin (wine country). Our room is lovely, warm and very accommodating. Long day, early night….capped off with a lovely Palmer Lane Chard and a quiet prayer for less rain in the morning!