1/8: Our New Year starts today

 A month between blogs? Bogus.

The holidays were low-key, but I did get to spend some great time with my insane and insanely adorable nieces.

Sid Vicious in her Christmas outfit. 

The Gremlin Anni, using my headband as a belt.

Then I was a little sick, and a little overwhelmed, and I spend most of the rest of my break in SLO finishing the report about Santa Rosa Island (hooray!), spacing out with Mom, Dad, and Dylan, missing a trip to Utah, getting my truck fixed, and coming back to a stormy Santa Barbara to teach.

Then we had a few beautiful days up on Figueroa Mountain with SNOW, did some climbing, and just this week had the most wonderful visit from my Sierra loves, Christopher and Kevin. The first night they made dinner from veggies they picked up from Green Oaks Creek farm - remember when I stayed there this summer? Same Christopher, the guy I went on Portland Road Trip 2012 with - went and drank some beers and listened to music at Cold Spring Tavern, then sat talking and playing word games until it was far past our bedtimes.

Monday morning we went on a mushroom hunt, and while we didn't find anything to eat, we DID see the most gigantic handsome bobcat in the world. They surfed, I worked, we got delicious dinner and wine together in town, then came back and watched a movie and we all fell asleep hard for 10 hours until construction madness woke us up around 9 am this morning. A quick breakfast in town and they were headed back to San Diego before their next adventures, and I miss them already.

Cauliflower and broccoli straight from GOC farm. Weird and beautiful mushrooms on dead wood. Christopher checking out a cowboy something-or-other. The boys at the beach, and getting settled in the cabin. 

Now, back to writing - unfortunately, not about the islands, but still good to get some science in today. 

The fox still comes around. The turkeys hate the construction but we see them every once in a while. A giant bobcat is lurking somewhere nearby. Mattie is curled beside me, and everything is perfect again. 

And the valley just keeps on giving:

Rivers 'til I reach you.