http://frogpond.us Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:42:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Our hike in Sunol Park was gentle, under threatening skies - perfect temperature for hiking. We followed the trail along the creek to the falls and water hole with this distinctive blue stone. Trees, just leafing out, march down the center of the stream bed, inundated by the ample rains. Gnarled stream-side dwellers. Below ... http://frogpond.us/?p=254 After our Los Trancos hike, we visited Yerba Buena Nursery, just off Skyline Boulevard in Woodside. The friendly fellow above is Charlie, who presides over nursery operations, greets guests, and hobnobs with the resident cats. The nursery sells a remarkable collection of California native plants, like this yellow flowered fremontia, this ribes ... http://frogpond.us/?p=244 Today, our hikers took to the trails of Los Trancos Preserve, with reports of mountain lion sitings. The predators eluded us, but the views over the coastal range were spectacular, and some of the wildflowers were blooming. In shady spots there were thick stands of miner's lettuce, pictured above. There were ... http://frogpond.us/?p=239 We traveled about 45 minutes to this historic mercury mining area to view the old mine sites, and the valleys below from challenging but well maintained trails - lots of ups and downs. Guadalupe Reservoir, above, is low after three years of drought. The new grass needs the rain ... http://frogpond.us/?p=235 The rain did not materialize on our hike through the trails at Portola Valley Ranch. We started on the Toyon Trail, hiking to the end. We ate lunch between two ponds, one fresh and blue, barely visible from the trail. The other was murky and green, good ... http://frogpond.us/?p=226 The hike today took us to the eastern foothills of Silicon Valley, to the oldest municipal park in California, Alum Rock Park. Nature has caused some changes to the park in recent years. In 2000, severe storms caused a landslide, resulting in the closure of the original Alum Rock Avenue ... http://frogpond.us/?p=182 Fall colors were a little more diluted than usual this year in New York State, following a wet and relatively cold summer in the Northeast. Fall foliage near Treadwell, New York. Pumpkins for sale at Pie In The Sky barn, Otsego, New York. Our first fall hike was a steep walk on ... http://frogpond.us/?p=174 Flowers from Rose Cottage garden. Tea on the porch. Froglets from the pond at Rose Cottage. Edible gardens of Silicon Valley. Sunflowers and poppies. The Butterfly Forest. http://frogpond.us/?p=169 Here are some macro shots taken at the Joseph L. Popp, Jr. butterfly conservatory in Upstate New York. Said to be one of the world's largest moth species. An exotic walking stick. Tiny tree frog observing the butterflies from his leaf. An insect-eating pitcher plant. The chameleon's tail has just turned yellow. Chameleon in green. A tattered ... http://frogpond.us/?p=163 Lower Manhattan On July 3, we took a one day trip to New York City, by train, from Elizabethtown, PA. Upon arrival at Penn Station, we took a Line 1 local train to the tip of Manhattan, where we boarded the free Staten Island Ferry. The round-trip ride offered ... http://frogpond.us/?p=156