School and surfing

Hey gang. Erin checking in with a few more photos. A great deal has been going on since I last posted. There was a flurry of activity when Bhodi got his license. I got promoted at work to a full time position of shipper/reciever, and I started summer session with two classes. All of it put together meant very little personal time and it took a while to get adjusted to the change of pace. I'm still treading to keep my head above water, but I've made sure that I have had a least some time in the week for myself. Most of it I spend surfing, though the waves haven't been that great the past month. The first shot on this post is of my new board. This was just a few days after I got it, when I sat in the backyard with a beer and stripped the wax and applied a fresh coat. If you are familiar with Santa Cruz surf spots, I've mostly gone to Cowell's, the beginner's local down from Steamer Lane near the wharf. But I've also gone a few times to Pleasure Point and even surfed the famous 1st peak when the waves were mild. I'm getting better, though still wipe out often. Its all good though, and "stoked" has become a part of my vocabulary.



School.... right now a love-hate relationship. The UCSC campus is really amazing, probably the most beautiful I've ever seen, even though the architecture looks like its a toss up between green new age and nazi submarine bunkers, if you can imagine that (St Naziare reference, no offense). But the location, the redwoods, and that every time I go I see deer grazing in the fields beside the buildings. I keep reminding myself to find the climbing tree, but I never seem to remember as I'm usually running from one place to another. With this, and the financial opportunity given to me by the earth science department, its hard to imagine being unhappy with the situation, but I have found myself many times doubting my intensions. I don't have an answer yet, but I am grateful for now.

So, these next few pictures are a little fuzzy. I took them with the camera on Bhodi's father's palm pilot and I have difficulty holding the thing still. But I just wanted to show what the campus is like. This picture is from the walkway on the Engineering Building, where both of my math classes are. Like I said, redwoods out the front door...



And, one of the coolest things I love about UCSC is the bridges that span the many gullies. The campus is NOT flat and they have these wooden walkways that are beautiful!













My future home.. the earth and marine science building. I have a shared office in there somewhere, but it hasn't been assigned yet. Oh, and on a dangerous note. Every building on campus it seems has its own espresso counter. Its very tempting, but I have managed to hold myself in check, not a single mocha on my record. All of these buildings, including the library, where I am currently paying rent, are on Science Hill, one of the highest points on campus.










And its hard to tell how high up that is by this photo, but this shot was taken from the pastures on mid campus, below science hill a ways. There is a bike trail that runs up (no shade, very hot!) so you can avoid the roads. A very enjoyable ride down but a long ride up. I have been making this trip, from my house or work (either way, sea level) up to campus three times a week. It takes about an hour for 6 miles, almost all uphill. Thighs of steel baby. I could take the bus, but believe it or not it actually takes longer and I appreciate the freedom to leave when I am ready and not have to wait. From here you can see Monterey Bay. On Wednesday during the yacht races you can see dozen out there on the bay. I did go yachting twice, but with school starting I had class and had to sadly say I wasn't available. When I came down tonight there were all out there. Very pretty.



Here is another shot of my board. This was taken a couple of months ago before the last post, when I stayed out at Cowells until I couldn't see the sets anymore. That reminds me. Every year at summer solstace I try to do sometime memorable. Past experiences were staying up all night in Alaska, and summiting the middle teton in Wyoming. Last year when I was at Wupatki, I got up to watch the sun rise on the mesa behind the ruins and watched it go down from the volcano. Here, I got up to surf before dawn and saw the sun come up over the hill from Cowell's, then watched the sunset from Pleasure Point over the water, also surfing. A good one to add to the collection. Days are getting shorter now. Bhodi returning has been on my mind everyday. We still haven't set a firm date for the wedding, waiting to see what school demands and money allows. Sometime next May or June. So keep checking in and leave a comment so I know how you are doing. Anytime you pass this way, you are welcome at our place.

Aloha,
Erin