Tomohon and Jakarta - Indonesia

I never finished writing about the end of our trip in Indonesia! I've got to do it sometime because spring has arrived (rain, rain, rain) and we play outside more often leaving less time for blog writing! My Indonesian tales ended in Lembeh Strait with our muck diving stories.... so I will pick up where I left off in Sulawesi. After leaving Lembeh we headed uphill to the land of volcanoes in the town of Tomohon and checked into our room at Onong's Palace where we learned exactly how to behave from these hilarious rules (click on the photo to magnify the rules and enjoy the laugh). This is one of the reasons why I love to travel...

Got that?

In case I haven't mentioned it before (I know I have) - the food in Indonesia is so damn good and Onong's Palace fed us very well.

Cinnamon, Tomohon market

The next morning we headed to the local market, where you can feel the pulse of a town and really see what people eat and how they live. I love markets. I love them for their smells, their sounds, languages, colors, fabrics, food, dirt, grime, and all walks of people. They are so alive..... that said, markets can also be very disturbing to Westerners because we don't always relate well to items that others may perceive as food such as dog, bat, or rat - all of which were quite on sale at this market. I respect other cultures and their foods but sadly there was a fair amount of "bush meat" for sale at this market that was likely acquired in Indonesian national parks (which is illegal). This included, but surely is not limited to, snakes (python?), monkeys, and bats. We saw a huge snake hanging in the market and Jay curiously discussed consuming snake meat with our guide. When Jay asked where it was harvested and our guide said, "probably Tangkoko National Park" Jay quickly lost all interest in sampling a new meat. We recognize that many people have small incomes and need to sell meat in order to support families (and maintain cultural traditions) but it is sad nevertheless that some rare or endangered animal populations may pay the price of our population growth.

Oh that is where all the bumphead parrotfish went! I was wondering where they were on the reef....

Julie drools over veggies, roots, and greens in Tomohon's market

This was our view on the drive to Mahawu, an inactive(?) volcano, right by the very active Lokon volcano that was closed to the public because it was acting up too much during the time of our visit. I think volcanoes are so neat!

Mahawu crater. We tried to walk around this crater and ended up in deep mud and thick brush that was at least 10 ft. high. We wimped out on the walk - we couldn't see anything through the brush anyway! 

It seemed that every meal was my favorite meal of the trip. Here I was eating papaya flowers with ferns. Couldn't get much better than this! 

We spent one more night in Manado before we left Sulawesi for Java and the big city of Jakarta. One item on our shopping list was to buy a bunch of Indonesian coffee. I love how such simple tasks can sometimes turn into super fun experiences. We wandered into a local grocery store and asked for bulk coffee beans, a request that turned out to be uncommon perhaps in this store because a crowd of about five Indonesians gathered around to help and watch us buy the beans. Or maybe the crowd had to do with the six-foot tall blonde dork trying to buy coffee in Indonesia? When I asked to chew on the different roasts that really got some giggles - I guess my way of sampling the flavor of the roast is not how Indonesians do it!

That evening we splurged and paid $30 for hour long massages in our hotel room by these awesome women who flew in, filled the room with the scent of jasmine, turned our muscles to mush, and left as quickly as they arrived. We didn't budge from our bed for an eternity. Fantastic.

WOW! This looks like a big change and it was! We flew into Jakarta on Thanksgiving Day and took a cab over to the house of Tim Brown and Lucy Mize, Jay's cousins who live abroad and work wonders wherever they live. They were hosting a huge gathering of expatriates for the big holiday and welcomed us into their house to join in on the fun. I never expected to celebrate Thanksgiving in Indonesia - but look at this fun! Staying with the Brown/Mize family was a real joy and we felt very lucky to be included in this celebration with all of their close friends in Jakarta.

Just to keep everyone on their toes, it decided to POUR immediately before the Thanksgiving guests were supposed to arrive at Brown/Mize household. Lucy and Tim's kids, Thaddeus and Belle, clearly knew what to do when the house started to flood. Towels appeared from all directions of the house while we raced around and tried to keep the water from gaining on the floor. Tim and Thaddeus worked some magic in their  courtyard to divert the water flow away from the doors and as quickly as the flooding started it ended. But that didn't help with their street - which looks more like a river in the above photo. Everyone took the rain and flooding in stride and I loved their sense of humor about all of it despite the fact that several guests ended up arriving quite late as they sat in traffic trying to get to the house.

Jay and Tim after a big mango and mushroom shopping spree

One of the real treats of our time in Jakarta was reconnecting with Dr. Stacey Tighe. Stacey hosted me for a month in Egypt back in 1999 when I was the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society scholar. Stacey was a scholar herself in 1980 and she continued the tradition of scholars hosting scholars when she put up with me in Egypt. We had so much fun together and the fun continued when we met again over Thanksgiving dinner at Lucy and Tim's house! Stacey is doing great work for the marine environment in Indonesia and we loved catching up after a decade of lost communication. She also took us batik shopping and taught us everything we needed to know about batiks and batik bargaining. A good skill in this country!

During a day tour of Jakarta, Lucy took us to a fantastic "antique" market in Jakarta where we bargained hard for some wooden shadow puppets. This dude was stoked when we finally bought one from him.

Lucy, Tim, Julie, Thaddeus, Belle, and Jay

Many thanks to the Mize/Brown household for putting up with us for several fantastic days in Jakarta. We loved the tours, the education, the martinis, the pool, and most importantly, the company of family in this gorgeous and wonderful country.

More photos here: https://plus.google.com/photos/111221596171793333099/albums/5815735330676677425?banner=pwa

The best day of my life

 

Well, it was the best day of my life AFTER my wedding.  =) But seriously, this was one of the best days of my life. If you are a forager, you will know and understand. Morels, a coveted wild mushroom, are not always easy to find. In fact, we got skunked last year and only found a few the year before.....so three years into attempts we finally hit the jackpot. I can't say the morels just fell into our laps though - I spent hours pouring over maps of last year's forest fires because morels tend to pop up in larger quantities one year after a fire. Then Jay took my maps and studied elevations, roads, campgrounds, you name it..... we added them all together and picked a burn to check out east of the Cascades. The drive out is gorgeous (see above photo) and we picked out a sweet campsite in an empty Forest Service campground to spend the night planning our morel assault. Asparagus pesto pasta was on the dinner menu as well as some beer from the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company. Not a bad way to end the drive....

Morels are dreamy.

We woke up early and headed straight up the Forest Service road toward the burn we were targeting. I figured we would hike for a long time before we found a patch of these tasty mushrooms once we parked the car and took off up the slope. Not so! About four minutes into our uphill trek Jay said "I found one." I wandered over to him in disbelief and looked down. And sure enough - he had found a tiny morel and gained us the necessary search image. A search image is like a key to all the treasures in the forest. It worked like magic this day because suddenly morels were EVERYWHERE we looked.

 A batch of morels poking up out of the ash

 Jay buried in the burn - great morel habitat! 

I believe I counted 39 morels in this photo. I sat here for a long time and carefully cut each one out and brought them home. In case any of you are wondering, there is a three gallon (per person) daily limit for recreational mushroom harvesters and we took our limit in the course of about four or five hours.

Hunting for morels is dirty work because you are playing in a forest burn. Everything turns black and it is awesome. What fun! 

 

The hunters and their prey

 

 Morel risotto. Does life get better?

Another sunny day in paradise

Jay's mother, Allison, has a way of hitting the weather just right here in Washington with the exception of the day we went out for our annual gawking at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. It was freezing and rainy, but that doesn't deter crowds in this state when there are bright red, pink, and yellow fields of flowers blooming! In some ways the colors are more vibrant in cloudy weather, so we like to think we still scored. 

 I believe this variety of tulip was called the "Seattle" (or something close to this variety)

After tiptoeing through the tulips, we joined forces with Jay's cousin Sophia and headed out for a fantastic performance of Legally Blonde at the local theater (ACT). This little theater in Anacortes blows us away every time we go - we feel so lucky that we live in such a talented and thriving arts community.

Although Jay and I had to work during the week, we still managed to have fun in the late afternoon and evenings with Allison. The Anacortes Community Forest Lands were well visited this week! Allison and I gathered nettle on two different occasions and I was able to make some yummy treats from our efforts including "nettlekopita" (think spanakopita but with nettle instead of spinach) and nettle chips (just the leaf baked until crispy and sprinkled with nutritional yeast and salt). Here is Allison on top of Guemes Mountain with Mt. Baker in the background. The two of us spent Friday on Guemes Island while Jay was working and boy we had FUN! In addition to a great walk up the mountain we gorged on phenomenal food from Anderson's Store while sipping big glasses of white wine in the sun. Not a bad way to spend the day.

View of Anacortes from Guemes Mountain. Not a bad place to call home eh?  Check out the Olympic Mountains in the background!

All family visits must include a picnic at Deception Pass State Park. We gathered on a gorgeous evening with sun, burgers, wine, and great company.

On Allison's last day we headed back to Deception Pass and walked out to one of the many great viewpoints. It was so warm and sunny that we mostly just sat in a trace and soaked up the rays. We stayed so long that we ended up rushing out of the house to make sure we got to Seattle in time for dinner and dropping her off at the airport.

 Look closely in the field and spot all the purple camas blooming - a gorgeous wildflower.

We always feel a bit lonely when a family member visits and then leaves.... AND the weather got crappy once Allison left. We need her to stay all the time so it will be sunny year round! 

More photos from our lovely visit here: https://plus.google.com/photos/111221596171793333099/albums/5878442898737280849?banner=pwa

A weekend with the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society

No accomplishments in life are possible without the help of others who care about you and encourage you to follow your dreams. My family and husband, naturally, play a huge role in my life by providing this backbone of support - but sometimes other folks step in and get involved too. Enter the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS).

Go back in time to 1999 - I'm getting ready to graduate from the University of New Hampshire, I've been bitten by the travel bug during my junior year abroad in Australia, I'm obsessed with diving, and I've got to find a job post-graduation. While I was wandering down a hallway in a building I did not normally visit at UNH I saw a flashy poster hanging on a professor's door. The woman, I don't remember her name, thought the diving scholarship described on the poster sounded neat so she hung it up despite the fact she knew nothing more about this organization. I looked it up on the internet and knew I had to apply and that I had to do it immediately because the deadline was only one week away! About a month later I received the 1999 scholarship, generously sponsored by Rolex, and embarked on a fantastic year of diving, education, and travel.

Although I always knew I wanted to head into the field of marine biology, I didn't have much career direction at the time of graduation aside from knowing that my life had to involve marine invertebrates. The scholarship helped me hone my career vision and dive skills by allowing me to dabble in many potential underwater professions. Furthermore, I learned during this year that it is possible to become a better naturalist just by visiting a place and seeing it with your own eyes. For example, I was able to spend a week diving in the Galápagos (the very blue photo has me in it with a bunch of hammerhead sharks over my head). I didn't work with scientists during this week, I just went diving as much as physically possible. Thus, I can't say I collected data underwater in this archipelago but the experience of diving in such an awesome environment was priceless "research" for this budding naturalist. 

Julie back in 2000 with a Galápagos tortoise at the Charles Darwin Research Station

Another experience that really sticks out was the month I spent in Egypt, where a former scholar and my host, Dr. Stacey Tighe, was working at the time (Stacey now lives and works in Indonesia - Jay and I were able to see her this past November). While in Hurghada I worked at a dive shop in exchange for a rescue diving class. My instructor was a huge Dutch man who sank while wearing a wetsuit, making towing "rescues" quite the challenge. I also spent some time with a few of the Egyptian National Park Service divers doing simple things like installing and maintaining mooring buoys. Sounds boring but ya know what? That kind of work is really important to the health of the reef (boats dropping anchors on coral = bad times for the coral) and I enjoyed the time I spent with the park divers because they were such a fun group of guys who seemed passionate about their jobs.

The Egyptian Red Sea

There are so many other stories and experiences - like my month in Northern Ireland, my drives cross-country, working on my divemaster certification at Catalina Island, heading out to sea with NOAA and WHOI, the list goes on and on and on. And during this time something funny happens - you realize that although you are traveling alone you are surrounded by a larger, extended tribe of supporters, hosts, and sponsors. Suddenly I had gained a huge new family and they were cheering me along during my year and beyond. I owe them much. During my scholarship year I gained a lot of experience with underwater research, which undoubtedly helped me land my first job as a diver for Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. After graduate school, the scholarship helped again....I had spent some time diving with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) during my scholarship year and (guess what!?) the first job I applied for out of graduate school was at the DMF! I got the job and I have no doubt that my year as the scholar helped me land that fantastic job. Thus, every step I take in my career is backed by experience and support from the scholarship family.

Fast forward from 1999 to April 2013. The scholarship's annual event is now based in New York City but the family is still the same - it has just grown! Rolex now sponsors scholars from three parts of the world: North America, Europe, and Australasia. It had been years since I had been back to catch up with my old pals so Jay and I decided to head back for the big weekend (which also timed perfectly with Geoff and Stef's wedding and school break for the Barber-Justs).

Jay and I feel like we played a small role in the selection of the new North American Rolex scholar - Jeff Hester - because he worked as a summer undergraduate researcher at Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC, Jay's employer) several years ago. We discussed the scholarship back then and he decided to apply for it and, obviously, he got it! This is a photo of all the folks from SPMC at the Friday night gathering. Shannon Point is a tiny marine lab and there was a ton of representation at the OWUSS event because of Jay, Jeff, and a underwater research internship that OWUSS sponsors. In this photo we have Jay, Jeff (2013 NA Scholar), Jenna (2011 OWUSS AAUS intern), Annie (2012 AAUS intern), and Nate (the SPMC diving safety officer, sponsor of the interns).

The big Saturday night event was held at the New York City Yacht Club.

Chloé (2013 EU Scholar), Jay, Julie, Ali (2000 Scholar), and Bob (since our scholarships over a decade ago Ali and I have stayed friends - I wish Ali and Bob lived closer to us)

The Yacht Club did not mess around with the food - it was phenomenal. Here is our first course of morels, pea shoots, fresh peas, and ravioli in a white sauce. My dinner consisted of braised endives, stuffed artichoke hearts, and some fancy sauces. Shouts out to the chef! I can't speak for the non-veggos - but I was very happy.

Karl Huggins' photo of the scholars and their watches. We have to do this shot every year because none of this would happen without Rolex. My career is in a great place thanks to the experiences they helped me gain through their sponsorship. Thank you.....

I'll leave this post on a different note. I had not been back to NYC since the 9/11 memorial was built and new World Trade Center buildings started to rise. During some free time, a small group of us headed to the memorial site. Words cannot express how one feels standing in this place.....so I will let my photos speak on their own.

More images here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/111221596171793333099/albums/5869885179017046241

Valatie, NY

It is always lovely to be able to spend quality time with your family and that is exactly what we did this past April. We spent a week in Valatie, NY with my family combined with a short visit to see Jay's sister, Lee, attend a wedding, and spend a weekend in NYC for an event I'll write about in the next blog. For this particular trip we did not make it out to the Cape to visit Jay's mom, Allison, because she was coming out to WA the week after our east coast visit. Actually - Allison just flew back east yesterday - we miss her so much already. A blog about her visit will follow!

Jay's friend Geoff married a wonderful woman, Stef, the day after we arrived in New York. We first met Stef at our wedding and have been thrilled to get to know her over these years. She is fantastic and we look forward to many fun visits together - perhaps even out here this summer?! They were married in the Catskill Mountains at a beautiful spot in Phoenicia. 

Liam was really into the cake - and for good reason. This is no ordinary wedding cake.... it was fantastic!

The day after the wedding we took a stroll down Esopus Creek with our friend JR. If you look closely you can see some logs sitting on the top of the bridge - that is evidence of how high this "creek" got during the flooding from Hurricane Irene. Wow.

After the wedding we drove to my parents house in Valatie, NY and were greeted by my parents and my sister's family. Here I am with Henry who just drew me a hug in chalk on the driveway. So cute and sweet.  Awhhhh...

We had fun playing outside on one of the warm spring days. Henry really got into searching for his Lego pieces.

 Jay and Jackson resting after a long game of tag.

 Julie, Jackson, Mom, and Dad

Jay forgot his jacket the night we drive to Springfield, MA to have dinner with Lee. So when we went for a walk in the city after dinner, he squeezed into one of Lee's spare jackets. Pretty entertaining because Lee is much more tiny than Jay. 

My Dad had a cast on his foot to try and fix a problem he was having with his tendons. Henry and Jackson (and the rest of us) all had a blast decorating his cast. Jackson drew a "springy butt" which might have been the most inventive drawing ever on a cast.

 Cute dudes. 

Grandma and Grandpa babysat one night so the siblings could have a date night in Hudson together. Here we all are (Jay, Julie, Christina, and Sara) looking dazzling for our big night out at Da Ba - an incredible restaurant and a great way to spend an evening with my family.

We tried to get a nice photo of the Barber-Just family but Henry and Jackson have so much energy! It is hard to get anything in focus.... so the photos don't turn out well but the attempt sure is entertaining.

Because my Dad and I drink good decaf coffee (no one really needs to see me on caffeine) we receive a lot of good-humored crap from Sara. Here she decided to pose for our new coffee label called "Wimpy Boys Coffee".

 The boyz both wore their geoduck t-shirts!

 The day the Barber-Justs left we spent the afternoon driving around Chatham and Kinderhook - ending at my parent's lake house, The Roost. Here we are soaking up our Vitamin D. Yeah!

On our last night with my parents we headed back to Hudson, NY which is just loaded with tasty restaurants. We went to The Crimson Sparrow which has lots of very inventive tapas and a good wine list. Needless to say, we ate very well this entire week!

More photos are here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111221596171793333099/albums/5864279191495070881?banner=pwa