Now part of it is an Aquarium

6/23 You’ve heard about Cannery Row, well that has been turned into a tourist attraction which contains a lot of restaurants and gift shops and at the end of it all there is one of the finest aquariums that we have ever visited. It cost a pretty penny to get in, so instead of paying the entry fee, we joined and now we can visit anytime. After all, it’s only about 25 miles from us. They do change the exhibits occasionally and the current big attraction are “Exotic Jellies” which are Jelly Fish from all over the world.

 



Watching these Jelly Fish swim through the water is mesmerizing and we could just stand there all day watching the dance. These were just a few of the many species throughout the exhibit. This was just the start of an amazing day.

Another of the favorite spots for folks to sit and watch were the otters. It seems they never run out of time to play. Do you think it’s because they know they have an audience? To be honest, I’ve seen them out in the bay far enough away that I’m sure they don’t know they have people watching and they seem to do the same antics as they do in the tank at the aquarium. I wonder if they ever grow up.

We continued on through the Aquarium and enjoyed many more of the exhibits including Kelp Beds, Penguins, many schools of fish of which I would love to show some pictures, but alas I put the camera in my pocket and just enjoyed the views so I have none to show you. It looks like we have to go back, now that we are members, and take some more pictures to share. Oh yes, before I put the camera away I did capture some species that had escaped and were running loose. They happened to be trapped on one of the outside balconies and I did capture these photos. I believe they are referred to  as Homo Sapiens Aged.

 

A "Grand" Father's Day

6/14 It has been 3 weeks and a few days since the arrival of our granddaughter Anouk Grace Cooper, born May 22. She came into this world at a whopping 8 lbs. 2ozs. and continues to grow. She and mother  were treated for an infection with antibiotics keeping them in the hospital for an extended period after birth, so it was a bit of a traumatic experience to say the least. They are home and things are going along well and of course she is the most beautiful baby ever born, just ask me. Grandma is having a blast and is doing all the grandma stuff. Me, I’m just sitting back taking it all in and yes, enjoying this wonderful bundle of joy.

Anouk Grace Cooper

We had the family over to the campground for Father’s Day and had a nice quite dinner and of course Anouk did demand her bit of feast, which her mother was able to supply. Afterwards, we stepped outside for some family photos.

The Proud New Parents Jim & Cory

We plan on being here for a few more weeks but we're not looking forward to leaving, I know grandma sure isn’t going to want to leave. Of course you know grandpa can leave anytime (yeah, right).



"Yeah kid, that's your grandpa!"

Ok, I’m going to explain her name just because I get asked a lot. Anouk is a French and Dutch diminutive of the female given name Anna. It is fairly popular in the Netherlands, used but not as popular in Belgium and France.

Yes, I had a GRAND Father’s Day!

A Visit From the Past

6/13 We had a visit from some remaining members of the Ohlone Native Tribe to our little campground here at Pinto Lake in Watsonville. I’ll bet most of you have never heard of them and for good reason. They have not been recognized by our government as a native tribe, however, they are recognized by many and even have their own website http://ohlonecostanoanesselennation.org/ which is kind of cool. Of course their decline is blamed on the Spanish Missions, which destroyed their way of life. Anyway, we had a visit from some of their tribal folks who demonstrated the construction of one of their canoes. I guess it’s one of those boats you just sit atop and paddle.

Guess Where We Had Lunch?

6/12 Here we sit in the front parlor of the boyhood home of John Steinbeck waiting for our lunch to arrive. While we are waiting, we look around and see many items that would have adorned the old home including portraits of his parents. The home has been restored to its former glory (assuming that it did have a former glory) and I have to say it was very well done. As you can see.

This restaurant and gift shop are run by volunteers with only 3 paid positions (Manager, Chef & dishwasher). All of the dishes are made from locally grown produce. The house is just a few blocks from the National Steinbeck Center located in the center of Historic Salinas. As for the lunch, it was delicious and the ambiance made the price seem “worth it.”

The Center was very well laid out and we thoroughly  enjoyed it. Basically, the exhibits were laid out in the time line of Mr. Steinbeck’s life. He was quite the literary giant, and his writing drew from his life in and around the Salinas Valley. I’m throwing in the photo of the Model T because it reminds of a story often told by my father who was but a year older than John Steinbeck.

My father’s story tells of his trip in a similar car from Michigan to California, but I’ll save that for another time. As you walk through the exhibits, you get a feel for what Mr. Steinbeck experienced and what brought about the stories that he wrote. You could feel the grit in those tales and understand how the local folks could actually go out and burn copies of the “Grapes of Wrath” when it was released. There is an exhibit for each of his literary works, with bits playing from a screen play or just someone reading from a story. A visit to that center certainly opened my eyes to more insight into the man, John Steinbeck than any discussion in any of my English classes back in my school days. I do remember that I disliked reading his works in school, perhaps because they were so gritty or not whimsical. I’m not sure if I now want to go back and re-read some of his books or just try to bring my writing up to his level (nice to have a dream).