Before and After

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

FLIGHT

Experience Human Flight from Betty Wants In on Vimeo.

Sitting at my desk, trying to remember how to sit at a desk after a long time free of it, feeling frustrated. This video hit the spot.

Favorite Things

I just love when others post about their favorite things, so I’ve decided to start up a section dedicated to my own favorites. It’s the little things in life…

First up is my newest find. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm. I spotted it for the first time at my local Target store just a couple weeks ago, and I absolutely love it.

Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in “Peony” used to be my go-to, apply-it-20-times-a-day-lip-stuff, but no longer. It’s been replaced with this new balm in “Hibiscus”. The color is perfect for me…just like my natural lip color… but a little more pigmented. The application is smooth, soft and lovely with no fake sparkles. If you’re a “natural” kind of girl, I know you’ll like it too.

It runs around $7 and worth every penny. Remember I’m fair and blond, so “Hibiscus” might not work for you. But there are lots of other delightful colors to suit your fancy. Click here to see the selection.

AN EXCELLENT YEAR ON RASA ISLAND

Isla Rasa, Mexico, view from the hut, looking out over the estero. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

I'm back from Mexico's remote Isla Rasa, a tiny outpost in the Gulf of California and one of the most important seabird breeding islands in the world.

The island covers a bare 138 acres/56 hectares. Yet it's home to half a million birds—many more if it's a good enough year for the birds to produce eggs, incubate them, and hatch their chicks.

Heermann's gulls and a cardón cactus, both endemic to the Gulf of California and the Baja Peninsula. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

(Heermann's gulls and a cardón cactus, both endemic to the Gulf of California and the Baja Peninsula. Photo ©Julia Whitty.)

Some 95 percent of all Heermann's gulls (Larus heermanni) nest on Isla Rasa. These are small, pretty, polite gulls—compared to some of their larger Larid relatives.

Heermann's gull:

length 19 inches/48 centimeters
wingspan 51 inches/129 centimeters

Great black-backed gull:

length 30 inches/76 centimeters
wingspan: 65 inches/165 centimeters

Grand Central Station Valley, Isla Rasa, Mexico. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

In the photo above, you can see the nesting territories of the gulls dotting the island's valleys.

Gulls also nest throughout the rocky hillsides and ridgelines.

Heermann's gull. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

In fact Heermann's gulls nest on every square inch of this sunbaked, windswept island—except where thickets of cholla cactus have taken hold... and where colonies of terns have usurped them.

Elegant tern colony in the midst of Heermann's gulls, Isa Rasa, Mexico. Photo © Julia Whitty.

In the photo above you can see how in one valley elegant terns (Thalasseus elegans) have successfully muscled into the territories of gulls.

Elegant terns, Isla Rasa, Mexico. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

The terns nest closer together than the gulls.

This, and the fact that they move into gull territories en masse and often under cover of night, means they generally get what ground they want—even though they're smaller birds:

Heermann's gull:

length 19 inches/48 centimeters
wingspan 51 inches/129 centimeters

Elegant tern:

length 17 inches/43 centimeters
wingspan 34 inches/86 centimeters

Heermann's gulls and elegant terns, Isla Rasa, Mexico. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

Here's what the two species look like nesting side-by-side.

You can probably already tell from the numbers of birds in the photos that's it's been a very good year so far on the island.

Heermann's gull chick and eggs. Photo ©Julia Whitty.

By the time I left, chicks were hatching everywhere and the whole island was transformed from the calm (in comparison) business of incubating to the furious business of feeding tiny insatiable stomachs.

In a forthcoming Mother Jones article I'll be writing more about why this year may be the best for the Gulf's seabirds since the mid-19th century.

UPDATE: Read my Mother Jones article about Enriqueta Velarde, the Power of One, here.

Growing Pains

Little Arthur Scott Bailey is growing up. Very different from his red headed sister Milly. He’s the fiery one. Go figure! Chews more. Eats more. Barks more. Runs more. Jumps more. Pees more. But snuggles more. We’ll keep him.

…another door opens.

Isn’t it ironic? And we didn’t even plan it. Turns out the first project for the new house is a front door! It just so happens that we found this lil’ old beauty last week on craigslist for $100.

That’s just how we roll. We see a deal and snatch it up, then find how we can work it in. And we always seem to somehow.

So… a question for you. What color to paint it? We’re leaning towards red. Would love to hear your thoughts.

And if you missed the post about what house we’re talking about, click here.

Basic H Review

Hello! Today, I want to let you know about another Basic H review! YES, another one. As much as you may be sick of hearing about my Get Clean Line, I am still getting emails from people liking these posts and giveaways. I hope that this post will at least get you motivated to clean! I love reading about other’s cleaning before and afters. It is so inspiring to clean and/or organize, isn’t it? Or is that just me? I am a little crazy like that sometimes, heehee! :)

Anyway, Christina, from Christina’s Adventures tried Basic H for her first time and wrote about it here!

She is also giving away 5 samples for you to try if you want!

$Christina\$