Learning to surf

Lulu, from our kundalini yoga teacher training class, generously offered to show us some safety tips, wave etiquette, and the basics of surfing. Basically, it's the most physically challenging thing that I've ever tried. I don't recommend it after detailing two cars the day before! You need your upper body strength. The water was very warm the day before, but then an off-shore breeze pulled off the warmer water and cold water rose to take it's place. Thank you, Lulu, for having wetsuits for all of us. Still, in a full body suit your feet and hands are exposed and it was cold!

Turn your board around and “paddle, paddle, paddle” shouts Lulu (on the red board) to keep up with the wave, let it take you in, and hopefully push yourself up and stay balanced! I could paddle, but my shoulders would not cooperate to “pop” me up onto the board. I did get up on my knees. It did remind me that body boarding is fun!

Miss Kitty gives a "butt-up" to grooming

Realizing that I really enjoy being with animals, I began volunteering at the National Cat Protection Society in Spring Valley. This shelter has wonderful cats available for adoption and a retirement community for those who have out-lived their person.

In one of the adoption rooms where several cats co-exist, Miss Kitty runs right up to me when I enter. On this visit, I discovered that she really loves to be brushed. It’s all about the cats and if they don’t come up to me, I won’t disturb them. There are plenty of felines asking for attention!

In the retirement center, there is a big black “bear” whom I haven’t been formally introduced to yet. She l-o-v-e-d to be groomed and I fondly thought of her person smiling down on me. Over in the special care center (older kitties with kidney disease), I simply sit down on a chair and place a blanket on my lap. The 21-year-old Sparkey jumps up on my lap for some quality time. Sometimes there are two or three kitties vying for lap space. With some shifting, there’s room for two. Quiet, blissful, meditative time together.

Monkey Trails and Forest Tails opens

Larry just thought he’d head down to the zoo for a nice walk. Lo’ and behold, their “most elaborate and ambitious” habitat, Monkey Trails and Forest Tails opened this week. We got to see the celebrites in their new homes. I say celebrites because we were sharing walkways with several TV cameras.

After that detour, we went to visit the polar bears and perhaps the most overlooked animals at the zoo: the great blue Turaco. This bird and others including brightly colored pheasants, “Blyth’s Tragopan”, are off behind the polar bears bordering the 163 freeway. These gregarious birds should be in a habitat with more “foot” traffic passing by.