Rainy Day

The rain is coming down in Bariloche today. It isn’t light rain either. It is pouring and whipping around from the gusty winds. Big drops are falling off buildings and rooftops and steady streams of water are running down streets forming big puddles everywhere. This all sounds too familiar to those of you back home I’m sure! The rain has confined the group of us here for work to the inside of our hotel. I did manage to get a walk in this morning, however. I brought a rain jacket with me just in case, and I am glad I did because it allowed me enough time to get from the hotel to the church downtown without getting completely soaked.

I went to mass at the church I spoke of last week. It's hard for me to believe, between the two times I’ve been to Bariloche, that I’ve been to mass at that church four times now! I think that is more then I’ve been to my actual parish in Seattle over the last several months with all the traveling I have been doing. Maybe I should just join this parish? I still can’t understand Spanish, though. I did however manage to turn to the right song book pages today and, thanks to my field work last week, I could understand the word “ceniza” during the prayers of the faithful. It means ash and I recorded a lot of it on my field notes last week. At this rate of progress, I could be speaking Spanish fluently by the time I turn fifty!

On the way home from church, I went to a panadaria. They have so many wonderful pastries to choose from. Most of them are like danishes with some kind of burnt sugar glaze. Sometimes they are filled with fruit or custard. I bought a few churros and also a chocolate covered cake rolled with, what I can only imagine is, dolce de leche. Dolce de leche is similar to caramel and is very popular here. For instance, you can order flan and get dolce de leche on top. You can also buy it in jars, in chocolate, or even in or on ice cream. I think I bought about ten pastries to share with the group at the hotel and when I went to pay it was only 20 pesos, or about $5 dollars. Wow, what a deal! If I haven’t gained ten pounds from this trip, I surely will if I stay any longer.

The week ahead will be busy again. Tomorrow we are doing the same field work we did last week, but with the purpose of training sheep farmers in how to do it so they can take the methodology back to their farms and monitor the health of their own grasslands. This is all an effort to get private land owners excited about conservation and also interested in selling their wool at a premium in the marketplace. I am excited to meet these farmers!

Tuesday and Wednesday I will be inside for much of the day in meetings, but the meetings are very much focused on data and mapping work, which is right up my alley! I suspect we will be going out after the work day for dinners (which I will of course tell you all about!) and I’ve also heard a rumor that we might do a float trip down one of the local rivers on Wednesday. I hope so! That would be amazing!

At the end of the week (on Friday), I will be taking a bus back to Chile and will be traveling to Pucon. Pucon is a small town nestled along a big lake on the west flanks of the Andes Mountains. I will be returning to a temperate forest, which gets lot of rain, so I am looking forward to seeing a whole new landscape once again. I will be staying there for six days and then I will be flying back home. I am soaking it all up while I can.

Time is flying!

Vegetarians Take Heed

Last night I had the best steak ever! It came from a cow that was grass-fed and grass-finished. Very rare to get actually, especially in the United States. In other words, the meat tasted delicious, and the cow it came from roamed wherever it wanted its whole life eating grass in the Patagonia grasslands until its fateful day when it ended up on my plate. I ordered a half portion of bife de lomo off the El Boliche de Alberto restaurant menu, in downtown Bariloche. I'm guessing I got about 8 oz of the best cut of filet mignon to be had in the whole country. And to think the full portion of beef would have been a whole pound of meat. Wowza!

When I walked into the place, I saw pictures of old men holding up giant pieces of meat everywhere. Take a look at their restaurant website. Obviously, they take great pride in their meat here in Argentina!

I'm usually a light eater and it isn't often I eat red meat, but I'm in Argentina for goodness sake, so I want to eat lots of meat. It is actually hard not to. I would hate to be a vegetarian here. If you aren't eating beef, then you surely are eating lamb. If you are not eating lamb, then you are surely eating trout! If you are not eating trout, then you are surely eating venison. And if you are not eating venison, then there is a small chance you could be eating guanaco, rhea, or a little armadillo in the half shell. It all comes with a side salad or potatoes, so don't worry. Oh and delicious chimichuri sauce comes with every order, which is a flavorful condiment of dried and fresh herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I highly recommend you look up a recipe and make it yourself!

One thing they don't tell you right away in Argentina is if you eat lots of meat late into the night (like most dinners usually end), you can very well come down with the meat sweats. I am pretty sure it happened to me. You wake up at night, you feel awake, a bit too warm, and wonder why in the world you cannot stay asleep. Then you remember the gigantic portion of steak you ate for dinner and wonder how it is possible that your body can actually digest that much meat while you are asleep. Then you realize, that is precisely why you are awake! Perhaps it has happened to you at one point in your life or another? If you come to Argentina, it surely will happen to you. In my opinion, it is worth it because the meat is that good. It is also the reason I spent today eating mostly salad.

I've learned that big business is well on its way to Argentina, and an increasing number of cows are now being corn fed, basically because of the big business plans of American companies. In the central region where I am staying, grass fed and finished beef isn't a thing of the past it's the real thing. This type of ranching is still happening here in Argentina, and I feel really fortunate to be able to try its end product. Now the task at hand is to keep it that way and to make sure the Patagonia grasslands stay healthy now and well into the future so this type of ranching will always exist.

Field Work and Estancias

I've been spending the week doing something I never do... field work! Every day I sit at a desk looking at a computer screen mapping the world with very few chances to actually see what is on the ground. In college I majored in geography, which for me was a mix of social and physical science. I took many classes where science was very relevant to my studies including geology, water quality, and ecology, but I never was trained to be a scientist in terms of learning scientific methodologies. This week has been fun in that regard, because I have been working with a field scientist to help identify plant species found in landscapes used and managed predominantly for grazing sheep and cattle. To help monitor how that landscape is doing and to set up a baseline for future monitoring work, my task was simple, hold a clipboard and a list of plant species and tally the number of species I find every meter for 50 meters. Luckily, I wasn't the one expected to identify the species, but it was my chance to play outside with biologists.

Over the last four days, I've traveled down many dirt roads. To my surprise, the main highway east out of Bariloche is not paved! Bariloche is in central Argentina on the east slopes of the Andes Mountains. This dirt highway out of Bariloche extends east for 600 kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean, clear across Argentina! It doesn't take long before the green pines and shrubs of Bariloche turn to expansive and vast dry grasslands. In my Washington centered mind I think of Bariloche as being very similar to an area like Leavenworth because it is nestled close to the eastern side of the mountains and, although dry, still receives enough moisture to have trees. The areas we were sampling in were very dry, similar to areas around Moses Lake or Vantage. This region of Patagonia is so big and vast it is almost incomprehensible!

We drove to a small town called Jacobacci where we sampled and then stayed the evening in what I can image was the town's only hotel. It was simple and quaint and had a down to earth feel. The couple that ran the place must of been well into their 80s. They ran both the hotel and the restaurant that was connected to it. That evening our group of seven sat down for a home cooked Argentina meal. The first thing to appear was a cart of appetizers. Each of us took a plate from the table and served ourselves from the cart of traditional dishes (as I understood, these dishes are often served at parties or special events in Argentina). I had a cold beet salad, a layered tortilla cake with tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and mayonnaise (among other things), mushrooms thinly sliced and rolled with a vegetable filling, and raw seasoned red meat. Now, I am not sure I would of eaten the raw red meat if I knew it was so, but as it turns out it was good and also didn't kill me! Of course, I don't remember what any of these dishes are actually called, but I did get a cookbook recommended to me that I want to buy. It is called Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way.

For my main dish at the hotel restaurant, I had steak with a mushroom sauce and for dessert tiramisu! Pretty fancy for a small town in the back country! The next night we stayed at research station and grilled chorizo sausage we picked up at a local meat shop and ate chorizo sandwiches on crusty french bread from a local panaderia. There were no big grocery stores out in these parts. All the food was locally made, which made it even more delicious to me!

Our field work took us to three estancias. The majority of land in Argentina is privately owned and some of these landowners have estancias, or land estates, that are thousands and thousands of acres. In fact, I learned that some of these estancias are larger than many U.S. national parks (excluding those in Alaska of course). These wealthy landowners are often from all over the world and manage a staff of people to run the management of the estancia, including gauchos, or Argentina cowboys. There is much folklore surrounding the guacho. The gaucho plays an important symbolic role in the nationalist feelings of this region of Patagonia. Many school children in Argentina read the epic poem Martín Fierro by José Hernández, about a guacho who was a symbol against corruption and of Argentina national tradition. I'd love to read the poem to better understand this country and the landscape I've been exploring.

During our field work this week, we came across many animal species as well. I saw Andean Condors soaring in big blue skies. Condors are the largest flying bird in the world! We saw one land on a cattle carcass in a field as we were passing by. Even from a far distance it looked huge! We also saw a small armadillo run across the road and managed to stop the truck and catch it! It was really cute, but probably something a gaucho would eat in the half shell for dinner! Today at one of the estancias we saw a herd of red deer and about five guanacos (an animal in the llama family). One of my favorite sightings was a Darwin's Rhea, or a Choica as the locals would call it. Choicas are related to ostriches, but are much smaller. I also saw many bird species, including the Chilean flamingo. I wasn't able to get pictures of many of these, but I did get a picture of the armadillo and of a lizard that was running from one bunch of grass to another. It has been a lot of fun discovering new wildlife and plant species this week!

Tomorrow I am back in the field for one more day. In the meantime, I am going to get some much needed sleep! Check out my collection of pictures below showcasing the past four days...

Above: The first day of field work we had some light rain, which is unusual this time of year and in this dry landscape. I was lucky and looked around to find this lovely scene.

Above: The field crew busy at work. We laid out a tape measure and cataloged plant species found in different grazing management areas.

Above: A cactus I found at one of our monitoring sites.

Above: A lizard who paused long enough for me to get up close enough to photograph.

Above: An afternoon lunch stop in the Patagonian grasslands.

Above: Horses left to roam on a forgotten estancia.

Above: A photograph of the Patagonia grassland and the ash suspended in the air by a nearby erupting volcano. The big eruption occurred last year, but it continues to spew ash.

Settling In

Lightning is rolling in as I write tonight. I can see it flashing in the night sky from my room! Last night I woke up several times because of lightning and heavy rain. I love lightning and thunder! During the day it has been really sunny and warm, but the afternoon brings this unstable weather. I am glad it is raining (at night) because it clears the air of ash. I had wonderful clear views when I walked to mass this morning along the lake! Isn't the lake in the above picture a gorgeous shade of blue!?

Today was largely a recovery day from the busy week and the travel day yesterday. Days like this are important. So, what did I do to fill my time since I arrived? Yesterday after I checked in (and took a nap), I was set on getting to the basics. I had to get cash because I did not have Argentinean pesos. After doing that, I know have three currencies in my wallet. I found out from my last trip back in September that is important to carry US money in case I run out of the local currency, or if there isn't an ATM around. Also, many currency exchange businesses only take cash. I withdrew 200 pesos from the ATM when I went to the bank in downtown Bariloche, which is around $50 US dollars. I could always get more, but I will mostly be using my credit card to buy meals and gifts. But to buy empanadas (little pastries filled with meat and cheese) at the store down the street, using a credit card would just be silly. They are only 5 pesos each!

I also stopped at the grocery store to buy water, soda, and snacks so I could have a few things in my room in case I got thirsty or hungry. After that, I came back to my room and watched episodes of the Daily Show and Stephen Colbert! Does that mean I am getting homesick already!?

Today I went to a Spanish mass in the cathedral by the lake. It was a beautiful setting. When the Priest said the Creed and the Our Father, I prayed in English. The rest of the time I prayed that whatever the Priest and church community were saying and praying, would also apply to me, even if I had no idea I would know it. It felt good being at a mass knowing everywhere else in the world Catholics were saying these prayers together and reading these same readings.

After mass I strolled down the main street in Bariloche window shopping. The stores downtown really know how to set up a window display. Every product they sell is practically in view and each one has a price tag. So you really can wonder and look at what you want to buy and think about it before ever walking in! I had my eye on a pair of leather boots that I may be coming back for later in the week.

This afternoon I met with the people that I will be doing field work with this week. Tomorrow we drive 100 kilometers east to the open shrub steppe landscape this region of Argentina is known for. The reason why it is going to take us several hours to get there is because it is mostly on dirt roads! The shrub and grasslands are where the sheep and cattle roam the wide open range of Patagonia! I'll be bringing my camera, so I will have plenty of pictures to share with you come Wednesday! Until then, my blog will be pretty quiet. Looking forward to sharing with you again this next adventure!

Bienvenidos a Bariloche

Bienvenidos a Bariloche, Argentina to me! I made it and the journey was good.

I seriously could not be here right now because I just about missed the bus this morning. It wasn't because I didn't wake up on time or get to the bus station on time, it was because I couldn't find my bus! I kept walking up and down the place looking for the bus that said "Bariloche". I knew the bus company, but I didn't recognize it. Unlike the US, the buses in South America are popular and there are many companies. So put those two things together and you will see the problem I ran into. If it wasn't for an old man (thank goodness for helpful old men on my trips!) flagging down my bus as it was leaving the bus station (yes it was driving out), I would of missed it. Thank goodness I asked for help when I did!

Most of the ride I listened to music (Gillian Welch, Justine Townes Earle, and Rosanne Cash). For awhile I was watching the Latin music videos they had up, but they just made me laugh. All the songs were about unrequited love and the singers danced and motioned like the backstreet boys like pointing into the sky as they sing, tugging on their shirt, and motioning their hands over their heart. Too cliche for my taste, yet entertaining enough to occupy some of my time!

On the bus we were served hot tea or Nescafe. Chileans drink terrible coffee. I couldn't bring myself to drink instant coffee, so I had tea, which was nice. Actually, I don't know what is worse, instant coffee or the powder creamer. I met a guy at a coffee shop in Valdivia who heard me talking about grinding beans and asked if I had brought my own from the US because coffee is so bad in Chile. I said no of course, but that would of been a great idea! Even a couple packets of Starbucks Via (decent instant coffee on backpacks) would of been smart.

The scenery was lovely. We drove through farming country. I saw cows, sheep, and raspberry fields. I saw big freshwater lakes and mountains. The summer landscape was lush, green, and full! As we began climbing the mountains, conditions started to get very hazy because of ash in the air from an erupting volcano. In fact, by the time we got to the summit of the pass, big piles of ash appeared on the side of the road from trucks clearing it off the road. Trees were coated and didn't look green anymore. Many of the trees looked like they had died, they lost all their leaves. But it was still pretty.

The bus had to stop twice. Once so everyone could go through immigration on the way out of Chile and one time again over the pass to enter into Argentina. It was a fairly easy process and it was sort of nice to break up the seven hour trip with a couple of stops. I met a couple from Oregon. The bus was a double decker bus and they had been sitting on the top level (same as me) but in the very front. They had a nice view during the drive straight out the front window. The first thing they said to me was, "You almost missed the bus!".

There are so many tourists in Bariloche right now as compared to when I was here last winter (our summer). This evening I took a walk and it was fun to hear everyone speaking in Spanish, English, German, etc. It got me thinking about the world and how we are all so different, yet really the same. At one of the bus stations we stopped at today, a whole family gathered to see someone off on the bus. Grandparents, kids, parents, children, grandchildren, they all waved us off. I was so happy to see such a loving family (with all generations). I think also of the people I met in Chaihuin, at the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, who are living with very modest means, but are rich in community and in the marine resources around them (delicious seafood every meal!). When it comes down to it, our lives and customs are different, but what we want is the same; a happy home, loving family and friends, and enough to meet our needs.

The photo in this blogpost was taken at my hosteria. Flowers are in full bloom at the entrance to this quaint Austrian style house on the hill.

Seafood Pie

On my last full day at the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, we drove to a small restuarant in a tribal community on a bluff just above the ocean. Everywhere I looked I saw the horizon meeting the sea. Just another ordinary view in this region of Chile!

I'm not able to write much tonight, but I wanted to share with you a culinary treat I had at this small cafe, because it was so delicious. I had seafood pie. Think shephard's pie, but with layers of mashed potatoes and a seafood filling of white fish and abalone. It also had hard boiled egg. It was very hearty and delicious! There is no excuse, we should be making this back at home!

I am on my way to Bariloche, Argentina Saturday. I will be making the trek over the Andes mountains by bus. I leave Valdivia in the morning. Pray for me I have a relaxing trip! I plan on taking in the views as the scenery flashes by. Chao!

Exploring Colún

Yesterday I saw sand dunes so tall they were taking over a forest. My guess is they must have been at least 500 feet in elevation, bordering the majestic Pacific Ocean. I wasn’t standing on them, just looking from afar. I could see the shadows of clouds dance on their surface. It was quite a site to see. I was standing near the Colún River in the Valdivian Coastal Reserve. I was brought there by four park guards who were doing their daily work activities on the Reserve.

The truck climbed from our beginnings at the mouth of the Chaihuin River, the place I have been calling home this week, up an ever winding forest road. It was quite the bumpy ride. A portion of the road was gravel and in nice shape and other portions deeply eroded from the constant rain the other ten months of the year get when this area of Chile is wet. After all, it is a coastal forest and is similar to places in Washington I think of that get lots of rain and are constantly cloudy like Astoria and Forks. Today, however, was another sunny day. It was also a day to practice my Spanish. The park guards do not speak English. Most of the car ride I was listening to them chatter back and forth without any idea as to what they were saying. For all I know they were probably talking about me! Occasionally, when I could figure out a complete sentence in my head to speak, I would ask about the forest. I asked where their favorite areas of the Reserve were. One guard answered exactly where we soon would be visiting, the beaches of Colún.

Of course getting out of the truck each time brought a barrage of horseflies (or tábanos in Spanish), but it was worth it to see what I would see. "Muchas tábanos!" the guards would say as they shook their heads. On our first stop, we looked at old alerce trees, which were quite tall and mossy. One of the rangers patted the moss at the base of the tree and said it would make a comfortable bed, as if he was fluffing a pillow. Vines draped around and up the trees and had beautiful red tube-shaped flowers dangling from green leaves, which looked very much like Copihue, the Chilean national flower.

As we continued in the truck, we would occasionally cross old rickety bridges. It didn’t seem safe to cross them, but the trucks went straight ahead anyway crossing over ponds and small creeks. We eventually made our way to a grand view of rolling coastal mountains thick with forest. This expansive view of the Reserve was impressive! It was huge and entirely owned by The Nature Conservancy. I was in awe not only of my employer, but of my colleagues who are stewarding this special place. We made our way to another viewpoint where the Colún River met the Pacific Ocean. All along I wasn't completely sure what were were doing or where we would be going besides this destination. I tried asking, but I would get a response in Spanish and have no idea what it meant! I had to laugh to myself. Part of me wanted to stay in the truck to avoid the tábanos, but I wasn't going to let them stop me and I am really glad I did. I was in for a couple of real treats ahead!

Earlier in the day we picked up a small raft with a motor and the guards now waved me over to go in the boat that had been placed by the river. It appeared we were about to pack some supplies across. The crossing was short and once on the other side we began hiking up a trail. As we turned the last corner, I saw a small cabin and a few other staff inside. I was soaking in the scenery the whole time including the lush forest and blue skies. When we made it to the top we entered the cabin, which had a panoramic view of the coast including the sand dunes I saw earlier, the river we just crossed, and a beautiful freshwater lake in the distance. This was the kind of place poets go to be inspired. We didn't stay long, just long enough for me to walk around inside, gaze at the view, and say hello to the staff.

Once back to the river, we crossed again and I was signaled to stay in the boat. The two of us were going to meet the others after a short ride up the river. It was so exciting being able to join the park guard for this brief tour. The air was cool and the sun was shining. My hair was blowing every which way. I saw a ringed kingfisher and a Snowy Egret. I told the park guard he was muy suerte, very lucky. Hey told me in the most English he muster, "This is my office". I loved that.

Today is my last day at the Reserve before I head back to Valdivia on Friday. More to come soon!

Above: Sand dunes along the beach of Colún. The view from the cabin.

Above: The Colún River, a park guard and I took a boat up this river.

Above: An example of one of the bridges we crossed on the forest roads.

Above: A lizard I found on the trail when we visited the alerce forest.

Exploring Chaihuin

I woke up last night to a very strange noise. It was just outside my window. Clattering hooves and chewing noises. Every once in a while I heard a wail and then more clattering hooves and sounds of movement. At one point, I thought whatever thing it was outside my window was surely going to bust through my window, smell my food, and attack me. I think my fight and flight kicked in from years of back country backpacking, where I feared the scenario of a black bear invading camp wanting to eat the toothpaste I forgot in my tent. I wasn't alone in my bewilderment, however. My roommates also woke up. Luckily to our surprise what we were dealing with were only cows, which made for a good laugh later in the day! The cows around here roam everywhere. I see them walking across bridges, they hang out on the beach, and they are on islands in the middle of the river. Evidently, they also roam through camp at night.

So here I am on the lovely Valdivian Coast. During the first half of Tuesday (I wrote this blog post yesterday), I sat in on a workshop where the park rangers of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve talked about their hopes and dreams for conservation in Chile. It was a wonderful activity to be a part of. During the meeting, I acted like a horsefly on the wall as I listened and worked on a series of maps I am preparing for the Reserve. For lunch, we all drove about two miles down the road to a local restaurant called Fondo Marino. I was curious and did a quick translation. The name means seabed in English. I love that translation. It reflects the place and the people. Four women from the community formed a coop and now run the restaurant. Their husbands are local fisherman, practicing the artisanal fishing trade. Using their own small boats and the strength a few men, they are catching the freshest seafood as close to home as possible, which is really strengthening their community.

The meal was delicious. We had three courses. The first, a whole tomato carved out and served with sausage gravy and dill. The main course was seared white fish with baked potatoes. Accompanying the main dish, was a simple salad with cucumber, tomato, and lettuce. For dessert, a well-loved local treat, mote con huesillo! Of course, I had never heard of it, but a coworker described it as her favorite childhood Chilean dish. To prepare it, you take dried whole peaches and soak them overnight in water to rehydrate them. To the peach water in the morning you add sugar, cinnamon, and toasted wheat berries. The wheat berries become soft in the liquid and settle at the bottom. One peach is left in the center of this sugary soup that is fragrant and floral to the smell. And it tastes wonderfully unique. I loved discovering this special cultural method of preparing food. The restaurant interior was quaint and rustic. The tables were elegantly set with navy table cloths and white dishes. Wine glasses sparkled and waited to be filled with Chilean wine. The windows opened up to a view of the ocean. And just outside the windows, a view of the sea where fisherman hard at work had very recently caught our fish. What a lovely compliment to the culture, the community, and nature that so humbly served our table today.

After lunch, I worked until just after 6 pm and was then invited to join a small group about to go for a hike on the coast! This was my first opportunity to do so and I quickly got ready. We drove to a trail and hiked less than a mile down a windy pathway through bamboo, brush, and small trees. Occasional beach views opened up to a big ocean of waves and rocks. Pelicans and seabirds flew busily around them as kelp swayed gracefully back and forth with each passing wave. In the distance we were able to spot three dolphins! At first I saw their fins above the water and later would see them leaping from the crashing waves. In my head I was thinking, "I can't believe I am in South America. I can't believe I am in Chile. I can't believe I am standing by the Pacific Ocean half a world away!" I don't have to tell myself these things, but they flow freely and often because of my deep appreciation for visiting this place.

We walked and walked along the beach. I saw people fishing from the shore, playing in the waves, and laying in the sun. This is a small community and it’s off the beaten path for tourists. It’s quiet and peaceful. I took my shoes off and walked in the sand and waded in the water. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that cold! I enjoyed a solitary walk back to our cabins and later enjoyed a simple home cooked meal with my roommates for the week. We talked about Chilean culture, about the early days at The Nature Conservancy, and about music and cooking. It was very enjoyable. I even managed to forget about the horseflies swarming about like they were moons orbiting my head. It didn't matter. I looked out at the thin line where the sky meets the ocean and for a while decided simply just to be, leaving space only to wonder of the eternal and of the sand warm and rough beneath me feet.

Above: View walking down to Chauhuin beach.

Above: Sign at the entrance to Fondo Marino where I ate deliciosas comida!

Above: Mote con huesillo, a Chilean dessert made from dried peaches and wheat.

Above: A photo of our evening beach walk.

Valdivian Coastal Reserve and Horseflies

Today I made the journey to the Valdivian Coastal Reserve. It was a beautiful one at that. We started off in Valdivia, drove to a small ferry, drove on the ferry, and then took a 15 minute ride across the Valdivian River. The skies were blue, the water was choppy, and colorful yellow boats dotted the shoreline. As we sailed along, we passed four old Spanish forts that use to protect the entrance of the river.

Once we made landfall the paved road turned to gravel. Small fishing communities prevailed for much of the time until the coast opened up to miles and miles of shoreline and hills thick with trees that quickly drop to an expanse of blue ocean. White waves were crashing into slabs of dark rock. Occasionally sheep or cattle would run across the roadway to continue their afternoon grazing. We stopped at one viewpoint to spend a few minutes looking for signs of blue whales. They had been spotted in the area. Unfortunately none were to be seen. What we did see were small fishing boats bobbing with the waves off in the far far distance. They looked lonely amongst such a grand scene.

I learned quite a bit about the 150,000 acre reserve during our trip. It had once been managed by a large timber company and now continues to be managed for timber, but in a sustainable way so that trees and the ecosystem that supports them can flourish together. Much of the property is covered by eucalyptus trees, which are not native, so an effort is underway to slowly replace the trees with native tree species. The timber operations here will hopefully raise money which will provide funding for the long term management and stewardship of the Reserve. It is very similar to an effort underway in Southwest Washington at Ellsworth Creek Preserve, where timber is being managed sustainably and is helping create an income for such a practice. Amazing!

The Reserve has a main administrative building and small cabins situated next to the mouth of a river. I am sharing a cabin with two other woman who are also participating in activities this week here. It is a lovely setting and I am looking forward to learning more, eating lots of seafood, and enjoying the people that live and work here.

Upon arriving, I also noticed something worth mentioning. Those who know me, know I am not a fan of buzzing and biting insects! I was warned ahead of time that horseflies would be a problem. However, the minute I stepped out of the truck and arrived at the Reserve, four were buzzing my head already. And it isn't simply a buzz by. They loop once, twice, three times, four times! Occasionally I see areas along the pathway were a dozen or so were swatted and lay there dead on the ground. Obviously a local passed by earlier and knows just how to handle these small annoyances. My thinking is, the horseflies like the neck area where it is nice and warm and they are just waiting to take a bite. Luckily, they are slow so I have a chance at getting them before they get me! There is also a roomer here, much known by the locals, that you can kill a horsefly, take off its head, and suck out its sweet juices. Not sure if the thought of that makes me sick or if it makes me smile? =)

Of course I was welcomed with a couple good tips already about how to handles these insects because, yes, I am that girl. It is my natural reaction to swat and run away or as others would say, freak out! But the tips were good. Wear long pants, don't swat because they like movement, don't wear black or red (colors they are attracted to), to avoid them go out for hikes and walks before 9 am and after 7 pm, and above all (perhaps my favorite tip among them), practice going to your place of Zen. I don't think that will be too hard here.

Ten Volcano Day

Hello all from Valdivia, Chile! I arrived to a cloudy, but warm day on the Pacific coast. It has been a time warp. That is the only way I can explain traveling over 10,000 miles to the other side of the world in a hemisphere celebrating the glories of summer by enjoying long daylight hours, shorts (the shear pleasure of wind on bare legs), and hopefully by also keeping the sunscreen and sunglasses close at hand. I already got sunburned.

Luckily, I have no dramatic travel stories to share with you this time. Thank goodness I didn't have to battle through that turmoil again. Although, I do have some airport improvements in mind for LAX and the airport in Santiago. All my flights were on time and arrived safely. Not much more I could ask for! I even got to watch nine episodes of Mad Men on the plane in addition to counting at least ten volcanoes from my window seat on the flight between Santiago and Valdivia. The Andes Mountains are a site to see! I had a ten volcano day. My best record yet.

I spent the afternoon settling into my hotel situated by a lovely river boardwalk that goes into the central district of the town. Valdivia has about 240,000 residents, which makes its quaint charm that much more appealing. A coworker and I walked all throughout the town, including the university where about 10,000 students study. It has wonderful gardens and an arboretum next to the river. It was a lovely walk and a lovely day.

Tomorrow I will venture off to the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, a 150,000 acre coastal rainforest bordering the Pacific Ocean. I can't wait to tell you more about my adventures there. Until then, here are a few more pictures from my day!

Above: A Picture of the river in Valdivia taken from the Pedro de Valdivia Bridge.

Above: Kayaks ready to be rented by eager people ready to get out on the river!

Above: Sea Lions basking on warm rocks by the river.

The Greens of Summer

The greens of summer? But you're thinking it's winter, right?

As I am typing I can't seem to get the beloved song lyrics of this song out of my head, "I've got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph, so Mama don't take my Kodachrome away." I can't say my Kodachrome was taken away, but my Nikon camera was. Well, not really. It just has retired to the back shelf for now because this past weekend I purchased a new Canon Camera! Don't worry, I won't petition to change the song lyrics or do away with my Nikon camera.

I grew up with quite a few cameras, mainly inspired by my Dad's love of photography. My first camera ever was a simple point and shoot camera that took 110 film rolls. I took that camera on some pretty amazing trips to Disneyland and Arizona. I also took pictures of my animals, including my cat and birds, my Christmas presents, and my childhood home. Yeah, I was 10.

I took several photography classes in school growing up. They always gave me a loaner camera. And yes, it had film. I even learned how to roll film on a film spool and develop prints on photo paper with enlargers in the dark room. Sometimes I felt like Ansel Adams. One of my best ever cameras was one I made myself in middle school. It was called a pinhole camera and it was made of cardboard and had just that, a pinhole in the front. When I opened the small cardboard flap I made to cover the hole, light would stream in and make an image on a small strip of photo paper I taped inside. I would hold the camera very still for several minutes then close the flap and run back inside to see what I had created. It looked like a masterpiece, like the original photographs first taken.

It wasn't until college that I was gifted with my first SLR camera. It was a Nikon N90. That camera traveled with me on hikes, to the east coast for an internship in Massachusetts, and captured memories of family and friends. As of late, I've been taking photos with one of the original digital SLR cameras to come on the market (in the early 2000's), a Nikon D100. That camera blessed me with many endearing photographs, some I will cherish forever and are absolutely irreplaceable.

And there I stood at the store, looking over this new Canon Camera and I decided on it. I splurged, but I did it on purpose. With my lifelong love of photography surrounding me and an upcoming trip of a lifetime to South America approaching (the last one for a while anyway), I had to do it. I am really excited to share with you some of the first images I will create and share with you my experiences as I travel. Like I did before in recent trips to Chile and Argentina, I am going to blog about my experience and I hope you will join me! I arrive in Valdivia, Chile this Sunday. I will spend a week on the coast, travel across the Andes Mountains (by bus) and stay in Argentina for two weeks before I make my way back to Chile and fly home.

My first goal: To capture the nice bright colors and the greens of summer so you will think all the world's a sunny day!

Gathering Our Voice: The Story of Food in North Central Washington

Looking at the past can sometimes cause us to discover new and exciting directions for how we can improve our future. As a society, sometimes we can get off track due to our wanderings and quests for economic efficiencies. One place where this is clearly evident is in our food systems. But sometimes what is right for the global economy, doesn't make sense in our local communities. It is important then, to take a closer look at the past when our local economies were more robust to know how we can improve and revitalize the rural areas we all care about.

A non-profit in North Central Washington has done just thought. In their new half-hour DVD "Foodways & Byways – The Story of Food in North Central Washington", IRIS (the Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship) asked just that question, "What can we learn from the past that can help us build a strong local food system today?"

I was fortunate to have a small hand in this endeavor, by creating the North Central Washington map used in this production. I encourage you all to check out this project and learn more about IRIS. And for goodness sakes, watch the short trailers online and consider buying the DVD!

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year!

Thank you to all of you who continue to follow my blog! Life gets busy and I don't always do a superb job of keeping Eat What You Grow consistently up-to-date with new content and information. Keep up with me though, there are some exciting times ahead in 2012!

I continue to think more than ever about doing what I can to make more sustainable choices in the way I live my life. I have become inspired by the urban homesteading movement where people in cities everywhere are finding creative ways of living simply that involve more time spent at home, in the garden, and on projects that involve relaying on their own ingenuity, time, and talents. In the year ahead, I plan on jumping aboard this train in my own small ways. Over time, I hope to build my knowledge in the fine art of making things, growing my own food, entertaining, and cooking from scratch that originates from a deep desire to be closely connected to the place I call home and to the community I live in.

For me, this desire to live simply is a mindset. It's a mental challenge. It embraces the ways of the past and carries them into the future to help us meet our current and future social, economic, and environmental challenges with grace. It comes from a practical, down-to-earth, common sense attitude adopted by generations of people, mostly out of necessity, to meet their everyday needs. My everyday living, though, has swelled beyond a life of necessity (which I am grateful for) to a life of convenience and abundance (which I do enjoy), even with my modest income. However, living an abundant life of convenience has its downsides too to me and to the world around me. It involves me using more, consuming more, and it pulls me away from my community. I am busy, I am less healthy, more sedentary, and more stressed. I drive more, pollute more, and throw away more. I see my family less, my plants dry up, and my house is dirty.

Life is a fine mix of balance and trade offs. We work hard for the things we want thinking they will make us happy, yet we are too busy to enjoy them. We work to own things and they end up owning us, and our time. We love our families and grandparents, yet we hardly get to see them. Choosing to live simply is forever a mindset, a mental challenge, and a choice that I continually revisit. How can I return and embrace the basics? How can I choose to adopt the lessons of past generations yet create a hopeful future for me and for others? How can I redefine happiness so it's less dependent on the amount of money I make and the things I accumulate and more dependent on the quality of my time, relationships, and passions. The best part is, it can be fun and rewarding!

For instance, this year I want to sew this dress, take this sewing class, bake this bread, and grow my own small patio herb and vegetable garden. I also would like to start an urban homestead-minded group to get together with regularly, get involved in the local farming community, and save money for my future goals.

For inspiration, I am going to continue following a few blogs I really enjoy reading including Northwest Edible Life, The Self-Sufficient Gardener, Sew Weekly, and Local Kitchen.

Thanks again to all of you! I look forward to greeting 2012 in each and every moment and finding my own balance of living simply in a very busy world.

Do you share similar goals? If so, what are they?