We Gambled!

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As I told you in my earlier posts, we went on a 4 day tour to see Yosemite park, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  The bus was very comfortable.  The driver was a huge man and he was cracking jokes with passengers often! My husband was game and he too was joining him.

I forgot to tell you in the beginning.  We caught this tour bus at Oakland. When we entered the bus we heard a Hindi movie song, that too a melodious song! Not, 'jab we met' type song.  A couple of Chinese were already sitting and then the driver who had gone out came back and asked us if we won't mind hearing Hindi songs! He, a white man, was asking us if we would mind hearing Hindi film songs! Hindi songs were his favourite, it seems! We were so happy to hear a couple more songs from Hindi films.  The bus was going to some other points to pick up passengers and after sometime, the music stopped! Our music is going everywhere!

We had started early and had Jalapeno buns and orange juice for breakfast.  I had lot of croissants in this trip! Had Latte coffee often, but one by two.  The cup always was large.  Both of us had half cup each.  But it was very tasty.  We were cruising through the desert area.  I never expected the desert to look so beautiful.  Most of the area were full of cacti plants/trees.  We saw some trees and they were called Joshua trees, the guide said.  We came across Murray's family farms in the middle of the desert area.   Have a look:

The Murray's Family farms at Bakers Field, on our way to Las Vegas.  It was a Sunday and we saw many locals with family, shopping here.  Many jeeps and tractors were there in the parking lot! They were selling fruits, vegetables, provisions and food items too! It was clean everywhere!

I noticed some small back birds in front of the Murray Family Farms.  This was near the entrance.  Doesn't this picture look beautiful?!

It was Halloween time when we went on this tour.  Saw this at the Murray's family farm.  We bought some fresh grapes and apples here which was very very tasty!

On our way to Las Vegas.  The desert area but saw a lot of vegetation.  I noticed long trucks had separate roads on the far end of the highway.  I liked the sky/clouds in the picture.  These desert pictures were taken from the running bus, so won't be very clear, sorry!

Joshua trees and other vegetation on the desert

Saw these wind mills on our way to Las Vegas.  This is one of the important power supplier for this area, the guide said.   The towers with high voltage power cables were built very low, my husband said.  He is an electrical man.  The lamp posts on the road were made of wood unlike our concrete posts!

Since we were travelling on the highway, we didn't see much houses or residential areas in this desert area.  Wherever we saw, the houses were single storied and had tiled roofs.  California area is prone to earthquakes and so mostly they build single storied houses esp. in the Bay area etc.   We saw huge multi storied buildings only in San Francisco.  I think Berkeley also didn't have high buildings.

Then we reached Las Vegas!

We stayed at Excalibur hotel which had 3,700 rooms! 

The guide took us to the hotel and we were asked to register with our passports! They gave a card for gambling (whether we asked for it or not, everybody was given a card!).  They gave a 'gift' also. It was a porcelain tower replica of their hotel!

I had seen these gambling places in movies.  I saw many Roulette tables and other machines here with lots of bright lights, coloured flashing bulbs!

These tables were full in the evening and night.  Early mornings the area was deserted.

Husband and I played in a machine for 1 dollar each! Husband got back 6 dollars and I, 10 cents! I was interested in watching roulette tables... Watching people is interesting for me, always!

The tables were taken care of mainly by women, esp. South Asians! Very smart women.  Many women were also playing.  And smoking too! The next day we went to a dance drama in a taxi.  The driver was from Florida.  He said that people cannot find gambling casinos outside this area. It is banned actually.  He himself gambled like others here, he said.  Everybody is attracted to gambling in this place, he said.  People who gamble, lose everything and for going back home, they pledge their watches and other things at the surrounding small shops and the tourists can buy them cheap from them! I don't know how true this story is, though!

Let me write more about this area...no, no more gambling stories but about other attractions we saw at this gambling capital!

Before finishing this post, I have to tell you about an incident.  We noticed some heavy duty security people everywhere at the hotel which had the casino too.  The next day, we came back after attending a dance drama at 11 pm. One huge man stopped us before we entered the lift and asked us to show our key in a sign language! I look so tiny and both of us are senior citizens and he must have thought that we were bursting into the hotel without keys! I started laughing while showing the keys! Husband was glaring at me!

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I Expected More!

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 As you know by now, we had been to the US last month.  My first post was about the Muir Redwood Park in California. We enjoyed the place, a lot.  We had planned to visit Yosemite Park (I was told that this park was famous),  Las Vegas and Grand Canyon.  I didn't know much about Yosemite park but since this was a park, I expected to see animals, birds and many many trees! I hadn't heard of this famous monolith rock, El Capitan! I came to know about it just before getting down from the bus at the Park! Then the guide said that this place was famous for water bodies, water falls, rare species of plants etc.  It is in the wiki link also.  But California is facing severe drought now.  As a result water fall was not there.  But the famous El Capitan rock compensated our interest to a small extent!

El Capitan, the Monolith granite rock at the Yosemite Park.

'El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith  extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favourite challenges for rock climbers and base jumpers.'

 'El Capitan is composed almost entirely of El Capitan Granite, a pale, coarse-grained granite emplaced approximately 100 million years ago. In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley.'  It is composed of a most durable granite allowing it to withstand pressures of glaciers and erosion...another link says.  More details can be read here. 

John Muir, a naturalist, who developed Muir Wood park, was responsible for protecting and expanding this park too, stopping the land developers using the area.  Details are in the Wiki link.

Pictures taken of the huge rock from different angles are here:

El Capitan! 'El Capitan, means, 'The Chief, according to the ancient natives who lived here, few centuries back. 

   

The rocks are covered by clouds!

So much vegetation on the rocks and it had no rains for some years in this area.  It was drizzling a bit, when we reached this place and then stopped!

We noticed water only here.  No water falls were there because of drought, the guide said. 

You can notice the dryness here and mosses on the tree trunks.

After seeing these rocky areas, we had some coffee and sandwiches in the canteen here.  As expected, very very expensive.  I noticed that all the tourist places had very clean rest rooms and when the bust stopped for breakfast or lunch, even though 2-3 bus load of tourists were there, the rest rooms were clean. This is because the people are aware of cleanliness here, even our own people who come here, are different in nature! Hope one day our country also will have clean places like these!

Nothing else was shown here, by the guide.  So, I told my husband that this was waste of time.  But when I see these pictures at home, I changed my mind...even plain rocks look beautiful sometimes! And I noticed a few redwood trees here, which is my favourite tree now!

I forgot to add! We saw this cute squirrel near the canteen.  This looks different than the ones we have here or the ones we saw at the Berkeley University campus. I didn't see any birds though! Drought and the setting in of winter might have been the reason. The guide said that this was the last trip of the season.  Next trip to this place would be in March! Instead of Yosemite park, they would include Dead Sea in the 4 day tour.

 

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I Never Expected This!

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Actually, this is the second part of my previous post which is here!

I removed the nest on Saturday, the 6th December, '14.  Have a look:

Clicked a picture before removing from the wood.

I kept a cloth on the floor so that it doesn't break.  But it broke near the hole and fell down in two pieces...Amazing nest!

Only one broke away from the main nest when it fell down.  You can notice a small worm inside and IT WAS MOVING!

We can see around 11 tubes here.  They look like glass tubes. I was noticing the wasp (which you can see in my previous post) hovering near the nest for many days. After I took the picture last time, I noticed it just once or twice.  Then it stopped coming.  On Thursday, I saw a small wasp roaming inside the kitchen.  It was in smaller size than the first one.  So I thought that they have come out! Still I left another 2 days and then on Saturday, removed the nest with a ladle (dosai thiruppi!).  The angle where the nest was, made it difficult to sit and ply it out without much damage.  The nest fell on the cloth and I was really amazed at the precision with which the insect had built her nest.  Even space between them.  The tubes sat in it snugly! It didn't come out of the nest when it fell down.  It must be sticking with the mud wall! And I noticed worms inside the tubes and this worm was moving! Only this tube had fallen away from the main nest.  Still the worm was intact inside the tube! I was a bit upset for disturbing the mother's hard work.  I think at least a couple of wasps might survive.  I just folded the towel with the nest and kept it inside a drawer in the kitchen which I don't pull out often.  Saw it now, after two days, opening the towel slowly.  No movements.  Some gap is there for them to come out if they want to.  I didn't see the mother for many days now.  These worms should come out and survive by themselves, I think!  She had done a great job!

The wood where the nest was, in tact.  Just some mud stain is there.  These  insects seem to be harmless.  'Kulavi kottum', they say in Tamil.   'Wasp's sting' is very painful, it seems.  But our wasp is a harmless doll!

I am sure some of you might be interested in this article.  I feel that if they don't harm us in any way, we should leave them alone.  Let them survive!

P.S.: I don't have small kids at home! So, I let them enjoy our house!

Invaders In My House During My Absence!

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I noticed this insect/wasp roaming near the opening for the cylinder rack often after I came back from our tour for nearly a month.   I was telling my husband that it must be building its nest again somewhere under the cooking counter.  I was lazy to bend down and check.  I did so today and saw this! It is quite big.  It was not visible easily.  I had to put my head inside near the cylinder to check and then after seeing such a huge one, decided to click and show the world, the tiny insect's hard work!

This is not the first time it is building its nest in our house.  

Nearly a couple of months back, it had tried to build its nest here but I removed it because I was afraid the insect might cut the cable. It was on the cable which was connected to the Kent water purifier gadget.  So I removed it with a knife.  The nest was small, but a small cream coloured worm was inside, alive.  I felt bad seeing it.

Its first nest! Looks like a mud pot! The red mud must be from the flower bed! Looks beautiful with a folded edge!

The wasp! Wiki has got a clear photo here  It looks similar to our insect. I didn't see her carrying any mud in her mouth...maybe she was carrying inside her tiny mouth! How much hard work!

A close up of the insect in our house.  I haven't seen it carrying mud in its mouth anytime! The Wiki link's insect seems to be similar to this one but this nest is different and looks like a 'designer' one! She too looks beautiful!

Must be a month's hard work!

The nest in another angle!

Now, I wonder whether to leave it as it is and wait for the insect to grow up and fly away or should I remove it? It is standing/sticking on the wood.  It might spoil the wood.  Feel sorry when I saw it today.  Humans are bad! Son says let it be there for some more time and see if the worm flies away.



The inside of the nest, is here!

Unforgettable Experience With Nature!

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I was off blogging for a month.  Now, will start writing about our trip to California during the period.  Our visit to the Muir Woods was one of the best experience during our trip.  This is my son's favourite area.  He goes trekking often to this park.  The first trip he took us was to this place. It was a pleasant experience. These redwood trees have become my favourite trees now!

This Park is situated 12 miles on the north of San Francisco and is spread over 240 acres of land near the Pacific ocean.  These trees are found near the ocean bordering the coastal region of America.  They need moisture throughout the year.  The fog which forms during the winter in the ocean, spreads to the forest and keeps them damp through the summer too. 

Another link says: The average age of the coastal redwoods at Muir Woods is between 600 to 800 years, with the oldest being at least 1200 years old. This is still young for redwoods as they can live up to 2200 years. Being long-lived and large in size, they play a significant role in carbon, nutrient, and water cycling in the forest, helping to support an abundance of plant and animal life.

Wiki says:

Before the logging industry came to California, there were an estimated 2 million acres (8,000 km²) of old growth forest containing redwoods growing in a narrow strip along the coast. By the early 20th century, most of these forests had been cut down. Just north of the San Francisco Bay, one valley named Redwood Canyon remained uncut, mainly due to its relative inaccessibility.
This was noticed by U.S. Congressman William Kent He and his wife, Elizabeth Kent, purchased 611 acres (247 ha) of land from the Tamalpais Land and Water Company,  $45,000 with the goal of protecting the redwoods and the mountain above them. Read more in the link.  He named the woods in the famous naturalist's name John Muir.

Now, to my view of the forest:

The straight tall trees grow for more than 300 feet tall.  And they have very thin branches with small sized leaves. The trunks become broader through years.  It was a pleasant feeling walking in between these tree.

The old trees have got huge trunks! Click on the pictures to have a better view pl.

Pl.click on the photo to read clearly.  Interesting read.

Passages like these help even the people who come on a wheel chair to enjoy this forest/park.

New trees grow around the burnt one after forest fires, from the roots. 

The fallen old tree becomes nutrient supplements in the long run.  The whole area is damp which helps to protect the trees from drying up during summer or drought which is there now.  I read this in some link: "The importance of a tree does not diminish after it has stopped living. It is a common saying here at Muir Woods that only half the life a tree is spent standing, while the other half is spent on the ground."

The new tree coming out from the root of an old tree!

People stand here and take photographs!

I noticed many trees growing like these...in groups!

The cross section of a Redwood tree.  Very interesting information is written here! You can read the details clearly in this video.

I saw this tree near the car park which is near the entrance.  No vehicle is allowed inside.  We have to walk.  I noticed green moss on the branches.  

Since winter was nearing, birds were not to be seen.  I saw some small birds near the car park.  

There was a gift shop, a cafe, and a restroom inside the forest/park.  I think I saw cyclists inside! Read more about other details in the wiki link or this link. 

I came across another link also, which is interesting.

Hmmm...I wonder for how long this forest will survive among us, destructive humans.  Thousands of new saplings are planted here by nature lovers it seems.  Hope the tribe increases in future.  

P.S.: I looked for a reply to Destination Infinity's question.  I found this answer:

" The trees' lives are measured in centuries, not decades like other trees. Many reach 600 years of age, though some trees have been found that are as old as 2,000 years old. New trees can grow from seeds, but many sprouts grow from the stump of cut or fallen trees." (link) Google showed images of fruits too. I am not very sure of them, though.

EDITED TO ADD: (3.12.14)  Came across this interesting link now.  It explains how water reaches the top of the TALL redwood trees! Please read.  It is interesting even for me!

'Redwoods have a system of interconnected wood cells for carrying water. The hollow, short, thin cells are stacked intricately to form an incredibly tall column, extending from the roots through the branches and stems to the leaves....'