Where the Monarchs Go

  Every fall, thousands of Monarch butterflies converge on both Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz Natural Bridges State Park eucalyptus groves during their migration to warmer climates.
These orange and black butterflies hang in clusters from eucalyptus branches in order to maintain body temperature when it dips below 60 degrees. As such, these pods of tightly clinging insects look like giant bouquets of butterflies…a spectacular display of natural wonder for the entire family.
According to David Munro at San Francisco State University, "It has an extensive home range, but specific habitat needs. The ecology and the home range of the monarch butterfly are closely intertwined, as with most species. Put simply, it is dependent upon milkweed plants...the distribution of the monarch is controlled by the distribution of milkweed, it regulates their density in a given area, and it is for this plant that the monarchs migrate for long distances every year. So dependent upon milkweed is the monarch that where one finds the monarch, one will also find milkweed."

Natural Bridges State Park sits on the edge of Monterey Bay.  It's a beautiful beach with huge rock formations that used to form a bridge in the water.  I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the beach, except, I suppose, that I'm so used to it that I didn't think of it.  Talk about taking beautiful things for granted!

Happy Sunday!

My shabby corner of the building on wheels.  We were talking tonight about how we've gone from 2400 sq. ft. to whatever it is here in the motorhome, and the fact that we're happy in here.  As long as I have my space, all shabby chic, I'm good.  Yes, I have a silk rose vine hanging over the bedroom window, and some small "shabby" things inside our home on wheels, and hubby is okay with it.  Thank goodness!  I don't know that I could let go of those little things that really make me happy, in my soul. 
I mean, of course, I could if I HAD to!  Like if the world came to turmoil, and we were struggling to get from day to day.  You know I'm not talking about that, right?  I pray that never happens, because I would be seen sneaking from dark corner to stretched out behind a piller dragging my silk rose vine!  Yes, I would!
It's amazing to me that we can make this "us thing" work in such a little space.  We're still working on those "little" things, that really p*** us off!  There is a song by Robert Earl Keen that speaks to this very issue, so very well.  I'll have to try to post the song.  We can ALL recognize ourselves in that song if we're honest!
I awoke this morning to that flock of wild turkeys "gobbling" under my bedroom window!  I had to laugh out loud!!!  Just made me so happy!  Yes, they really do say GOBBLE!  Not only awakening to turkeys, but to crows and hoot owls! 
Man!  I love it here!

Morgan Hill

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I watched motorhome after motorhome, trailer after trailer, fifth wheel after fifth wheel, leave the RV park in Scotts Valley over the last couple of months.  Yes, I felt envy and a big time desire for it to be US leaving the park, and move on.  Not because I haven't enjoyed being with family and revisiting the awesome restaurants (Tacos Moreno!), because I have.  I have missed those people and have loved being with them!  But we've had issues with the motorhome, an ongoing volatile situation with the RV repair shop, and some depression for me surrounding my Mom's death in August.
It was finally our turn to leave last Wednesday and travel "over the hill," inland, to the Thousand Trails in Morgan Hill.  I'll have to take some pictures to post what it looks like at this time of year.  The photo in this post is from early fall a couple of years ago. 
Now, the ground is damp and covered in the biggest leaves I have ever seen in my life!  Wait til I show you!  Within an hour of arriving here, we saw gobs of crows (one of my favorite birds), two big flocks of wild turkeys, a jack rabbit, and deer.  Yes, I love this place.  I have really missed the wildlife that I had so close in AZ.  There are several huge sycamore trees around the fenced-in dog run that is just alive with birds.  So many different songs and sounds.  It's like being in South America, or an aviary.  It's very soothing to sit on the bench while Shasta noses around and just listen.  I put bird food out this afternoon to see if I could coax some of those birds to my "yard!"