egret flying

Big white birds

The other day I saw a big white bird landing on a tree. “Is this a stork?” I asked amazed. Where I am from the big white birds are called storks. “No, an egret. “ someone from my group replied. “They are nesting right now where I work.”

Sign for more egret informationOh yeah, I knew exactly  where she works! Google closes off Shorebird Way from April to October for the egrets to nest.

I went there to see and boy what a spectacle! Some are building a nest, some trying to find a mate, some appeared annoyed finding me looking at them! Their gobble is too cute. I think it is a mixture of what would come out of a chicken paired with turkey.

And then I DID see a stork!

expectant mother parking sign

Have you ever heard the gobble of egrets?

Do you know of any other breeding spots for egrets?

The Computer History Museum

It’s all digital history to you

You probably heard about the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.  A lot of memories, from punch cards to the old mac computer.

This  is definitely the place to take your in-laws – they’ll remember all the times they used to program with the punch cards and every time they made a mistake they had to do all over again. This is impressive, but if you have a 11 year old with you, not too much.

 

Spell you name with binary code at the Intel MuseumAlso, there is the Intel Museum, a free museum about what gave Silicon Valley it’s name. Here are the most enthusiastic people working I have ever met in a museum. I tagged along for a bit while the guide explained everything about semi conductors to a bunch of 5th graders. Believe me, everyone learned something cool.

 You have to call to make sure they are not booked for some event, and yes the recording starts with the well known jingle: (408-765-5050).

 

If you and your 11 year old are lucky, the Digital Game Museum will have an exhibit somewhere near you. Right  now they are only open Saturday’s from 10 to 4 in their Santa Clara location. Here, your parents might recall how they played pong and then moved up to more innovative and challenging games.

This weekend you can make your own forthcoming. Go to the Maker Faire May 20 – 22 in San Mateo to get some ideas. This is great fun for all ages.

Will you go to the Maker Faire? What is your favorite digital recollection?

Art in the park

Art in the park

When you drive by Foothill Expressway in Los Altos I urge you to take a break and see the public art in Lincoln Park. This is a long strip of grass with multiple sculptures.

Three doors in Lincoln ParkMy favorite are the three doors. I am not sure what their official name is, I think it should be three doors. They open up, so I am sure if you have little kids this can entertain them for quite some time. 

 

Musical GambolI also liked the Musical Gambol, a vibrant display that unfortunately does not make any noise.

This weekend, May 14 & 15 Lincoln Park will be the location for Fine Arts in the Park, from 10 to 5:30. The Rotary Club will present over 170 artists. Proceedings go to various socially significant projects.

 

Do you have a favorite public art piece?

 

For a list of all public art in Los Alto you can visit this web page: http://www.losaltosca.gov/publicartscommission/page/public-sculpture

 

Arizona Cactus Garden in Stanford

Transport yourself to Arizona

Why Stanford’s Arizona Garden a blooming cactusis also called Cactus Garden is quite obvious when you come closer. Here are more than 500 species of cacti and succulent. In fact, these species are from around the world, not just local to Arizona.

 

I was there when some of them were in bloom; what a spectacular site!

 

While lizards are native they tend to be rare to find, but here you have a great chance to see them. We saw at least three on our little excursion.

another cactusYou can find this free garden between Campus Drive and Arboretum Road. It  is a bit of a hidden treasure; when I asked about this in the visitor center, the students had to ask around to find out where it was.

 

Have you ever been to this garden?  What did you think?

 

Do you have another favorite public garden?