Germar's Monthly Updater

My mom's visit to California One of the first things I usually do after returning from oversea travel is to enjoy the ocean, bluffs, beaches and sunsets of San Diego. On the first day after our arrival my mother and me went to the cliffs overlooking La Jolla. The picture below is taken from the Torrey Pines State Reserve, just north of La Jolla. The beach is called "Black's Beach." I think it is one of the most beautiful beaches of San Diego, since it is totally unaffected my the vast settlement of the multi-million city, which is only few miles away. The cliffs consist of soft sandstone and erode easily. The erosion patterns are spectacular, in particular when the sun is low and dark shadows alternate with the rich golden color of the stone. Thanks to the great weather of San Diego that the cliffs still exist. Every heavy rain changes the appearance of the cliff's texture or cause part of the cliffs to collapse. Houses, which are built to close to the edge, are in great danger. Next, my mom and me drove south through Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach until the end of San Diego Bay, Point Loma. Here, perched 120 meter above the ocean is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. It was built in 1854 but only operational until 1891 because fog and low clouds too often obscured the light. It is now a peaceful place offering dramatic views of San Diego Harbor. On the next day, we went to the Birch Aquarium. It is San Diego's largest aquarium and part of the famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The picture below shows the gigantic 15000 Liter tank. The window is made from perspex and about 20 cm thick. The next hightlight was the summer feast of my company. It was a great opportunity for my mother to get acquainted with my colleagues, like the ones below: It was also the first day in my mother's life eating a authentic American charbroiled Hamburger. This documents this remarkable moment: The second weekend was dedicated to animals. We went to the famous San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, about 50 Miles north of San Diego. Here most animals life on vast pastures, unlike in a ordinary zoo. I took about four rolls of film - far too much to present here. Therefore I concentrate on birds and monkeys. One of the most remarkable bird on exhibit at the Wild Animal Park is the California Condor. It's wings span ten feet or more. By the mid-1980s, after decades of shooting, poisoning, and gradual habitat destruction, less than thirty of these impressive birds remained alive. Thanks to breeding programs, there are now more than 150 condors. Pelicans are very common birds in California. Their way of flying is most majestic. They almost ride the waves, only few centimeters above the water. Or, they glide about 10 meters above the ocean before they suddenly dive vertically into the water, catching a fish. I will never understand why they don't break their neck. I don't know the name of this bird, but it certainly likes insects... This is a Sulawesi Hornbill. This bird builds a nest in a hollow tree, then the male will "mud in" the female. Only until the eggs are laid, hatched and fledged will the female and young emerge. Don't ask me what the horn above the beak is for. After the birds, now the monkeys. I had a strange feeling watching these animals. Their behavior looks so human, in particular the Orangutans. These are Kikuyu Colobus apes. They have a black and white tail, longer than their body and look like old, wise men. Last but not least, a curiosity. A snake with two heads. This is not a digital trick. This snake really had two heads. All the stuff about dragons in ancient mythologies seems to be true!

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