A liberal state? Well, there's plenty of diversity!

California should not be labeled just the "Sunshine State" - it should include " And State of Diverse Environments." I live in a secluded house in the mountains with a handful of multifarious experiences spanning across a 2-hour driving radius - the beach, incredible Thai restaurants, the Hollywood sign, Joshua Tree National Park, and hiking trails galore. Where else do you find these kind of weekend venturing options?!?

I have not hit all the things included in the list above, but I am working at it. I need to make a list of my personal "Top 25 Things to do in California" and start checking off items. There have been some Jill "firsts" in the last couple weeks, one of which included a solo snowshoe hike! I borrowed a staff member's pair of snowshoes and hiked from my house out into the woods for a Saturday morning that bled into the afternoon. It was a work-out, but I enjoyed walking on top of the snow and looking behind me every once in awhile to see my huge shoe prints following me ever so diligently...

I've also been trying to snap some good photos of the mountains that are in sight when we're teaching class during the weekdays. This is one good shot that I took during our lunchtime, alongside many of my students with their disposable cameras, just clicking away. (Sidenote: One of the most hilarious things is watching these kids take, at minimum, 10-15 pictures of the squirrels running around in the woods. It's something us staff members like to joke about, and it never fails to happen week after week!)

Speaking of teaching, it has been going quite well! I taught some classes this past week that I had never taught before, including a geology class and a water systems class. Even though I plan out my classes carefully and bring "all the right teaching props," nature always has a way of surprising me and supplementing my class in such cool ways. For instance, while I was teaching an outdoor survival class and going through the Leave No Trace tenets, our group saw a coyote wandering about 70 yards in front of us. Embracing it as a teachable moment, we discussed why it was important to respect the creatures in the woods. When I taught a class on bacteria and insects, we paused our lesson to dig into the dirt and came up with handfuls of mycelium and little bugs - it emphasized the role of these living things the decomposition process more so than any book ever could have illustrated! In the below picture, my class this week created a river town and we discussed how pollutants moved downstream.

When class ends for the week and all the kids have hopped on the bus, then comes the weekend adventuring. For the past couple weeks, I didn't wander too far from our staff house, as I utilized my weekend time to prepare my lessons and recharge for the week. Now that I've got a better handle on the teaching process and the schedule of school, I'm heading out and taking a look around at the Southern California scene. Last weekend, I headed to Hollywood Boulevard with a few fellow staff members to see what all the fuss was about. :D After winding through way too much traffic, we made it past the Hollywood hill and walked down the street, bustled and hustled by Scientology protesters and full-costumed Transformers - it was quite the sight. We saw many stars on the sidewalk - I had to laugh when I took Nate's photo by Alice Cooper and an older couple walking by asked out loud who Cooper was. :D 

This weekend, we're doing some errands in town and then heading to watch a group of staff members play in a band at a microbrewery in Big Bear City. Then tomorrow, I will FINALLY make my first appearance at Joshua Tree National Park - I think I'm the only person on our staff who hasn't been there yet, and I am itching to see those amazing trees and the desert! A couple of staff members and I are going to hike and camp at the park for the next two days, so I will have plenty of picture to share next week! Sending my love from Cali!