State Beaches close to Santa Cruz

 

Natural Bridge State Beach

There are many state beaches around the Santa Cruz area. Not too far from the Wilder Ranch State Park we just visited, it is Natural Bridge State Beach. This is certainly not that kind of beaches found in a tropical island. The terrain could be rough (below).

Not a typical beach

I'm not sure where the name came from. So I asked Gemini: Natural Bridges State Beach is named for the three naturally occurring arches that were once part of a large cliff that jutted out into the sea. These arches formed over millions of years through erosion by the Pacific Ocean. While two of the original arches have collapsed, the remaining arch is a popular attraction and gives the beach its distinctive name.

Arch on the left rock

For good picures, visit .gov website. 

The admission is $10 (parking fee). But you can park outside before you enter the gate. it is 20min free. if you don't plan to stay long.

Another attraction nearby is the Natural Bridge Monarch Trail. The best time to visit the trail to see the monarch butterflies is late October through November. This is when the butterflies are most abundant and active in the eucalyptus grove. Keep in mind the time could vary.

The trail consists of a zig-zag boardwalk (below) and trail to the pond and other wooded area. It is short.

See if you can spot the butterfly?

Two deers in the pond

The other side of the visitor center is the trail to the beach.

The arch from another direction

Since the trail is very short, we dicided to take a walk along the West Cliff Drive. Many visitors do the same. Some joggers, some walk their dogs. Enjoy the great view on one side, and nice houses on the other side.

Another state beach we visited is the Seabridge State Beach.

Walton Lighthouse - Seabridge State Beach

It is right south of the Boardwalk. We parked on the 1st Ave. walked toward the harbor, then lighthouse, beach and climb the stairs back to our car.

Seeing a boat in a distance. This is the east side of the Pacific Ocean!

This is another trip we made, planned to picnic at Capitola State Beach. Turn out it is too popular. No parking space. So we go further south and found the New Brighton State Beach in about a mile away.

New Brighton State Beach

A hugh parking lot with only a few cars. We came in early Dec. Probably this is built for the summer time. Before we left, saw this in the parking lot, saying the place was called China Beach or China Cove in the 19th century before they were forced out.

China Beach

There is a camp ground on site. I recalled we booked the camp site online, and did overnight camping in the summer break when kids were small.

Overall, it would be nice to stay in Santa Cruz for a few days. Although it is less than an hour drive getting from the South Bay. Highway Route 17 could jam up during the holidays. To avoid the traffic, go early and back early. Have fun!

Wilder Ranch State Park

Stylized by Google Photos

Wilder Ranch State Park is a California State Park on the Pacific Ocean coast north of Santa Cruz, California. The park was formerly a dairy ranch. Although many of the ranch buildings have been restored for use as a museum, they still keep the ranch name. Link to .gov website to see more photos and description.

My Original Photo

With its 7000 acres land and fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean, it is a must visit park in Santa Cruz. when kids were yound, we used to go to the Boardwalk when we visit Santa Cruz. Now we discover Santa Cruz has much more to offer than the amusement park and rides.

The admission is $10 per car. I should say the parking is $10 instead because if you come by bicycles, they will not charge you. Some people park outside along the Highway 1. That could be another option.

The map on the parking lot provides some guideance. We took the Old Cove Landing Trail. It is a loop, around 3 miles with half on the ocean front, some right on the edge of the cliffs.

There is trail lead to the beach front.

Short video of the view.

Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space

 

Located on the west of Cupertino, about 5 miles from the city center, Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space is indeed a neighborhood park no one would get tired of. It is 4,277 acres or 1731 公頃（hectare）or 67大安森林公園. This may not be a good comparison. Take Vasona Lake County Park for example, it is 843 acres. So I would say around 1000 acres is the norm for a county park, Rancho is above the norm. (If you asked Google Gemini, the answer is she could not find a good answer!)

The nice thing about Rancho is there are so many trails. Short ones and long ones. All depend on what you need. Today we took the short one about 4km, ~10k steps. From the parking lot, to Deer Hollow Farm, take Coyote trail, then Equestrian parking back to the parking lot.

The trail is nicely maintained. Some in the wooded areas, some in open space. You bump into people very often, but you can always find some moments alone.

There are good view points, esp. the PG&E trail. It is called PG&E trail becuase there are electricity towers along the trail and the utility company maintain their facility and the trails.

Parking lot view

South Bay View

Recently they changed the name to Stephen E. Abbors trail. But you still see the old name here and there.

On another day, we tried the High Meadow Trail. As the name suggested, there are uphills. But not too bad. On the top, there is a good view of the South Bay.

There is a bench where you can have snack while enjoying the view. High Meadow Trail is longer. We spent about 2 hours, one hour to the scenic point, and 45 min down.

Compared with Taiwan's hiking trails, it is much natural. There are just too many steps (wood, rock, bricks, you name it). Although I do appreciate those voluteers hand crafted some of the pavement and try to keep the nature the way it is. One nice thing about Taiwan's trails is you can always find good treats (food and drink) around the entrances!

Front door paint - this old house

 

Front door - finished

It must have been over a couple of decades since we bought the house. Saw paint cracked on the edge of the panels (below). I didn't think about caulking it not only because finding a matching color caulk is difficult but also the oveall color is fading away.

We were thinking about changing the color. Apparently changing color is not one person's call. After a few days, the final decision is staying with the same tone - forest green, just lighter and brighter. As such, I didn't try to match the original color at all. Just choose one from color samples I picked up at Home Depot (below).

Color samples from Home Depot

Although the left one got stronger vote, I ended up with the one on the right called Secluded Woods. Don't ask me why.

Step 1: Order online

On Home Depot app you can pick the brand, color, finish and order online. Surprisingly, the delivery is free! One pint is definitely enough. But I thought I should get the sample and try out first just in case. So I ordered the 8 oz.

It is semi-gloss, suitable for the exterior door.

The paint arrives in a few days.

Step 2: Prep

Scrap and clean. I should have sanded some edges and surface since I have the multi-tool. I forgot.

Tape the door handle and lockset.

Step 3: Testing

Clearly see the difference between the new and old paint.

Step 4: Paint

In less than an hour, I can do one layer. Wait a day before the second layer. I could have use the roller to get a better result. But worry about not enough paint, I used a brush. And a form brush for corners and edges.

8 oz is barely enough for two layers. I have to admit, there are areas skipped.

The fianl picure is the one on the top of this page.

To conclude, it is much easier than originally thought. The labor is cheap because it is a DIY. The tough part is to get people to agree on the color. By the way, don't forget the side panels. They look much better when all match up.

Exterior Paint - this old house

 

From a distance, it may be ok. But look closely, the paint is peeling off on the second floor. The color of the exterior shutters are fading out. Some sections pop up and cracked. It's time to fix them.

Material needed:

Matching paint - have a gallon from last time and some white paint for the trimming.
Exterior sealant - DAP would do
Wood filler (ProBond) - optional
Siding panels - bought two 12x8 hardie siding boards, asked Home Depot to cut in half so I can fit in the car/truck.
Nails - a box of 2 and half inches galvanized

Tools:

Circular Saw (to cut the boards)

Multi-tool - bought Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit

Paint scraper

Paint brush

Paint roller

Plastic roller tray - (I have the 6pc painting set from last time)

Extender for roller - bought one from Home Depot
Work bench - I made one from scrap wood

Step 1: Preparation

remove shutters

scrap out the peeling paint, cut off the rotten sections, sand off the surface

wash off with jet stream (with my garden hose)

patch up and fill the gaps with filler

Step 2: Ready to paint

put the protective tape on the edge of the windows.

apply the 1st paint. This is light eggshell yellowish color matching the original one but lighter and brighter.

need at least 4 hours between two layers

Step 3: Final touch up

paint the frames and trims with pure white

check any missing spot

clean up

In summary, if you have the materials and the right tools, the effort is much less. DIY is not just saving, but also avoid the trouble dealing with the contractors, explaining what you want and dealing with any unexpected result. But I must admit, the job quality would not match up with the pros.

歷史劇場 - 痛苦執政八年 林濁水

 

這本書寫在2009年 所以博客來上的內容簡介如是說(節錄):

眾人皆醉的亂局中，最明晰理智的聲音
對民進黨八年執政最無情卻也最深情的剖析

...

作者細數朝野八年功過，分析台灣政治與社會的病態史癥，道出許多迷失方向的過往錯誤，乃期望公眾走出各種基本教義派或絕對主義的迷情，以更清明的睿智來關懷台灣的未來。

...

之所以痛苦執政是在說執政黨國會不過半 但如果只是抱怨而無反思 大概沒人看 所以 "從民進黨執政八年的錯亂、貪腐"還是要說的，當然少不了 "國民黨上台之後的馬前失蹄、百般蕭條，乃至中間路線、絕對主義、大小三通、台獨策略、全盤修正等邏輯及實踐問題..." 對於這段歷史空白的我，是有很多資訊可以吸收的。更重要的是，在2024年 賴政府同樣是國會不過半的局面，是比馬好還是更糟一清二楚。現在的小草對比當年的紅衫軍已是決然的不同。

林濁水原來是他的筆名 之後他改名林濁水 他是台灣戒嚴時期黨外運動人士、民主進步黨新潮流系大老，與邱義仁、吳乃仁、洪奇昌並稱為「新潮流系四大天王」，有「台獨理論大師」之稱。可參考維基百科

書中講到了卡珊卓 卡珊卓(Cassandra或稱Alexandria)是希臘悲劇家亞斯奇勒斯(Aeschylus 跟Homer同期)筆下，在特洛依國王Priam子女中最漂亮且聰明的一位，她的預言雖然對特洛依國都是負面的卻一一成真 作者自比為台灣的卡珊卓 不幸而言中 "我只是希臘悲劇中可憐的卡珊卓罷了，活在等待不幸預言出現的悲哀之中。"

第一章　冠蓋京華

阿扁的國師李鴻禧確認台灣是總統制 跟今日賴總統藉由大法官釋憲如出一轍。簡單又霸道的告訴立法院我不需要你也能執政! 更有勝者 總統藉由大法官釋憲可以否決國會通過的法案，這是實權總統制了!

原來阿扁的政績-國會減半 在2005年通過 結果到了2008年 (第二任期) 民進黨慘敗 就請大法官釋憲 - 票票不等值!

有一篇書評 說至少要看 第十一章 金童記 個人覺得還好 金童講的是宋馬兩位都已經是過去的人事了 當今政壇 尚有金童? 這書評吸引我的地方是 台灣人本身的性格缺陷 -「逃難者」個性。他認為"就是因為經濟發展的快速，使得原本隱藏的隱性文化特質被顯露出來，才讓我們赫然發現原來過去數十年的公民社會的基本素養如此差勁！"

老綠男有意見-陳師孟

 

這是陳師孟的書

在博客來上如是說

---

第一本政論文集，收錄之文章都清楚表露作者的政治立場「綠到不行」；但自稱「老綠男」，不只是想與藍營做區隔，更重要的意義是與執政的民主進步黨做區隔，因為自2016年蔡英文就任台灣總統之後，從用人到施政、從除弊到改革，處處與傳統綠營主張格格不入，有時甚至到了親痛仇快的地步。對此，作者「有意見」。

---

因為是2016, 2017時期他寫的文集 八年後來看別有一番滋味 應證歷史一再重演 譬如阿扁八年下來後被馬追殺 跟現在追殺柯P如出一轍。

先複習一下 陳師孟（1948年8月4日—）原來是中國國民黨黨員。1991年，因推動廢除中華民國刑法第一百條(內亂罪)退出中國國民黨、並加入民主進步黨。曾在陳水扁台北市市長任內擔任副市長。他的立場清楚的寫在他於自由時報發表〈剖視「倒扁」連續劇〉一文。是外省人台灣獨立促進會的成員，簡單說就是台獨大將。

2008年他跟黨主席之位擦身而過。2011年7月，因為同屬綠色逗陣工作室的王定宇未獲民進黨提名參選台南市第五選舉區立法委員，陳師孟退黨。2017年3月，總統蔡英文提名陳師孟為監察委員候選人。2018年1月16日，陳師孟通過立法院同意。2020年1月，陳師孟以不知為何而戰向蔡英文請辭獲准。

首先 陳師孟在序言中 提了兩部著作 一是Thomas More 的 Utopia 烏托邦, 一是 Niccolo Machiavelli 的 The Prince 君王論. 他是希望這針砭與建言能與那兩書一樣流傳歷史吧! Aim high 是絕對正確。"不做思考 不願表態 不敢行動 沒有主張的人 自由對他是多餘的" 非常嚴厲的指責 有那麼容易嗎?

第一章講政黨遷就中間選民是炒短線 但沒有勝選何來發言權? 對他而言 主流民意或許也不是最重要!

其他幾章比較醒目的

是誰沒收了時代力量的力量?

以前我曾想過為什麼會有時代力量? 專注打國民黨就好了不是嗎?現在知道了(有點太晚了))

賴神的第一把火

原來他賴神幹過行政院長 或許他完全無法理解怎麼卓榮泰什麼都搞不定

黨國司法何時了 論台灣司法的制衡

雖說司法恐龍的DNA是從國民黨來 民進黨卻也發覺它跟監察院一樣好用 都是你任命的 都乖乖聽你的!

總之 建國正名是宗旨 問題出在How。

書中很多論述非常精采 一些無法認同的是對柯P的貶抑 雖沒直白說 卻意指柯P能選上台北市長是民進黨的(錯誤)操作

他自己批蔡英文做了錯誤的決策還死不認錯(撤回謝林配的決定...) 我只能說會反思的政治人物終究是少數 陳師孟也不例外 就因為柯P的兩岸一家親觀點 跟他的台獨不同路 那就是壞人!