Maureen and I took a boat to the Farallon Islands today, which lie about 26 miles outside of the golden gate. They sit on the edge of the continental shelf, causing nutrient rich "upswellings" that provide food for migratory animals. This contributes to a very robust ecosystem that includes hundreds of thousands of nesting birds. We saw about 6 humpback whales on the 10 hour trip, one of which breached multiple times. The Marine Mammal Center also released 4 sea lions back into the wild once we got there.

This was a funny little bird that ran and flew at the same time. Maybe a common murre? He just caught a snack.

Photo set on Flickr

Some things with a grade of "Extra Fancy":

• Extra Fancy White Clover Lawn Seed, 5 oz
• Extra Fancy Tallow
• Pure Kona Hawaii EXTRA FANCY Large Beans
• Extra Fancy Ladies hand embroidery Lace Handkerchiefs
• Fiesta Extra Fancy Fajita Seasoning, 7 oz.
• Extra Fancy Fabric Covered Sew-on Buttons
• Extra Fancy Combat Steel Spear Head

Head over to the Simpson's Movie Site to see yourself as a (startlingly accurate) Simpson's character. Here's me: