My Adventures

Helpful NY Times Articles (on Money and Love)

2011-01-03T08:35:00.006-05:00

1.3.11

I found several of the articles in the New York Times series, 'A Sustainable Life' very interesting. I really liked the article that helps readers overcome the inevitable pitfalls of budgeting. Finance reporter Tara Siegal Bernard recommends the free budgeting software on mint.com for those of us that need a little help.

I also enjoyed reading the article 'The Happy Marriage is the "Me" Marriage'. No, I'm not thinking specifically about marriage, but I do believe the principles discussed in this article apply to any valuable relationship. We want to learn from each other, and when this doesn't happen, we no longer feel compelled to contribute. On the surface, yes, it does sound counterintuitive to think 'the best [relationships] are those that bring satisfaction to the individual'. However, evolutionarily speaking, this makes perfect sense. By learning new things (or seeing the world from someone else's perspective), we are better prepared to survive given a diverse set of situations.

Middle Eastern Ensemble Fall Concert

2010-11-21T23:00:00.002-05:00

11.21.10

This past September, I was awarded a one year fellowship to study Greek. The fellowship is offered through the US Department of Education and specifically encourages students to learn uncommonly studied foreign languages (e.g. Turkish, Greek, Portuguese, etc.). As stipulated by the fellowship, I will take Greek language classes as well as related culture classes for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. For my culture class this semester, I enrolled in a Mediterranean music ensemble. I had the opportunity to sing in Turkish, Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew. The pictures below were taken at our end of the semester concert.

My fellow choir members: Rebecca, Amy, and Enrika

Practicing before the event starts. (Adem and our conductor Harold).

Adem and Tara

I wasn't expecting such a large crowd to turn up for this event. It made me so happy to see so many of my friends faces in the back of the Carriage House loft. I'm so grateful that you all came!

I really enjoyed singing with this group of talented musicians. I will most likely be continuing with the choir for the Spring 2011 semester and promise to inform you of my next performance.

Buffalo is great!

2010-11-10T12:08:00.004-05:00

11.10.10

My neighbor, Margene Weiss, recently sent me a video highlighting the great things about Buffalo. Most people know about Buffalo because of its record snowfalls, but there is so much more to it then this. While the clip focuses mainly on architecture, it does pinpoint other historical and natural aspects of Buffalo. Buffalo was the first city to have electricity. It's about 20 minutes away from one of the oldest state parks in the nation, and besides Central Park in New York City, it has one of the most extensive Frederick Law Olmstead park systems in the nation.

So next time you hear someone say that Buffalo is "lame", you can send them this:

Buffalo, New York: This Place Matters

Poster Presentation for ACSF

2010-11-07T00:49:00.008-04:00

10.29.10

Because our research project in Crete was funded in part by Cornell's Atkins Center for Sustainable Futures (ACSF), my group was asked to design a poster highlighting our findings thus far. We knew most of the audience would be administrative staff and alumni so in addition to our poster, we created a game to teach people them about water use in Crete, Greece. Basically, they would roll a die and the number they rolled would determine how much rain fell in a given year. Rain/water was symbolized by little silver buckets. For example, if they rolled a 1, they would get 16 buckets (400 mm of cumulative rainfall in a year), versus if they rolled a 6, they would get 36 buckets (900 mm of cumulative rainfall in a year). They would then allocate these water resources to different uses. Some were mandatory (e.g. domestic use) but most were optional and had a monetary value associated with them. For example, if you decided to plant one hectare of rain-fed olive trees then you would use 4 buckets of water and make $3 million dollars that year. Once they allocated their buckets they would have to roll a pair of dice and rearrange their water resources.

In the end we wanted to show that the crop that was least taxing on water resources was the rain-fed olives. The citrus on the other hand might give more money but they take a considerable amount of water to grow successfully; nearly twice as much was as is required by the rain-fed olive trees. If leaders in the municipality can promote the maintenance of rain-fed olives this would be best for conserving water supply for future generations.

This is the poster I made with the help of Margaret (a student in Natural Resources), Michael (a student in the law school), Gail (the director of the Mediterranean Studies program), and Tammo (my advisor).

This is the poster for our game. The finished product had bright green foam letters spelling out the title: 'Tipping Points: A Race to Sustainable Water Resources'.

All my heard work on the game paid off when we were awarded 3rd place (and an $1000 prize to go towards our research) in the poster competition.

Shellbot and Jack Skellington

2010-10-27T16:37:00.001-04:00

10.24.10

With the Guster concert on Monday night, Shelley decided to drive down to Ithaca on Saturday night and stay for the weekend. I showed her all around Ithaca and even roped her into helping me carve my pumpkin.

Shelley and I at Ithaca Falls

The Headless Shelley

There she is!

Toby doesn't look amused.

You can see the world differently when you look at it through the eyes of Jack Skellington.

Thanks to the radical pumpkin carving kit that my mom sent me, it was a lot easier to make Jack Skellington.

Compared to the cartoon version, I think we did a pretty good job.

A Visitor from the ATL

2010-10-15T00:42:00.003-04:00

10.6-13.10

Over fall break, Jon Newman flew all the way from Atlanta just to visit me. I picked him up from the airport and helped him get settled in my house. We did a little hiking around my neighborhood, made some dinner, and headed to Cornell's Fuertes Observatory. Every clear Friday night around 9pm the observatory is open to the public. Because it was a clear night, the message on their machine assured me that the observatory was open. While you walked around to look through the telescopes, members of the Cornell Astronomy Club would help explain what constellations you would expect to see. We were able to see Jupiter (as well as the sunspot on its surface), an owl constellation, and a comet. The Astronomy Club members were very friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. One of them told us about some of the stories behind the constellations. Jon and I both liked it.

On Saturday Jon, Johan (my climbing friend from Cornell), and I left bright and early for Blue Run Rocks near Gaines, PA. This was my third time climbing outdoors but it was really fun. The most exciting part was learning how to how to lead climb. Because Jon and Johan both have had a lot of experience lead climbing, they were great teachers. To explain, lead climbing is basically a type of sport climbing where you climb above your rope. Usually the first person that ascends a route will lead climb, set up an anchor at the top of the route for the next climber(s), and then be lowered down to the ground. As the climber moves up the wall they use special carabener sets called "quickdraws" to clip into bolts that have been permanently screwed into the rock face. Once the climber comes close to a bolt, they grab the quickdraw from their harness, clip it a portion of it into the bolt, pick up the rope dangling below them, and feed it through the second part of the quickdraw. The hardest part of lead climbing is making sure you clip in as soon as possible. Because you're climbing above your rope you will fall as far as your last clip. This fall can be scary if the bolts on the wall are spread out.

Besides lead climbing there is also top roping. I normally climb using this technique because it is a easier and requires less equipment. In top roping your support rope is above you; the rope has been anchored into the top of the route. Since this was my first time lead climbing, Jon helped me rig up the ropes so I was top roping and lead climbing at the same time. If I fell then I wouldn't fall nearly as far as if I had been lead climbing alone. One step at a time.

Jon

Johan

Pride Rock

This place reminded us of the movie Fern Gully.

Jon is very focused as he belays Johan.

While Jon belayed, I scoped out the surroundings and found this cool cave.

I found some ferns!

I also took pictures of Johan.

Peace (Johan)

Bunny Ears (Jon)

Here I am lead climbing for the first time.

It was getting late and we had to walk back to the car.

Jon and I!

Besides climbing on Saturday, we did a lot of wandering around Ithaca. I took Jon to the farmer's market, to the Cornell plantations, to my favorite restaurant (Sticky Rice), up to campus, and around the Commons. On Tuesday Elliot invited us both to see his PhD defense. I learned a lot about what he studied and was happy to see the finished product of all of his hard work.

I was sad that Jon had to go back to Atlanta but he has 6 more trips to go before I can visit him in Atlanta. That's the rule: 1 Atlanta trip for every 7 Ithaca trips. ;)

Cornell Camping 2010

2010-09-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

9.18-19.10

Every fall, a group of people from my lab and other departments at Cornell organize a weekend camping trip to the Adirondacks. Last year I had to miss the trip but this year I was able to go. Christine, Christian, and I got to the cabin so late that everyone had already fallen asleep. Christian and I helped Christine set up her tent and then set up our own sleeping bags in the kitchen. It wasn't the ideal location but it was good enough.

Morning!

Helen and Veronica (my cubicle-mates!)

Since it was Helen's birthday we stuck a bunch of candles in this stack of pancakes and sang to her. I think she enjoyed it.

Christian

Mappy watches as everyone else rushes around after breakfast.

We're ready for our hike. (Christine, Christian, and Stephen)

We started on our 2.7 mile hike up Ampersand (&) Mountain.

Julia (aka Beef) is leading the group. This part of the hike was very flat but about half way up the path became steeper.

The forest was quiet except for the sound of our footsteps.

At one point we were just walking up a stream bed. The trees were amazing; growing up and around the boulders.

Stephen was always one step ahead of us.

Maybe I can move the mountain?

Christine is almost to the top and I'm following right behind.

We made it to the top! The view was amazing.

I was hoping there would be little tadpoles in the water but there weren't.

After hiking that mountain we had big appetites.

Christine and I

My Bandito Pose

Christine's Warrior Pose

The Three Peas in a Pod: Christine, Christian, and I

This is a benchmark. It's used by geographers as a reference point for our maps. I learned about these in one of my classes and it was interesting to see them in person.

Stephen

Helen and Veronica

We were already half way down the mountain when Ali came to tell us that Nate had broken his ankle. I gave Ali some Advil to bring back up the mountain and we continued down the path. There were already a group of people to stay with Nate at the top and we couldn't offer any extra help. While we continued down the path, the group at the top of the mountain prepared for Nate to be airlifted to the nearest hospital. Luckily, there was a doctor on the top of the mountain who was able to set Nate's ankle with a makeshift splint.

Waiting for the Helicopter

Nate took an emergency helicopter ride to the Saranac Hospital.

When the rest of the group got back we had hot soup and biscuits waiting for them. We were happy that they all got back safe and sound.

Campfire with S'mores

Chinese Lanterns

The Whole Gang!

lefft to right back row: Matt, Alexa, Julia (aka Beef), Mappy, Alex, Holly, Ali, Stephen, Francois, Trevor, Helen, Nate

left to right front row: me, Christine, Christian, Marie, Veronica

Nate's ankle was definitely broken.

McGraw Tower

2010-09-02T06:34:00.001-04:00

9.2.10

One of the more famous buildings on Cornell's campus is McGraw Tower. Today at about 7:45am, I climbed the 161 steps to the top of the tower and looked around at the 21 bells. Besides looking at them you can also hear the bells. Student chimesmasters train to play the bells and also take requests for their daily 15 minute concerts. Before I knew you could go up in the tower to watch the concerts, I would always try to guess the familiar songs during my bicycle ride up the hill. It seems like they play just about anything, from classical music to Disney to Lady Gaga. Anyway, the concert was great and so was the view.

The sun was shining and all was well on the Cornell University campus.

You can see Cayuga Lake from the top of the tower.

Looking down at the Arts Quad

AGU Abstract 2010

2010-08-31T14:34:00.002-04:00

8.31.10

About five minutes ago I submitted my abstract for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Conference. This is my first time submitting a paper for a conference! The conference will be held this coming December (don't ask me why it's called a 'Fall Conference') in San Francisco. I'm excited about this opportunity to share my research and meet lots of environmental engineering nerds from all over the country.

Here is my abstract:

Title: Modeling the Impact of Landscape Variability on Nutrient and Pesticide Dynamics in CEAP Watersheds

Authors: Sheila M. Saia, Tammo Steenhuis, Zach Easton, Jan Boll, Erin Brooks

Keywords: water quality, best management practices, runoff

The effectiveness of agricultural conservation strategies for reducing soil, nutrient, and pesticide transport varies among landscape type and climate. For instance, a riparian buffer may reduce phosphorous loading to a Northeastern stream but fail to have the same impact on a stream in the Midwest. We propose a model based on readily available input data that can be used to prioritize the implementation of agricultural practices across a range of landscapes. Because areas generating overland flow are more prone to nutrient and pesticide transport, new management tools must accurately predict surface and subsurface flows. A modified version of the process-based Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was developed to more accurately estimate surface and subsurface flows as well as sediment, nutrient, and pesticide transport from saturated and unsaturated hill slopes. We compare model results to available nutrient transport data from 13 USDA funded Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) watersheds. Core objectives of the CEAP initiative include the quantitative evaluation of agricultural conservation practices through enhanced data collection and model development in selected watersheds. Once available online, this modified WEPP model will be a valuable tool for water resource managers to make scientifically informed decisions concerning the impact on and selection of conservation practices for improved stream water quality.

A Quarter Century

2010-08-21T23:30:00.002-04:00

8.21.10

Today I turned 25! I invited a few lab mates over to make sushi; we've been meaning to do this for a long time now. Overall, I think we did a pretty great job. Especially since this was the first or second time many of us had tried out hand at this Japanese culinary art.

My lab mates Helen, Tony, and Veronica from left to right.

Ben is waiting to make his sushi role. We had all the fillings lined up and ready to go: scrambled egg, avocado, imitation crab meat, cucumber, asparagus, red pepper, carrots, pickled radish, burdock root, kimchi, and pickled plum. Of course we also had sliced ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce for eating/dipping.

My ume-kyu (say oo-meh-que) with umeboshi (pickled plum) and kyuri (cucumber) is on the far right. This type of vegetarian sushi is very common in Japan. The sourness of the plum contrasted well with the fresh and watery cucumber. The other role was made by Helen. I think it had egg, imitation crab meat, and avocado.

Ben is cutting his sushi role with my new Cutco knife.

(Thanks you Mama and Mom for the amazing knives!)

Ben Sushi Close-Up

Each one of us made a role to share.

My second role resembles a face with pickled burdock root for the eyes and cucumber hair.

Take 1 with heavenly glow from the chandelier. From left to right: Haruo, Christine, Helen (as a bunny), Veronica (eating kimchi), Ben, Tony, and me.

Take two: (back) Tony, Helen (with a mustache), Christine (feedee), Veronica (feeder), Ben, (front) Haruo, and me.

Ben asked me if he could make a chocolate pie and I begged him to make carrot cake instead because it's my favorite. With the cream cheese frosting of course. :)

We didn't have candles so we used matches instead.

Ben and Veronica tried to frantically light the candles and I was making their job harder by blowing them out too soon.

Finally, all the matches were lit.

It's official. I'm 25!

After cake and sushi we talked and watched a few interesting clips on youtube.com. If you haven't already seen it: try this first and then this.

Special Shout Out: Thank you to all my friends and family who called and sent cards!

Tokyo Reunion 2010

2010-08-16T16:35:00.024-04:00

8.13-15.10

For the past few days, I've been living out in woods with my dear friends from Tokyo. It's been a lot of fun and I can't thank Yasuko and Tony enough for organizing the trip. We stayed in Fall Brook Yurts, a camp site in the Adirondacks near the town of Minerva, New York. We went hiking, built fires, ate Japanese food, talked in Japanese, and had a whole lot of fun. Yasuko and I decided this should be a yearly tradition and the rest of the group agrees.

I should also mention that a yurt is a Mongolian hut. I had never heard about it until a week ago but I was very much impressed by its structure.

Tony and Yasuko made a sign so we could find out way.

Tokyo Reunion to the left!

The entrance to Fall Brook Yurts.

Alex and I bringing our things to the camp site.

The Yurt!

Yurt Skylight

Inside the Yurt

We rented two yurts for the weekend. This one was more convenient for all of us to hang out in because the middle was open. The other yurt was just as nice but had a different layout.

Congregating After We Arrived

All of our water for cooking and washing came from this stream. Just to make sure it was safe to consume we either boiled it or used an ultraviolet light to kill the bacteria. Washing your face in the stream was so refreshing.

For dinner we made Japanese curry. It was sugoi oishiii (very delicious)! We made a camp fire and talked about everything under the sun. By about 10pm, all of my friends had arrived at the campsite. Some of them had a late start because they had to work in NYC and couldn't leaved for the Adirondacks until 5pm. I was just happy that they all made it safe and sound.

The next morning we woke up and got ready for a day of hiking. The sun shining through the skylight in the yurt was so bright that it was impossible for us to sleep in. (pictured: Rie)

Not many of my friends knew how to build a fire so I taught them all I knew. I taught them that they can use birch bark to start a fire even when the bark is damp because of the oils in the bark. We collected sticks and branches and prepared the fire for breakfast. Of course we tried to find bark that had already fallen. Birch trees are my absolute favorite.

Leah helped me start the fire.

Yasuko and Rie also helped. Yasuko kept calling me the 'head hancho'.

Left over curry and other breakfast treats. (This is Leah's plate because I don't eat sausage! ;) )

Rie, Leah, and Yasuko

After breakfast it was time to go on our hike. Yasuko was definitely prepared.

Tony was too.

I <3 the Adirondacks!

From left to right: me, Kaori, Tony, Kate, Linsey, and Michiko

A brief huddle before we leave the campsite for the day.

We finally made it to the Goodnow Mountain trail head.

Starting Our Climb to the Top

We can do it!

Along the way we saw some really awesome things like this tree that grew over a big boulder.

Spiky Mushrooms

Golden Mushrooms

Frogs (or Toads?)

Fuzzy Caterpillar

The leaves were just starting to turn colors.

More Mushrooms

We passed this little hut on the way to the summit. Tony and Kate decided to go exploring.

Kate

Tony looks out at the Adirondack Mountains.

Taking a Little Rest (Yasuko, Blair, and Rie)

We waited for the rest of the group. From left to right: me, Michiko, Blair, Yasuko, Rie, Lindsey, Kate, and Kaori.

We made it to the top!
We could still go a little further if we were brave enough to climb the fire lookout tower.

Yasuko and I Waving from the Top

Hello down there!

Of course I had to take a picture of the weather station. ;)

The 3 Pink Banditos: me, Yasuko, and Kaori.

Yasuko and Kaori

It was a little scary going back down.

The view from the top of the tower was epic.

After climbing down we decided to stop at a beach that was not too far from our campsite.

Swimming in Lake Minerva was very refreshing after our long hike.

Rie, Kaori, Lindsey, Yasuko, Kate, and Tony

By the time we got back to the yurt it was getting dark. We started to make dinner.

Yasuko had organized all of the meals and tonight we would be making sushi.

Rie and I are waiting for the rice to finish cooking.

Yasuko and I

There were so many things you could fill your sushi with: cucumber, pickled plums, avocado, rosted veggies, kimchi, carrots, portobello mushrooms, and so much more.

We all made a roll or two.

The sushi looked so pretty when it was all set out on the plates.

We made rice cakes for dessert. The uncoated ones on the left and the ones coated in sweet soybean powder on the right.

We were really full so it felt good to stretch out on the floor (pictured: Lindsey and I). We also played a few rounds of Balderdash before heading out to the campfire.

After eating so much we were ready to warm up by the campfire.

Some people made s'mores. You have to make these at least once while your camping.

Tony and Alex

Campfire Stories and Songs

The next morning Tony, Yasuko, and I did a little exploring near our yurt.

Tony and I

There was a beautiful waterfall very close to our yurt.

Breakfast Time! This is our last meal together before we have to go our separate ways.

Before cleaning up entirely, we went on a short hike around the yurts. We found a cave!

Lindsey

Time to do the dishes!

Tony is almost ready to go.

Yurt #1: Lindsey, Kaori, Kate, Michiko, Leah, and Alex

Yurt #2: me, Tony, Yasuko, Blair, and Rie

Goodbye Fall Brook Yurts!

Tokyo Reunion 2010!

Practicing for our group picture.

Tokyo!

Yurts!

Of course we left notes in the cabin log book.

Tony and Lindsey drew this one.

Crete July 27-August 3

2010-08-03T13:57:00.009-04:00

7.27.10

This morning we went back to see Mr. Stefanos Karahalios in Agios Nikalos. He gave us some GIS data, a map of the Lasithi aquifers, and talked to us about some other research related information. He explained the permeability of some of the different rock types. For example, north of Neapoli most of the bedrock was karst limestone. Cracks in this rock cause it too be very permeable. Consequently, most of the aquifers in this region are contaminated with salt water from the sea and cannot be used for drinking water purposes unless desalinization techniques are employed. Neapoli sits on a siltstone aquifer which is less permeable than the karst limestone; therefore, the aquifers are more suitable for drinking. This is good news for the Neapoli community, unless they experience a drought or pump too much water from their wells. We asked him if he had any streamflow data but he laughed and said their are no streams in Crete. Of course he's right but we were just curious if they measured the flow of water during the wet winter months.

Finally, we talked to him about the soils near Neapoli. In the United States we are luck enough to have the National Resource Conservation Soil (NRCS) Survey. This survey is basically a state by state survey of soil properties (depth, type, drainability, organic matter percentage, bulk density, etc.). I can only imagine the time and money spent on this valuable project. Just about everyone in my field relies on this data for their research. However, we were surprised to learn that Greece didn't have a comprehensive soil survey like our country. He could only give us estimations of soil type and depth so we will have to look to the literature for our study.

On my way home from Agios Nikalos I stopped a bakery and picked up some baklava varieties. This one had coconut in the middle and a dollop of jam on top.

I went to the local dairy store and picked up some locally made cheese. The owner recommended this kind. She said it was called 'kefatiri' or head cheese. It was made from the milk of sheep.

From the same shop, I picked up some yogurt. I loved this creamy, tart yogurt mixed with a teaspoon of Cretan honey. Almost every morning I paired this yogurt with a slice of fresh bakery bread or fresh fruit.

Because we would be leaving soon, we got together for dinner with Mayor Kastronakis, his wife Roula, and his son Leonidas. Leonidas' cousin Giannis and our friend Giannis also joined us. We went to the most famous souflaki restaurants in Neapoli. I didn't try the souvlaki but I heard it was very 'nostimo' (delicious). It was great to talk to the mayor and hfis wife. They are both so welcoming, funny, and interesting.

When Margaret and James went back to their apartment, Michael and I decided to get some donuts. I wasn't hungry at all but Michael hadn't tried them yet.

7.29.10

Today we met with the mayor for a little while. We had to ask him some final questions about the data he had given us. We also asked him about the wastewater treatment in Neapoli. When we asked about this he lowered his spectacles, looked us in the eye, and told us that we didn't really want to know. His secretary named Christina, told us the following.

In terms of domestic waste, all wastewater goes from Lasithi (Neapoli is in this prefecture) towards Milato (the next municipality) via a pipe that’s a few kilometers long. Afterward this the pipe becomes an open channel and can be seen from far away. Just look for the large bamboo stands that have grown around and in it. The channel was first built by the Ottomans using bricks, but in some places it has been with stone. Once this wastewater reaches Milato, we weren't told where it goes. Bascially, there's no treatment plant in the municipality of Neapoli except for the treatment system connected to the three small towns of Vrisis, Cumeriako, and Nikithiano. For these three, there is a separate pipeline that goes to Limines and is fed by the wastewater from Agios Nikolos. Before the 'river', each home had waste tank that would be cleaned out regularly and taken away. The mayor said that he has plans to build a treatment plant but this depends on funding.

After lunch I met Giannis' niece. Her name is Marianna and she is starting her senior year in high school. She wanted to ask me some questions about what I study and the path I took to get where I am now. It was great to talk to her and I hope we can keep in touch. We both like to cook so I promised to send her recipes.

Michael had plans to leave early tomorrow morning so Margaret, James, and I met up with him for some dinner at his favorite tavern in town. Afterwards we went back to our respective apartments and started packing. I would be moving in with Margaret and James. Michael and I thanked Andronikos for letting us stay at his family's place. We were so grateful for his family's hospitality.

In the evening, Giannis had to leave dinner early to put out a brush fire. It was quite large even though you cannot see much from this photo. Giannis told us that natural forest fires occur once every 30-50 years but most of the fires he helps with have been started by shepherds. The shepherds burn the bushes almost every summer so the grass will grow back for their goats or sheep. However, noting really grows back; especially not the trees. The land becomes a rocky desert because the soil blows away without the support of a plant root system.

7.30.10

I woke up very early in the morning to meet Giannis. We would be helping his mother (Maria), his father, and his sister harvest their onion crop. The process was really interesting. We used a hoe to pull the onions out and place them in a wheelbarrow. Then we took the onions and dunked them in sea water (Giannis had collected this prior to the harvesting) and then placed them in a sunny spot on the ground. Giannis told me that the salt water would preserve them all year long! Just before 7:45am we rode back to the apartment on his father's motorbike. It was a little scary without a helmet but I felt safer with Giannis driving. I didn't realize this until later, but the path to Giannis' parent's garden was the same concrete underground channel that Christina, the secretary in the Mayor's office, told us about. This was the 'river' (see my July 29 entry).

We thought we would have a meeting with the Mayor at 8am but he was busy with some other work so Margaret and I worked on other things in his office until about noon. We often spent our morning in the mayor's office emailing the scientists we had spoken to and trying to translate/organize the data we had received thus far. After walking back to the apartment and having some lunch, Margaret and James decided to take a nap. I wanted to get out and explore so that's just what I did. I was hoping to find a monastery we had gone to with Adonis but I never did.

I saw lots of other interesting sites instead.

Unused Sterna

I saw this on my walk and thought it was funny.

After I got back from my walk Giannis had also returned and asked Margaret, James, and I if we wanted to go sterna hunting. Of course we agreed. He took us to some sternas in the forests just up the hill from Neapoli.

In the winter, water runs over and around these stones.

Ironically, Giannis took us to the monastery I was looking for earlier that day. This was the same monastery I mentioned in my July 24 entry. The source of a spring was located just under the short white structure on the left side of this picture. A week earlier, Adonis had taken us here and told us that the image of a mermaid carved into the side of white structure was meant to scare away evil spirits that would contaminate the water. The monastery used about 1/3 of the water for it's gardens and upkeep and passed the remaining 2/3 to villages down the hill. Look at the pictures below to see the channel. By opening the metal door in the middle of the courtyard, we could see how some of the water was directed to the monastery and some wen to the channel.

An avocado tree growing near the spring inspired me. I have an avocado plant back in Ithaca and have always wondered what it will look like when it grows up.

Monument to the Patron Saint of This Monastery

This is the channel that I was talking about before. It takes the water from the spring to the village down the hill. Giannis said we could drink this water and he did. Margaret and I decided to pass. Marianna had told me that she used to take class trips to this monastery and the students would see how far they could follow the channel.

7.31.10

Our sterna tour leader (Giannis) had big plans for us today. We would go back up the mountain to find the gorge with the sternas at the bottom. Even when all the other sternas in the area were dry, these sternas always had water. The gasoline truck driver union was on strike but Giannis still had enough fuel to get us there and back.

Margaret and I were so worried that we would miss the fig season but luckily it was just starting around the time we had to leave. Giannis always asked us if we needed anything and when he offered us some ripe figs we couldn't refuse. Especially because I had never eaten a fresh fig before.

This is where the gorge meets the sea.

As we made our way down into the gorge, we set to work. Who would find the first sterna?

I walked right by but Giannis' sharp eye recognized it right away. We crowded around to see if there was any water left (Margaret, James, and Giannis). Just before we left, we placed some stones around the opening to protect the next person from falling in.

James found the next one.

The stonework was incredible.

While we were walking through the brush, Margaret lost her balance and fell over. She had tried to stop herself from falling but the sage bush she had leaned on wasn't able to support her weight (or anyone else's for that matter). She was laying on the ground unable to get up until one of us came and helped. We were all laughing so hard.

We gathered wild oregano and sage to take home.

Giannis, James, and Margaret

Solar Panels

That evening, Adonis invited us to the village of Nofilias for a traditional Greek concert. We met some of his family and friends. We listened to a boy playing an old Greek instrument made of a brilliantly white goat skin. It sounded like a bagpipe. The rest of the mus

8.1.10

Yesterday afternoon while we ate lunch with Giannis, he asked us how our quest for data was going. We told him that we had received a great deal of information but the rainfall data was still nowhere to be found. He contacted a friend of his named Manolis Gialelakis. Manolis was a retired electrician who methodically collected daily rainfall data for the city of Neapoli. He data were used in the Agios Nikalos and Iraklio news papers which busted our confidence in the reliability of this information. Giannis arranged for us to meet Manolis and talk to him about Neapoli's rainfall. We talked to him about the patterns of rainfall during the past few years (more rapid and intense) and also asked him if he would share his records with us. He was very willing to and we told him how excited we were to get this information.

Manolis showed us his old standard rain gauge. It had been manufactured in Germany.

The graduated cylinder was calibrated to give a depth of rainfall (millimeters) rather than a volume (millimeters^3).

Later on I would gather the handwritten rainfall records and copy them in the mayor's office so we could bring them back to the United States. Later in the afternoon, I went on a walk with Giannis and he told me that most people spray their trees with insecticide (one in 5 or one in 10 trees) because of an insect that lays its eggs on the olives. A few days before I had noticed an empty glyphosate (Roundup) container in a vegetable garden. However, there are many farmers that grow their olives using 'biologikos' ( organic in Greek) methods. The organic trees are marked with little red and white flags so the insecticide spayers leave the trees alone.

8.2.10

In the afternoon, we helped Giannis' mother (Maria) make stuffed grape leaves and stuffed vegetables. We had told her that we wanted to learn how to make them and she was more than willing to teach us (in Greek). Overall it wasn't as complicated as I had expected it to be. Here is the recipe straight from Maria's teachings to you:

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Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmathakia) and Stuffed Tomatoes

from Maria in Neapoli, Crete

This recipe makes 8 stuffed tomatoes and lots of stuffed grapes leaves. You should definitely be able to feed 4-5 people.

Ingredients:

8 tomatoes (2 inch diameter, try to use homegrown)

jar of grape leaves (soaked in brine vinegar, look for them in Wegmans)

three cups of uncooked rice (try to use jasmine or sushi rice)

one medium sized onion

15 leaves of fresh mint

medium bunch of fresh parsley

cumin powder

dried oregano

pepper

salt (or not if you watch your salt)

olive oil

water

Stuffed Tomato Steps:

Put the rice in a medium sized baking bowl and wash it twice. Try to drain most of the water out. Wash your tomatoes and use a sharp knife to cut a little flap on the top. Be sure not to cut the flap all the way off because you need it as a cover. Scoop out the insides of the tomato and leave the insides in a bowl with the whitish-greenish part removed (you will need it for the rice). Place the whole tomatoes into a glass or metal cake pan. Make sure you sprinkle some olive oil on the bottom of the pan so the tomatoes don't stick. Cut the onion into large chunks and throw this in the blender with the tomato insides. Blend until smooth. Add in the mint leaves and parsley (stems are ok) and blend again until smooth. Pour this pulp into the rice and mix thoroughly. Add in a few dashes of cumin, oregano, pepper, and salt. Don't forget the olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons) and a little water if you think the rice mixture is too thick. Mix this all together well. Lightly drizzle olive oil into each tomato, and if you choose, also sprinkle the insides with salt. Open the flap of each tomato and place enough rice mixture inside so that it's about half full. Once you've filled all the tomatoes put them in the oven for 1-1.5 hours at 350F. You want the rice to be cooked.

Stuffed Grape Leaves Steps:

Use the same rice mixture that you used for the tomatoes (above). Take the leaves out of the jar (rinse them if you like) and gently peel them apart from one another. Take about 1/2 teaspoon (I know this sounds really small but trust me because the rice expands) and place it at one end of the leaf. Flip part of the leaf over, roll in the sides, and then roll the rest. If you're confused, just imagine the leaf is a bean burrito. It's the same motion. Take a medium sized sauce pan and pour a little olive oil and water into it. You can even use some of the liquid from the rice mixture if you have some extra. Gently place each stuffed grape leaf into the pot. You should have a few layers of stuffed grape leaves when you're done. Cover these guys with a bowl (it keeps them from moving around in the hot pan) and place it on the stove top. Let the water on the bottom start to bubble and then turn the heat down. Place a cover on the top and cook for 30 minutes or longer. You will have to check to see that the rice is cooked. If you have any left over rice you can just add a little water to it and cook it on the stove top.

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In the early evening we met up with the Mayor, his wife, and his son one last time. James and Leonidas were sad to have to say goodbye to each other. I think James really looked up to Leonidas and was always excited to spend time with him. While we were talking, a man came over and talked to me briefly about his job. He was an urban planner and was working on a project with the Mayor. They were trying to update the municipality's zoning laws in order to make it more difficult for people to build on forested lands. He was also talking about developing more green space in the city.

After the meeting we went back to the apartment and enjoyed the stuffed vegetables and grape leaves we had made. They were so delicious.

8.3.10

Margaret and James left early in the morning for the Iraklio airport but my plane wasn't leaving until 9pm so I had the rest of the day to finish packing, clean the apartment, make copies of rainfall data, and help Giannis' family. I had finished all my work by 2pm so Giannis took me with a teenage boy named Herakolis, who lived in the foster home, to the old monastery up in the hills. At the foster house, I had a chance to say goodbye to Chrisanthi. She told me that she was planning to go to NYC around Easter time and I told her that I would love to meet up. I wrote about this monastery on July 24. Herakolis and I tried to speak to eachother in our non-native languages and Giannis jumped in when we needed help. We cleaned the chapel for an hour and then Giannis drove me back to the apartment to pick up my bags. Herakolis, Marianna, and Giannis all waved goodbye to me through the bus window.

My flights home went smoothly despite some sleeping in and running through airports. I got back to Ithaca on the evening of August 4th and was welcomed by the bright and smiling faces of my two amazing friends, Christine and Christian.

Rock Climbing in Crete

2010-07-25T15:11:00.006-04:00

7.25.10

About a year ago Jon Newman suggested that I try rock climbing. Ever since then, I've been practicing regularly at the Cornell Rock Climbing Wall with friends and Jon took me outdoor rock climbing when I went to visit him in May. If I didn't mention it already, Giannis is a member of a local rescue team. Besides fighting forest/brush fires, he often saves hikers and farmer who get lost in the Cretan cliffs. He trains for these rescue missions at a rock climbing wall/gym in Agios Nikalos. The gym is owned by a fellow rescue team member named Dimitri, and his son Nektarios, is one of the top rock climbers for his age group (14 years old) in Greece. Giannis invited me to go climbing with Dimitri and Nektarios since they would be practicing for one of Nektarios' upcoming competitions. We went to a cliff near the city of Ierapetra on the southern coast of Crete.

The cliff is not too far from the coast near Ierapetra. 'Petra' is the Greek word for rock so I wonder if this is how the place got its name.

I outlined my route in green. I had forgotten to pack my climbing shoes and was only able to get up to the red dot wearing my sneakers.

One of my favorite experiences in Crete was going hiking. The land was do dry and harsh but the smell of herbs was amazing. I would brush up against a wild sage plant (shown here) and inhale the amazing aroma of this plant. The same was true for wild oregano and thyme.

View of the cliff up close. We could also boulder along the bottom portion. The rock had lots of pockets that were perfect hand holds. Parts of it were a little rough but most was smooth and didn't cut up your hands too much.

Giannis is a mentor for many of the young boys in the Neapoli foster care house. He invited Kostantino to come with us on the trip.

Margaret sat back and watch us monkeys climb around.

Giannis Warming Up

Nektarios is leading the route (he's setting up the top rope for the rest of us).

Giannis was next. I have no pictures of me climbing but I only made it to the red dot shown here. I should've gone all the way to the top! ;)

Here, I'm spying on people from a rock above.

Giannis and Nektarios are helping Dimitri on his way down.

View from My Spying Rock

Me!

Climbing was an amazing experience but I still had 30% more of the route to complete before getting to the end. I will have to try again (maybe next summer) and also remember to pack my climbing gear.

Advanced Sternas

2010-07-24T13:57:00.014-04:00

7.24.10

Today Giannis took us to the village where his ancestors used to stay during the summer months. There was a few homes, a chapel, and extensive olive orchards. He showed us his family orchards and also pointed out several sternas used to collect spring water instead of rainwater. If you're just tuning in, please see some of my other entries (July 20 and July 23) for more information on sternas.

So far Giannis had taken us to see sternas constructed for catching and conserving stormwater. The spring wells; however, were built to hold water naturally bubbling up from the ground. In hydrology, we call this a spring. Springs usually emerge when the groundwater table (the height or elevation of the groundwater) reaches the land surface. Later on we visited a monastery set right on top of a large spring. For pictures of this please see my July 30 entry.

This chapel was around 500 years old and this stone work around the window was all done by hand.

Grapes on the porch of Giannis' family's summer home.

View from the Porch

We stopped to pick mulberries from a tree on the land owned by Giannis' family. The berries were so ripe that they squirted all over your hands when picking them. They were slightly tart but very delicious.

Channel for Water

(It's dry during the summer.)

This sterna was supplied by a spring. Giannis told us that he used to swim in this sterna when he was young.

Family Olive Orchards

A spring well that's not very full.

This spring well has more water.

James wanted to sit on the ledge and look in.

This old sterna was used for holding rainwater. Now it's in disrepair...

...with a fig tree growing through its side.

Almonds!

A Fresh Almond with the Brown Shell Removed

James, Giannis, and Margaret

These goats are owned by a monastery. They're spending some time near the sterna.

More goats. Margaret used to raise goats and she told me that both the males and females have horns. I didn't this. I also didn't know that they are typically removed when the goats are still kids. If they're aren't removed then the goat is more likely to get its horns stuck in something...like a fence!

Greek Desserts: Loukoumades and Baklava

Intermediate Sternas

2010-07-23T13:53:00.019-04:00

7.23.10

Today Giannis took us on another tour of the sternas. We were feeling slightly more experienced but were still just as amazed by these structures. If you're just tuning in, please look at my post on July 20, 2010 for an 'Intro to Sternas'.

In the middle of this olive orchard, you can see two big pits. These were used to collect water for irrigation of the olive trees.

Covered Sterna

A reflection of me looking into a covered sterna.

Water trough next to the sterna for the animals.

Giannis pointed out the holes in the sides of the sterna wall. From what I understood these holes helped release some of the pressure from the land surrounding the sterna; they allowed the stones to expand and contract with the surrounding earth.

Margaret and James are looking for 'psari' (fish) in the sterna. The lady behind them explained these sternas became contaminated when someone dumped their goldfish into them. The gold fish multiplied and now the animals refused to drink this water. The villagers are trying to drain the sternas, remove the goldfish, and see if they could be used again.

Either there's a leak in this sterna or the villagers have used all the water.

Pumping Water from the Sterna

The owners of these vegetable gardens (background) use the sternas to water their crops.

The farmers let us try some of their tomatoes. They were very fresh and flavorful. Margaret agrees!

Giannis and James agree too!

'Cultural Folklore Association'

'Have a good trip'

The sign above was right next to this man-made lake. The lake was basically a very large cisterns, used by the farmers and villagers.

The one side of the 'lake' had collapsed a few months ago. The villagers were trying to find funding to fix it.

Just across the street from the 'lake' was a stable for goats. The goats were so noisy! And cute.

The small black and white goat on the upper left was the loudest. I couldn't stop laughing at the racket he/she made.

Another group of sternas. I think there were at least 5 in this location.

Steps down into the sterna.

James and Margaret are having a little chat while the older Greek woman who spoke to us about the sternas (see images above) returns to her field work. She leaned on me as we spoke to her and I felt welcomed; like one of her granddaughters. She explained that the sternas were falling apart because over the years there were less and less people in the village to do field work. Families were having fewer children and most of them moved into the cities away from the farms for job opportunities, etc. She shared her worries about the quality of water being supplied by the municipal wells. She repeated what many other people had been telling us during our sterna travels, the rainwater collected in the sternas was cleaner and healthier.

Old windmilled used to mill grain.

Giannis took us to this Monastery because he wanted to show us the covered sterna. It was situated in the middle of the courtyard; when you walked through you were standing right on top of it.

Inside the Monastery

View from the Monastery

A Hanging Priest's Robe

Hall of the Monastery

Wild oregano was growing out of the roof.

Crete July 22

2010-07-22T13:41:00.004-04:00

7.22.10

A few evenings ago, we met a local Neapolian named Adonis. His family owned a cafe in the center of the city. Adonis told us the Neapoli region used to be famous for it's almonds but a disease had killed them all. He also introduced us to a sweet, almond drink called soumada; he made about 30 liters of soumada a week for the local cafes and he used the leftover almond pulp to make cakes and cookies. Supposedly the women used to drink soumada, which is a non-alcoholic drink, when they went out. The men on the other hand drank raki, a strong alcholic drink made by distilling fermented grapes.

Anyway, Adonis had attended the water conference hosted by the municipality (the one I missed because I didn't arrive until July 12) and he was very interested in talking to us about our studies and perspectives on water resources. He also offered to take us around to the old villages where his ancestors used to live. We were thrilled by his offer and went along for the ride in his Fiat Panda.

Adonis told us that the black hose supplies municipal water to the more remote villages. Margaret and I wondered how this would impact the water supply. Maybe this is why so much water is lost between the well and the tap? We also wondered what the pipe was made out of and how it reacted with sunlight. Was it PVC and was the plasticizer leaching into people's drinking water?

This is Adonis' grandfather's village.

Adonis bough this property and has been fixing it up. He showed us some pictures of the house before and we were so amazed at the improvement. It was completely falling apart; the roof was caving in, the plaster was falling off the walls, and the door was rotten. He pointed out the pocket on the left-hand side of the fireplace. It was used as a stash for sea salt back in the old days when stew was made over the fire. Adonis invited us back to his place in the mountains; he said, "I like to share this beautiful place with all my family and friends." Maybe we can spend some time with him and his family next summer.

We measured the volume of this sterna. It was about 100 m^3. Adonis told us the wires were placed there because his grandfather may have decided to cover the sterna but never got around to doing it.

This sterna has a place to stand while hoisting up buckets of water.

Adonis pointed out a grove meant to hold the water jugs.

Here, Adonis is hoisting up the water from the covered sterna.

Dumping the Water Back

Adonis also took us to an old monastery in the mountains made in honor of Saint Mamas. He has plans to build a meeting hall behind the monastery for people to gather, talk, and enjoy each other's company.

I'm guessing these odd shaped rocks were weathered away by water and blowing sands.

Wheat (or barley?) was piled up here. A stone pulled by a donkey walking in circles was used to separate the grain from the stalk.

Stone Table and Seating Area Under an Olive Tree

The olive tree grew right through the rocks.

Margaret, James, and I standing in front of the olive tree and monastery.

Mountainside Near the Monastery

Intro to Sternas: Sternas 101

2010-07-20T13:41:00.021-04:00

7.20.10

Before going into the pictures I should give you the same introduction that I received in piecemeal throughout the course of my Crete adventures. 'Sterna' is the Greek word for cistern. Before the municipality supplied groundwater to the city and smaller villages, the community relied on these rainwater catching structures. To give you a timeline, these were still being used about 40 years ago. Thus, the reliance on municipal water is a relatively recent development. During the winter when it rained the most, villagers diverted water into the sterna and saved it for domestic use (including drinking) and farming (crops and animals).

As you look at more and more sternas, it's easy to see that they fall into a few distinct structural classes. According to a man named Nikos Skoutelis, a landscape architect who we met, the first are the oldest and are typically found in monasteries. They were built in the 16th Century by rich Venetian people and constructed very well. The second are round ones built by stones in low areas where water collects. The last kind are smaller, covered cisterns that are either half underground or covered with a dome to keep the water clean; it was used for drinking water that had been collected from the roof.

Looking back over my entire trip, I would estimate that about 30% of the sternas I visited were in use. The remainder were abandoned for various reasons. In most cases they were no longer structurally stable (the sides were falling in or they no longer held water) and other times they were contaminated. I should also mention that a fraction of the sternas had been abandoned because the villagers no longer needed them; the groundwater wells supplied them with enough water.

Sternas near the ancient city of Dreros. The steps going down the left side of the sterna made it possible for villagers to extract water. Dreros was located just outside of Neapoli, the village were I stayed during my trip.

The same sterna as above. A portion of the sterna went underneath the road.

There were several sterna here alongside this large open catchment pool. This was one of the few places on the island of Crete where we saw surface water. This water had been collected during the winter and was still being used by the farmers.

Water is extracted from the pool by an electrically powered pump.

Margaret, James, and Giannis all standing in the water catchment pool. You can see the stone walls along the sides to hold the water within the boundary. Giannis said the water level reaches the tops of these walls in the winter.

Farmers are still pumping water from this sterna; you can see the green hose on the left.

This unused sterna is full of grass.

Because a large majority of the population no longer relies on sterna for water, they tend to fall into disrepair. Many of the once carefully placed stones have fallen into the bottom of this sterna. Judging by the lack of water, there is also a leak. The water may be infiltrating into the ground which is not necessarily a bad thing. The aquifers that currently supply the villagers with water must be recharged somehow.

Greek Grapes (James insisted on trying one, but they were very sour.)

You will always see bamboo growing near areas with water.

Fruit Trees

After leaving the large water catchment pool, we stopped to see this sterna. Here you can see the two pits that are used to trap sediment before it goes into the large sterna (next picture). The rainwater is directed from the road, which used to be dirt, into this first basin. When it slows down the sediment sinks to the bottom and only the clean water spills into the basin to the left. You can see the little rectangular channel between the two basins that acts as a lip. This process repeats for the second basin but this time the water that spills over goes into the sterna.

The water is stagnant due to lack of use, and as a result, algae starts to grow.

These troughs were used by the animals. Most sternas will have these.

This restored sterna was lined with grey plastic to keep the water in. Although, it doesn't look like it's being used very much with all the algae growing in it.

Here is a covered sterna. Most of the covered sternas were used for drinking water purposes.

Giannis and Margaret wanted to speak to a farmer (see picture below) about this sterna. He was pumping water from the sterna and filling up the black tank on the back of his truck. He told us that he often gives the water from this sterna to his animals.

Here's the farmer pumping water from the sterna.

Sheep in the Middle of the Road

This covered sterna was used to collect water from the roof of the church. It may or may not have been used for drinking.

The mayor's family used to live in this village. This is one of his grandfather's homes. From talking with Giannis, it seems as if it was very common for each Greek family to have multiple homes. During the harvest season they would build a place to stay while they tended the crops and animals. When they were done, they would go back to the village.

Super Giannis and James

Dried Artichoke (I had no idea they looked like this!)

This farm was also owned by a relative of the mayor. The donkey and cow used to sleep here.

Bread Oven

This farm had it's own sterna.

This sterna was one of my favorites. You can see the little lip in the road that directs the rainwater into the sediment tanks (see picture below).

Sediment Tanks

Canal from the Sediment Tanks to the Sterna

Giannis demonstrated how the villager would use the bucket to draw water from the sterna.

Drinking Troughs for the Animals

Full Sterna

At the last group of sternas, Giannis explained a story he had heard. If villagers were feeling sick to their stomach, they would drink from these sternas and feel better. I'm not sure if this is true but I'd like to think so.

Unfortunately, most of these sternas were not in very bad structural shape.

You can see the remnants of a staircase.

This one seems to be in the best shape.

I'm not sure what this really called but I named it the DNA plant because of it's strong resemblance to the structure of the real deal.

We quickly learned to steer clear of this little spiky plant. James had it a little easier than Margaret and I because he usually got hoisted up on Giannis' shoulders if any of this plant was around.

Crete July 11-19

2010-07-19T12:03:00.011-04:00

7.12.10

Back in the beginning of June when I first found out about this trip, Gail had asked me to arrive in Greece by July 8 so I could attend Neapoli's water conference on July 9 and 10. The group would also be having a meeting on July 12 before Tammo left for Ethiopia. As much as I had wanted to arrive in Greece by July 8, I knew it wouldn't have been possible. I had already made plans to go to Katie and Pat's wedding. I spared no time to mentioned this to Gail and she said it would be alright. It would be important for me to go because I was the only engineer on the trip; one student was in natural resources (Margaret who was bringing her 5 year old son James) and the other was a law student (Michael). Before buying my plan ticket I talked to Stephanie about coming back with her from the wedding. It made more sense for me to fly out of NYC than to go back to Ithaca and have to deal with a less direct flight. I found a ticket that flew from NYC to Paris, Paris to Athens, and Athens to Crete. It left on the evening of July 11 which would be perfect.

Thanks to Stephanie and her father, I made it to the JFK airport in NYC right on time. Overall the flight went well. I got a little confused in the the Paris Ch. De Gauille airport but I had fun trying to remember my French. I knew I was doing pretty well when I understood the French announcement enough to tell a bunch of People to People counselors that our flight to Athens was getting delayed by 40 minutes. Even though I asked for the vegetarian option, I was impressed by the menu on the Air France flight to Athens. It made airplane food sound so luxurious.

I was caught a little off guard when I arrived in Athens when I heard my name being called on the plane's intercom. When I got to the front of the plane, they explained that they were going to help me get to my next gate. This was a huge relief since I thought I was going to miss my next flight to Crete where Gail and Tammo were waiting for me. The airport worker guided me and two other French people quickly through the airport to our next gate, handed us our boarding passes, and said goodbye. I had never experience service like this before.

When I arrived in Crete, we were directed down the stairs of the plane onto the tarmac. We were picked up in a little bus and taken to the baggage claim. It didn't take me long to find my black roller bag with the green bandanna and I made my way outside. As I wandered along (at this point it was late and I had been traveling for quite some time) I hardly noticed Gail calling my name. I looked over and there was Gail, Tammo, and one of Tammo's old students (Panayiotis). They greeted me with hugs and said, "It was a good thing you came through the doors when you did. We were just about to leave." I was relieved that they had decided to stay just a little longer. Tammo explained that he had to go back with Panayiotis and he would be leaving for Ethiopia in the morning. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to spend any time with my advisor but he's a busy man with many intelligent ideas.

Gail drove me back to Neapoli where we would be staying and we decided to get something to eat at the tavern next to the hotel. Michael came over to join us and we talked about Greece while eating mashed fava beans (not the same as hummus), cooked beets with olive oil, tzatziki, bread, and some Greek salad with feta. It was delicious.

7.13.10

I woke up a little later than usual (around 9:30am) and came down into the lobby of the hotel where I found Margaret, her sister Mary, James, and Gail all eating breakfast. They said they would be taking a walk around the town for a bit and make their way to the Mayor's office for a meeting.

Margaret lent me her notes from our group meeting on July 12 and I jotted down a few things. Panayiotis has talked about doing a water balance for the municipality of Neapoli. Collecting all the necessary data for this purpose was our first goal; it was to be accomplished during our stay in Crete. Our second goal would take place when we got back in Ithaca: we would analyze the water situation in the Neapoli municipality and suggest countermeasures that can be carried out in order to avoid water shortages. Panayiotis had provided them with background information of the municipality. For example, he explained that the city of Neapoli has a population of about 3,000 people with about 2,000 people in the surrounding villages. In terms of the water wells, their is a difference between between deep, drilled wells (yieotrisis) that supply all the people within the municipality and shallow, hand dug wells that are usually not for drinking water purposes. He had also explained the general pricing structure for water use. There is a maintenance fee plus a monthly water fee and if the household goes over a certain water usage (set at 40 m^3 / four months) they must pay extra. Each household has its own hydrometer so authorities can measure how much water has actually been used. Margaret had learned that water was the cheapest utility and each village sets its own price for water; no profit can be made from the sale of water. For a four person household, the average cost of water is about 200 euros. Water costs for irrigation are less, but as it seems, most olive growers within the municipality do not water their olive trees. However, they do water their vegetable gardens regularly.

I should also mention that while Margaret and I concerned ourselves with the water balance, Michael was going to focus on the local water laws and their consequences. After all, he is a law student.

For the first few nights I stayed in Hotel Neapoli and then I moved into an apartment across town with Michael. The apartment was owned by a man who worked in the Mayor's office. When Michael left, I moved into with Margaret and James. They were living in an apartment that was owned by the Mayor's sister who is also the mother of Giannis (Greek for Jon) who I will talk about later.

The view from my hotel window.

Neapoli was a beautiful, old city filled with buildings that looked similar to this.

The inside of my hotel room. You can see the bathroom sink too.

This was my shower. It wasn't typical for Greece, as I would later learn, but it did the trick. Maybe they designed it this way to save water?

Most of the buildings had steps made of marble. This always reminded me of my grandmother's marble butcher block at 38 Blossom Heath Drive in Williamsville, NY.

Poster for the Water Conference

About 40 years ago before the municipal system had been built, people used to come to these covered reservoirs to get their water. They would place their water pot in the indentations at the bottom of the fountain so the pot could be filled without tipping over.

There was a hole in the side of the reservoir.

Now it looks like it's being used for garbage.

There was an opening on the other side as well.

The decoration was found over the doorway of a little chapel. There were many chapels all over town. Each looked very similar but was dedicated to a different saint.

Giannis told me that women are not allowed to go behind this wall into the sanctuary.

Waiting in the shade. From left to right: James, Leonidas, Michael, and Gail.

We were very surprised to see the sprinkler systems being used during the afternoon of a hot day.

James and Leonidas

Greek Sprite...in a glass bottle.

Terracotta Pots

This is taken in front of the marble statue in the main square of the city. The cafe on the left, I will later find out, is owned by a man named Adonis and his brother. Not to much further to the right is the place where I will buy locally made yogurt and cheese.

This little Calico kitten was hoping we would give her a few scraps of food. Throughout this trip, I was amazed by the number of stray dogs and cats I saw wandering around. Most people would put out little dishes of water, bread, tuna fish, or yogurt for them. Giannis, the man that I will talk about later, left food out for a cat living near his house. He believes that cats and dogs are not meant to be in the house. I'm not sure if I agree but I was happy to see that he had adopted one of these hungry cats. You can also see the leaves of a fig tree in the background. Margaret and I were hoping that we would have a chance to eat some fresh figs. By the end of our trip we had a chance to eat some because they were just becoming ripe.

An Unripe Pomegranate

7.14.10

Today was a busy day. In the morning, Margaret, Michael, Gail, and I drove to Agios Nikolos to meet with Mr. Stefanos Karahalios, a geologist who works for the Lasithi prefecture. I should mention that the municipality of Neapoli is located in the Lasithi prefecture. Gail was able to stay for part of our meeting with Mr. Karahalios but left early to catch her flight back home. As soon as she left we would be on our own to collect the data we would need. I felt apprehensive about this. After meeting with Mr. Karahalios, we walked around Agios Nikolos and then headed back to Neapoli for our nighttime meeting with Chrisanthi.

Mr. Karahalios spoke to us at length about the process of drilling new wells. While he did this he explained the general characteristics of the aquifers in the are around Neapoli and Agios Nikolos. Many of the aquifers to the north of Neapoli are composed of karst limestone which is very permeable, and thus, the groundwater tends to be brackish (salty). Brackish water is unsuitable for drinking. The aquifers near Neapoli are siltstone aquifers which are less permeable and groundwater can be extracted for drinking because it's not as salty. Additionally, the low permeability of the bedrock reduces the possibility that groundwater can become contaminated by pesticides or other chemicals. He said that most of the water for drinking is about 500-600 m deep and went on to discuss a study he was doing. In order to avoid building expensive new dams, he and some other scientist were filling old shallow wells with excess rainwater to see if they could hold this resource effectively. One of the last things he mentioned was the autonomous network of local farmers (TOEB) that democratically decide the price of water for their village or local region.

During our meeting with Chrisanthi, we focused mostly on the different laws governing the use and extraction of water within the municipality, prefecture, district (Crete), and nation. This meeting was valuable for Michael as he received information about national water laws and was promised a translated copy of the local water laws. Chrisanthi spoke to us about TOEB too. For the farmer who wants to dig a new well to irrigate his/her fields, they must first consult their local TOEB branch and then address the department of water for the district (Crete). Step two is important because the district officials make the final decision on the new well. With only a small amount of agriculture in Neapoli, no TOEB organization needs to exsist; the water price is dictated by the municipality. TOEB is usually found in places with more people like Agios Nikolos and where there are many farmers/farms. The last thing we talked to Chrisanthi about was the merger of municipalities that is due to happen in the upcoming November elections. There are currently 7-9 municipalities in Lasithi and after the elections this will be reduced to 4. Each municipality will be in charge of a larger number of people. I think this would be interesting for us to look at from a water management standpoint. How will the demands and supply of water change? Over the course of our trip, I gained more and more respect for Chrisanthi. A hard working, no-nonsense lawyer, she directs her own firm, is a member of the city counsel, and is the president of the Neapoli's foster home for boys.

Marina in Agios Nikolos

Beach Umbrellas (Did you know that the English word umbrella originated from the Greek 'obrella'?)

Pictures of Agios Nikolos

This reminds me of the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs, Florida where my grandparents live.

Agios has the same fountains we saw in Neapoli.

Michael and I found this olive tree orchard in the middle of the city.

Olive Tree Leaves and Fruit Up Close

Fantastic Motors

Dakos was one of my favorite dishes. First you reviving dry bread with water and then drizzel olive oil on top. Last you top with diced fresh tomatoes, feta, a few olives, and oregano.

Meat Me Hear?

Bedrock Cross Section

7.15.10

More meetings today. Around 8:30am we made our way to the Mayor's office. We went over several spreadsheet documents outlining the cost of water usage for each village within the municipality. We also went over a document on the 16 deeply drilled municipal well. For example, the sheet told us the rate of pumping from the well, the duration of pumping, the depth of the well, and other necessary information such as this. The Mayor explained that water tests for the wells were conducted at 58 sites. Later we would get this information and suggest that the municipality use their GPS unit to mark these sample sights. Then the water quality data may be analyzed on a temporal AND spatial scale.

Elounda

On our way back to Neapoli from Iraklio, we stopped along the coast a few times to check out the view.

Our Rental Car

Solar Panels

More Solar Panels

When we got back to Neapoli, Margaret and I decided that we should go shopping for dinner. I forgot to mention that earlier in the morning, we had moved out of the hotel and into our respective apartments. James was really interested in this mayonnaise container and insisted on taking a picture of it with my camera.

Margaret (credit: James Kurth)

Me (credit: James Kurth)

(credit: James Kurth)

Floor of Ariathni (credit: James Kurth)

I'm not really sure what these jelly foods are on the top of the deli cooler but they were very intriguing. I think the sign is for baby dear meat?...Only! (Mono!) 5.20 euros per kilo.

7.16.10

The Mayor and his wife Roula helped us get a car to visit Mr. Marinos Kritsotakis, a geologist for the entire district of Crete, in Rethymnon and Mr. Apostolos Sarris, a water resource manager in with the FORTH institute, in Iraklio. Mr. Kritsotakis gave us a copy of the powerpoint presentation he had given for the conference and spoke to us about the availability of data. After our meeting, he took us to a natural spring that has been dammed up. Mr. Kritsotakis said the prefecture was thinking about expanding the size of the dam because the water emerging from the spring had become salty. Unfortunately, this project will be put on hold until the funding is secured. After visiting the spring, we took a stop at the Natural History Museum in Iraklio. They had some interesting exhibits on the various Cretan ecosystems as well as some reptiles and small mammals (i.e. field mice) that are native to Crete.

Back in Iraklio, we wandered around trying to find Mr. Sarris' office. It was tucked away in the side streets of Iraklio. Mr. Sarris presented us with a great deal of geographic information systems (GIS) data and talked to us about our study. He offered us some really great advice on various ways to involve the local community in our study; Margaret and I both think this is very important for our recommendations to work.

Spring in Rethymnon, Crete

This dam holds back the spring waters.

Throughout my stay, this is the most surface water I would see in one place.

Offices of the FORTH Institute in Iraklio, Crete. Here, we met up with Mr. Sarris.

Bakery Window in Iraklio

The Cats of Greece

Pirate Ship in Iraklio's Venetian Port

Doorway in Iraklio

Streets of Iraklio near the FORTH Institute.

7.17.10

Since it was Saturday, Michael and I decided to get out of Neapoli for a bit. Our destination: Knossos, the ancient Minoan city that you may know from ancient Greek mythology as the labyrinth guarded by the minotaur (half man, half bull). We took the bus to Iraklio and then got on a second bus that dropped us off right next to Knossos. We waited a little while for our tour guide to find some other visitors, and once she did, we all entered the ancient city. The city was built by the Minoan civilization during the Bronze Age (1700 - 1400 BC). Many people think it was called the labyrinth because of the large quantity of two headed axes called labrys. The arrangement of the palace came to represent the modern connotation of a labyrinth; it was a complicated maze.

This is a bust of Arthur Evans, the British archeologist who started uncovering Knossos in 1900. Most of the palace was excavated by 1903.

The bones of sacrificed goats were left in these large pits. There are steps down to the bottom of the pit.

Palace Plaza

Our tour guide explained that the palace had aver 1200 rooms. From my own research, I knew that Knossos was also one of the first places to use various stormwater management practices; these were very advanced given their ancient origins. The palace had some of the first flushing toilets. I'll explain this more below.

Here are some of the stormwater channels used to convey rainwater into large cisterns. Once in the cisterns the water could be used to wash clothes, feed animals, or flush toilets.

Our guide explained that these pillars were originally made from the trunks of Cyprus trees. I overheard someone saying that Arthur Evans referred to frescos (paintings on plaster) for the color scheme and structure of the restored area but he may have exaggerate this.

Our guide told us men on the frescos are typically colors red and women are colored white.

Alabaster Stone Steps

Reconstructed Stormwater Channel

Three Royal Women

Bull flights were famous at the Knossos. It's thought that fear of the bull fueled the stories for the minotaur.

Blue Monkey

Storage Rooms

The King's Religious Throne Room (He did not accept many visitors here.)

The prince is shown in a pink color to highlight his royal status; he didn't have to work in the field, and thus, was not tanned.

Top View of the Palace

Michael

It's hard to see but inside this small room there is a bathtub for the queen.

The queens sitting room complete with dolphin frescos.

The king's political throne room where he accepted guests.

These used to be full of olive oil.

Just for Scale

It's hard to see from this picture but the pillars are protecting a fresco of the bull.

Stormwater Channels

Stormwater Spout

Extra water and waste was most likely dumped into the river that ran next to the palace.

The palace also had underground plumbing for the flush toilets, baths, etc. Here is a terracotta pipe fashioned completely by hand.

I'm standing over a stormwater channel.

7.18.10

On Sunday I went with Margaret, James, and Mary to the Marian Beach in Agios Nikolos. We had fun building a sand castle together. James directed, I was the structural engineer, and Margaret and Mary built the front barricade.

Our Sand Castle

(From left to right: James, Margaret, and Mary.)

James and Margaret

7.19.10

Today we met with the Mayor. He gave us water quality data for 58 sites around the municipality. The data was taken at different days and we tried to translate the different measurements that had been made. It was difficult for me to find consistency in these measurements but perhaps we can make a suggestion in our report. The Mayor also gave us a GPS unit to use while we visited the cisterns ('sterna' in Greek). See the next entry for my explanation of on this.

Yi-ah Su Kriti (Hello Crete)!

2010-07-09T08:40:00.007-04:00

7.9.10

In about 48 hours I will be boarding the plane to Greece (I will go to Katie and Pats wedding first!). I'm headed to the prefecture of Lasithi on the Island of Crete which is just south of the mainland (and the city of Athens) for three weeks. I will be staying in the city of Neapolis which is about a 20 minute drive from the coast. Despite the hot weather, I'm looking forward to meeting other scientists there, seeing the ancient ruins, trying the food, and learning a little bit about their agriculture.

I've been reading quite a few scientific papers about water resource issues in Crete and it seems that shortages are mainly due to a combinations of factors. Beginning in the 1980's Greece transitioned from water deficient olive tree irrigation methods to regular irrigation and this has increased water use considerably throughout the country. One paper wrote in 2000 (Croke et al.) mentioned a 20 m drop in groundwater levels of the Messara Valley in south central Crete mainly due to increased water well pumping for agricultural irrigation. What seems to compounds this issue is the fact that the tourist season overlaps with the planting season. Meaning, water demand is highest in the middle of the summer (June -August), and unfortunately for the groundwater supplies, this is also the driest period of the year.

There have also been many studies focusing on the use of recycled wastewater for irrigation purposes. While this may be beneficial in terms of reducing the amount of water pumped up from groundwater well, it can also be harmful to human health if the water is not treated properly. I also find it interesting that most of the papers I have read, have failed to address the presence of synthetic man-made compounds in the recycled wastewater. For example, compounds such as brominated flame retardents are mixed into plastics to prevent them from catching on fire. These compounds have found their way in to treated sewage sludge (i.e. biosolids) which is used across the United States as a fertilizer. There are also various pharmaceuticals that we flush down the toilet and the sink. These eventually make their wait to the wastewater treatment plant. Will secondary or thertiary wastewater treatment facilities be able toremove these compounds from the recycled wastewater before they are sprayed on food? What are the consequences of us eating these compounds?

For now the use of recycled wastewater doesn't seem to be taking hold; many farmers in Crete use fresh groundwater to irrigate their olive trees. There was also a study (Menegaki 2007) surveying farmer and consumer perceptions of recycled wastewater irrigation on olive trees. Results from the study show that there was a disconnect between what the farmers were willing to pay for the water and what the customers were willing to pay for the olive oil. Thus, it is very important to consider attitudes of both parties in order to determine whether the adoption of new practices will be beneficial. If customers aren't willing to take the risk to buy a product, should the farmer even bother offering it?

But besides all of this nerdy stuff, I'm really looking forward to exploring Crete! I especially hope that we will have a chance to go to the ancient city of Knossos. Knossos was suspected to be the political and cultural center of the ancient Minoan civilization during the Bronze Age. I'm interested in seeing some of the ancient urban stormwater sewer architecture. I've read that the Knossos Palace may have been one of the first cites in the world to have flushable toilets! Who would've known that the ancient Greek civilizations were so advanced in terms of their water resource management. Perhaps, reverting back to some of these 'tried and true' methods will help the modern day citizens of Crete?

Stormwater Canal in Knossos
(credit: http://www.fun2fly.com/Blog%20photos/knossos%20drainage.jpg)

Picture of Neapolis
(credit: http://mediaserver.property-abroad.com/show-image.aspx?id=324886&)

Picture of Neapolis
(credit: http://www2.forthnet.gr/internetcity/neapoli/pictures/neapoli1.jpg)

Our beet ravioli can beat your ravioli any day!

2010-07-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

7.7.10

After eating this amazing dish at Nicole and James' Brooklyn apartment this past winter (see 'Two Weeks Off!' entry in January 2010), I decided that my amazing gastronomic experience had to be revisited. How would I pull this feat off? Well, I roped in my two very good friends Ashley and Ben. Except where Nicole and James used wanton rappers, me and my friends decided to make the whole ravioli from scratch. It was a landmark moment for all three of us; none of us had ever made our own pasta dough.

While Ben rolled the dough into very thing sheets, I used a water glass to cut small little circles in the dough. Ashley grabbed one circle and placed a little dollop of filling into the center. She took a second circle and painted a little egg wash around the edge. After this she put the second circle on top of the first and used a fork to seal the ravioli around the edges.

At this point we were all getting slightly hungry and were ready to try our creation. The dough was cooked just right (el dente) and the creamy filling was a brilliant shade of magenta. We poured a little olive oil on top and sprinkled with Ben's faux pepper called 'grains of paradise'.

The Filling

You must put a very precise amount of filling into each pillow otherwise you might end up with a wounded ravioli.

Filling the Raviolis

Ta Da!

You can tell that the ravioli is almost done because it's starting to float.

In case your interested in trying this recipe for yourself, here is the recipe from Nicole. I would recommend not using as much butter as suggested in the recipe (see *). We used olive oil instead to drizzle over the top of the cooked ravioli. We didn't use Parmesan cheese but a little bit sprinkled over the top would have been a delicious addition.

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 large beets, roasted and peeled

Bread crumbs, if necessary

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup thick whole milk ricotta, such as Calabro brand

*5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) melted butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

For the pasta:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

5 egg yolks and 1 whole egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

pinch of Kosher salt.

Procedure

1. Prepare the filling up to one day in advance: process beets pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. If the beets are seeping water, add a small amount of bread crumbs to soak up the liquid. Stir in eggs, ricotta, and 1/4 cup of the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a wide shallow bowl, or directly on a flat work surface, create a well in the middle of the flour. Add the other ingredients into the well. Using your fingers, blend the wet ingredients and incorporate the flour by gradually working in the sides of the well.

3. When the dough comes together to form a solid mass, knead it for a few minutes on a well-floured surface. When it is smooth and firm, wrap it in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4. Dust a pasta roller and countertop with flour. Begin rolling out the dough, gradually setting the roller thinner and thinner until the dough very thin and uniform.

5. Fill and seal the pasta with egg wash. Cut the pasta out into desired shapes. Cook in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Gently transfer cooked pasta onto a serving dish. Drizzle melted butter, grated cheese, and poppy seeds over the pasta and serve immediately.

SJ and the Mutant Strawberries of Deliciousland

2010-06-28T22:48:00.007-04:00

6.28.10

My little sister, Sarah Jane, traveled all the way from Edinboro, PA to visit me in Ithaca for the weekend. It was her first time here and from what I could make of it she seemed to have enjoyed her stay. We made a lot of great food together (coconut curry and made strawberry jam), went on a hike/swimming adventure, picked strawberries, saw the Cornell campus, and I introduced her to some of my friends.

I hope she comes back soon to visit because there was so much that we didn't get to see: the Commons, Buttermilk falls, the climbing wall, etc. The list goes on.

Walking Along Six Mile Creek

Sarah Jane and I

Playing in the Water

(It was very hot out so standing in the water felt very refreshing.)

My Toes

We went swimming on the other side of this dam. The water was just the right temperature and it was fun to jump in. I was surprised at how many locals came out to swim here.

Sarah Jane and I picked strawberries at Indian Creek Farm on Route 96N.

Mutantz! (Sarah Jane found these guys.)

It's rather close to the end of the season so when we first arrived Sarah Jane and I looked out at the strawberry field and were a little nervous. We didn't know if we would be able to find enough berries to make jam. However as you can see, we were able to pick plenty of strawberries. :)

Strawberries with their Strawberry Picker

The strawberry jam brew: 4 cups of squashed berries, 7 cups of sugar!, some lemon, and fruit pectin (this makes it jelly-like). It's not too difficult except for getting the timing right.

The Glittering Fields of Ithaca

2010-06-20T23:00:00.001-04:00

6.20.10

After a long and eventful day at work (I collected soil samples around campus, read papers, had a Greek lesson, and typed up some reports.), I felt that an evening off was well deserved. My good friend and climbing buddy, Ashley, was having a bonfire at her house out in Brooktondale, NY which is about 8 miles southeast of Ithaca. Ashley had also invited my friend and department-mate Michaela and her husband Andrew to the bonfire. Lucky for me, Michaela and Andrew were more than willing to pick me up and give me a ride.

As we started driving toward Brooktondale, we noticed something strange and decided to stop on the side of the road. Andrew turned off the car lights and we all rolled down our windows as much as we could; it was a hot evening so we already had our windows partially rolled down. We looked out into the dark, swaying field of tall grass and saw thousands and thousands of lightning bugs. The three of us stared silently out of the car windows at the glittering fields before us. Even when we had the courage to muster up a 'This is incredible!' it came out as a whisper. Perhaps, we feared any loud noise would cause the insects to vanish indefinitely. Sure I had seen one or two lightning bugs together, but I had never seen this many in one place at the same time. It really was amazing and will not forget this experience.

The Elements of Math

2010-06-18T22:00:00.001-04:00

6.17.10

Today I had an opportunity to attend a lunchtime lecture given by a famous applied mathematician and Cornell professor named Steven Strogatz who recently wrote a column called 'Elements of Math' for the New York Times (online version). The goal of Professor Strogatz's column was to "[write] about the elements of mathematics, from preschool to grad school, for anyone out there who’d like to have a second chance at the subject — but this time from an adult perspective. It’s not intended to be remedial. The goal is to give you a better feeling for what math is all about and why it’s so enthralling to those who get it." If you have a few minutes to spare, I strongly recommend that you take the time to read some of these columns.

Besides this column, Professor Strogatz has written several books on math in a variety of formats ranging from text books to novels. In fact his latest book called 'The Calculus of Friendship' catalogs his letter correspondence with his high school calculus teacher. He was a very dynamic speaker, offering a great deal of advice on how to present scientific material to a general, and potentially nonscientific, audience.

Overall, the lecture was very laid back, fun, and interactive. He made it very clear from the beginning that he would explain his methods of communication and he also valued our feedback. How would we have presented this material? What questions would we have asked the editor of the New York Times if he had said we should write a column on (insert your scientific field of choice here)?

Important 'elements' to consider when communicating with others:

(1) Clearly identify your topic

(2) Choose your audience

(3) Choose your emphasis (Will you talk about the ideas themselves, the famous problems and why they are/were famous, or the application of this topic to people's daily lives?)

(4) Decide your tone (It might be helpful to personalize it. Professor Strogatz pretended that he was writing letters to his friend and this helped him maintain his tone.)

(5) Bonuses (What can you add to improve your audiences experience? Professor Strogatz added artwork, videos, links, etc. to his column in order to make it more interactive.)

A Much Needed Vacation

2010-05-30T14:00:00.001-04:00

5.22.10

After a busy semester filled with challenging exams, projects, and homework, I was about ready for a much needed vacation. I decided that the best use of my time off would be spent visiting Jon Newman in Atlanta. The day I arrived, Jon put me to work (but I didn't mind). We roto-tilled his garden, trimmed the bushes, and mowed the lawn. The yard looked great after everyone in the house (Eric, Mel, Jon, and I) chipped in. The next day we headed to Tennessee for some outdoor climbing with some of Jon's friends from Georgia Tech. It was my first time climbing outside (I've only ever climbed indoors) and I absolutely loved it. The rock was very easy to grab and there were so many more options in terms of holds. Not to mention, we spend the whole day outside!

For the next few days, Jon showed me around his lab (I saw the data collection set-up he built!), campus, and other parts of Atlanta. I asked him if we could make some Korean food and he took me to this amazing grocery store called the Buford Highway Farmer's Market. There was a plethora of food; just about any ethnic food you could think up. I kept having flashbacks to my trips to the Peacock grocery store near my apartment in Japan. We picked up some rice cakes, kimchi, hot sauce, and some shrimp for the tteokbokki (say 'toe-poe-key') that we were planning to make. We also decided to buy some wasabi green peas and some other fruits and vegetables. Everything was very reasonable and fresh. Overall, I had a great time and am looking forward to Jon's next Ithaca visit!

We are now entering Foster Falls, Tennessee.

View of Foster Falls

A Little Closer

Jon and his lab-mate Ming.

Jon insisted on rocking the bridge!

Spiderweb in the Sun

Jeff, Dustin, Niko, and Jon looking for the perfect location to start climbing.

This is the spot...

...and this is the route.

Ming, Jeff, Dustin and Jon getting the ropes ready for the day ahead of us.

Ming is the first to go up. In climbing lingo, you would say 'she was leading the route'. It is called lead climbing because you are the first one to go up the route, and thus, it is your job to attach the rope to a clip at the top of the route for the subsequent climbers. Because it was my first time, I stayed away from the lead climbing and only climbed up if the rope was already tied in at the top of the route. For this reason, it is known as 'top-roping'.

Here I am, getting ready to climb my first outdoor route.

You can't see the rope above me, but Ming has complete control on the ground below. If I fall the rope that is attached to the top of the route will hold my weight.

Coming Down

Jon's turn to go up.

Lunch Break

I was so impressed with Niko after he spent almost one hour trying to lead climb this very difficult route. After much persistence, he finally made it to the top. We all cheered!

Jon, Ming, and Dustin all climbing at the same time. Before Dustin, I had a chance to climb up the route on the far right. It was rated as a 5.9! According to Wikipedia, "Class 5 is considered true rock climbing, predominantly on vertical or near vertical rock, and requires skill and a rope to proceed safely." The rock climbing rating system typically starts with 5.2 and ends around 5.15.

Here, I'm belaying Ming.

High five! (Ming and Dustin)

Jon was the last one left.

Me, Ming, Dustin, and Jeff are happily tired after a long, fun day of climbing at Foster Falls (Jon is still up at the top of the route and Niko is taking the picture).

Jon climbing Ming's indoor bouldering wall. Jon and Ming built this so they could practice during the winter.

Mary & Jeff Got Hitched!

2010-05-24T13:00:00.001-04:00

5.21.10

About a month and a half ago, I received a call from one of my good college friends, Mary. She explained that she was getting married on May 21st and hoped that I would be one of the witnesses at her and her fiancée's civil union ceremony that was being held at a winery on Kueka Lake. Of course I told her that I would be honored to be there for their ceremony and was also fortunate to have finished all of my exams by that time! On May 20, I met Jeff and Mary in Cortland, NY, spent some time with there families, and celebrated the occasion. It was fun spending time with Mary and her silly sisters Tracy and Pammy. On the day of the ceremony, the weather was beautiful and so was Mary. I should also mention that Mary designated me as the secondary picture taker (the professional photographer was only at the ceremony) and I was more than happy to fill this role as well. :)

Mary choosing her hair-style for the wedding.

Mary (aka Shirley Temple)

Curls!

Mary's Family: Tracy, Diego, Marita, Pammy, and Mary

Mary and I

Marita was being very camera shy.

She decided to get a simple but elegant style.

As we were driving to the ceremony we saw a rainbow! Maybe this is good luck?

I don't know how Mary walked around in these. (I would've have stuck with the Converse.)

Mary and I

Mary and Her Bouquet

Mary and Jeff with their families.

Mary's Family and Jeff

A local baker from Bath, NY made this cake for Mary and Jeff.

The top layer was red velvet (for Mary) and the bottom was vanilla (for Jeff).

Mary with her sisters: Pammy, Mary, and Tracy.

Mary and Jeff Walczak!

Mary and Jeff (Jeff's best friend CJ is on the phone)

The Pulla and Walczak Families

(Mary made me take this picture.)

Peeps Galor

2010-04-09T23:51:00.000-04:00

4.9.10

In the past week or so I've received several interesting website links documenting those amazing little Easter marsh mellow treats we American's affectionately know as Peeps. Personally, I can only eat one of those guys and I've had my fill. However, there are people like my sister and my father who can eat a whole 15 piece box in one sitting. It's also funny to talk to ask people how they prefer to eat their Peeps. Some like to eat the head first and for some they have to be slightly stale.

Anyway, here are the some of the websites I was talking about.

The Washington Post's 'Peep-Show'

National Geographic's 'Peeps in Places'

Peepshi....no sushi

Side note: If you go to the Peeps website, you can sign up to be a member of the fan club! I'm not advocating this one way or the other but just think it's funny that they even have one. :P