July 6, 2009. Today the trip from Cali to Popayán and back is made easily in a day’s time. According to my aunt Stella and uncle Joaquín, it hasn’t always been that way. I’m sorry that I don’t remember exactly how long it took, and google is no help with reference to the route. Whether the ride was long or short, we met the city of Popayán—where we all agreed the sweet shop wasn’t what it used to be, walked the inside of the house where my abuela was born (where the original floors are partially preserved), paid our respects to General Obando, and ended the trip with our (my and Tom’s, that is) first taste of empanadas de Pipián.

July 4, 2009. We were up early, had arepas for breakfast, and explored around the house—peeking out the windows, poking around the patio, and getting to know la casa on our second day in Cali. My cousin Juan came over around noon to greet us. After a visit to Juan’s house to find his wife Betty and son Lucca, we headed into the mountains to have dinner at a reserva natural and do a little exploring.

Tom and I visited New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (four states!) over Easter and shared some great walks with my brother and sister near each of their new homes. In terms of fungal activity, it’s a little early for morels and off-season for the many summer and fall varieties, but I still kept an eye to the ground. Before Tom’s arrival, Marcela and I enjoyed an early evening walk at Lisha Kill Preserve, a nice wooded spot operated by the Nature Conservancy near Schenectady, NY. We found “fields” of Skunk Cabbage and a few colorful fungi.

I believe the above is Witch’s Butter, a fungus I first encountered while on a hike in Muir Woods with Tom and his older brother Mike, the Nehil family’s unofficial mushroom expert.

If I could coin a name for these little brown mushrooms (above and below), I’d call them Penny Mushrooms. They had a small foot that attached to this decaying log and a fantastic round shape.

Tom and I discovered these white and rust-colored friends while on a walk with my older brother, his partner Sabrina, and my sister Marcela in New Haven, CT.

If you’re reading and know (or have a guess about) the names of any of these  fungi, please share in the comments.

Today Tom and I were fortunate to receive an early morning visit from my parents, here on a long layover at the MSP airport. With my photography class still fresh, I’ve been struck by the beauty of daylight upon others’ faces of late and have wanted to take just about everyone’s picture. Thus far I’ve avoided approaching strangers, so having Mom and Papá visit was a great opportunity to get in a little more practice.

My mom was lovely today as you can see above and below. The picture at left is one I took last May, before I had any understanding of white balance. I include this one because it gives me hope that the buds (below) will very soon be sprouting into bloom. Papá, who was cold and a little less cooperative than Mom, only appears in the background in the picture above along with his walking partner Tom. Despite the cold, I was thankful for this morning’s cloudy skies—it was perfect light for taking pictures. Tom and I were glad to be able to enjoy the morning away from a desk and wish my parents off to the south of France while living vicariously through the plans (or lack thereof) for their travels. They’ll be renting a cottage and generally enjoying themselves—eating and exploring the villages within short driving distance from their living quarters—not to mention practicing their French. Bon Voyage, papa et maman!