I forgot one.

Awhile ago, I wrote about an evening I spent volunteering at a women's shelter. In that posting, I mentioned several books I had read and passed along to the shelter. Recently, when Cam was talking about enjoying California Girl, a novel he was reading set with historical references, I remembered another book I think I gave away that night. That I gave it away isn't incredibly noteworthy but the book is so I wanted to give it a mention.

It is The Way the Crow Flies by Anne Marie MacDonald. Apparently, her first book, Fall on Your Knees was part of Oprah's Book Club. I didn't know that when I picked up this book. I was mostly drawn in by the cover image. This book is told mostly from the perspectives of an 8-year-old girl and her father. It is set in the 1960s so the Space Race and Cuban Missile Crisis provide the backdrop. But what was so captivating for me was what was happening with the family. I don't want to give much away. I just wanted to say I liked the book and remember not being able to put it down.

Yosemite - Evening Extravaganza

While we were relaxing in the boulder playground Cam discovered, we talked about how we could just pack up and head home. We weren't completely excited about another night on the hard ground in the cold even without our noisy neighbors. We were pretty tired. Too tired to hike much more but we still had several hours to kill before it would be time to make another campfire. Earlier in the day, Cam had said we'd go into the valley on Sunday morning before driving home. Since we were all starting to lose momentum and yearn for the comforts of home, I suggested we go into the valley that afternoon to see the sights. That way, if we weren't up for it in the morning, no one would be disappointed. We talked about saving them for the next time but since I wasn't sure when we'd be back and I am a fan of Carpe Diem, I did say that I would really like to see the famous sites before leaving. I didn't care whether we did it that afternoon or the following morning. We walked back to camp and decided that we might as well seize the day.

Not long after we turned left off Tioga Road towards the valley, the scenery started to change. Suddenly, we were faced with these massive rock formations like nothing we'd seen on the upper road. I don't know what this one is called. It isn't one of the famous ones but it is the first one that caused us to stop on the side of the road to marvel.




We drove all the way into the valley then started back up towards a scenic overlook called Glacier Point. Before we made it to the official overlook, we stopped again to do some looking over of our own.




My folks have pictures of us at Yosemite on some vacation from my childhood. There is a picture of my mother, my brother and I in front of one of the impressive waterfalls. I'm missing my two front teeth. That makes me think I must have been about 8. It is hard to believe I don't really remember seeing this before. Or that Sam likely won't really remember it either. That is one of the amazing things about pictures (and why we are trying to document our experiences and memories.) They often serve as memories for us.




Cam has the cheesy picture I took of him at Glacier Point standing in front of the Half Dome on his blog. Here is the cheesy picture he took of me.






We don't have one of Sam posing because he asked for permission to run around on top of the giant boulder in the observation area.







He found one of the waterfalls in the viewfinder of this telescope. It was impressive to see with the naked eye too.



Since it took about an hour to get to our campsite from the overlook, we decided to for go sticking around to watch the sunset. We headed back into the valley, racing the sun to see if we could make it back to our campground before it set. Even though we were in a bit of a hurry, as we passed the sign for Bridal Veil Falls, Cam suggested we stop and take a quick look.



And we couldn't pass El Capitan without stopping for a closer look.




Even though the sun was almost gone, Cam stopped again, saying let's check out this creek while we are here. We'd seen people playing on its banks during the drive into the valley. I'd commented that we'd have to do it sometime.


No time like the present, I guess.

The drive down the valley, up to the overlook, back into the valley then up to our campground took its toll on all of us. Cam had a massive headache. We think all of us experienced a bit of altitude sickness in different ways during the trip. While our food was warming over the coals, it was Cam's turn to rest in the tent for awhile. He got up to eat and said he felt much better afterwards. We soaked up the fire's glow and starlight not to mention the marshmallows. Then we tucked ourselves back into the tent, under our covers. Cam had packed stocking hats. Since he said his head had been cold the night before, I joked that we should sleep in them. Cam took me seriously. It actually turned out to work really well. It didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable the second night.

But when we woke in the morning, it was frosty and cold again. We turned the heater on in the car and tore down and loaded up in record time. Soon we were on the road towards home. All of us were looking forward to making it back with time left to veg a bit before starting the week again.





Shortly after we pulled out of the park, Cam stopped another time so we could stretch our legs, admire the view and have some snuggle time. Thanks for capturing this moment and sharing Yosemite with us, Cam.

Yosemite - Afternoon Adventures

After our hike to Lukens Lake, I was ready to rest up a bit. The temperature had changed dramatically. Our campsite which was now in full sunlight was probably around 80 degrees. I changed out of my jeans and snow boots (still the only boots I own) and into sandals, shorts and a tank top. I took out my contacts, thinking I might lie down and take a nap after lunch. At least, I hoped Sam and I might read together for awhile.

We had a nice picnic from the food Cam packed. Then I went into the tent to rest/relax. Cam wanted to explore the area around our campsite more. We planned to meet back at the campsite later. Sam stayed with me. We did rest and read a bit then suddenly, Cam was back. He said he'd found a huge boulder playground and that we should come with him to check it out. So we did. Sam liked walking/crawling between the two in the first picture.





The boulders were quite interesting. Some of them seemed to be placed there by hand.















The guys found a couple of tiny caves too.














It was fun hanging out together on them.

Yosemite - Morning Tranquility

In my last post, I told you how lucky we were to snag a campsite at White Wolf, one of the first-come, first-served campgrounds at Yosemite National Park. But I didn't tell you much about the camping experience. Let's see...

As excited as we were about finding this spot surrounded by pristine beauty, we were concerned about the people blaring music and talking very loudly (ok yelling) to each other who had already set up camp very nearby. We considered driving on to the next campground to see if there was a more peaceful spot but we liked it there and didn't know if anything else would be open and even if something was, what was to stop another group of obnoxious campers from setting up next to us? We decided to cross our fingers and hope the loud people at White Wolf would mellow out a bit as the night progressed.

After exploring the area near the campground (see previous post and Cam's posts), we settled in to relax and enjoy an evening around the campfire. Cam and Sam have a ritual about fire building. I am happy to be the recipient of its warmth and fascinating coals. Soon, they had a wonderful fire blazing away.

Before leaving, Cam offered to pack all of the camping gear and food. He and brought excellent cook on the fire options. We quite enjoyed our impromptu chili (one can pinto beans, one can chopped tomatoes) and Sam had some sort of pasta. However, we were often distracted by our neighbors who rather than turning it down seemed to be gearing up for a night of revelry. We did our best to ignore them while wondering with dismay why they thought yelping in a poor imitation of a wild animal was an ok thing to do. After roasting marshmallows and enjoying our s'mores, Sam and I were ready to catch some shut-eye. It was dark and we were tired so we didn't have any trouble falling asleep. Cam decided to check to see what time quiet hours officially began.

Thankfully, Cam brought along several comforters to augment our sleeping bags in providing warmth. At 8,000 foot elevation, it was going to be a chilly night. When Cam finally came to bed, he told me about how our rowdy neighbors had been taken away in handcuffs.

Shortly after 10:00 pm Cam decided we had all had enough of these people's infernal racket. He walked over an asked them to turn off their music. Apparently, one of the guys was obviously wasted, slurring his speech. The other guy was so angry at having their party interrupted that he wouldn't even look at Cam and just sat there staring at the fire. Then, I guess one of them challenged Cam to go get the ranger. He said he was happy to get the ranger if that would make things easier then walked off toward the ranger station. It seems like that was enough to get them to turn off the music so Cam walked back to our campsite. Minutes later, they were making animal noises again, "Whoop, whoop, whoop?" Really.

Before Cam decided to go have another word with them, he heard an authoritative-sounding person talking with them. Apparently someone else had called the ranger. Soon Cam heard the ranger say they were going to search these guys vehicle/tent. He asked if they had anything else they wanted to tell them about before they found it like the concealed knife one of them had on them. Marijuana and hashish were mentioned that evening and the next day, Cam heard some rangers discussing the bust say they had also found cocaine. So these people were more than obnoxious, they were armed criminals. Excellent. At least no one was stabbed. "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?" (Photo courtesy of COPS TV.)

We both had a bit of trouble sleeping after all of the excitement. I'd had just enough sleep to be less tired than uncomfortable. I unzipped my sleeping bag and felt much better not being constricted. It was cold. Dogs were barking. Someone's car alarm went off and then at seriously around 1:00 in the morning, we heard someone setting up camp. They had some sort of generator going; I think they were blowing up an air mattress. Oh well. At least Sam was sleeping soundly. Cam and I did manage fitful bouts of sleep.

Then finally, it was morning, glorious morning. If we thought it was cold inside of the tent, it was literally freezing outside. There was frost on the tent. We ran around a bit; washing up with cold water from the bathroom didn't help much. The Frappuccino and Reese's Puffs cereal did. Sam and I found a patch of sunlight to stand in then as quickly as we could we decided to just get hiking to warm up.

Cam had suggested we take one of the hikes that left from the campground. It sounded like an excellent plan to me so we headed out towards Lukens Lake. I loved the way the moss grew on the branches of trees in the woods. One group of middle-aged guys hiked past us while we were climbing boulders near the path. We didn't see them or anyone else again on our walk to the lake. The men were at the lake when we arrived. We walked along the lake a bit to give them space. I guess they left shortly afterwards. I didn't see or hear from them again.



The lake was ours. We sat on a fallen tree and enjoyed the definition of tranquility.





It was glorious...
















peaceful...











and relaxing...














Cam hiked around the lake in both directions.

I took this photo of trees and the pristine sky while lying on my back on the log.




Just as we were about to pack up and head back, this deer came to the lake to have a drink and pay us a visit. She was around the bend from us and seemed to feel pretty comfortable despite our presence.

As we were leaving, we passed some people just arriving at the lake and saw several more groups on their way there during our walk back to camp. After such a restless evening, I am happy we were given such a restful morning.

Yosemite - We Got One.

One of the things that made moving to the San Francisco Bay Area so attractive is that Yosemite National Park is roughly 200 miles away. We've been looking at it on a map, plotting routes and reading websites since long before loading up the moving truck. Now that we are here, we have been keeping pretty busy exploring the areas closest to home but wanted to get a camping trip to Yosemite in while we still have good weather.

However, since nearly all of the reservable campsites are booked a year in advance, we didn't have one of those available to us. There are many first-come, first-served sites throughout the park but much of what we read said those were gone by noon most Fridays. We all had school and work on Friday but were able to leave town by 1:30 pm. That got us out ahead of most of the traffic but it still took us nearly four hours to get to Yosemite and almost another hour to get to the campground on Tioga Road where we were hoping to camp. Happily, there were still spots available in this beautiful, boulder strewn area when we arrived.






After setting up camp, we explored a nearby creek and climbed around on some enormous boulders in the woods surrounding us.























Cam and Sam portraying the white wolf for which our campground was named.

We did have a beautiful full moon.

Tiburon Garden Experiment - Take I

After John and Johanna left last weekend, we went for a quick Ring Mountain hike.

While we were walking home, we walked past a house with several old, rectangular, large wooden planters sitting out by the curb. They were marked free. I pointed them out and considered coming back with the car to get them but was tired from the weekend and discouraged at the thought of the cost of filling them and the few pots I drug from Chicago sitting on my back porch that were still empty. We kept walking and I forgot about them until I was leaving work on Monday.

Then there they were, still sitting there, calling to me. "Mary, you know you want a garden." Here we are. So while it took two trips, I brought the empty, battered, filthy boxes home. I still had a bit of time before Sam was released from school so I ran to the local "urban garden" store. The snap dragons looked pretty but I figured vegetables would be easier to justify from a cost standpoint. I ended up getting some of both along with some dirt.

I put the pretty basil in one of my empty plants.

Filled one box with some lettuce that almost looked ready to pick already.

Bought a second type of lettuce, Romaine variety, I think.

Some snow peas.

And broccoli.

One flat of veggies filled each box and since I only had four boxes, what seemed like a lot of space to fill, was filled quickly.

I was left with the snap dragons and no space. I put the pink ones into one of the pots I had but it wasn't much bigger than the flat it came in. Not much room to grow. I ended up sitting it in the pot on top of this funky pot I bought a couple of years ago to use as a strawberry pot. It has never really worked as I'd hoped but makes an ok base for this flower until I can figure out what else to do with it.

For now, the white snap dragons are just in their tray. I might bring them to school, there are garden plots there that could use them of I may find another planter and more dirt.

Today, we returned from a weekend of camping and exploring in Yosemite. While we had plenty of good food with us, we were lacking in fresh produce. Cam and I ate some of the lettuce I planted last Monday with some other lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and red onion. I will keep you posted on the fruits of this labor.

Fish stew

The same Monday I picked up four free planters and started a patio garden, I looked up a recipe for dinner. I was in the mood for a vegetable stew sort of dinner. When I looked through the cookbook, I decided on the fish stew.

My grocery list was pretty extensive and included fennel, fish stock, two pounds of fresh fish and shellfish, several fresh herbs including saffron. I wasn't sure I'd find everything at Safeway so I decided to go to Whole Foods and get the good stuff. The bill for these ingredients plus a couple of avocados and some bread came to nearly $100. This had better be good stew, I thought. I had fun chopping all of the fresh veggies. They looked pretty sauteeing in olive oil.

Eventually, I added the fish (I think I picked Red Snapper), mussels, clams and shrimp. In the end, it was a lot of work and just ok tasting in my opinion. Cam was complimentary which I appreciate greatly. I did reheat some of the left-overs after school one day this week and added some butter and salt which makes just about everything taste better. We still have some in the freezer plus a surplus of fish stock. We had guacamole the next night and are still enjoying the bag of oranges I bought to get some orange peel and have eaten the tomatoes all week. And since I am looking forward to defrosting the remainder another day, I guess it was all worthwhile. It was noteworthy in my life, anyway.

Visitors

What did you do Labor Day weekend? We had company. My brother, John and his wife Johanna came to visit.
For most of our adult lives, my brother and I have lived in different states. While we would see each other sporadically at joint family gatherings, but it never seemed that we had the time off or extra money to visit each other.

I don't remember John coming to Ames on his own to visit me while I was in college at Iowa State. He didn't make it to St. Louis or Chicago to see the cities we called home. He and Jo have been in Los Angeles going on five years and I still have not made it out to see them there.

Finally, my brother made it happen. Sibling bonding time.

We were thrilled to have guests. It gave us the extra motivation needed to get stuff up on the walls and tuck the last of the boxes away. They got an early start and arrived before 2pm on Saturday. Everyone was ready for lunch so Cam took our requests and ran to the local In and Out Burger and picked up some grub.

We ate outside on the patio then spent some time talking about recreational options/preferences. We did research online and looked at books we have on the area. There was a duel (see the Uncle John blog); finally, we decided that a hike to the top of our tallest neighbor, Mt. Tam was in order.

Sam ran ahead, Cam went with him. When we got to the top, we found Sam perched on a rock waiting for us.




























He is getting quite comfortable up there.















I heard this piercing chirping sound and kept asking Cam where the bird that was making that noise was hiding. Finally, we figured out it was this chipmunk. Cam thought he was asking for food. John thought he was talking to a friend.





I snuck shots of John and Jo resting on the top of the mountain and the entire group before we headed back down.

We had fun listening to music, talking about movies, comics and life on the winding drives up and down the mountain. After our hike, we tried out an Italian restaurant at the foot of our hill. We all enjoyed the meal and Cam and I plan to go back. Speaking of planning. Guess it is our turn to plan a visit to Southern California next.