1,354

One thousand three hundred fifty-four...

cookies.

The traditional family holiday project.

Oh, what fun...

Play, play, play.

Cracking time.

The first batch.

Tre loves knives.

Like elves making toys.

The icing goes on.

Gotta love it.

The grand total. Up from the 1,200 we made last year.

THANKSGIVING 2009

The two wild turkeys arrowed a couple of months ago didn't last so we got a 25 pounder for this day.

Oh, sooooooooooooo good.

I'm gonna carve me up some bird! Today is Uncle T's birthday.

Me first!

Honey, if you don't put away that damn camera...

My MIL. At least she doesn't have a knife in her hand this time! But she can throw a mean olive at ya!














Happy Thanksgiving!

"FULL DECK"

A deck of cards if 52 minus the jokers.

Remember the milestone birthdays in our lives?

#10
#13
#16
#18
#21
#25
#30
#39
#40
#45
#50

I guess as I get older, I want to do things on my birthdays to make them memorable. Life is short so I might as well get my living's worth in.

For the Big 5-Uh-Oh, I went to Glacier Point with my wife. Had the whole place to ourselves.

For the Big 5-One, I was sicker than a dog, but I had my Starbucks and a breakfast burrito.

So, what did we do for the ageless milestone #52?

Well, for starters, I hurt my back again. Not by lifting weights or by toting a backpack...

Nope...

Bird seed...

Yep, that's right, bird seed.

First thing I do in the morning, I grabbed the container of bird seed to take to the feeders to fill them. Gotta love the birds! I set the container down and reached up for one of the bird feeders to fill, place the feeder in the container to lessen spillage overflow, scooped up a cupful of birdseed and then...

I feel a slight twinge...

Ah, it will go away...

Well, maybe not...

I scooped up another cup of seed...

Not getting better...

Damn!

Anyhow, I started walking to see if I can walk it off...

Nope...

Great!

Anyhow, "back" to my plan of the day...

We went shooting!

BUT WAIT!

Ever had one of those moments when you anticipate an event and make careful plans to make sure you have everything you need to make your day of days special?

Yep!

My family and I were to go shooting today, but due to conflicts, my wife and I went by ourselves.
What a beautiful day. Clear skies.

Before heading out to the range, we stopped at Zanger's in Coarsegold to get some hot java. Instead of going up the drive-thru, we opted to park it and walk in. First time I had ever been in the place. Very quaint.

With our stomach's grumbling, we decided to stop to have breakfast at the Yosemite Coffee & Roasting Company in Oakhurst. For all of you "tourists" out there, this is THE place to have a nice bottomless cup of featured coffee blends, as well as feast on a hearty breakfast. We were craving a biscuits and gravy and split a veggie scramble. Daniel, the cook, is also an accomplished pianist. He learned how to play the ebonies and ivories when he was a freshman in college. He doesn't read music. He plays from memory. We are talking classical piano solos.

After feasting, we stopped by the store next door for their "going-out-of-business-sale." Note to self: Never take wife to any sale like this.

Anyhoooooo....

We finally hit the road to go to the range. We had the range all to ourselves. I unload all of the gear and realized my "brain fart": I had packed "Libby" (.270 Savage) and "Mabel" (12-gauge shotgun), but had forgotten "Freida," the .22-caliber rifle that was to be shot for the first time on my big day.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Senior moments today and I haven't reached age 62 yet!

We spent an hour and a half hours on the range and taking out my frustrations on the Foster's ale "oilcan" with Libby. Couldn't find a comfortable position to shoot due to my back being out of whack, but the oilcan was riddled with holes on the bottom. Love that scope on the rifle. Zeroed in. One shot, one hit.

After quitting the range, we went for a joy ride to Mariposa to look at the craftwork of Nativearth and stopped by the Mariposa Brewing Company and purchased a couple of half-gallon growlers of IPA and Bock.

Afterwards, we stopped in Oakhurst and ordered two extra large pizzas from the Pizza Factory to go.

Pizza sure was good. My wife let me order a pepperoni! Yummay!

Considering my "brain fart" it was a very nice day with my wife. She knows how to make my day very special. That is all I am going to say for now.

Freida will just have to be shot on another day. Plenty more weekends ahead. Plenty of rounds yet to be fired.

SILPADA AND SHOOTING

While the ladies partied...

























The gentlemen went out to play...


What the heck are you shooting at, TheOs?

TheOs, me and the Bossman (my wife's boss).

BRO-I-L 50LDEN BIRTHDAY

My BRO-In-Law turns the big "5-OH" today.

Happy 50lden Birthday!

BroIL and sis (my wife) in our backyard.

Contractor math...20 candles equals 50.

Welcoming the newest member to the Over 50 Club.

Having a difficult time blowing out them candles? Brit having fun with her father. Note the reddening of the face at the time this picture was taken.

Finally, the last one out. Tre helping the "5Old guy."















What looms next on the horizon for my BROIL? His fiancee coming over from the Ukraine in December.

OPEN HOUSE

All-women color guard.

In the lobby. The one gentlemen in the foreground looking right is a claimant. There is also another claimant at the window to the left.

The District Office Manager (standing by the flagpole), welcoming the crowd.

Colors.

Food presentation was "well-done" by one of our own staff.

My wife and her old boss in Lancaster, CA, Joel.














Today was the open house at the new Social Security Administration office in Fresno.

Open house? Didn't we open up to the public on May 18, 2009? Yes, we did.

Due to detail assignments and schedules, the open house was delayed.

San Francisco Regional Commissioner Pete Spencer was in attendance for the ceremonies.

MARLIN MODEL 981T .22

Rifle #2 is in.

Welcome home, Freeda.

The squirrels and rabbits will soon be
Far between and few
Out of our yard and
In our stew.

FIRST VOLLEYS

The first shot.















No, the target is on top of the post 50 yards away, not what you see within 15 yards of me. I am a southpaw, but my dominant eye is my right eye so I shoot right-handed.

My wife shooting the .22 caliber. Note my wife the southpaw.

Back off, pardner. Uncle T playing with a machete.

Bro-in-law zeroing in on target with Libby. Note my bro-in-law the southpaw, too.

Uncle T with his shotgun and my wife with Libby firing the second shot.

After all the chordite has cleared, we have worked up an appetite.














The family decided to take our family "pets" to the range to do a little target acquisition exercies.
Libby "breathes." The first round was fired at 2:39 p.m. My wife had the honors of firing the second round at 2:41 p.m. Both casings were saved.

After all the excitement, it was off to Uncle T's for some BBQ venison and chicken.

DARWIN HUNTERS

Two hunters are out in the wild hunting.

Out of nowhere, one of the hunters falls to the ground.

The other hunter checks if he's breathing, but there's no sign of life. Checks pulse. No pulse.

He frantically get out his cellphone and calls 911.

"Please! Help me! I think my friend is dead!"

The 911 dispathcer says, "OK!, OK! Calm down. First, we need to make sure if he's really dead."

After a short moment of silence, a gunshot is heard.

Then the frantic hunter says, "OK, now what?!"

A DAY, A NIGHT, AND A GAME

My wife and I had our moments today and tonight. Hers was more of a comical situation, mine was more of a confrontational situation.

The Day:

The security guard goes to my wife and says the "Garbage disposal is not working. There is standing water in the sink. I turned on the switch and it seems to be operational, but nothing is happening."

Well, my wife goes to the break room. Sure enough there is water standing in the sink. The guard goes to get one of the "men" in the office to see if he can fix it. Well, this "man" didn't want to stick his hand in the garbage disposal to see what the problem was. Notice I put "man" in quotations. No, it wasn't me.

Okay. My wife calls the janitor. The janitor tells her to call the property manager. The property manager says she will call the plumber.

My wife then goes back to the break room, takes off her wedding band and then takes her hand and shoves it down into the standing water.

Lo and behold she pulls out the drain plug!

Hey, the garbage disposal works! And to think the guard was just about to call the plumber. And to think that all the guard and the "man" had to do was stick their little "paw paws."

Now, imagine the plumber showing up and finding out the problem...

I can hear it now, "That will be a $75.00 service call."


The Night:

I am sitting in a hair salon waiting for my wife to finish up with her appointment. There is a one and a half year old in a carriage.

To make a long story short, "mom" asked one of the stylists to watch her kid while she goes and takes care of errands. This was around 2:00 p.m.

It is now 5:00 p.m. Where's "mom"?

Meanwhile, all of the "women" are squabbling and complaining about this and about that and that "I would never do that to my kid," or "Even though I know such-and-such, I would never do that to my kid." Blah, blah, blah.

During these exchanges I am saying, "Why don't you call the Fresno Police? If anything happens to the kid, you will be liable."

"But she is a client," remarks one of the "bright" stylists in the salon. And this "stylist" is the one complaining about this and that.

In the meantime, one of the stylists goes to the store to bring back food for the child.

Squabble, squabble, squabble.

They are calling the "mom" on her cellphone. No luck.

Who's the father? What's he going to do?

Well, at about a 5:30 p.m. in walks in "mom" with anothe "daughter."

"Mom" is a "recipient" of the Darwin Award for gene pool propagation.

Suddenly, all the squabbling and bickering ceases.

I ask myself, "What the hell is going on here?"

I am watching this all transpire in front of me.

My wife emerges from the behind to come and pay for her treatment. I go up to meet her at the cashier. While she is doing that, I notice a Fresno Police squad car out front.

Good, "someone" finally called the police.

I go over to "mom" and tell her, "Hey, lady, two words: child abandonment. The Fresno Police are here."

You should have heard the squabbling and bickering intensify. "What?" "Oh, my God!" "You're kidding."

Most assuredly the comments were directed at me, but I didn't want to hear anymore. I just know what I said to "mom" got the attention of all those "squabblers."

My wife and I exit the establishment. One of the stylists is talking to the police. As we got in our car and was leaving, another stylist was talking to the other policeman.

Bottom line: my wife and I are "clients" at this salon. My wife has been a client for almost 2 years. I am do for my hair appointment on October 28.

I can see it adn hear it now..."How could you say such a thing to that woman?"

My response would be, "Well, then don't volunteer your motherly instincts services when you don't have any credentials."

Blah, blah, blah.


The Game:

We get home and the Angels are up 4-0 and it is the top of the 7th inning. I tell my wife, "Maybe I shouldn't watch the game. The last time I did that the Angels won!" As soon as I said that, the Yankees started getting hot bats.

Now you know the rest of the story.

We did watch the game until the final out.



What a day, a night, and a game.

SAVAGE .270 WINCHESTER

Rifle #1 is in.

Welcome home, Libby.

Feral pigs and deer will be on our dinner table as sausage, steaks and ribs.

We figure that with eating all the organic vegetables, why not eat organic wild meat!

OFF THE "ELECTRIC GRI(n)D(er)"

In an effort to wean us further off the electric grid, we are using the grinder on the left.

My wife and I went shopping in Fresno Saturday and stopped at the Fresno Ag store on Gettysburg and First to purchase Rustoleum paint for our wrought iron fence repainting project.
As I am waiting for the sales associate to get another gallon of paint, my wife went "wanderin' off" just to browse around the store.

After obtaining the two gallons of paint for our project, I went looking to locate her. I must have spent at least 10 minutes looking for her going up and down and up and down the aisles.

I looked in the fishing section...not there. But hey! Nice rods!

Did I ever mention I loved fishing?

I know I have...

I went down one aisle and came upon an entire aisle of Lodge cast iron cookware! Griddles, dutch ovens, frying pans. You name it, Fresno Ag had it! Yeah! It is so much better cooking with cast iron instead of using stainless steel or the non-stick material.

Where is my wife when I need her to see this?

I finally spotted her with something in her hands. It was the coffee grinder pictured. It was something we have both been searching for in the stores and on the Internet. But there it was in her hands.

I took her to the cast iron aisle and her eyes lit up. Little pricey, but we just looked at their selections and agreed that this would be the place to purchase our cast iron cookware.

After stopping at Herb Bauer sporting goods, we head home

We go to the kitchen, bring down the bag of coffee beans, pour it in the top of the grinder.

We christened it by grinding a couple of coffee beans. After some adjustments (it was making the very fine espresso grounds), we were on our way to grinding coffee the old-fashioned way.

The grinding process itself is enough to wake anyone up in the morning without taking that first sip. I am reminded of the movie "Dances with Wolves" when Kevin Costner was grinding coffee at the fort to impress his Native American neighbors.

On Sunday morning, we made our first brew with the grounds.

Call it a mental thing, but that coffee sure did taste good in the brisk Sunday morning air as the sun rose.

Steam rising from the cup...

The aroma of fresh ground coffee...

That very first sip...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

This is the daily grind we can live with...

Too bad we can't grow our own coffee!

Yeah, we love it up here.



Then there were the seven turkeys in our backyard down in the ravine after downing that good coffee.

I thought to replenish the bird feeders. As I was standing up on a rock to take down one of the feeders, I noticed a gray fox lurking in the brush. Scanning to my right, I noticed the turkeys near the burn pile.

I alert my wife with the bow and arrow signal.

My wife and I have our bow and arrows at the ready...

Unleash hell.




Then there were five...

Guess the other two will miraculously appear around Thanksgiving.



Fresh ground coffee and fresh wild turkey...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!




Living off the grid...

Gotta love it.

WOO HOO!!!

HAPPY NEW FISCAL YEAR!

Hmm...doesn't have the nice ring to it now does it?

Yes, another fiscal year comes to an end.

Another budget.
Spend spend spend.
Wait!
Spending too much too fast.
Slow down.
But we need this.

As the year progresses...
Spend spend spend.
Use it or lose it.
Spend spend spend.
Need to spend.
End of the year.

Hell, when I was "out the gate" earlier in the fiscal year.

This fiscal year? Get out of my way and stay out.

The cycle will always continue.

Oh well, on the bright side there are...

55 days until Thanksgiving...

85 days until Christmas...

92 days until 2010...

and...

1,177 days until 12/21/12.

Couldn't tell we were approaching the holiday season in September with all the Christmas trees and decorations on sale at Home Depot, Lowes and Costco when we went shopping at all three stores on September 19, 2009.

Poor poor Santa.

THREE UP, THREE DOWN

This ugly and dated faucet (one of three) was finally replaced with...


















These new stylin' faucets in the master bathroom!


The third faucet in the second bathroom.















Shaving and brushing one's teeth became fun again!

Accomplishing all three required the plumber's theorem "three trips to the hardware store."

The first was the hardest. Quite an endeavor.

Trip #1
I had to go the the TrueValue hardware store in our community, right? I take digital photos of the work to be done. I take the old plumbing hardware with me.

I see the associate. He only has two of the 1/4-turn shutoff valves. Damn. Not what I wanted to hear. I want to finish this job this weekend. I buy the rest of the 16-inch PCV tubing and I am good to go.

Trip #2
I wanted to complete my job, so I go to the TrueValue in Oakhurst to get the rest of my hardware. They have everything I need. Now, I am ready. Back to work. Me happy.

I disassemble the first faucet and do the work underneath. I go outside to turn the master water valve off. I go back inside and remove the old shutoff under the sink.

AARGGGGG!!! I got the wrong parts!

Back to the store.

Trip #3
I return to the TrueValue in our area. I tell the same guy I need these for this, that for these, and that for this, only threaded. He has all the shutoff valves except one which will require a 1/2-inch hose instead of the 1/4-inch hose. Okay! It's just one hose, right?

I go back and finish the first faucet. Turn the water on....no leaks! Turn the shutoff valves on...no leaks! Ask my wife to turn on the faucet...leak in the P trap. Twist and turn. Turn on the the faucet...no leaks! YES!

The first faucet took me 7 hours to complete including the drive time to the hardware store in our community and in Oakhurst.

Faucets 2 and 3 were completed Sunday. The third took less than 45 minutes.

The only thing left to do is to return the hardware I "didn't need."

My back upper body is sore from being on my back. I swear the plumber who installed all of this had to be a munchkin with contortionist skills to squeeze into the cramped areas I had to be in.

Hey, at least this "honey do" project is DONE! WOO HOO!

At least my work is "100% guaranteed." If anything goes wrong, you can be "100% guaranteed" who will have to fix it!

It's done.

No leaks, no drips, no errors.






Now, we can go hiking!

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Twenty years now...
Where'd they go?
Twenty years...
I dont know.
I sit and I wonder sometimes...
Where they've gone?

And sometimes late at night...
When I'm bathed in the firelight...
The moon comes callin' a ghostly white...
And I recall...
I recall...
"Like A Rock" by Bob Seger

To my great friends and former co-ed softball teammates, Bob and Jayne!

Wow, 20 years. A lot sure has happened in that span. Sure do miss those softball playing days at Centennial, El Camino, Columbus Tustin, Hart, El Modena, just to name a few. TIME TO BREED!

And to think you would celebrate #20 on 09-09-09.

You had that planned all along...

Hopefully, Pam and I will be able to meet up with you two someday. We may be able to start up a team! Pam can rifle that ball! Sorry, Sarah, my wife has got the "Guns!"

Enjoy your day!

ASPEN GROVE PART II

Imagine this in your very own backyard...

Basecamp Aspen Grove.

The Hobitat.

Creature comforts. Now, in case you are wondering, if Pam is "working" then what am I doing? "But, honey, I have to catch these precious moments on camera!"

We love hiking, camping, fishing, and cooking in the Gr8YdOpn.

The one that DIDN'T get away! Now, as for the rainbow trout, I forgot to get a picture until after we ate it. Oh well. The fish were very tasty.















We depart for Aspen Grove again by way of Sonora Pass due to the Big Meadow fire closing the road from Crane Flat to White Wolf.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
We leave work a little after 3:00 p.m. and head up the 99 to Manteca then heading east towards Bridgeport and spending the night at Walker River Lodge. We arrive in Bridgeport around 8:15. We check into our room, freshen up a bit and then walked to Rhino's go grab a sandwich to eat, and went to bed. The room was next to the Walker River. Really nice.

Thursday, September 3, 2009
We arise only to see the severity of the smoke in the valley from the Big Meadow fire. You could barely see the Sierra Nevada. We eat breakfast at Hays Street Cafe before heading south towards Lee Vining and the Aspen Grove campground.

We arrive to find out our Site 30 we had hoped to secure was already taken. We travelled a little further down the camp road and settled into Site 45, which was a lot better than Site 30. There was a fallen log where we set up out tent next to.

We head up to the meadow adjacent to Tioga Lake to dig up some wild onions and to look around for places to fish. My wife had fished here years ago with her children and encountered a black bear in this area as well.

It drizzled a little just enough to settle the dust.

Friday, September 4, 2009
We drive to Lee Vining to purchase more fishing tackle. The air in the valley was 100 percent better than the day before. The easterly winds have blown the smoke out. Did the fire crews contain the Big Meadow fire? The only smoke we could smell was from the campsites.

We go fishing for the first time at Tioga Lake. We fish along the shore at first with no luck. Then we move to a stream from Dana Lakes that feeds into Tioga Lake. My wife reels in a 9 inch brown trout. I barely get a nibble. I did manage to reel in someone's fishing fly. I love fishing. We had to quit around 4:00 p.m. because it started to get overcast, windy and cold.

Again, the drizzle arrived again.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
We again drive to Lee Vining to stock up on some lures and headed out to a small dam just east of our campsite along Highway 120. Fishing along the shore my wife snags a 15 inch rainbow trout! The only "bites" I get are from the mosquitoes! I love fishing. Oh, I already said that!

Later that night we feast on our catches of the past two days along with brown rice and cooked vegetables.

Sunday, September 6, 2009
Time to pack up and head home. We were going to return home by way of Sonora Pass. We stopped in the Lee Vining convenience store and asked the cashier if he had any news from the road closure. He said he just made a phone call and said the road was now open between White Wolf and Crane Flat, but the road to the valley was still closed. We had to exit the west side and drive towards Groveland and Coulterville. There was devastation everywhere. Sad that the prescribed burn on August 26 went wrong. Hopefully, El Nino will spare anymore devastation.

MONO PASS

serendipity: n. good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

Serendipity happens.

Mono Pass is by far one of the "easiest" and scenic hiking trails in Yosemite National Park.

Friday, August 21, 2009
Our intentions were to camp at Porcupine Flats, a "walk-in" campground, and hike the North Dome trail on Saturday. When we arrived at the campsite, all sites were occupied or reserved. Just didn't get there early enough. Missed it by that much.

Abandoning our hopes, we proceeded to head east. My wife wanted to double back to check on White Wolf and even the dreaded Tamarack. The idea of doubling back would have been futile to say the least.

We knew Tuolumne Meadows campground would be full to capacity, but it was tempting to see if they had a spot available. Then again, nah. We are burning daylight.

We proceeded to venture outside the park to check on other campsites.

Full. Full. Full.

Running out of options very quickly.

We took a gamble and drove down the Tioga Grade towards Lee Vining. We knew of at least three campsites in the valley. Couldn't hurt.

If we didn't find a place to camp, we would try to find a hotel room for the night. Even getting a room on a Friday night was a long shot. If we couldn't get a room, we would rest up in the truck and head back into the park to see if any spots had opened up for Saturday.

After getting down into the canyon, we took the first right off Tioga Pass road onto Poole Powerplant Road.

We are trying to keep the positive vibes flowing.

We came upon Aspen Grove and drove in.

Nothing so far. We kept driving around. My wife spots a place on the right and I on the left. She spots Site 31, I spot a site directly across from 31. Hers has the stream, mine had the trees.

We stop to ask our potential neighbors if anyone had been there recently to claim it. Their answer was no.

Bingo! We are so here!

Earlier in the evening, we had stopped in Oakhurst to pick up our pizza at the Pizza Factory to take with us. By the time we had finished driving and setting up camp, the extra large half-pepperoni and half-vegetarian pizza was cold. Wouldn't be the first time we ate cold pizza. Eating pizza by a warm fire with the glow of the flurorescent lantern. How romantic!

Saturday, August 22, 2009
The next day, the weather was nice and brisk! Our breakfast consisted of miso soup and couscous and hot green tea. The pizza last night was a little too much. My wife made a bagel with peanut butter and jelly to take with us on our hike.

We got to the Mono Pass trailhead. My worse fear was trying to find a spot to park at this time in the morning. Boy, was I wrong. Ample parking. At least 1 spot left next to the handicap spot.

We got out, donned our gear, and started our hike at 9:30 a.m. Very few hikers were encountered on the trail as we made our way to the pass.

We were in awe of this place. Trees, meadows, a log cabin here and there, flowing water, fresh air. Nice!

We reach the pass at around 11:15 to take in the sights. We stopped to look at some of the log cabins left by settlers in search of silver in the high country.

We found an abundance of wild onion on the shores of Sardine Lake. We dug some up to cook with our chili and brown rice for our evening dinner. The onions were hot eaten raw, but once boiled and cooked with the brown rice they added to the flavor and texture of the entire dish.

The start...

The stream...

The stumps...

The stead...









My beautiful wife. Just beyond this point I just happened to be looking down on the ground when I spotted this huge piece of black obsidian. Given the nature of the creation of this igneous rock, I cannot comprehend how it got here considering the rocks here are metamorphic. A huge prehistoric volcanic blast? Maybe.







I did not have my altimeter, but I was wondering why I was feelling light-headed. This sign explains why.



Benchmark.


Oh, it gets better from here...
The pioneer cabins.

If you plan to go to Yosemite before the end of September, the best views are not in Yosemite Valley, which is sometimes obscured by smoke or haze, but at the higher elevations towards the north and east of the park.

I do not know the name of that peak behind me, but my estimate is that it is at least over 13,000 feet.



Benchmark

One of many silver diggings.





What is on the other side?

Mono Lake

Overlooking Mono Lake in the background down into Blood Canyon.



Sardine Lake

Sardine Lake

Harvesting the wild onions. They were hard to pull up by hand and kept breaking off at the base leaving the bulb and roots behind. We had to use our knives to dig up the roots.



To the cabins.

To think that a family lived here.







Fireplace?









Desolation.









Old mine shaft.



Another abandoned mine.

A whole lot of digging.









Flora.

Edible.

Tadpoles in the water.

Green frog. Not edible.

3.7 more miles to go.

The map.

The Ghost Mines.

Lee Vining Canyon. Down there...home for a couple of days.

Waterfall near Poole Powerplant.

A little slice of heaven nestled in the canyon. We would like to come here when the leaves change during the fall.

Basecamp

For the last time, put that camera away or else!

Wild onions.

Relaxing.

Wild onions.

More of Basecamp.















A light rain fell throughout the night Saturday night and well into Sunday morning. So much for a hot cup of tea. We broke camp and headed up ighway 120 to Tioga Pass Resort to get a hot cup of coffee and a scone to go. Then it was off to the park entrance and, after a brief stop at Tuolumne Grill for another cup of coffee, it was off to home. What a drive. The rain, the clouds. Fresh air. No bear or deer sightings. Not too many "tourons" (tourist morons) on the roads as well.

The storm was "freakish" in nature. No one ever recalled it being so cool and rainy in the month of August where temperatures soar into the high 90s and low 100s during the dog days.

Sunday morning.









Suck that gut in!

















The low cloud cover provided excellent photo opportunities views of Yosemite Valley near the Wawona Tunnel.

Yosemite Valley

You can see clouds hugging the face of Half Dome.

























Now, as for North Dome? Labor Day weekend.



Wherever I may roam...