Oh and this.....

While scrambling up a hill from the river I casually watched a large rock tumble down and hit me in the leg...no biggie Mom, it's already healing...:)

Words (Between the Lines of Age....)

I went on another hike today with my Adventure Buddy and Friend Jon.  We went to the Mariposa Grove of Trees and did a little cross country to find a quiet spot to eat lunch.  Jon moved a small downed tree and we sat against a boulder on what became an amazing recliner!  We hiked on the trail for a bit and saw a deer.  We hugged a Giant Sequoia that is so soft and furry and although to me is hollow sounding  it is full of life!  We meditated near twin Sequoias where a root grew out of my butt and I became completely relaxed and it was as if I and the trees were one.  Afterwards we drove to the trailhead for Chilnualna Falls.  My legs were heavy so I had to keep resting on the way up,  But as Jon says, it's the journey and not the destination that matters.  There were beautiful Manzanita Trees and pine trees on the trail which was alongside the river for much of the hike.  We stopped to rest near the rushing river, feeling the spray from the powerful waterfalls, hearing nothing but nature, smelling the fresh air.  Clouds floated by....Upward we went over boulders, across small creeks, through woods...We stopped at a view point for the Falls and ate again.  Afterwards we hiked down the way we came, which never looks the same as going up so it's like 2 trails in one....We took another break near the powerful water and I put my feet in, it was cold!  We drove home to Yosemite Valley while the sun was setting and the sky was fire red!  It was another beautiful day in Paradise............
I WRITE all this because somewhere along the trail I dropped my camera...after the initial disappointment and irritation, I became resigned to the fact that I may never get it back...It's OK though.  Pictures never do Nature justice......something is lost in translation....the "feeling" is not there or at least the feeling I get when I am in such wonder.
We stopped at a store down from the trailhead and the employee told us that some one did say they found a camera on the trail, but the lost and found was closed.  Tomorrow Jon is going to call there and ask if my camera is there......He is convinced it is.............................................................................................

Redemption???

Re-deem

[ri-deem]

1.  to buy or pay off; clear by payment

2.  to recover by payment or other satisfaction

3.  to obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom

So, I got a Transportation Certificate from AMTRAK for a "free ride" worth $125, which is what I paid them for my Supermoon Train Ride from hell.  It came along with a letter of apology from the Director, Office of Customer Relations.....Now all I have to do is figure out if I want to give them another try.  It's the only way to "get my money back"....

VEGGIES!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited!  I signed up for a bi-weekly, local farm vegetable delivery!!  Produce is so expensive here at the Village Store.  One tomato can cost almost $2!!   I thought I would start slowly, with a delivery, right to my Bear Box!!, every other week.  A neighbor has a juicer, so anything I can't eat, I can juice!!

Here's a picture of my first box.  There's a head of lettuce, squash, carrots, small yellow potatoes, radishes, an onion and a bag full of the most amazing snap peas I've ever had!  I ate snap peas this morning while I sauteed the other vegs.  Added an egg,   So good!!

A true story

I went to a Spoken Word performance here the other week and heard this.....(by a man named Jim)

"I was driving into the Valley and a coyote winked at me when I drove by...cars of tourists were stopping to take his picture...Later when I was driving out of the Valley, the coyote was sitting on a rock by the side of the road.  A car was stopped and was taking his picture.  The car left and I stopped near the coyote and said, "Damn tourists, always stopping and taking your picture!"...the coyote said, "You stopped..."..."

It's not easy being green

I was thinking about "green" and the being of it.  I always imagined it as a dark color, but today I realized being green (as in NEW) is like the leaves in spring as they first appear, very light.  Then they get darker as they mature and grow.  Some people are so green, they are almost yellow.  I might be new here in Yosemite, but I think all my life experiences qualify me as some deeper shade, maybe like a hunter green, on my way to becoming a forest green...

Rest stop on my walk to work...

Video...(not my best work, need more camera practice)

The more things change...

Life in the Valley is very much like life was in Seattle.  I wake up (late-ish), have coffee and breakfast, shower and get ready for work.  I walk to work, my friends are mostly co-workers, I wait at the bus stop in the dark to get home....The subtle differences are that I use a community kitchen, I use a community restroom/shower, my walk is about 1 mile through the woods and if I get out of work after 10pm, I call the employee "taxi" service to get home.
I have yet to ride my bike to work.  I like to say it's because it's too cold, but really I don't know why.....I am sure in the summer I will ride or walk home at night.  I am still new here.  I have been here 1 month and 6 days.  I am making friends slowly but surely, and that's OK with me.  I am in no hurry.  I feel this place and these people growing on me...

Meet the new house....same as the old house

Last night, at 11:30pm, my roommate Marina and I moved into a different Tent Cabin.  It's the same as the old one, only there are 3 steps to get in; the bear box is on the left; the light inside is closer to the door (making the back 1/2 quite dark) ; and our cabinets are a bit jankier than the first, and as much as we wanted to move the original ones in last night, it was just too much work for 2 girls who worked all night and had parties to attend!!  The bonus of this new Cabin (#14)  is that we are closer to the building that has the internet router, so we can pick it up for free!!  #14 is also in a quieter, shadier area called "The Hood" and 2 of our friends live right next door!!