Life In Yosemite

Think of all the things that I have to be grateful for.  Family. Friends. Health. Fun work, and great co-workers. Enviable lifestyle. I live in Yosemite National Park, after all. The list could go on and on.

Tom shared a great audio interview with the sucessful copywriter, Ted Nicholas , with me the other day. In addition to imparting other good technical and attitudinal advice for writing copy, Ted recommends developing an Attitude of Gratitude by starting each morning with being thankful.  He spends 15 or 20 minutes every day just to get started with a postitive mental outlook. He even writes them down in a list and strives to add at least one new thing every day. Who, after all, can write powerful, moving copy when grouchy, dispirited, and dissatisfied?  And even if I don’t plan to write anything, who wants to be grouchy, dispirited and dissatisfied, anyway?

I stumbled on (that’s a little S) a great blog, called Zen Habits just before I heard the Ted Nicholas interview, and one of the first articles I read there was on ways that being grateful can change your life for the better. Would taking the time to remember how lucky you are to have a person in your life change the way you treated them on a daily basis? How about remembering the the huge favor your co-worker did for you, before you confront them about a mistake they made? Would it change the tone of the conversation?

I haven’t started making a list of things that I am grateful for yet. But I carry the thoughts around in my head, and it makes a difference.

It’s been a day full of celebration.

This morning Tom and I woke in Yosemite West to a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. It seems like autumn was still just winding down, and here, suddenly was winter. We trade one kind of beauty for another quickly this year. We grabbed cameras and ran outside to take pictures on the way to work. I love the snow on what is left of the brightly colored dogwood leaves.

We stopped twice on the way down to the Valley to admire the view again. Nevermind that this is just “the regular commute”, sometimes it is so beautiful that it is a crime not to stop. I love the way that the clouds settle around the trees and cliffs when storms clear here. At Tunnel View, we even had a chance to brag to a guy from JPL at CalTech about where we lived.

We drove to the polling place on the way to work and dropped off our ballots. A historic election, and it feels good to be looking forward to a cool-headed Dem. in the White House again. Being TV-less, we listened to the live broadcast of the campaign over the internet, and had a nice little celebration when the result was announced.

We still haven’t managed to achieve some of the unnecessary parts of our house, like painting the trim or 3,000 other things, but we did finally manage to get our parking meter installed. Now we can start making some money off visitors.

We’re quite proud of our parking meter, one of the only ones, perhaps *the* only one in Mariposa County.

Thanks Mary!

I stopped on my way to work yesterday morning and took a picture of Le Conte Gully. Like 2 years ago, it is filled with beautiful yellow bushes, that, if you were to go up there, would provide a splendid foreground to Half Dome from a unique perspective in the Valley. The light is a little wrong to see the dog leg in the gully where the boulder came loose, but I was late for work, and this is what I got.

All this makes October 22 a good time each year to contemplate being alive, be grateful for what I have, and to think about how far I’ve come in the intervening time. It’s my Boulder Day. My back is doing great. It aches sometimes, but for the most part it is the lack of strength and flexibility that holds me back these days. Although I’m not really doing much climbing, that has more to do with lack of motivation than inability, and I’ve started doing some running. At one point this summer I did a half-marathon distance. I’m still god-awful slow, but today, on my typical out and back from Curry Village, the distance that usually takes me 20+ minutes, took only 18. So, I’m getting a little faster and feeling a little stronger. I’ve started (just barely) trying to get back into the weight room more regularly too in preparation for the upcoming ski season. I figure if I’m also a little careful about what I eat, I’ll lose some of the extra fat that I’ve put on these last 2 years too.

This year Tom and I celebrated quietly. Tom returned from a few days’ visit to WI to visit Dr. Kingdon in the hospital the night of the 22nd, so we went out for a nice romantic dinner tonight and he even got me a couple of small presents on his way back through Fresno. I’m such a lucky girl!

Just a quick note to let you know that we are OK. There was a fairly substantial rock slide at Curry Village yesterday, and another this morning just before 7 am. Fortunately, there are only minor injuries being reported at this time. Although the guest cabins at Curry Village have been evacuated as a precaution, the rock fall is centered over a different area, and we have not been asked to move from our housing. I’m sure NPS will be monitoring the cliff closely for additional instability.

Geological processes work so slowly… except for when they don’t.

Initially, I thought this site was going to be about things to do in Yosemite, but as it has morphed into just a little personal blog - the easiest kind to write - I might as well include my little vacation to Santa Cruz.

My parents came out to CA for a visit. I’m not sure what they thought of the Yosemite part of their trip. We went to Glacier Point and around the Valley, but they seemed mostly to be interested in sitting around our house and helping us with chores. Plus, I made them spend an hour picking up trash for the Yosemite Facelift. “Yeah, there’s Half Dome, ooo, and there’s an aluminum can, grab that.”

They arrived Saturday,and finally on Wednesday we were on our way to Santa Cruz. We drove in and walked the 3 (not 2 as the hotel optimistically claims) blocks to the Boardwalk.  It looks a little Disneyland for my taste, but it’s mostly closed and the beach is not at all crowded.  The groups playing beach volleyball stir a bit of nostalgia, but my volleyball-playing days are long gone.  Not only am I out of practice, but even the thought of diving for the ball makes my back cringe - even if I’m just hitting sand.

We would have had dinner at the Gilbert’s restaurant on the Wharf, but the rude  and stupid Maitre-D’ put us all off.  Tom was worried that there would be a table minimum, and asked if there would be a problem if only a few of us wanted a full entree.  The maitre d’ just looked at us, said, "Yes", then waited in silence for us to turn on our heels and leave. No apology and no explanation.  So there’s that.  I wish I were Seth Godin (or had all of Seth Godin’s readers), and could let loose on the stupidity of doing that to potential customers.

We went off to spend our money at a more friendly establishment that was serving Live Maine Lobster at a special rate.  That turned out to be a good decision anyway, because I don’t know when I’ve seen my parents more gleeful about food, and tonight when we walked by, I took some satisfaction in seeing the snooty maitre-d’ standing in front of many empty tables.  I wish them many more empty tables in the future.

Other than that, we’ve been enjoying our time in Santa Cruz.  This morning after a jog along the coast from our hotel, we headed inland to poke around the UCSC arboretum and campus.  This isn’t really the season for the arboretum, but we enjoyed the the exotic looking African and Australian plants, and the humming birds.  My parents wandered off without us, and while looking for them, we spotted a beautiful bobcat. Tom found out later that this is her second season in the arboretum, and was recently seen with kittens.  We found my parents later - they’d been enjoying the gift shop - and decided to take off up the coast.  The trip around the UCSC campus was a bit of a whim, and we were surprised at how spread out and hilly the campus was. Heaven forbid that you should have alternating classes at either ends of campus… unless you were looking for some exercise.

After that, we headed to the beach, relaxed and enjoyed watching some experienced kite surfers playing in the waves at Rancho del Oso. On the way back, we picked up a half-flat of organic strawberries from a fruit stand that we hope to return to before the end of the week.

During the second part of the week, we went down to Monterey to visit Uncle Daniel and Aunt Joyce, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Aunt Joyce is still recovering from back surgery, but she was her typical energetic and hospitable self, we took several family pictures at her house. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is always a pleasure, and the jellyfish tanks have always been my favorite. Uncle Daniel also suggested a drive south along the coast and a stop at Angel Point (if I remember correctly) where we saw a few wild otters, merrily playing hide and seek with a few kayakers fortunate to be out on the water.

Anthony and Julie joined us for the weekend, and brought their Wii with them. We spent Saturday relaxing with them, and my arms and shoulders were sore for days after playing a bit too much Wii tenis, and boxing. Aunt Grace came down from Rio Vista, and we all relaxed together Saturday. On Sunday, Anthony and Julie left to shop for supplies for won ton making lessons later in the day, but the rest of us returned to Monterey for lunch with Aunt, Uncle, and my cousin David and his family.

We got back from this trip September 8, but there has been so much going on in the interim, that I haven’t had any chance to post anything until now, and there’s so much to do still, that I’ll keep this short.

We flew from Fresno, CA to Logan airport in MA in a long and painful trip that was accidentally extended at 1:30 am when I locked the keys in the car in the middle of nowhere VT while changing drivers in the middle of nowhere VT. Keys, phones, money, everything was in the car. Fortunately, there was a pay phone nearby, and not knowing the AAA phone number, I dialed 911. They were surprisingly efficient, and called a tow truck for us.

Our time in Stowe was really wonderful. It included an outdoor concert with Tom’s parents and his sister’s family at the Trapp Family Lodge (the family of Sound of Music fame). Although I had been there many times for XC skiing, it was the first time I’d seen in without snow. Unsurprisingly, it is still beautiful. Sitting outdoors, enjoying some music, and watching the sun set made for a great evening.

During that week, we spent time with Tom’s parents, enjoyed conversation with Mary, Steve and Mariana (they persuaded me to join Facebook), as well as Denis, Pat and their kids who came up for the long weekend. We took walks with Tom’s mother, Maria, along the Stowe Recreation Path. Ate out at many fine Stowe restaurants, and went for a run along the Recreation Path which has measured distances. This is the first time I’ve really run a measured distance that I have any faith in. I’m slow. I averaged something like 11+ min miles over the 4 miles that I ran, and suffered to do it. One morning we hiked to the top of Stowe Pinnacle with Tom’s bro, Denis. The hike was beautiful - like a temperate rain forest wet and with beautiful roots, and brightly colored lichen and fungus everywhere, and so unlike the drier and dustier trails of California. I took a bunch of pictures, but they didn’t really turn out. I blame the camera.

We also went to Doug’s new house in South Hero, VT, and visited with Doug and Bridget. It’s a beautiful old farmhouse, on an enormous property that has necessitated a driving lawnmower to care for the sprawling green lawn. Bridget has started working for a local apple orchard that Tom used to work at when he was young, and they are thinking about starting a Bed and Breakfast at their home to take advantage of the extra space, and earn some extra cash. We tried to convince Doug that he wanted to run just a Bed, because the breakfast part really creates so much additional work, but neither Doug nor Bridget seemed much convinced.

On Friday, we drove down to MA for the second part of the vacation. Our friends, Rachel and Garrett got married in Salem, MA, a short drive from Tom’s sister, Tracy’s, house in Acton. Their wedding was beautiful, set outdoors on the coast, and we met many of their other friends, and family. I took a bunch of pictures of the wedding which also mostly didn’t come out. More and more momentum for the Canon dSLR and nice lenses on the wish list that probably won’t actually improve my photography. Fortunately for the bride and groom, their pro photographer got some great shots.

We also enjoyed lounging at Tracy and Ron’s house in between wedding events. Caroline and Julia are growing up so fast. We applauded Caroline’s interest in nursing, and tried (unsuccessfully) to get Julia to start a million-dollar Cell Phone Website. We strolled with Tracy, Ron and Dori to the dog park, and photographed the interesting mushrooms that grow in the park near their home. It was exceptionally wet from the rain brought by Hurricane Gustav, which is such a pleasure after the extra dry season that we’ve been having in Yosemite.

Unfortunately, the wonderful, relaxing vacation was capped by another marathon airplane journey back to CA. This time our flight arrived shortly after 5pm, and we managed to do a small amount of grocery shopping in Fresno before heading back to Yosemite.

I even managed to drop off a few of the Girls on Granite brochures that I’d brought with me. It’s late to get printed materials out for the September sessions, but there it is.

The Deputy Superintendent of Yosemite, Kevin Cann, came to speak at the Senior Manager’s Meeting this morning about the Telegraph Fire. I’d been following the fire pretty closely, so I didn’t learn too much about the details of the fire, but there were a couple of things that I found interesting - in no particular order.

Initially, the fire was moving and spreading at a rate that reminded people of the infamous Harlow Fire in the 1961 - one of the fastest moving fires ever recorded. Fortunately, there were many fire crews in the area from the recent spate of CA fires, and those fires were mostly contained when we started, so when the call went out for resources, there were many available.

Al Golub has some amazing pictures of the fire.

Now, when they estimate the total cost of the fire, they include the cost to replant and rehabilitate the giant bulldozer lines along with the cost of the hot shot crews and the helicopters. It’s not just about fighting the fire now, there are plans in place to manage the environment afterward as well.

Good news from this afternoon’s DNC briefing…

1. Power is on in El Portal and Yosemite West and they expect to have power in the Valley by 8pm tonight, with the possibility of permanent power (rerouting lines around the burn area). This means that it wasn’t a totally stupid thing to take things out of the cooler last night and put them back in the refrigerator, and that Tom is probably enjoying a hot shower even as I type.

2. Air quality is improving: the health alert has been lifted as of today (7/30). The air quality hasn’t bothered me too much, although I’ve been avoiding running in the stuff. However, I work with a bunch of asthmatics, and they have been pulling heavily on their inhalers.

3. 140 is open again - with a CHP escort between 8am and 8pm. We don’t really use this corridor often, but the fact that they’ve opened it up again, means that the fire is unlikely to jump the road and head uphill toward our house.

4. The best news: The fire is now 40% contained (up from 20% this morning). Kenny talked to a firefighter who said that the threat to El Portal has “abated” too. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but since El Portal is directly downhill of us, if they think the threat against El Portal has diminished the threat against our neighborhood has probably also diminished.

Keep your fingers crossed that the conditions don’t change for the worst, but for now we seem to be looking pretty good.

Tom has a bunch of Telegraph fire status links on Yosemite Explorer if you want to follow the action like we have been the last few days.

There’s been a great deal of excitement and story-telling about the new speedclimbing record on the Nose, recently obtained by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama. 2 hours, 43 minutes, 33 seconds. In addition to the details from Hans, ElcapPics turned in an entertaining and suspenseful narrative on Supertopo. It was very exciting, the media was there, even The Big Hats, like Superintendent Mike Tollefson, were out in the meadow. There were multiple champagne celebrations, and I cheered until I was a hoarse.

A couple of highlights for me:

On the Sunday attempt, someone reviewing video of the King Swing made a comment about how the guys made the monster swing look something like Bandaloop’s vertical dancing, and Hans joked about throwing in a move. Who would have thought that in the middle of a down-to-the-minute record breaking attempt, Hans would actually go through with it? Could it be that he was actually having fun up there?

Sean Jones brought a posse of local El Portal kids out to the meadow to watch, and cheer. I loved the energy that they brought to the meadow. Afterwards, they gathered around Yuji to congratulate him and one said that they hoped the Hubers wouldn’t break their record. When Yuji replied, “I don’t care. The Hubers are my friends,” I hoped it would be an attitude toward competition and sport that the kids could carry with them for a while.

There was inspiration everywhere I turned that day. I met a guy who works for Architechtural Digest who came up from the Bay Area for some climbing, and to film the event. He’d been in a car accident that left his left arm hanging by the skin. Although he thought he’d never climb again, a short session at Swan Slab convinced him otherwise.

Tom Frost, at the age of 72, did the 4th class scramble to the base of the route to see the guys off… after sleeping on the floor at our place because it was too much trouble to pull out a futon. (I wasn’t there, and take no responsibility for that decision.)

And lastly, although I could go on and on, I was impressed with the number and diversity of people that came out to support these guys. From Hans’ posse of friends drove up from the Bay Area for the morning, to the crazy-fit guys who filmed them on the route, to the locals who took time out of their day to swing by, to the guy who rode up for specifically to see Sunday’s attempt and stayed through the record-breaking effort on Wednesday.