House and Home

Moving your place of employment before you are sure that you can sell your house is a task best left to those with either lots of money, or a desire to live out of a suitcase for a length of time. Not being the former, I fall into the latter category. That said, there is still a home for sale in a beautiful neighborhood of Mariposa.
It brings to mind a song I learned as a child. Sing along if you know the song.
CLICK HERE FIRST
Have patience, have patience. Don't be in such a hurry.

It's hard to wait. Our family prayer request is that the home either sell, I manage a transfer back to the area I worked in, or that God come up with something better. I'm open to ideas. I am also looking forward to being able to sleep in my own bed again.

Now. On a different note. I'm feeling nostalgic. If you were born in the late 70s or early 80s, click on the links below to take yourself back to what was likely a church program you did as a kid.

Good Morning

Agapeland

Noah

Bullfrogs and Butterflies

Rainy Day Song


If you feel the need to listen to these songs again, you can find them here. 28 years later, and they're still selling.

Our First Yosemite Trip

I took the Mountain Power Lineman family up to our home in Mariposa this weekend. It was the first time that my wife, my daughter, and my dog all went up to the mountain home together. It was the best.

We even took Lauren climbing. She climbed "The Nose" of El Capitan in 5 hours, 13 minutes - a record for infants the age of 9 weeks. Here is a view of her route to the left.






Here is a shot of her at the top of the route.







(Yeah, I know. I can see those suspicious looking hands under her arms. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.)


Finally, Lauren rested in her stroller under the face of Half Dome, lulled to sleep by the wash of the Merced.

Improbable, Not Impossible

My home in Mariposa is likely getting snowed on while I write this. However unlikely, my residence in Bakersfield is due to receive snow flurries throughout the night and into Friday morning. The snow is following me. I'll try to get pictures if I can. I think the last time that Bakersfield experienced snow was about 7 years ago.

Bakersfield, like many places that are not familiar with such natural phenomena, absolutely shuts down any time it snows. I can remember waking up at about 5 in the morning to a blanket of white. It was pretty cool. We went sledding down at the park, and made snowmen in the front yard. I'm sure there were car wrecks all over town. We don't know how to drive in weather, 'round these parts.

To update - still no baby. Still waiting...

That Old Man Winter, He Just Keeps Blowing

Old Man Winter has paid us a visit. We're visiting our mountain home, for what may be the last time in our pre-natal lives. We had been looking forward to one last bit of mountain living before the baby, which we got. Snow was just frosting on the cake. We did take a bit of a chance this evening. Dinner at Tenaya Lodge sounded too good to pass up. Tenaya Lodge is a little above 5000 feet in elevation, in the village of Fish Camp, California. It was more or less a repeat of a similar trip my wife and I took about a year ago. I was mostly excited that I would be able to use the 4wd on my truck for the first time in the snow. Here in NorCal, Old Man Winter has been fairly gentle.

For others across the country, the winter weather has had greater impact. Keep the citizens and lineworkers of the Great Northwest in your prayers, as they are still reeling from the tremendous weather that pounded the region this past week. The Seattle Times reports that as many as 500,000 remain without power currently, and will remain without power throughout the weekend. I trust that the many electrical workers of the region are working day and night to restore light and heat to thousands of customers across Oregon and Washington states.

Walking in the Shadows of Giants

I should tell you. This is the second time that I've written this. Some kind of internet gremlin gobbled my blog as I was posting. Is the second time around as good? We'll just have to see.

This weekend I set out to give my dog a day to roam and explore. That, and she gets really tired and quiet when we run her around. Destination: Nelder Grove and waypoints beyond.

If you think you have seen large living things before (let's say... a whale, or a pacific sunfish, maybe even an elephant), have you ever considered the plant world. Scientists consider some fungi to be the largest living organisms on earth. What is far more fun are GIANT SEQUOIAS. These biggest trees in the world are amazing.

Granted, there are many places in California that you can find the Giant Sequoias. What is special about the Nelder Grove is that it is not easily found. Not as easy as its sister grove, The Mariposa Grove, is the Nelder Grove found. You must take the Sky Ranch Road from Highway 41, and drive the winding way to the Nelder Grove turnoff. Enjoy the ruts and bumps of the 2 miles of dirt road. Why, you ask? The payoff is that you will most likely get to walk in the shadow of the Sequoiadendron giganteum without having to share the experience with other people. There are few things as peaceful as looking up to the heights of such gigantic creations. And to think that such enormous trees come from such humble beginnings. One of the neighbors of the Sequoia is the massive Sugar Pine. This tree is something to behold in itself. At maturity the Sugar Pine grows to heights of over 200 feet tall, and a diameter of 11.5 feet. The pine cones of the Sugar Pine are the largest in the world.

It is always a wonder to walk in God's creation. My dog would agree. Annie (the dog) loves to roam the woods and sniff. I don't know what she is smelling, but she does it with such gusto. I have seen few things as funny as my dog splashing in a stream. It's like she discovered water for the first time, every time.

The walk and water splashing was so much fun that we decided to head over to Wawona (by the by...Wawona is the indian name for the Giant Sequoias) and the Merced River. Again, with the changing seasons comes the dwindling crowds. The National Parks become more private, which is a boon to all who come in the "off season". I'd like to say that there is really no off season for Yosemite. When the crowds leave and return to school, Yosemite really shines. We spent a half hour enjoying the solitude of the Merced. It was indeed merciful. The polished granite boulders that are hidden under the fast flowing waters of Spring are laid bare to those who visit in the late days of Summer. The peace, and quiet. The fun in sharing simple joys was enjoyed by all of us.

We piled into the truck, and headed for home. We're lucky enough to be able to drive directly from Wawona to our neighborhood. I've never driven this path before. It totally paid off. There is a beautiful stream, with a bridge, and a place to dip your toes. I'm hoping that we'll be able to share it with our friends. A picnic, and a good walk. Plentiful opportunities.

p.s. I would have shared some pics, but I can't seem to add them for some reason. Sorry.