Day One - trip to mission viejo

We left about 8:45am yesterday morning and enjoyed an uneventful trip to Redding. We took 97 out of Bend and hit several delays due to roadwork starting just after Klamath. We stopped to get gas at Castle Craig State park and I took this picture of the Crags. Looks like a neat place to stay and camp.

I had hoped to go biking once we got into Redding, but it was in the mid 90s and all I wanted to do was sit in the trailer with the AC running! After we arrived at the RV park, Frank discovered that the left rear trailer tire had unevenly worn down on the outside - on the inside the steel belts were exposed. So this morning we paid a visit to Les Schwab and the gang!

Happy to say we are on the road again - headed for Fresno. Taking 99 through Chico. Stay tuned!

Yellowstone Grizzly

We left our RV site early Sunday morning to drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern area of the park. Soon after passing the Norris Junction we saw several cars ahead had stopped and folks were standing on the roadside. At the same time, Frank spotted a grizzly to our left down an embankment. The bear was about 30-35 yards away and he was walking slowly in a direction parallel to the road - stopping to paw the ground for grubs. I jumped out of the truck with my telephoto and got some great shots. (I carefully calculated the distance to the safety of the truck, the distance and interest of the bear, and the number of other spectators on the road - I always like to think there is safety in numbers).This is my favorite picture - he had just lost interest in the grubs and had started moving in a direction toward the road, so I prudently retreated back to the safety of the truck. I also included a screenshot from my National Geographic Park Maps ( a fantastic app for the iPad. It allows you to place pins on the maps for notations - then pull them up for later viewing.)

Patterns, textures, and color

Yellowstone National Park is rich in stunning landscapes, colorful wildlife, thunderous waterfalls, and boiling cauldrons. On average, I am shooting about 200 pictures a day. As I walk the boardwalks viewing the geysers, mud pots, and sulfur springs, I am especfially fascinated with the colors, textures, and patterns. My telephoto lens allows me to shoot some nice detail - but at a safe distance. I can't wait to print some of these when I get home.

Yesterday and today, Frank and I have been on a mission to see the buffalo. We drove up La Mar Valley today in hopes of getting some good pictures. We really lucked out as there was a group of buffalo fairly near the road. I got some great pictures! Buffalo seem to be particularly difficult to shoot - their heads are the darkest parts and it is a challenge to capture their faces in any amount of detail. Also, they tended to keep their heads down as they nibbled the grass - and their heads were often in the shade. They certainly are magnificent animals - I especially liked the shaggy look as they were in the processing of shedding their winter fur.

Two of the bulls actually came up onto the road and got into a brief altercation. I tried to shoot it, but unfortunately they had their backsides toward me. They created so much dust, I was unable to get a clear shot. But you get the idea - and boy can they move fast when they want to!

Family!

Right after the Ruperts left, Zeke, Eli and Brynn arrived from Chicago and were able to stay for a 10 day visit. Brynn and I did a lot of bread making - I think her personal favorite was the cinnamon cranberry sourdough bread. Eli enjoyed watching and eating our creations - boy can he eat!

Other activities included sewing (Brynn made two pillow cases) as well as gardening, piano playing, swimming, and singing.
We also took several day trips and enjoyed taking the kids to the High Dessert Museum where saw a baby porcupine. Other highlights were the Tumalo Waterfalls and a trip to the Petersen Rock Garden in Redmond.

After a wonderful visit the kids headed back for Chicago (that was last Tuesday morning). Here is a great shot at the airport with Eli and Brynn.

We left Wednesday morning for Yellowstone (that's right -the following day). I've got some great shots and will hopefully get them posted tomorrow.

Visitors!

It's been a wild and busy three weeks. Friends from Hawaii, Phil and Janice, came to visit and we had lots of fun showing them around Sisters. During their 3-day stay, we took them sightseeing, and Jan and Phil showed us a great backroad that they had discovered (thanks to their GPS) on their drive into Sisters. We stopped to take some pictures - a very picturesque area. Next time they visit, Janice and I decided we are going to hike along the river of Smith Rock Park in Terrebonne. The boys can sit at the picnic tables up top and we will meet them there for lunch. We ended our day of exploration at the train Depot in Terrebonne - my mojito was ONO!

Gardening

The weather has finally improved, and Frank and I spent most of this week working in the garden pulling weeds and planting new flowers. We purchased three rather spectacular trees that we have placed in the garden. My personal favorite is the Weeping Cedar. It grows in a very bizarre "curvy" sort of fashion and has blue/green needles.

It stands about five feet tall and we planted it near our deck so that we can enjoy it during the summer and fall when we spend a great deal of time outside.

Frank's personal favorite is the "Weeping Juniper". This tree can get quite large but right now it is only about nine feet tall and a bit on the spindly side. The needles are silver/gray and are in stark contrast with the deep green spruce which grows behind it. We planted it ( or rather Frank did) at the entrance of the drive and the long weeping branches sway gently in the wind.

The last of our new trees is a "Weeping Spruce" - do you think we have a theme going here? It is a very slow growing spruce that is narrow in width and the limbs droop and twist. I don't know if you can see the cones at the the top of the tree - believe it or not they are a bright red. It is certainly a whimsical looking spruce!

We also had 5 cubic yards of bark chips delivered so that we could mulch everything, and slowly (very slowly) I am shoveling it around the yard! We bought the bark at "Best of the West" in Redmond, and while we were there I spotted some beautiful irises growing around their office. Apparently they came from a woman in Redmond who gives them away free. They gave me the ladies address and we found her home. The lot adjacent to her house was a field of irises (blue, lavender, purple, white and yellow}. I knocked on the door and introduced myself saying that I'd heard that she shared her irises with interested people. She was very nice and took my phone number saying that in August she will be digging them up to separate them and will give me a call.

Also - another good thing happened this week. A fellow resident of tollgate noticed that I was gardening and called me to say that she had lots of catmint, salvia, echinacea, and blue pokey grass to give away. All very good - but it means I have a lot more work to do!

The Sun Came Out!

When we woke this morning, the sky was blue, birds were singing, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Believe it or not, we have had hail and rain this past week - a fact that has greatly thwarted my attempts to get a jump start on Sister's relatively short growing season. Today, however, was marvelous and both Frank and I hustled outside to pull weeds, trim limbs, and plant a variety of flowers. When I stepped off the porch, I was excited to see that one of my poppies had bloomed - the very first one of the season!

I purchased a variety of colors from a local nursery - the poppies are a fancy variety and will come back each spring. While I was planting and pulling weeds, Frank was busy cutting back the evergreen shrubs - a task that will require several trips to the dump tomorrow.

While Frank was busy sawing and cutting - I was planting some colorful petunias for the planter box on our deck.

Check out the delphinium - supposedly this plant will attract butterflies and humming birds! So beautiful ...

We finally called it quits around 6:00 pm and ended the day with a long soak in the hot tub. Life certainly is good!