happy trails

The week had us spiffing up the laundry room. Whew, excitement! Mainly some cleaning, cabinet clearing out and organizing, and painting the walls. I want to take out the existing counter tile and John seems to be warming up to the idea. Once we do that, we can check this sucker off the list.

John's last day at work is tomorrow. I'm very proud of him...not that many people stick with a career they are good at and like and can retire from with a pension these days. We're fortunate to be "young" retirees. Although, it must be said, I'm still having some adjustment anxieties. Mostly feel pretty dang excited at the possibilities we're exploring for the future.

This is an image I made recently that I feel good about. I don't think anyone else would have captured it this way. It represents my (ever evolving) artistic vision. We're going to embark on a road trip to Arizona in a few days. Got a circular polarizer filter for my great landscape lens & wondering if I'll be lucky in terms of witnessing some of those famed desert sunsets/sunrises. Happy.

golden rolling hills of California

I love how this iPh5 image turned out. Thinking I may have a canvas made of it. We've been doing a lot of yard stuff. Some kind of fun (making a pot with flowering spring plants) and others not as fun (raking up all the pine straw -- a never-ending chore). Still ambivalent about this period of transition...can I really leave this place?

no comment

What signals spring better than pink tulips?

Attempting to get my blogging mojo back and one frustrating thing I've encountered is the inability to leave comments at other blogs. I can't do it signed into blogger/google or as name/url for those who make this option available.

back in time

Here are some images from a camping trip to Fallen Leaf Lake this summer:

I like the contrast between the tiny trailer and the tall trees.

Inside the wee trailer.

My guy.

 We had planned to take Cassie to a new to us campground in Yosemite, but the terrible Rim Fire closed the road to get to it as well as the campground itself. So we found rare summertime openings at Fallen Leaf campground. Off we went never thinking the smoke from Yosemite would drift north to the Tahoe basin. It wasn't ideal air quality wise but we had a good time anyway. Lots of bike riding and exploring new parts of both Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe.

cupcakes and the meaning of life

Made red velvet cupcakes for John's birthday yesterday. First time using a pastry bag for the icing - can you tell?

Well, by the looks of this sadly neglected blog, we either joined a secretive egg trailer cult or vanished over the side of a mountain road. Instead, just a bout of adult onset attention deficit disorder. We're in a transitional period as John approaches his retirement. Lots of stuff to sort out.

One thing we're actively considering is moving to live closer to our daughter. We've been in our current home for almost 11 years. Moving would mean selling our house. Selling our house means getting it ready to sell. I've been assessing things around here. Eleven years is enough time to need to do some updating. We've been painting...room by room. Something weird is happening though, the more we ready our home to possibly leave it, the more I appreciate it. Am I ready for this change?

On the eve of another eggventure

Sadly, there is a terrible wildfire not too far from our house. It has added color to the sunsets however.

After having what seems to be a very long time off from adventuring with Dora, our new 16 ft Casita, we're heading out tomorrow. Originally, we had finally decided to go to Yosemite's White Wolf campground. But, a big forest fire has broken out closing the road we'd use to get there. Change of plans! Now we're going back to Lassen National Park and trying something different. This time John is going to leave me there for a night while he returns home to work two shifts. I'll only be on my own for one night but I'm a little apprehensive. We're doing this because I wanted more time just to hang out and check out photography locations. He gets a little tired of this while I'm always wishing I had one more sunrise or sunset to shoot. It's a compromise of sorts -- we'll see how it goes.

BTW - if you're on Facebook, my photography page is Wild Mountain Photography.

Sugar Pine Point

Our third camping adventure went very well. Sugar Pine Point at Lake Tahoe is a popular campground and we can see why. It's beautiful with nice access to the lake. It's clean. It's quiet. In order to have two nights, we had to stay in one site the first night and the move to another site for the second night. The first site was not very good but the second was terrific. We will be back.

We did a little hiking and spent yesterday afternoon kayaking & swimming. There is just something special about kayaking on Tahoe. And the way you feel after swimming in the lake is wonderful.

Here are the Casita findings from this trip:

* The mattress topper made the wee bed so comfy. We slept well both nights.

* We want another cover for the spare tire. The current cover (the one that comes with a new Casita) would be fine if it didn't have the 1-800 number on it. That makes it look as if Dora was a rental. That will just not do.

* Organization within Dora is improving with each outing. There really does seem to be ample storage at least for the length of trips we're currently taking.

Photography was sorta pitiful during this visit to the lake. Bald skies. Here's my best shot:

So, while not exciting for photography, we made a discovery regarding campsite food: Amy's Black Bean burger patties. Served on Orowheat whole wheat thins and with heirloom tomato slices & avocado - YUM.

We don't have another camping trip planned until early September. I hope we can get another two nighter in around mid-August. Should we head for the coast or Yosemite's high country? Hmmm.

Lassen Eggventure

Taking a break during sunset on our way home along I-5.

Dora's second outing to Lassen National Park was terrific! We are thinking ahead to when we can return and spend more time. The campground was quiet and managed very well. We kayaked, hiked and took some photos. We also met some fellow travellers who were camping with a fiberglass trailer (not a Casita though).

Here's what we learned from this go round:

• really must get a squishy mattress topper for the wee bed
• also need something for the floor of the bathroom
• must have a plan in advance for John's dirty clothes otherwise he will stuff them randomly throughout our tiny home on wheels
• make sure the the shower drain valve is set to "closed" before travelling

The more time we spend with Dora, the more smitten we become. Next egg-venture is back to Lake Tahoe in just a couple days. Can't wait!

learning curve

I took a class last evening on Lightroom. My mind is still in a fog of information overload. It's unrealistic, I know, but I'm always hopeful if I get the right editing program my images will just pop. But it still comes down to taking the right photo with the right light & perfect focus. There's a lot you can do to improve an image but you need to start with something pretty spectacular to get those "oh, wow!" results.

Here's my first post-class edit of an image from our brief visit to Capitol Reef National Park.

I don't like it.

While I think the instructor was pretty good, I was disappointed that his focus was on using Lightroom to edit portraits. I don't shoot posed photos. I rarely shoot photos of people let alone portraits. Guess I still face a very steep learning curve.

In other non-photography news, we're packing up Dora in preparation for our Lassen National Park adventure. I'm hopeful that'll we'll leave early tomorrow and that John's modification to Dora will really make the bed feel a bit larger.

little mama

We went for a hike yesterday on a trail to a lake that's known for its wildflower displays. It was such a relief to get up in the high Sierra out of the heat & smog of the foothills. The wildflowers were indeed plentiful and beautiful but it's this cutie pie that really made my day. She was perched atop a boulder in the sun. The way she was clasping her little hands together and resting them on her pregnant belly was just so precious. Wish I would have had my telephoto lens with me but this will do. Thanks for letting me snap your photo little mama.

Hope you had a great 4th of July.

alpenglow

Dark Lake Desolation Wilderness Sierra Nevada

Our next adventure with Dora the Eggsplorer is a week away. We're heading to Lassen National Park. I'm really excited about this as we had planned to take Rocky there last summer and had to cancel those plans. We've only done day trips previously to Lassen and being able to spend two nights there will just add a whole other dimension to exploring this wonderland. Can't wait!

a-camping we will go

We packed up Dora the Eggsplorer and headed to a nearby campground near Lake Tahoe. It was a quick overnighter to check things out. Here's what we found:

- The small bed is going to take some getting used to. Turns out my hubster is an aggressive pillow flipper. It was like being in a one-sided pillow fight all night long. No bueno. New, smaller pillows are on order.

- It was nice to be able to keep food in Dora instead of using the bear box outside.

- This was a fantastic campground. That's why I'm not naming it. It's pretty popular already but for now it will remain unnamed here.

We rose at the crack of dawn so we could try taking some sunrise photos at Emerald Bay. As we exited Dora with coffee in hand, we watched as a large black bear ambled peacefully across our campsite. Bear country indeed.

Here's the reward (in addition to seeing the handsome bear) for being early risers:

Dora the Explorer

We picked up our little egg trailer in Reno yesterday. Our tow vehicle performed very well -- climbing out of Reno up to Tahoe and back down to the foothills was a good test. A trailer this cute deserves a name and all I can think of at this time is "Dora." Mainly this is because she is our tiny explorer and also a"dora"ble. We'll see if the name sticks.

There were moments of drama when it was time to get Dora inside the garage. She was almost too tall. Barely cleared the opening by an inch. No exaggeration -- an inch!

Now, where & when do we go for our first egg-venture?

and so it begins

Tahoe Sunset

We are heading off to Reno today to pick up our new Casita. Excited!

almost but not quite

Sunset at Folsom Bridge on the American River.

That's how it goes with learning to be a better photographer. Sometimes you just don't get the shot you're hoping to get. The plus side is this though: it was very pleasant down there on the still sun-warmed granite slab on the banks of the river. Better than being at home in front of the TV!

I have so much to learn about using my new camera. Because of this, I've started a new 365 photoblog. A 365 blog is one in which you post a photo a day. I did this a couple years ago with my husband. When I look back on it, I can see how the quality of our photos improved over time. I hope this new blog will be a tool in becoming a better nature/landscape photographer. Usually, these blogs seem to start on January 1st but beginning this one on the first day of Autumn works for me.

We were planning to leave early this morning to camp for two days at Lassen National Park. Instead, we really need to catch up on some things here at home. Most importantly, we need to address our elderly cat's declining health and quality of life.  

Here's a link to Wild Mountain 365.                

autumn equinox

robes of glory

Wrights Lake 9-20-12

"When summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away." 

~ Sarah Helen Whitman

With my early birthday present in hand, I ventured to a favorite place: Wrights Lake in the Desolation Wilderness area near South Lake Tahoe.

So far, loving my new Nikon camera although it looks like I need to tone down the 'vivid' setting a bit.

How do you feel about the end of summer and beginning of fall?

~ Saturday Snapshot ~

tuolumne meadows in september

Click on image to enlarge.

Just returned from our second quick camping trip in Rocky (our new pop up tent trailer). We stayed for two nights in the Tuolumne Meadows campground. Lucked into a good spot -- the ranger assigns your spot when you arrive.

The meadows were gorgeous. Enjoyed some great hikes and took about eleventy hundred photos. And, we did much better this time with our packing.

Very cozy although we did use the furnace a bit in the mornings.

Why do my hiking shorts always make me look like a chubby girl scout? Gah.

~ Saturday Snapshot ~

green and golden wonder

"Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder
 in a vast edifice of stone and space." - Ansel Adams

Macro Monday