Pushing the Reset Button

School is less than a week away, and while I'm eternally grateful to have a job in this economy, it's really hard to think about going back to a situation that's becoming increasingly more difficult to work in. Public school seem to be the economy's punching bag, and teachers are expected to do more with less every single year. Good thing I'm within single digits of being done with the whole mess. But I digress ...

So, knowing that my life wouldn't be my own in a short while caused a bit of internal panic. With that mindset I packed Jed and myself up, a dear friend came along to keep me awake while driving, and we hit the road for my "heart place".  But not without a few stops before getting there ...

The first stop in the adventure was Manzanar.  This memorial and museum sits on the site of one of our country's most embarrassing actions in history -- detaining over 10,000 Japanese people for 3 years during WWII.  All that is left of the city built in the middle of nowhere is the gymnasium, which now houses the museum, and the cemetary.

Most of the graves have been moved, but there are still a few remaining.  Standing in the middle of this desolate and starkly beautiful land gave me pause at the ability of human beings to inflict such misery on others without any regard for their dignity or worth as fellow humans.  And in the same breath I found myself overwhelmed by the capacity of the Japanese to rise above their fellow Americans and live fruitful and productive lives in spite of their situation.  These paper cranes, placed around the cemetary, are a metaphor for so many things ...

From there we headed north on Hwy. 395 toward Mammoth Lakes.  I hadn't been there in many years, and it was surprising to see how much it's grown.  We checked in to our hotel (a very nice dog-friendly establishment called the Edelweiss Lodge) and then headed up to the Lakes Region.  It was gorgeous.

Jed got to wander around off-leash and I was thinking that he'd want to go for a swim.  He opted to walk alongside me in the water.

We didn't stay too long because we had food in the car and there were bear warnings all over the place.  But it was a great way to end a long day of driving.

This is a HUGE root ball that has been here since ... forever.  Pretty impressive!

The next day we headed toward Yosemite.  But Mono Lake was on the way and since we've never seen it, it was a must.  As you can see, it's an incredibly beautiful place.

Then it was on to Yosemite, via Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadow.  Enough said.

My favorite place in the whole world is the Cathedral Picnic area in the Valley.  It's a well-kept secret, largely because people are so intent on making it to the crowded areas that they race right by it.  Their loss!  But it feels like I've arrived home every time I park the car and walk down to the Merced River.  

My reset button gets pushed there.  I think Jed's does, too.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful ... for me.  I got my Yosemite fix, spent time in my "heart place", and once that was over I was ready to go home.  I don't know when I'll get back, but for now I have the pictures and memories to keep me going a little while longer.

Jed is such an incredible traveler.  He trots up the ramp and right into the back of the Explorer and settles down for however long it will be until we stop.  I couldn't ask for a better travel buddy.

And my good buddy really made the trip more enjoyable, too.  Thanks, Marianne, for joining me.

Backyard Creations

Having a whole summer (save for the week we went to San Diego) here at home has been absolutely marvelous.  I haven't spent this much time here during a summer in over 10 years.  While I wouldn't want to do this every year, this was the right year to do it largely because it gave Jed time to really heal his neck and me to get some things done around here that I've been putting off for a while.


One of them was a very pleasant chore -- doing something with a water feature in the backyard.  Here's what I had for about 6 years:

It provided enough sound to make me happy, but the faux stone was very tired-looking and needed to be retired.  I tried selling it on Craigslist but got no takers.  So on garbage day I watched as it was unceremoniously tossed into the dump truck.


In my ideal world I'd have liked to put a small waterfall in, with a pondless pool.  But the area I had to work with was just too small to do it without compromising water and lighting stuff.  So I opted for a fountain of sorts.


I had gardner Felipe dig a hole for a big horse bucket (recommended by some pond making website -- much cheaper).  Over the bucket I placed a metal grate ...

Then it was time to level it & put the faux stone pillar in the right place so that as it did its "fountain thing" the bucket would catch the water.  The pillar's made from concrete and stained to look like stone.  Pretty good, if you ask me!

Then it was time to return the plants to their former spot and cover the grate with river rock.  

I like it.  It provides the happy sound of running water and is virtually worry-free.  Just have to add some water every now and then.  I still need to add some more plants around the back side, but for right now it's okay.  My next door neighbor says that she can hear it from her bedroom at night and thoroughly enjoys it.  It's a good thing ...  :)


School begins in just over a week.  My summer of creativity is almost over.  I'm working hard to not be sad about it, but when that alarm goes off at 6:00 in a few short days it's going to be hard.  But I've got one "last hurrah" up my sleeve, and Jed's going to like it.  It'll push both of our "reset" buttons.  :)