Bad Bad Blogger

Yikes, I've been a neglectful blogger. I got sidetracked with all the vacation stuff, and kind of bored writing about it, so for anyone who is still interested here are some lovely photos, with little accompanying snippets.

Housekeeping Unit G521, this is the space I will request every year from now on.

I know it is kind of blurry, but way back through the trees you can kind of see illilouette falls, which is accessible from Glacier Point. It is a less touristy water fall and a perfectly lovely spot to have a picnic on  the Panorama Trail.

Sentinel Dome, Yes I hiked to the top, Yes there was snow!

Yosemite Falls from Sentinel Dome

Yosemite Falls reflect in the Merced River taken from the Swinging Bridge (which BTW was closed due to flooding, but we walked on it anyway)

Miss A and her Uncle Harer pumping water at the Pioneer History Center in Wawona

Sheila is ready for next year. 

Yosemite Recap - Day 1 and 2

June 5, 2010 – Day 1

8:00a ~ Want to leave by 11am, but realistically know it will be more like 1pm. Pack suitcases, be sure not to forget any Diabetes supplies (see here.) 

1:00p ~ Load the car and were on our way.

4:15p ~ Sudden traffic on the I-5, smoke billows over our heads and fire engines race up the median. Car fire.

 

6:00p ~ Arrive at Harris Ranch, check in, eat cookies. Make reservation for dinner.

8:00p ~ Dinner.  Prime Rib, Yum nothing like beef! Vegetarians, you have no idea what you’re missing.

 

9:15p ~ Swimming, there is a slightly pungent cow odor in the air overwhelming the scent of chlorine. After a long day in the car, the pool feels awesome. Meet a lovely couple from Madera, they are at Harris Ranch for a wedding reception.

10:30p ~ Low blood sugar, could be from swimming? Snarf down a chocolate dipped coconut macaroon and some chamomile tea; wait aren’t all macaroons coconut?

June 6, 2010 – Day 2

9:00a ~ Head to breakfast. Check out time is 11a, so there is no need to hurry. Belgian waffle, Yum with strawberries.

11:00a ~ Check out and hit the road. We will need to stop in Fresno to get groceries to stock the cooler.

1:30p ~ Super Walmart! We make it as far as the hygiene aisles when the cell phone is suddenly glued to Mr. Harer’s ear. I assume it is his mom, so I browse up and down the aisles. Hmmm this conversation is taking too long, what is going on?

1:45p ~ I overhear him saying flooding and asking about our 2^nd reservation. Uh-Oh this isn’t good. We’ve been watching the weather reports and knew the Merced was flooding but never expected it to affect us.

2:15p ~ After some drama with dead cell phone batteries and reconnecting with a live operator we are assured that we will have a place to stay tonight, just not in the Housekeeping Camp, it is flooded. As for tomorrow reservations, wait and pray.

2:16p ~ In the middle of the Super Walmart soda aisle, “dear Lord, please look over us and don’t allow our vacation to be ruined, make the weather cooler, so the river will not continue to flood.”

3:00p ~  I am starving, Oh goody there is a Sonic Burger in the Super Walmart parking lot. I love Sonic and we don’t have one anywhere near home.

5:14p ~ Approaching the Wawona Tunnel. First glimpse of Yosemite. It always takes my breath away. I hop and squirm in my seat, so excited (and I have to pee.)

5:45p ~ See a deer with furry antlers, that means it is a boy. Bridal Veil Falls is so alluring in the late afternoon sunshine, we stop to take some pictures.

6:10p ~ STOP! Mr. Harer looks over at me like I’ve lost my mind, swerves to the curbs and glares out the window. “Shhhh a bear,” I whisper. There in the meadow, just a few feet from the road is a Black Bear. Now Mr. Harer and I have seen a few bear in Yosemite before, but never manage to have the camera handy. This time was no exception. “Darn!” I exclaim as the bear saunters off into the woods.

6:45p ~ There is a long line to check in at Curry Village. I keep reminding myself to be thankful we have a place to stay tonight. The counter staff is very nice, although many people in line do not share the same pleasantries.

7:32p ~ Finally get to our tent. We have never stayed in Curry Village, so this is kind of exciting and kind of disappointing. It is cool that there are sheets for the bed, and fresh towels and the room is maintained by a maid. The bear lockers, however are not so cool. Our cooler doesn’t fit. I hoof it back to registration to find out what can be done.

 

8:15p ~ Stow our cooler in an non-locking community bear locker and unpack the car. Since we won’t be using our sleeping bag, or cooking accompaniments. We don’t have much to unpack, NOT!

9:30p ~ I am starving, the only thing open is the Curry Village Bar and Pizzeria. So pizza it is, and it is the best tasting Pizza ever! Nighttime in Yosemite is animal time and I get a rare glimpse of a Raccoon. I will call him Robert, because he kinda looks like this guy I used to work with at Macy’s. Anyway, he is stealing an empty ranch dressing packet, that someone missed tossing in the bear proof (and raccoon proof) trash can.

11:00p ~ Bedtime

Join us tomorrow for Day 3 and 4. 

Chain Store Fish

Mr. Harer and I couldn't decide where to eat last night. I wanted Sushi, he wanted, well I am not sure what he wanted. We ended up at our friendly neighborhood  Applebee's.

We tend to avoid the Redlands Applebee's because usually they have poor service and even worse food quality. But about every couple of months we apparently decide to torture ourselves and try it again.

** note to self, stay away from Applebee's, they have nothing you want. It will only make you sick.


I was debating between the Asian Shrimp on their seasonal menu or the Fish and Chips (I know healthy choices right?)

I chose the Fish and Chips because I wanted it more. Mr. Harer ordered too. We waited, and waited and waited. After nearly 30 minutes I was started to get concerned. Really how long does it take to fry some fish sticks.

I joke that they ran out of Fish so our waitress must have had to run across the parking lot to Walmart to get some.

Finally our food arrives. Now this is what the Fish and Chips looks like on Applebee's menu (I got this photo off their website) Looks yummy right, beer battered and crisp.

Wrong! What I received was veiny soggy and square. And to top it off my fries were cold.

I forced myself to eat one piece of fish (I am so stupid) then Mr. Harer and I walked over to Walmart to buy Alice in Wonderland on  BluRay.

That is where I saw this. This is exactly what my Fish and Chips looked like.

Now I know this is totally a silly rant, but really I think they did get my Fish dinner from Walmart and I am so disappointed. But to top it all off, by the time Mr. Harer and I got home, I was sick and not just a little sick, but making real friendly with the porcelain sick.

I am not claiming it was the fish, but it is all I ate and once it was gone I felt much better.

Just fair warning to whoever is lurking out there.

Sticks and Stones

You would think that living complication free with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 25 years would make me immune to the mean uneducated things that people say, but it's not true. Those nasty comments hurt my feelings, very much.

I want to put it out there again for those who just don't get it, my type 1 diabetes is not a "bad case" or a more severe form of the disease.

It is simply a different form of diabetes! I did nothing to cause it. 

(for the record, neither did my parents, grandparents, God or anyone else)

and since I am on my soapbox (as are many other D-bloggers this week; Kerri @ Sixuntilme, Kelly @ Diabetesaliciousness, 1LittlePrick, and others )

If there was a cure to Type 1 diabetes, I would not be attached to my pump right now!

okay I feel slightly better.

Now if you made it through all of that, on to the good stuff......

Yosemite was so much fun! The weather was great and I have got some beautiful pictures to share. So this coming week will be vacation recap.

Guest Post: Got a Degree, Now What?

Jamie and I have been friends for nearly eight years. We first met when I compete in the Miss California Sweetheart Pageant, which she directed. I am proud to see how she has grown over the years and look forward to sharing in her future successes. 

Hi everyone! I’m Jamie, guest blogger for today. I recently graduated from Moorpark College with a degree in Photojournalism and also Liberal Arts. So…. now that I’m done with school, what’s next? Good question.

Ultimately, I would love to be a freelance photographer specializing in NASCAR.  But there seems to be a catch 22 when it comes to NASCAR. Most NASCAR photographers are freelance, however, you need to work for a publication in order to be granted photo credentials. So how do the freelance photographers do it? I have yet to figure that out.

Photography is a difficult genre to make a constant living at. I could open my own studio, but I hate shooting portraits. I just don’t like posing people. It seems so fake and unnatural to me. Plus, I’ve never been really comfortable using equipment that can potentially kill me (aka lighting). Weddings are also out of the question. The pressure of the “big day” would make me crack. They are easy money though… from what I’ve heard. The only other option for a steady living would be to work in one of those chain photo studios. It might be a steady income, but it is also a way to quickly start hating photography. Everything is all preset and there is a total void of creativity or vision.

One of my biggest fears is that whatever I do wind up doing will kill my love of the art. Being around the photo lab at school had that effect on me. Too many people always looking down on you because they think they are hot shit. I found though, that the bigger their ego, the more mediocre there work was. Maybe that’s why the “top dog” of the photo department has been a community college student for 8 years now. You know the saying “those who can’t, teach”? Yeah, that’s going to be that guy.

So I’m not sure what is in store for me now. I’ll probably just get regular job to pay the bills and continue to do photography on the side. Just shoot whatever interests me at the time. Maybe I can figure out how to get listed on Getty Images. I think I could do some nice stock photography. Who knows, maybe there’s a living to be made there and I don’t even know it. Only time will tell.