Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 80 (The Mist of Yosemite Falls)

Upper portion of Yosemite FallsYosemite Falls throwing mist into the air

The water falls and Merced River were powerful because of an abundance of seasonal rains and snow melt. Approaching anywhere near Yosemite Falls was a powerful experience both visually and auditorily. A mist was constantly thrown into the air waiting to surprise passersby.

Of all the waterfalls at Yosemite, I think Yosemite Falls would be the super star. Keep in mind, of course, the falls do not run all year round.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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STATUS QUOtes — 20160923

“Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank Him for not having given it wings.” — Ethiopian Proverb

“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” — H. G. Wells

“The thing you have to be prepared for is that other people don’t always dream your dream.” — Linda Ronstadt

“Eternity is the second ten minutes of aerobics.” — Unknown

 

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See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 79 (A Duck Rock Formation)

Duck rock formationThis rock formation on the way to Taft Point across from large fissures reminded me of a duck.

I am always saddened to hear stories of vandalism in our national parks and similar settings. Of course it is wrong at any time, but the wounds seem much deeper when they occur in such a beautiful area put aside for all to appreciate.

The recent destruction of the sandstone formation known as Duckbill Rock or Thor’s Fist on the Oregon Coast at Kape Kiwanda was one such incident. To pay homage to our now lost icon, I offer the above picture of a rock formation that appears duck-like. It doesn’t replace what was destroyed, but can remind us that we need to treasure the resources we have.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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STATUS QUOtes — 20160922

“A heart filled with anger has no room for love.” — Joan Lunden

“Destroying a rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.” — E. O. Wilson

“To have more, you must first be more.” — Goethe

“As through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men; some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen.” — Woody Guthrie

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 78 (Wildflowers Along the Trail)

Wildflowers along the Four Mile TrailPink and Yellow wildflowers dotted the mountainsides along the Four Mile Trail

While hiking down the Four Mile Trail from Glacier Point, we were rewarded with numerous outcroppings of wildflowers. This photograph shows an alpine-type pink penstemon perhaps Mountain Pride.

Sorry to say I could not identify the clusters of yellow, succulent-like flowers that served as a backdrop. The picture is a bit fuzzy because of the slow shutter speed (my bad!), but I think it still offers an idea of what can be expected at Yosemite during the spring and early summer.

NOTE: It was recently brought to my attention that the yellow flower is Stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium) – edit 2/11/17.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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STATUS QUOtes — 20160921

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.” — William Makepeace Thackeray

“Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” — Zig Ziglar

“I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth, then I ask myself the same question.” — Harun Yahya

“Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery.” — Mark Amidon

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Pickleball Myth? – Never Miss A Serve

PB Myth # 18: You Should Never Miss Your Serve

**NOTE** – This is an article from Third Shot Sports that is reprinted with appropriate attribution and permissions.

The conventional wisdom is that you should always make sure your serve lands in. We don’t want you to hit out either but here is something to consider: if you are always playing it safe for fear of missing, are you losing out on a great opportunity?

Yes. You are.

Think about it — the serve is the one time in a pickleball game that you have complete control. The ball is in perfect position, you are totally on balance and you don’t have to hit it until you are completely ready. There is no other moment when the conditions are so much in your favour. Yet most people squander this opportunity by merely putting the ball in play. Here are some alternatives:

1) Aim for a weakness. If you have identified that your opponent has a preferred side (usually their forehand) this is a great time to challenge them to play the shot they don’t want. Use this opportunity to aim near a sideline and force them to hit a tougher return.

2) Pin them back. In most cases, the returner will want to come to the net after playing the ball. Make this more difficult by serving deep in the court and pushing them back behind the baseline.

3) Take away their time. A slow, high-arcing ball gives your opponents lots of time to prepare for the return. Why not hit the serve with some speed and challenge them to catch up?

4) Hit with spin. Add some difficulty by using sidespin or topspin on the serve. Doing so will make the ball bounce differently than the usual spin-free shot.

With each of these suggestions I’m encouraging you to “go for more” when hitting your serve. And yes, there is some risk in doing so. Hitting near the sideline increases the chance that the ball will go wide. Aiming for the back of the court or trying to hit the serve fast may mean your ball occasionally sails long. Hitting with spin will likely reduce your control and cause you to miss.

But with these risks comes the possibility of real reward.

A more challenging serve makes it more likely that your opponent will fail to hit the return the way they want. They are more likely to struggle with their first shot which is good news for you. They are more likely to hit the return short. They are less likely to have pinpoint accuracy. They are more likely to hit out of bounds.

Of course, if you are hitting many of your serves out of play, you are probably being too aggressive. And one ought to be selective about when they choose to go for more (serving at 9-10-2 might not be the ideal time to attempt an un-returnable serve). But I don’t see anything inherently wrong with the occasional missed serve so long as it is the result of looking to gain an advantage with the first shot.

There is an old saying that “if you aren’t falling, you aren’t trying hard enough”. Perhaps we could adapt this to “if you never miss your serve, you aren’t going for enough”.


Mark Renneson is a pickleball coach and 5.0/PRO level competitor. He is the founder of Third Shot Sports. He can be reached by email mark@thirdshotsports.com.

 
In Summary, I think these are the take-aways from the article:

  • Conventional wisdom is often “safe,” but may not be the best for a given play.
  • Serving is the only time a player has total control of the situation.
  • Serve to an opponent’s weakness. (You have to find it first)
  • Still serve the ball deep.
  • Change the style of serve using spin, pace, etc.
  • Weigh the risk-rewards ratio for your style of play and decide if you should “go for it” at certain times. (As the article points out, in a close game I tend to play it conservatively most of the time and just get the ball in the service box.)

Click the link to register to receive the Third Shot Sports Pickleball Newsletter

Click the link to see Third Shot Pickleball Past Newsletters.

Click the link to visit the Third Shot Sports Pickleball website.

Thanks to Mark and Third Shot Sports for allowing this to be presented on JBRish.com

Link to the Original Article- http://www.thirdshotsports.com/articles/2016/9/9/pb-myth-18-you-should-never-miss-your-serve
The comments at the bottom of the article are interesting with people sharing their personal philosophies and ideas.

STATUS QUOte – Photography – 20160920

I read many blogs each day related to the field of photography. One of the posts a couple of weeks ago caught my eye because of a subtitle which I thought would make a good quote. The photograph below is one I particularly like which Mr. Gibson included with his writing (see link below).


Photography Quote

Luck favours those who go out exploring with their cameras.

– Andrew S Gibson


What I Learned About Landscape Photography in Northern Spain by Andrew S Gibson is a very interesting essay about capturing unique photographs with a personal vision. If you are interested in landscape photography, I think you will gain some insights into finding that special shot that others might have missed.

B&W Landscape Courtesy of Andrew S. Gibson - Copyright with All Rights Reserved

Photograph Courtesy of Andrew S. Gibson from the blog post linked above. See other beautiful photographs at that link.

 

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Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 77 (Half Dome Close Up)

Closeup of Half Dome 

Another view of Half Dome – It never got tiresome.

This picture of Half Dome was taken from Glacier Point. If you plan to go to Yosemite, schedule a ride to Glacier Point which hosts some of the best views of many of the Valley’s hot spots.

Better yet, take the shuttle bus and save your car’s brakes and a nerve burning ride. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Once again, I recommend that, if you are fit and you are comfortable with following a trail and trail map, consider taking one of the shorter trails down to the Valley. We took the Four Mile Trail and it was splendid.

 
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post
*All photographs Copyright by Jeffrey B. Ross with all rights reserved.

 
See previous Year of Yosemite (YOY) posts HERE. If you want to read the introduction to the YOY series, CLICK HERE.

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