Month: October 2016

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 108 (Another Pass – Tunnel View)

Jeff

The main players seen from tunnel viewAs we passed by Tunnel View again, the color of light was changing and painting the landscape

This picture taken from the Tunnel View overlook and parking area shows the sun beginning to reach that golden stage. We had just finished hiking in the area and were heading back to Yosemite Valley. Although we were tired, the scene was so beautiful, we just had to stop.

The main players, Half Dome (background), El Capitan (foreground – left) and some of the “pinnacles” (foreground right – perhaps Cathedral Rocks) were exhibiting their finery for all the onlookers; and there were many.

This scene is awe inspiring. Changes of the sun’s position and light as well as the seasons provide variations on the theme; daily weekly, monthly!

 
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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Meta Data – Day 108 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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STATUS QUOtes — 20161021

Jeff

“Arrogance is all about trying to prove yourself. Confidence is about improving yourself.” — Sean Stephenson

“We play the hands of cards life gives us. And the worst hands can make us the best players.” — Doc Searls

“It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.” — Niccolo Machiavelli

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” — Corrie Ten Boom

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Halloween Fun – Amazon Costume Challenge

Jeff

Have some Halloween Fun by Trying to Guess the Specific Name for This Costume!


Amazon box Halloween Fun
Can you guess the name of this costume? HINT – It is an Amazon PRIME Box!! See below to find out!
Picture courtesy of Amazon via Twitter

Be creative this Halloween by using a big box or a bunch of small boxes as part of your costume. Can you guess what this person’s costume is? Probably not what you are thinking.

Click Here and Highlight this whole line to see Prime Rib!

Don’t blame me, this is from Amazon. By the way, they are having an Amazon Prime Costume Challenge. You can read the details at the link below.


Amazon Prime Challenge Link


See more JBRish humor posts HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 107 (Wedding Sanctuary at Yosemite)

Jeff

Wedding at Glacier Point, YosemiteWedding Party at Glacier Point, Yosemite

We are not trying to equate Yosemite with a house of worship, but I must say when we came across this wedding party at Glacier Point, it certainly felt inspirational.

I do believe that our national parks, especially in some very special settings, have a sanctified air. What can be more awe-inspiring and inspirational than a background such as this?

A permit and processing fee with a combined total of $150 as of this writing, is required to use select park venues for weddings. There may be additional costs and naturally, there are a number of restrictions, etc. You can read more about Ceremony Locations in Yosemite National Park at the link.

 
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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Meta Data – Day 107 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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STATUS QUOtes — 20161020

Jeff

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” — Winston Churchill

“I’m getting older in a world that’s very different.” — Billy Bob Thornton

“Everyone wants loyalty, consistency and somebody who won’t quit. But what many forget is that to get that person, you have to be that person.” — Unknown

“Dad taught me everything I know; unfortunately, he didn’t teach me everything he knows”. — Al Unser Jr.

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 106 (Owl’s Clover – Hetch Hetchy)

Jeff

Owl's Clover at Hetch Hetchy 

Owl’s Clover (Castilleja exserta) at the Hetch Hetchy section of Yosemite National Park

It was very interesting for me to see this variety of Owl’s Clover at Hetch Hetchy because we have a variant of this plant in our Sonoran Desert. It looks slightly different, but the relationship is unmistakable.

The plant is not really a clover although it does look a bit like one. An interesting fact about this plant is that it uses host plants to derive some of its sustenance. It may not be parasitic, but it does have a symbiotic relationship of some form.

The purple against the brown grasses made for a pretty setting on this overcast day.

Learn more about Owl’s Clover at the California Native Plant Society

 
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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Meta Data – Day 105 YOY – Year of Yosemite

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STATUS QUOtes — 20161019

Jeff

“Destiny is not created by the shoes you wear, but by the steps you take.” — Unknown

“The worst derangement of the spirit is to believe things because we want them to be so, not because we have seen them for what they are.” — Jacques Bossuet

“I was never ruined but twice; once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won one.” — Voltaire

“Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing.” — Arnold Glasow

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE

Pickleball – Where to Hit the Ball to Win More Points

Jeff

The last pickleball post I submitted, Skinny Pickleball, was focused on becoming more accurate with our shots. Obviously, getting the ball where we want it to go is a key to more consistent winning.

Today’s video from Third Shot Sports (Pickleball) by Mark Renneson, discusses knowing where to hit the ball. We are not talking about the serve here. Mark is addressing hitting the ball to the correct person during doubles net play.

Do you know how to determine to which of the two opponents facing you across the net you should hit the ball to in a given situation? The rule of thumb is quite simple. Watch the video to find out what that general rule is.

Of course there are exceptions. Every once in a while the element of surprise might win the point. Perhaps if one player is significantly weaker than the other, this might alter a placement decision. As with so many rules we learn about in a variety of endeavors, there are almost always exceptions.

 

To see Pickleball Videos Covering Many Aspects of the Game Click Here (primarily for beginners and less experienced players)

Check out Additional Pickleball Info and Videos! (for all players including average to more experienced players)

Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 105 (Be Aware When Hiking – Floods)

Jeff

Merced River Walkway Happy Isles

Walkway along the Merced River in the Happy Isles Section of Yosemite

Keeping with yesterday’s theme about potential danger in our national parks, I want to explain another problem hikers and explorers may face during certain times; floods.

Storms are always a major concern when hiking. We were once making our way up Mount Humphries in Arizona which is the highest peak in the state. We were within 500 feet of the top and had been hiking for a long time with many switchbacks. As we took a break to eat our lunch at the saddle, it began to sleet and snow and rain. And if that wasn’t bad enough, lightening soon followed. We had no choice, but to begin our descent. We were exposed and it was risky either way, but staying on the mountain top was not a choice.

We always try to pay attention to the weather, but the potential of sudden storms and perhaps flash floods is a concern. Try to keep an “escape plan” in mind. Is there high ground nearby? If it gets cloudy and threatening, reassess where you are. Always select the safest option. He who turns and hikes away, lives to hike another day!

While visiting the Happy Isles section of Yosemite, we walked along the Merced River. The water was flowing quickly, but we knew that from our previous days.

Merced River Walkway Happy Isles

Did you happen to notice the kiosk across the river in the picture? There was a sign under the kiosk, but it was too small to see in the first picture (circled above).

This is a closeup of the sign

Merced River Walkway Happy Isles

This underscores the point…what seems like a relatively calm, placid, user-friendly place can become dangerous and some times rather quickly.

As Cheryl Strayed wrote in her book Wild, “The universe, I’d learned, was never, ever kidding. It would take whatever it wanted and it would never give it back.”

Stay vigilant my friends!

 
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.

STATUS QUOtes — 20161018

Jeff

“Silence is foolish if we are wise, but wise if we are foolish.” — Charles Caleb Colton

“Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.” — William Ruckelshaus

“Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinions in good men is but knowledge in the making.” — John Milton

“Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana.” — Bill Gates

 

JBRish.com originally published this post

See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE