Today’s Picture Quote
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE
STATUS QUOtes — 20161110
“Don’t just do what makes you happy…do what makes you great.” — Charlie Day
“I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I’d invented it, because it is very true.” — Audrey Hepburn
“You’ve got to tell the world how to treat you.” — James Baldwin
“There’s many a pessimist who got that way by financing an optimist.” — Unknown
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE
Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 128 (Another Small Gem – Lizard)
Yesterday I spoke of the small miracles we often overlook as we hike the byways of our parks and natural places by referring to plants, but we need to keep in mind that there are far more miracles than plants, flowers and trees.
The fellow above, probably a Western Fence Lizard, with beautiful markings including a blue belly and black collar is one of nature’s gems. Many lizards are able to shed their tails and then regenerate new appendages…truly a miracle. Look at the coloration. Isn’t that wonderful? This lizard blends well into the rock that it might be hard to see UNLESS you make the effort to look.
I so enjoy looking around as I hike and walk among our woods and fields. There is so much to see. What miracles of nature have you spotted that you feel many might have missed?
You can view a post about another lizard we came across along the Taft Point Trail by visiting Year of Yosemite – 38.
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
*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 128 YOY – Year of Yosemite
File Name: 0199.NEF
Capture time: 6:37:04 PM
Capture date: June 6, 2016
Exposure: 1/20 sec @ f/14
Focal Length: 35mm
ISO 100
Nikon D3300
STATUS QUOte – Photography – 20161110
Photography Quote
Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.
– Ansel Adams
** – Photograph Notes – **
Photograph Copyright by Jeff Ross – ALL Rights Reserved
Sonoran Desert Rainbow, North Phoenix, AZ
Canon A590IS, 1/60 sec @ f3.5, ISO 250, Focal Length 9.9mm
See previous Photography STATUS QUOtes HERE
See Jeff’s other photographs on Instagram
Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 127 (Small Miracles Along the Pathways)
I find that it is so easy to be awed by the major attractions in our national parks such as Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, etc. that the small natural miracles that appear in significant numbers often get overlooked.
I am always surprise at how plants grab hold and take root in the smallest cracks in the rocks to grow and flourish against what appears to be great odds. We encountered numbers of wildflowers along the Four Mile Trail. Some were yellow, others were purple and yet others were just dainty-leaved beauties.
The fern in the photo above surrounds the Alumroot and it makes it difficult to see the full beauty of that particular species (pinkish, small blooms – upper-right). I had an earlier post, Year of Yosemite (YOY) – Day 28 (Alumroot-Heuchera micrantha), that you can visit to get a better look.
I hope every time you hike, you make the effort to seek out these hidden gems along the side of the trails or tucked away among the nooks and crannies in the rocks.
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
*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 127 YOY – Year of Yosemite
File Name: 0196.NEF
Capture time: 5:40:45 AM/PM
Capture date: June 6, 2016
Exposure: 1/80 sec @ f/5.6
Focal Length: 38mm
ISO 100
Nikon D3300
STATUS QUOtes — 20161109
“I’ve learned to stop rushing things that need time to grow.” — Unknown
“We teach children to color inside the lines, and then expect adults to think outside the box.” — Frank Sonnenberg
“Successful people do what they have to do, whether they feel like it or not.” — Brian Tracy
“My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked.” — Elizabeth Taylor
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE
Jeff Shank’s Pickleball Strategy – The Non-receiving Partner
In this very brief video, Jeff Shank describes the role of the non-receiving partner on the team that is receiving the serve. The non-receiving partner is not a passive participant! There is a role to play. Watch the video and find out what your responsibility might be if YOU ARE the non receiving partner.
Did you pick out the two major responsibilities of the non-receiving partner?
NOTE – To find out about this series of posts, i.e. 100 Pickleball Strategies by Jeff Shank, read the first post HERE
To See additonal 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 126 (Half Dome – Not Always A Beauty)
When we began our explorations of Yosemite, we thought we would be able to easily find and complete the Valley Loop Trail. Unfortunately, the map provided to visitors as a freebie was a bit ambiguous.
We were able to hike part of the Valley Loop Trail, but found ourselves accidentally segueing over to the Mirror Lake Trail. There was a ranger addressing a group nearby so I approached and waited to ask a question. When there was a break in the presentation, I learned that we were far off the Valley Loop Trail.
The ranger was very animated and encouraged us to finish the Mirror Lake Trail and told us that there were views of Half Dome that most people don’t see.
Generally speaking, we find that rangers provide very good information. We have relied on them many times and found areas we would probably not have discovered on our own.
So…off we went. The hike around Mirror Lake was pretty and a worthy one. Following the ranger’s advice, I took a detour to see if I could spot Half Dome. The picture above is one of Half Dome among and behind other mountains and cliffs. Even this icon of Yosemite doesn’t always have it’s “best face forward!” It was still something to see, just not as picturesque as usual!
Do you have a question about our visit to Yosemite? Ask it in the comment section.
*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 — 20161108
“No great man ever complains of want of opportunities.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” — John Locke
“If you haven’t all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you wouldn’t want.” — Unknown
“Stubbornness we deprecate, Firmness we condone, The former is our neighbors trait, The latter is our own.” — John Wooden
See previous STATUS QUOtes HERE
Pickleball – You Make the Call – 20161101 – The Answer
The Question:
A ball is hit onto your side of the court into the non-volley zone. It is a short shot so your partner goes to get it on a bounce and successfully returns the ball to the opponent’s side of the court.
In the act of hitting the ball back to your opponents, however, your partner’s foot goes under the net and touches the opposing team’s side of the court. The foot does not touch the net.
Is this a legal return or is it a fault? You make the call?
The Answer:
According to Mark Renneson of Third Shot Pickleball and Rule 12.J.2, which states:…The player is also allowed to go around the net post and cross the imaginary extension of the net so long as he or she does not touch the opponent’s court.
The shot above, therefore, is a fault!
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)