To clarify

The picture in the previous post was not Lake Tahoe. It is low tide at a State beach in Northern California and that is a large piece of redwood drift-wood reflecting.

THIS is Lake Tahoe with Jackie in it.

Ready to Regale

Jackie and I hit the road. We've been to Lake Tahoe. She had been there before and really loved it. Weather was perfect. We kayaked and swam. We also took a trip to the northern California coast. She had never been there and she loved that too. It really is spectacular. We saw too much good stuff to even describe it all.

Things went a little downhill from there. We had planned to take out the boat but the frame of the boat trailer broke right at the bar that hooks to the hitch. Fortunately it happened while the boat was already in the water as I was pulling up the launch to park. If it had happened while driving to the lake on the interstate.. I shudder to think what might have happened. Of course, then there was the problem of getting the boat back out of the lake without a usable trailer. But, the father of the Jo children managed to patch up the trailer (no surprise there!) by drilling holes in strips of flat metal and bolting it to the frame where he had also drilled holes. This required going home to get supplies. We ended up having to leave the boat in the water and the trailer in the parking lot overnight but everything is home safe and sound now. This is Jackie's last night here and we have not decided what to do tomorrow. Blog you later.

2nd Death Valley Trip 2005

The first time I went to Death Valley this year DH could not join me. Accidently it had worked out that he was actually in Las Vegas at the same time I was. And we got to spend quite a bit of time together. But, he was there on University business, so was not able to explore around with me during the day. Since the flowers were quite a well-publicized sensation this year and everyone was saying it might be a once in a life-time opportunity - we took a separate, second (this time by car) trip to the area to see what there was to see.

I already mentioned in a previous post that the flower spectacle was due to the tragic flooding in Southern California during the winter. The other unusual thing the heavy rainfall caused was AMAZING amounts of water in Death Valley. To my understanding the stinky puddle at Badwater (lowest point in continental USA) is called "Lake" Manly. This year it was a huge "puddle" spanning miles of desert floor. Deep enough in spots that some folks floated canoes and kayaks in it. The floor of the puddle is salt crystals. At some places (Devil's Golf Course for one) the salt crystals floated on top of the water. The pics are of my hand, my feet, and cute little kids enjoying the salt and water.

More desert pics

When I flew to Vegas to visit my sweet little Jae-Min and her dear Mama and Daddy, I took the opportunity to strike off on my own and do a little desert hiking in the incredible and amazing Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Parks. Please go to both of them if you ever get a chance. It's amazing that Red Rock is within 15 miles of a major metropolitian area like Las Vegas and yet you feel a million miles away. Same with Valley of Fire but you are more like an hour from the city. I am so thankful that these are protected areas. For that reason I did not mind the entrance fees. However, I am sure if I lived local I'd be finding a way to sneak in. I really love, but respect, the desert. I love the refreshing fragrance and feel of the dry air-especially high dry air, the lack of mosquitos, sky-scapes, the interplay of sun and shadow on the rocks and mountains, alpine glow, the way it cools off at night, the way the plants look different depending on the time of day and how the sun is shining on them, and, just being in an allergen free (for me) environment. I respect the heat, the way it cools off at night, the need for water, the need for preparedness, the intense sunshine, rattle snakes, black widow spiders, the potential for flash floods and other storms. Yes, that's water coming off that rock in the above pic. In fact the day I was there they were warning about flash floods. Didn't see one.

Roadside Poppies

I did see this
March 2005
Near Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
Lancaster, California

No, I did not actually see this

This is from http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html

I'm no wildflower expert, don't even know the names of them, but, I enjoyed following the wildflower happenings on this site all spring. Here in the desert it is usually barren. But, occasionally, if weather conditions are just right, there is a "wildflower spring". Then all the desert wildflower afficionados flock out to the remote places to see them. This year there were many postings on the above mentioned desert wildflower site about various trips folks were taking, and the quantity and quality of blooms they saw. I actually got out for two trips before it was over. Saw Death Valley twice in March, once with my grand-niece and her mom, and once with my husband. Also got over to the Antelope Valley poppy reserve, which was nice, but the poppies have been decreasing there over the years because the state of California wants to keep it "natural" and poppies need some cultivation. Off the reserve you can see better poppies in fields where sheep graze providing natural cultivation. Also, the poppies are larger along the roadways where incidental cultivation is provided by trucks kicking up pebbles as they drive by.

NEWSTART

Recently I had opportunity to escort my in-laws to a Korean language NEWSTART style program held in the beautiful Sorak Mountains National Park in The Republic of Korea. The above picture is me with my in-laws and my cousin KeumHee with her in-laws. We all attended together. Those two good-looking gals in the center are sisters. They undoubtedly would like to know which of them you think is prettier. And if you have a lick of sense you will say that they are equal.

For those not familiar with the NEWSTART concept, it is a program for learning and putting into practical application natural health remedies, such as:

N utrition
E xercise
W ater
S unlight
T emperance
A ir
R est
T rust

And, the patient gets a "new start."