Yosemite - Part 1

I have so many photos and so much to tell you about my trip to Yosemite that I'm going to break it up into parts. That way it won't be like the endless slide show you might have been subjected to as a child or even adult, if you're as old as I am. Which brings me to the fact that I didn't announce my birthday either, which was on the 27th. I'm a big one for birthdays, welcoming all greetings, presents and treating me like a queen for a day (which seems to happen less and less in this my 48th year).

We've been coming to Yosemite every other year for the past eight years or so with my good friend Cara and her two daughters. The four children get along perfectly, and Cara and I "travel" well together -- we call ourselves the Marmots.

Here's a picture of a lamp, one of many that hang in the dining room at the Wawona Hotel, where we stayed. It's not just any lamp, though, as it's completely fabulous and has been there since the early part of the last century.

Here's the beautiful dining room where we sat every morning and every evening.

Here's a great shot of the Wawona, shining in the sun. The Lodge has been in existence since the early part of the last century -- maybe even before that -- the late 1800s, actually. It's very low-key, very rustic. The rooms are quite reasonable -- most don't have bathrooms, so you share.

Here's what's called The Annex, where we've stayed four times in the last eight years. The tables set out on the lawn were put there in preparation for the Saturday night barbecue.

We sit on these wide porches outside our rooms for hours, reading, playing Sorry and Scrabble and Yahtzee:

When it gets really hot, we refresh ourselves in what's fondly called The Tank, a rectangular pool built in 1913. The water is very, very cold. People wore more clothes back then.

The Wawona sits just inside the national park grounds. One morning we drove down into the valley, a forty-five minute, breathtaking ride. Here's a rare photo of yours truly, looking out over the valley, El Capitan and Half Dome:

Here we are, rafting down the Merced -- an experience that we'd never had before this summer -- and it was spectacular.

This stunning boy is my son.

Oliver proved to be an intrepid rafter -- completely in control and in charge. He also talked -- A LOT -- as we made our way down the Merced

Here's a shot of Bridal Veil -- a spectacular waterfall, given its name because of the effects of the water shooting off the rocks.

When we're not sitting on those Adirondack chairs, playing games and reading, we generally are down atthe creek that runs near the hotel -- I think it's part of the Merced -- or around the corner at the swinging bridge. The kids wade around, float on rafts and dive into the cold, clear as glass water.

Here's my birthday shot. I wore a Birthday Girl crown and received some wonderful presents from Cara and her daughters, our traveling companions.

It's time for a break, I believe. But I'd love to remind you to visit my "review" blog where you enter a giveaway to win a $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods as well as learn a little about a nifty new project that Gatorade has going.