Sunday Salon, California Vacation edition

At Glacier Point overlooking Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California with  my husband (right) my sister and her husband. I'm the one with the yellow shirt. 

Road trip: On July 5th my husband and I jumped into his little sports car (a two-seater with very limited trunk space for luggage) and headed south toward California and a family reunion. We traveled over 800 miles (one-way) to our destination, Angels Camp, in the old gold mining section of California. We stopped off for a two-day visit with Don's brother in Grants Pass, Oregon. There we spent one day poking around in another gold mining town, Jacksonville. The weather was HOT and DRY, so hot that we had to put the top up on the convertible during the middle part of each day otherwise we would have dried up and burnt to a crisp. But we did enjoy our trip and the time spent together.


Family Reunion: For the past few summers my parents have paid for the whole family to stay together in several condo units in various resorts, this year the resort was in Angels Camp, California for the first half of the week and Lake Tahoe for the second half.  Unfortunately, Don had a conference in Seattle that he had to attend so we missed the Lake Tahoe leg of the reunion. The funny timing for this reunion is that we were all together one week earlier for my daughter's wedding. But, obviously, the setting and circumstances were different.  I have three siblings and if all their spouses and kids are added up we have 22 people that could potentially be part of these reunions.  In a lot of ways they are overwhelming, but also so wonderful, fun, and loving.

Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite

Yosemite: A day trip from our resort we drove to Yosemite National Park.  It is truly as wondrous and breath-taking as it has been described. It blew me away how gorgeous it was.


Weather at home: It has been lovely here at home.  The temperature in the high 70s. After the heatwave elsewhere in the country this place seems like heaven.

Yesterday, we attended a wedding and then a hoe-down celebration for a friend who lost her husband ten years ago to complications from diabetes. It is very affirming to know that love can be found a second time and it was a privilege to attend the ceremony.

Today: We need to wash the dog.  She has been hanging out with a whole group of dogs at our neighbors house while we were out of town and she stinks!  Ha!


Book challenge: I have just completed my 8th book toward my reading challenge to read 20 books in the 31 days of July.  I'm behind on blogging since I was away from the computer for nearly a week but I did keep up on the reading.


Road trip audiobooks: 

• Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (11 1/2 hours of listening)
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (13 hours of listening)

Currently reading and listening to: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls 


Recently finished: Sabriel by Garth Nix and Putting Make-up on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright (Reviews pending.)

Scripture Lesson today: Psalms 19:9,10 "The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold...they are sweeter than honey."


I'm praying for: for a family friend who is having trouble recovering from surgery to his neck and another gal who is finally home after back surgery.

Around the house: Grocery shopping is a must. We have no fresh fruits or vegetables in the house.

Musical event: We attended the Seattle Symphony concert Friday night where the whole program was called The Planets and all the music was very ethereal. The second half of the program was Holst's The Planets and while the symphony played, pictures of the different plants from voyageur and NASA were shown. Magnificent.