Birthday hike in Yosemite, & random vocab quiz! =)

Happy Birthday to me!

Therefore, Bear & I hiked in Yosemite Valley today.

Other years we bike.

I ADORE biking in Yosemite Valley--it's the perfect scale for it.

However, bikes are still dusty from last year, so we hoofed it.

Here's a hint of how glorious the dogwood is right now:

It's a VERY good year for this tree-o-white-blossoms,

so if it's an option, I strongly recommend you get here ASAP.

We hiked up the west side of Mirror Lake Loop,

where we saw forest delights:

There are deciduous forests, and there are delicious forests.

This is a delicious forest. 

 Wild ginger. Check out that GORGEOUS glossy sheen. Phew!

More stunning dogwood flowers.

It's like passing by a supermodel on the trail;

can you REALLY ignore it?!? 

No.

Cool forest fungi

 Hubba, hubba.

Having crossed the river to the east side of Tenaya Creek,

we alit upon the source of the pungent trail decor...

 Might I say, though, nice buns!

On our way out,

we stopped to look at a fungus-laden tree Bear likes.

We were forced to park in this dreary spot

(panning from right to left).

*sigh*

Thank you, Yosemite & National Park Service.

You ROCKED it, hard.

Okay: QUIZ TIME!!

This week my eyes have landed on an outdoor object,

and every time, a word pops into my head:

ootheca

Discuss.

Please tell me what you think this means,

without looking it up,

and if you have ZERO clue,

please fling the wildest guess you can fabricate.

I heart correct guesses* (& bow to your brain),

but those who bravely chuck forth

creative BS guesses

have a special place in my heart.

=)

You know who you are.

xoxoxobb

*spot on "guesses" WILL be posted, but not right away,
so other folks can take a stab at it, unencumbered by the facts. =)

Yosemite: stunning as ever...

Yosemite Falls yesterday morning. No one else was there. It was about 7:30 a.m.? And cold. Upper and lower falls. Did you know if there's just one precipitous drop with water pouring down it's properly called a "fall" like Bridal Veil fall? But, this has upper and lower Yosemite Falls, so it's plural. I read that in a secret ranger book somewhere...

A reward for being an early bird at the falls I'd not anticipated. A mist-bow! Really bright and gorgeous.

 

A lovely place.

The dogwood is in bloom. SUCH an elegant plant.

If ever there was a plant that'd clearly gone to finishing school, this is it.

More pics later, after I do a tiny bit of research and, oh, in one day fabricate the divider for my chicken coop, clean out same, get whole chicken situation prepped and ready so MAYBE I get to have a garden this year?

=)

biobabbler