Lazuli Bunting, Yosemite water craze & obligatory Monty Python reference

 Hey, there peeps!

"I'm not dead! Think I'll go for a walk!" 'nuf said? =D

Lazuli Lifer

Lazuli Bunting appeared on the feeder (Sunday) &

I freaked out SO HARD my hands were shaking.

I'd NEVER seen one EVER & had to look up among the SHOWY birds 

I've never seen to even figure out what it was. WOW!!! =D

Then it took off & I jumped up and down

& DH & I high-fived. 

The Iris Time

A furled purple iris. I love how moody they look.

Polka dots! =D

Those tiny specks make me CRAZY happy.

Just sitting there, looking (& smelling) glorious...

The carpenter bee has returned to its annual haunt of the iris bed outside our window:

Love this giant, territorial creature: it flies laps & dispels other bees

and I'm grateful it's been cutting me slack, so far, as I walk past... =D

I will always adore these flowers & am so glad they like our Mediterranean climate. =D

Yosemite Flow

Have been going to the park (Yosemite) more than usual this spring,

partly for work (poor, poor me) and partly 'cause there was SO much rain this winter.

The waterfalls are CRANKING like MAD and the Merced River

is WAY up so marvelous reflections abound. Fabulous! =D
Yosemite Falls

North Dome & wetlands & a TINY piece

of Clouds Rest & Half Dome. =D

This was just inches south of Southside Drive,

just west of the chapel. Water!!! =D

Speaking of, I tweeted & Instagram-ed videos of Yosemite Falls
that I took with my iPad  &
it got picked up by SFgate & GrindTV ,
the latter in an article called,
"7 incredible videos of the historic Sierra snowpack melt at Yosemite Falls."
Turns out TWO of those 7 are MINE?!? Crazy.
And I only know 'cause the Tweeple alerted me to it.

Hooray, you guys!! =D

Anyhow, that was bizarre & fun. It's totally DH's fault:
he alerted me re: when the river would peak (high flow)
so recommended I drive up, so I did & it was HEAVENLY.


Etc.

Got a few new hummingbird feeders, including this orange one

which just ADDS to the Anna's hummingbird's amazing pink shimmer. Phew!

Color not enhanced AT all. =D

This is DH photographing a small bear we startled on the Valley Loop Trail in Yosemite:

As you can tell, I'm respecting the bear's privacy,

NOT totally being a bear-scaredy-cat. =D

The bear had been ear-tagged but was doing good wild bear stuff,

shredding a downed log for delicious grubs.

With all this winter rain, the grass at our place is OUT OF CONTROL!!

There's ENTIRE DEER there...

And here's the view from my back porch, looking across the grass sea... *sigh*

Some of the grass is nearly as tall as I am (6'). I THINK there's a few

planted plants in the garden amid the crashing waves of weeds... 😁

So, I will be in the valley MOAR this summer since due to my 1st gig this spring,

and the kind woman who hired me, I get ANOTHER gig in early summer! =D

Which means numerous required visits to the park to plan where we'll

meet & stop & walk & what I'll blab about.

Which ALSO means I get lots of steps hiking for research.

In Yosemite Valley.

Which means I get happy.

Again.

HOORAY!! =D

xoxoxobb

SaveSave
SaveSave

Photo Quiz Phriday--what are these two knobs called?!?

They live in Yosemite Valley, on the east end.

Photo is looking northward, generally...

Without looking it up,  can you name these?

Or, just one of 'em?

Alternatively, feel free to name them creatively,

 if you don't know their, um, traditionally used names.

We encourage wild guesses.

Fair warning: only PG answers will be posted. =)

And 100% accurate answers will be posted, but maybe a wee bit later than others...

Good luck, and Happy Halloween!!

xoxobb

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. =)

Feeling sore? Yosemite-ice it. You'll feel better.

Teetered carefully around Yosemite Valley, today.

Cold & icy, but lovely, of course.

Yosemite in fall? Meh...

There's no blazing fall colors.

It's really dry.

Honestly, I'd skip it.

xobb

P.S. This is another thinly disguised wallpaper post, celebrating autumn & the forecast high temps (80s & 70s) w/ rain possible. Hooray!!
P.P.S. I hope it is understood that my goal is to encourage everyone to visit (wherever), not to actually be obnoxious. =)

visitors: wish we had something to show them....

Should we take them to the local mall?

Introduce them to the neighbors?

Put them to work in the garden?

Or, just sit around and talk about the weather?

I'm stumped.

xoglw

Thursday photo quiz: what do these photos have in common?

 

Besides being shot in Yosemite,
including some of the same trees species, etc.

Something different.

Please submit guess via comments, below. =)

xobb

Thilent Thurthday: October in Yosemite, or Yosemite in October?

 

 
 

Mumday from Yosemite Valley & Ahwahnee!

 

bb

they don't call me biobabbler for nothing...

   
it has been SO HARD to NOT talk on Mumday. Yikes. So, won't post till Tuesday, but must write now.

SUMMER PANIC/baking blather

1. Who turned on the "HOT" and "IT'S SUMMER" switches while I was away? Holy cow!

2. I now MUST buy the swimming pools for my hens, who can experience heat stress at 80-something degrees and it's already hitting 90. And it will def. get over 100s this summer, like every other summer.

3. I am NOT kidding re: kiddie pools. They LOVE to cool their feet in the cold water and drink it up. It's adorable. And then they stop standing with their wings held away from their bodies, and their beaks open. It's good. And, really, SO adorable.

4. I'm not ready!

5. My garden isn't started!

6. Farewell to spring (the flower, a.k.a. Clarkia spp.) is on OUR PROPERTY! Spring is OVER! =(

7. I need cooler clothes. Jeans are WAY too hot. And I never shop. Hm.

Anyhow, we didn't make it to Yosemite Valley Sunday.

Had some required chores 1st thing and by the time we would have left, it would have been Major Zoo, so skipped. I'm thinking I'll try to get there this week some time M-F so it'll be quiet. Might need to bring my swimsuit in case it's bakey.

I'm also thinking of taking up biking 'cause it generates a breeze and is different and fun, so maybe I'll see if I can get my bike a tune up (and new tire) and bike my buns around the valley.

Okay. So, I am now vowing to YOU to get the YARTS bus schedule so that I can take public transportation to the park this summer, also bringing my bike if possible. How cool would that be? And of course my camera for y'all =). And $$ for the world's largest iced tea.

Got (as in bought) my Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book (Hertzberg and Francois, St. Martin's Press) and I'm psyched to try it.

A wee bit warm for baking, but why not? Life's too short to adhere to seasonal styles if they don't suit you. =) Just so long as it doesn't mean you're taking the planet down with you (as in eating blueberries from another hemisphere...). Actually, talked with a friend re: you wanna bake bread when it's cold, but it rises better when it's warm. So, there ya go.

To show you that I am actually serious, here's what I bought today, and I'd not even HEARD of it until I read it in my new book yesterday. =) More yeast experiments coming up!

Okay, is it me, or does Bob's Red Mill rock hard, or what? They have the coolest stuff, sometimes fairly uncommon ingredients that I suspect would otherwise NOT be locally available to me in the sticks, so even we hillbillies can bake cool stuff. AWEsome.

And their Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal (which happens to be gluten free) is AMAZING. Honestly. YUM. (I assume you'd guess but this blog is SO not underwritten. Mostly powered by enthusiasm and chattiness.)

So, how's that for your random update?

=) bb

P.S. Are there any summer (or winter for you down southers) traditions you've already busted out for the season? What are they? Any you're looking forward to?
P.P.S. We may go to "the east side" this weekend (Mono Lake and vicinity). Hoping!! (that's a summer tradition I adore!)

wandering Yosemite valley

  
My reward for going to the dentist (aside from dental health, which I dearly value): kicking around the valley for a few minutes.

Trail behind Yosemite lodge, that goes to the Merced River.

Cold, quiet river hit.

Spring is coming (and in this case looks like a dog's paw)...

View through my sunroof. El Capitan, for those who don't know.

View from my favorite parking lot on the planet. Merced at feet, Bridal Veil fall in view.

Yeah, it's okay. If you like that sort of thing....

Parking lot attendants, showing one of the benefits of being paired up--mutual grooming. Feels good and good for you. Gives your mate a cute hairdo.

And then you have someone to enjoy the view with.

the biobabbler