You can't see the forest...

...for the trees!!! On Thursday, we drove to Arcata, CA to visit friends Mary and Earl Biehn. 'so much beautiful scenery on the way to this Northern California town (Arcata is 7 miles north of Eureka).

The most spectacular sight of all was the redwood forest located on the Biehn property. Earl and Mary showed the way through the dense 140+ acre woods where we saw countless redwoods -some as high as 300 feet and some with trunks up to 15 feet in diameter.

Mary and Earl (the West Coast version of Doris & Smitty) are wonderful hosts -great food, drink, and laughter (Earl, John: "That reminds me of a joke...").

We drove back home on Saturday with a lunch stop at one of our favorite places: the Sundial Bridge in Redding (see May 12, 2009 post).

=-)

♫♪ Brush up your Shakespeare ♫♪

Sunday, August 15, 2010. A trip to Sparks then over Mt Rose to Lake Tahoe with John and Shelly.

Shelly prepared a delicious picnic, after which we enjoyed one of the most hilarious shows ever. Not only was the show itself great, but it was refreshing to be among a bunch of (mostly) adults shrieking with laughter.

We had an uneventful -but beautiful- drive home on Monday. Whenever we go out or back I-80 to/from Reno/Sparks/Tahoe, we always take the old Donner Road. If you are not familiar with this road, TAKE IT the next time you are in the area. It provides one of the more spectacular vistas in the world!

Sticks & Stones

...will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.
But, a fall to the garage floor, twisting one's ankle under the car
door will hurt me -and in this case did break my fibula near the ankle
bone.

I had my choice of about 8 colors for the cast, so I chose Charger Blue. The "Bolt" was added today by a clever artist.

And...

...if you've been paying attention the TV commercials lately, you have heard that 2 out of 3 people over the age of 60 will fall this year. So, seeing that Jossy also had a fall earlier this year -falling on her butt during that treacherous hike to Manoa Falls in Hawaii (hurting only her pride)- you realize that there is 1 sexagenarian out there that is off the hook for the remainder of 2010...

;-)

Ice Cream...

...on a hot summer day, at a picnic table (mostly) in the shade at the confluence of two beautiful, clear, cold rivers in the Sierras.

What a great way to spend a summer day!

Downieville is at the confluence of the Middle Fork of the Yuba and Downie Rivers in Downieville, CA -about a 70-mile drive north of I-80 on historic Route 49.

The drive there is breathtakingly beautiful. The town is small and quaint and rich in Gold Rush Era history. The folks we met there are as friendly and fun as their icecream scoops are big! The single scoop shown above had already been worked on for several minutes...negating the need for any lunch today!!!
;-)

Serendipity

;-)
Go for the falls, stay for the river...

On Tuesday, we set out early to find Rush Creek Falls -near the Yuba River just north of Nevada City- about 40 miles from here.
Before finding the trail to the falls, we came upon the beautiful sight of the Yuba River flowing under the two bridges shown in the video.

I continue to be amazed at the number of beautiful vistas so close to home in Northern California. We hadn't even found yet what we had come to see, and suddenly here before us was this beautiful river with rapids and crystal-clear water! With a little help from a gold prospector (yes, in the year 2010!) we located the parking area at the trail head to Rush Creek Falls. We had to literally duck under State Route 49 (the people tunnel was about 5' high) to get to the trail. One mile later, on a woodsy, hard-packed, level trail we came upon the falls -cascading down the mountain amid foliage so thick it was impossible to see the complete falls from one angle. For the first time in our waterfalls quest, we found one which requires primarily storing the image away in our memory, as photographs and videos just don't do it justice. Yes, we did take pictures and here is the best one:

Waimea Falls, Oahu, HI

Waimea Falls is located near the North Coast of Oahu. To get there, we traveled through the Rain Forest, then up the East Coast where we saw many beautiful sandy beaches right next to the highway. We stopped for a while to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. By the time we arrived at the parking lot and visitor center at Waimea, we were pretty tired and our feet plenty sore (flip-flops: NOT a good idea). Luckily, unlike Manoa Falls, here we were able to take a little shuttle to and from the falls. The drivers of this little 7-passenger vehicle were very personable and stopped to point out interesting plants and birds along the way.

Here is another view of the falls, with more of the park visible.

Manoa Falls, Oahu, HI

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Monoa Falls is only about 5 miles from downtown Honolulu, but it might as well be a thousand miles away. After finding the parking lot at the base of the trail, one must hike about a mile up a muddy (it's in a rain forest) jungle trail. Here is a short video of the 100-foot falls.

;-)
Getting there by foot is the fun part. At the parking lot, you are offered a free (after the $5 parking fee) walking stick. Hint: Take it! And, also, wear good hiking shoes. Flip-flops will not cut it!
;-)
Here is the intrepid Jossy picking and choosing her next step up the muddy incline...

=-(
And now, me carefully descending from the falls area.

:-} =-)
We returned to the Hale Koa muddy, tired, but happy.
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For a realistic effect, try playing all three videos at the same time!
__

Hawaii -mo' pix

That's my head blocking the view of Diamond Head. We are out in our rented, 2-person paddle boat -just like at Doris & Smitty's --only a bigger pond...

Oahu, Hawaii "Vacation"

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Waikiki Beach & Deamond Head.


The Hale Koa Hotel.

The Arizona Memorial. (click to enlarge)

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We were the exception this time. When people fly into Honolulu, Oahu, HI, they are often asked: "Which island are you headed to?" Our destination: Oahu. Our main objective was to visit the Arizona Memorial on this Memorial Weekend. We accomplished that and our other objectives such as seeing the Rain Forest, East and North Coast beaches, the Polynesian Cultural Center, beautiful water falls, and, of course, just lounging and "people watching" on Waikiki beach.
=-o
We had a wonderful stay at the Hale Koa, about 100 yards off the beach -separated only by a lovely grass and tree-filled park. We have reason to believe that the Hale Koa -operated by and for the military- is the very best hotel in all of Hawaii.
:-)
more photos to follow...

Hidden Falls

(click each photo to enlarge)

Hidden Falls is located in the Hidden Falls Regional Park in Placer County, between Auburn and Lincoln, California. To get there we had to drive about 5 miles on a country road, park, and hike about 1-1/2 miles to the falls. It is a pretty strenuous hike, but we took our time and made it OK -tired but worth it. The trails are wooded with lots of wildlife. As a matter of fact, a wild turkey (the bird -not the drink) led us part of the way to and from the falls!

;-)

Recently, Placer County unveiled a new observation deck that gives hikers an up-close view of the spectacular 30-foot waterfall.

;-)

Hidden Falls is a "year-around" falls, but is most spectacular in the Spring.

Waterfalls 2010

After seeing Devils Falls last November, we decided to visit more of them in Northern California during the spring of 2010 when they would be at their height of flow.

:

Yesterday, after hearing how spectacular were the falls and the wildflowers along the American River tributaries, we decided to return to Devils Falls as we promised ourselves to do "next April" (for a background on the falls along the American River, see the November 5, 2009 post).

:

Comparing the 2 photos, you can see the big increase in volume! But wait! There's more! Serendipity...this time we saw at least a half dozen falls which were not present last November; no wonder, because of the heavy Winter snowfall this year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

:

This time we continued on Yankee Jim's Road to Foresthill -a little longer on our return home, but well worth it for all the new vistas!

:-)

Easter 2010 (cont'd) "Adoration"

The preceeding post was about Easter without photos -text only. Here is a photo taken on Easter Sunday that needs only a title to say it all.
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Adoration

Happy Easter 2010

This year, Jossy hosted an Easter dinner at her home. There is no photo because sister Penny and daughter Shelly are the only ones that took any pictures and we haven't seen any yet. So, close your eyes and envision a cold, rainy, blustery day with a bunch of friendly people huddled inside a warm, cozy home.
;
Entertainment was provided by 3-1/2 year old Sami Kono. Heather was there but Ben had to return to NY to recover a damaged apartment from a plumbing-related flood. Others enjoying the day were Barbara, Lee, and Kyleigh; Shelly, John, and Tommy; Bob and Penny; and of course Jossy & I.
;
The guys, led by John Whitehead, ventured out onto the West deck to do the BBQ.
;
Everyone enjoyed a great dinner of ham, BBQ chicken and all the trimmings -followed by fresh strawberries covered with real whipped cream.
;
John Whitehead had to leave early to get over the Sierras before the worst of the snowstorm.

Oh, What a Night!

When we saw Jersey Boys, it made us want to see Frankie Valli in person.

Now that we've seen Frankie Valli in person, it makes us want to see Jersey Boys again!

After a great dinner in downtown Reno,
Jossy, John & Shelly Whitehead, and I went to see this great show.

It was all we expected and more!

Let's hear it for the seventy-something crowd!!!

Mo' pix...

We took a few photos in and around Doris & Smitty's home. Most don't need captions or explanation. Here are a few.
;-)
There are many ponds in the communities in the Tampa Bay area. The Smiths live on one of them -about 2 dozen houses around this one. Many birds are drawn to them.
;-)
We saw lots of Wood Storks and Egrets. Also viewed (but not photographed) was an Eagle and many, many ducks and seagulls.
:-)


Enjoying the Florida Sunshine.

Special guests at a performance by Clark and Cindy at a retirement center.

Wood Stork awaiting a handout.

Egret.

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We are accustomed to Egrets in Northern California, but this is the first time we ever saw a Wood Stork up close and personal. They are beautiful in flight -but are rather ugly (you be the judge) standing around and waiting to be fed.

(;-)

63 Years later...

...and they're still bossing me around!

Its "Do this...do that...get dressed...eat all of your vegetables..."

The last time we all lived under the same roof was in 1946. Last week we all came together for the greatest amount of time spent together in over six decades -and it was wonderful. Music, stories, and reminiscing. Our week in Florida with Doris, Smitty, Norma, Clark and Cindy turned out great.

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The only reason for returning to California was to get warm.

;-)