Big tree


Here’s a very large tree in Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  Where else would you go to find big trees?  It’s really hard to photograph them in a way that shows their true scale.  This work of Great Art did not achieve that.  Part of my famous Camping series.  Also part of my brand-new famous Vacation series.

I decided I needed a new series because we’ve started taking non-camping vacations, and I think there are more of those to come.  We might just get out of the camping business.  I think we’d still like to visit beautiful nature-filled locales, but we might start staying in cabins, lodges, and other such places.  In the long run, it will probably be less expensive than maintaining, licensing, and storing the trailer, not to mention to cost of hauling it around.  The Suburban certainly never gets into double-digit fuel economy when we’re pulling that thing.  Plus, we think we just want to do other things for now.  Time will tell.

Had a nice time at the Grand Canyon with the extended family.  The train ride was fun.  Sadly, they discontinued the steam locomotives sometime in the past couple of years, so it wasn’t nearly as much fun as it could have been.  They’re being “green” these days.  Pity, that.  The weather was mildly uncooperative – it was sunny and hot the first day in the park and drizzly and cool the second day.  I think we would all have preferred sunny and cool both days, but it was not to be, alas.  Also, LRN4 mentioned that the Grand Canyon is kind of like the coast of Maine – once you’ve seen it from one vantage point, it’s pretty much the same everywhere else.  Still, the most fun was being with family.

Maybe the canyon looks different from the bottom.  It might be fun to find that out one of these days.  We could either ride the donkeys down or go down the river on a raft.  Or maybe even take a helicopter ride.  One of these days.  Maybe.  Or not.

Anyway.  We had a nice time and it’s good to be back home again.

Speaking of the extended family, I have two new Loyal Readers!  Have a look over there on the right, and help me welcome Christy and Candy, Loyal Readers Numbers 28 and 29, respectively.  It’s great to have you with us LRN28 and LRN29!

Put a new battery in the Suburban this afternoon.  I don’t remember whether I already mentioned it, but its battery died just before we left for Arizona.  LRN2 and I jump-started it to get it onto the driveway the morning we left, and he and LRN4 bought a new battery this afternoon.  Installation was pretty simple, of course.  I also took the liberty of unplugging the lights on the sun visors – both of them have suffered broken mirror covers, leaving them susceptible to burning down the battery without us really knowing it.  It was a fairly simple matter to unscrew three screws each and unplug their wires.  I don’t think I’ll replace the visors at this time.  Although I absolutely hate to watch the truck deteriorate.  Which it’s doing – the driver’s seat heater isn’t working and needs an $800 repair and a few of the dashboard lights have burned out (easy to fix – just never have gotten around to it yet).  And a couple of the little knobs on the radio have split.  And now the sun visors.  Sigh.  It’s turning into a junker right before my eyes.

Anyway.  Nothing much else going on around here.  LRN2 and LRN4 went nuclear in our battle with the moths today – they lit off a bug bomb.  We found another moth in the family room this evening, so the effectiveness of the tactic is in question.  Double sigh.  We’ve got to win this battle at all costs.  We will fight them in the family room.  We will fight them in the pantry.  We will never surrender.  All I have to offer is blood, sweat, tears, and insecticide.  This will be our finest hour!

And I’ll leave my Loyal Readers with this exciting Morrowlife employment opportunity: Monkey-annoyance expert!

See you tomorrow.

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