Sweetpea Manor Musings

We got home late on Wednesday night. The boys ran out as we came in. Abby ran away from me, but within 30 minutes was plopped down on my lap, making biscuits and purring her secret little purr that you can only feel, not hear. She actually missed us! Not her servants or her roommates, but she missed her mummies that she loves! And she has been much more affectionate and relaxed around us. :)

Brindle also is very affectionate. Buddy seemed annoyed with us, upset. He did go to bed with me, but settled down at my feet. At some point during the night, he apparently forgave me and curled up in my arms for some cuddling and pattycake face (he likes to pat my face, headbutt it and stare deeply into my eyes.)

And since we've been home, lots of chores. And back to the grind tomorrow night.

Yosemite was wonderful. Cool and crisp, and smelling like Christmas and mulch. Beautiful colors, too. The forest was shadowy dark but the dogwoods were pink/yellow or bright yellow and brightened up the woods considerably. It rained most of Tuesday but that was relaxing, too. The falls had water in them, and in the morning the cliff sides were dusted with ice and snow. Tuesday night we drove to Tunnel View (or Inspiration Point) and parked. We watched the clouds coil and swirl around the cliffs, El Capitan in particular, and how the light from the setting sun provided dramatic and surprising effects. There was one brief moment when the last rays from the sun found a peep hole in the clouds. A small circle of rose lite the side of El Capitan while the clouds hovered at the top, giving the granite a circlet of whitish blue clouds. It only last a few seconds, so no photo. But you could easily imagine that that's where the mountain's heart is.


The drive home was stately with delays due to road works but as that gave us even more time to appreciate the forest and the views, it was all good. Then we stopped at a rock shop in Oakhurst and I found Mom a nice opal for Christmas.

Now it warmish and dry, and very clear. It's good to go away, but it's awfully nice to be home again. :)

Oh, I almost forgot. While we were driving around the valley floor, I pulled over near the bend in the river, looked down...and realized that I was looking at a naked man, posing, probably for a photographer I couldn't seen. This guy was covered in tattoos and had bits that glinted with metal piercings. Huh. I snapped a couple of photos and sped off, laughing with Mom. It was really too cold for stuff like that!

Probably in the most photographed place on Earth.
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And a selection of photos from our first day in Yosemite is here:

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y98/kelpster/Yosemite%20Nov%2009/