Monday, January 9, 2012

Vacation Inspiration

I am SO excited! We just booked a spring vacation in Yosemite. I estimate that it has probably been at least 15 years since we've visited the most awesome national park in California. Even better, we will be accompanied by a close friend whose never been there.

We have some fond memories of YNP over the years but this time I am looking forward to gathering inspiration for paintings. The first time we went was when our daughter Karin was about two. We camped just below El Capitan and that night Karin accidentally touched the top shade of the propane lantern and burned her tiny hand. I say accidentally but two-year olds are curious so obviously it was our fault for not being more cautious. Bad parenting! The park was dead quiet but for the howling of a toddler. We took her to the "hospital" in the park and they told us all we could do was put ice water on it. So all night we held her tiny hand in a stainless sierra cup filled with cold water. In the morning she was fine and acted as if nothing had happened. Crises averted!

That same morning we woke to voices of camp neighbors preparing to climb El Capitan which for those unfamiliar is a sheer vertical rock face rising to a majestic 3,000 feet above the valley floor. The acoustics in the valley are such that you can occasionally hear people on the rock but when you look all you see are tiny specs moving up or down or swinging from their sleeping apparatus stuck to the side of the granite monolith.

I can't wait to see everything again and feel that sense of awe when we come out of the tunnel at Inspiration Point and the whole valley is spread out before your eyes. It is going to be awesome!

Hurry end of April!


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