Buoy Fun

Stacked!

Mix TNDC with 500 buoys and you are bound to have fun!  We had lots of helpers so a lot of work was getting done. 

With all that work came a huge pile of buoys that people kept getting pushed into!  Sort of like an episode of Wipe Out.

And then who could resist putting them under your shirt to see what you might look like if you had a "buoy job".

And the buoys came in huge boxes that Amanda kept hiding in and jumping out at Drew.  Scared him every time!

Amanda's turn to be pushed into the buoy pile

Big Dan and Deputy Doug

Still have about three boxes to go

Kody has perfect form

The support staff

Football Update

G had her second flag football game yesterday and played all but two plays.  She missed those two places because someone's head hit her thigh and gave her a "dead leg".   It took a couple plays to shake it off.  But then she was back in and made some awesome plays including a safety for 2 points and a tipped ball!

They lost the game but gave a good fight.

She spent the evening on the couch icing her thigh and then ended the night with a warm bath to loosen up the muscle!

This morning she woke up and the first thing she said is, "Ohhhh I am sore!"

500 Buoys

This is what 500 buoys look like in boxes

Yesterday we received an order of 500 buoys!  Next step was to tie them and brand them.  Doug Walker made the brand and it worked great!  Jim and Dan tied the buoys and Drew branded each one.  It took a couple hours to get 30 of them done!  I hope the speed picks up with the experience.

The next step is to hook the loop end of each buoy to a hitch on a truck and pull the knots tight.  This is going to be a long process!

Tying them up

Getting the brand hot

Branding each buoy

Finished product

All done

No limitations

I have a dear friend, Missy, who I respect for many reasons:  her positive attitude, her excellent parenting of two amazing daughters and her ability to focus on what is important.  So when I got the message below from her, it was very, very meaningful.

From Missy:

 

 "Just saw the pictures on your blog with Gracie playing football. Jim and Roy must be beaming from ear to ear (of course not to mention you and everyone else). What a truly amazing daughter you and Jim have raised. There are no boundaries or ceilings in her world and that is because she was raised without limitations or bias imposed on her. Her confidence, courage, and vision to do anything she wants is truly a gift. What an inspiration to everyone around her regardless of age and gender."

This message made me cry - and for those of you who know me, that is saying something.  I have worked for the last 14 years to raise Grace just as Missy described, but I have never so precisely verbalized my goal.  I had merely stated my goal as to raise "a strong, kick ass girl".  Missy said it much better and I will be forever grateful for that!  Thanks Missy for taking the time to notice and for saying something.  Love you!

And...cheers to kick ass girl power!

Number 76

Leaving her guy in the dust

Today was Grace's first day playing football.  She played defensive end and tore it up on the field.  I felt sorry for the boys she beat up and left in the dust.

Back pedaling

Chalk talk

Lining up

Making the block!

In the huddle

Aspen Valley and Rim Fire

Jim's Aunt and Uncle own a cabin in Aspen Valley which is in the middle of Yosemite.  And by own, I mean that years ago, a family member homesteaded the area before it was Yosemite!  And the cabin has been passed down thru the generations.  It is super unique because Aspen Valley is the only private homes in all of Yosemite.  Aspen Valley is a beautiful meadow that is very remote and contains about 12 cabins that were also homesteaded and passed down thru families.

The Rim Fire headed right towards Aspen Valley and we were worried about their cabin.  I checked in with them and this is the report I received:


"Then-n-n, unbelievably the fire swept up to Yosemite--and eventually right over Aspen Valley. Our cousin, Kevin, a retired Fire Chief, several other fire chiefs that hold property at Aspen forced a meeting with Cal Fire. They had to let Cal Fire know that Aspen Valley was in Tuoulumne County, not Yosemite NP, and Cal Fire had responsibility. 

Fortunately, they responded and a joint effort included spraying all cabins and decks with fire retardant and starting three "burn outs" (back-fires to us) on East, North and West sides (covers everything as South side is the tip of a triangle). Kevin managed to get into Evergreen Rd, and he walked 9 miles into Aspen one morning after staying at our Pine Mtn. House. He found out that all cabins survived unburned. 

On the way he had to cross 15 downed logs that were burning on the road. The road is still closed as they didn't burn-out along its whole length. I guess they got crews and a bull-dozer in by helicopter! The fire East took off to Long Gulch (in 3 minutes) and East Meadow in 30 minutes. I think they are encouraging the remaining fire to burn to a line between the end of Hetch Hetchy Resorvoir (Smith Peak) through Harden Lake to White Wolf. That is very slow now, according to daily maps."

Soccer Mojo

Grace had her first league game with her new soccer team this past weekend and she totally had her soccer mojo on.  With less than a minute in the game, the score was tied and Grace got a break away.  She sprinted down the middle of the field with her ultra long limbs, totally keeping control of the ball the whole way, constantly checking the location of the goalie and the player on her back and took a very controlled shot into the corner of the goal....scoring the winning goal!

It was like something out of a movie!

So fun to watch and she was fired up. 

Crab Slogan Survey

Make sure you take the crab slogan survey.  Survey will be open til the weekend....or until I otherwise decide!
 
Crab Slogan Survey

Cherry Lake - Rim Fire Video

Here is a quick preview of what Cherry might look like now.

Cherry Lake Video

I was hesitant to watch it and after I finally worked up the courage, I am left with indifferent feelings: 

Is it devastated?  I am not sure. 
Are there areas that were saved?  I am not sure.
Is there still beauty left?  I am not sure.
Is it still magical....it HAS to be!

Crabbing Slogan Contest

Announcing a contest to develop a slogan for the new boat and crabbing business! 

There are no prizes and by entering, you give up all rights to the slogan and any future use of it.  But if you live in the area or come by for a visit during crab season, you will likely be paid in fresh crab.

Send me your suggestions and if I get enough worthy slogans I will open it up for a vote on my blog.  So put on your creative hats!

Here are some facts to help you:

• The boat is called the Golden Girl
• Captain Dan will pilot the boat
• Jim and Denny will be deck hands...or Chief Crabbing Officers (CCO)
• Boat will fish out of Half Moon Bay
• Crab will by its main product

So far the main contender is:

The Golden Girl - Crusty, Busty and Oh So Trusty

First Delivery

When I got home from work last nite, there was a lot of commotion because the guys were waiting for the first delivery of crabbing equipment.  This was a delivery of 65 spools of rope, which equals about 3200 pounds!

The delivery guy apparently showed up earlier in the day when no one was home (he failed to call first) and our very kind neighbor, Butch, asked if he could sign for the delivery!  As nice as that was, it was not possible because he couldn't just leave the rope on the street until we got home.

We have 3 more big deliveries, so stay tuned!

It is all VERY exciting.

Time to move to the backyard

Positive Words

I have been thinking a lot lately about positive speaking. You know....the old adage, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all"?

It is not always easy to do.

• You might see someone dressed really bad and want to say....what a train wreck.

 

• You might see someone driving like a jerk and want to say...what a dumb ass.

 

• You might hear of someone going on vacation to a location you don't like and want to say....I hate Mexico (insert name of location you are not fond of here).

What I find is that when you say negative words like "train wreck", "dumb ass", "hate", they have an adverse effect on you and the people around you.  And I would argue that words like that have an adverse effect on the world.

I am trying to make it a point to use more positive speech because I feel that it has a positive impact on me and the people around me.   It goes along with my belief of putting positive out in the world as much as possible.  Negative brings us all down.

This must be an idea that humans have struggled with for eons because these are some old proverbs that address this idea:

"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint." 

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords"

Rim Fire Current Facts

Here are the latest facts released by Incident Command:
Rim Fire: Day 17
Acreage: 235,841
Square miles: 371
Largest wildfire in the United States to date in 2013
(Second largest to date in 2013: Lime Hills Fire, Alaska 201,809 acres)
No. 1-ranked on national wild land firefighting priority list
Fourth largest California wildfire in historical records dating to 1932
(The four largest California wildfires have all occurred since 2003)
Personnel currently on incident: 4,185
States that have sent firefighters or other personnel: 44 and the District of Columbia
Cal Fire geographical units that have sent personnel: 20 of 21
Inmate personnel from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: 746
Proportion of inmate personnel working on the fire: 17.1 percent
Completed containment line: 110.7 miles
Completed dozer line: 149.7 miles
Hand line: 9.3 miles
Road Used as Line: 19.9 miles
Total acres burned in California to date in 2013:
493,627
Rim Fire acres as a proportion of burned acres in California:
47.8 percent
Total aviation hours: 1,543
Water dropped: 2.0 million gallons
Fire retardant dropped: 2.3 million gallons
Acreage in Yosemite National Park: 66,155
Proportion of the fire burning in Yosemite National Park: 28 percent
Proportion of Yosemite National Park within the fire perimeter: 8.7 percent
Size of the fire area:
More than five times the size of Washington, D.C.
Hot meals served:
Breakfasts: 45,133 Dinners: 41,558
Pounds of firefighter laundry washed:
14,148.3
Origin of Rim Fire name: The fire started near a scenic overlook in Stanislaus National Forest called "Rim of the World"

Captain Dan and the Golden Girl

After months of drama, Jim and his buddies have closed the deal on a boat, are ordering  all needed equipment....and are officially crab fisherman!   Well, the season doesn't open til November but they are starting all the work now.

This is the new boat, the Golden Girl - AKA their Old Lady!

Swing by our house in the next month and you will see a backyard full of 150 crab pots, rope hanging from trees, spools and spools of rope, big spot lights hanging out of windows and lighting up the whole back yard and other crazy stuff! 

Stay tuned for more on this adventure.

Rim Fire Update

Things are looking really good for the Rim Fire - it is 80% contained and they are releasing fire fighters.  Next step for us is to make a run out to Cherry when it opens up.  We had heard that 120 might be open in a week or so but that was unofficial scuttlebutt at the Country Club.

Wrong Purple Bus Update

I saw the lady who got on the wrong bus yesterday morning get off another bus last nite - so I am confident that she made it to work yesterday.....or she went somewhere else and spent the day there!

Purple Bus

I got on the giant purple bus this morning.  

Got all settled in. 

The driver started pulling away. 

And some woman on the back of the bus got up and ran to the front of the bus saying...."I have got to get off the bus."  I figured maybe she got some kind of emergency phone call.

NOPE!  She was on the wrong bus - she was not an employee! 

How do you accidentally get on a giant purple bus?!?!?!  I was giggling!

Rim Fire Update

We went to check out fire damage yesterday afternoon once the smoke lifted and what a difference that made!  When we looked in the morning, you could only see about the length of a football field or two.  In the afternoon you could see all the devastation for miles!

At nite, we went to the country club where you could actually see flames on the ridges near Pilot's Peak!  That was so cool.  We tried to get pics but you really couldn't see it on a camera - but in person it was one of the top 10 coolest things I have ever seen in nature!

The fire is currently 222, 777 acres, has 5,115 fire personnel and is the fourth largest fire in California history.  And the estimated containment date is Sep 20!

Across the canyon is the road down to the river

Add caption

The little mound of dirt at the bottom of this pic still had smoldering areas with smoke!

We saw a bunch of these - this is where a tree root burned all the way into the ground.

Found!

Just an FYI in case you were wondering....I found Fran!  She emailed me and all is well.  Whew!  I don't like losing track of friends!

Stache's in Nature

How funny is it that our tree face has grown a cob web mustache?

Always Kiss Me Good Nite

There is a famous saying, "always kiss me good nite".   I don't think they were picturing me kissing Ahi good nite when they came up with it!  I went to go to bed last nite and Ahi was sleeping in my spot.  So I snuggled up and gave her a kiss.  If anyone else did this to her, she would growl at them. 

Tug o' War

It was too smokey to go for a hike this morning so the dogs had to find a way to entertain themselves.

Aftermath - Rim Fire

There is still tons of smoke at the cabin, which did not blow off until around noon time.

We went up to Tuoloumne Trails to check out the fire damage and were able to drive and walk thru the area that burned.  It was super cool to see.  We parked the truck and hiked thru the burned area.  We could see holes where the manzanita roots burned right into the ground.

When we went back to get the truck, Tina and Marty ran into a Forest Service guy, who told them they really shouldn't be there but he wouldn't tell anyone.....so went went farther down the trail!

We will go back later this afternoon after the smoke lifts in that area to get a better view across the canyon!

Again....why we can't have a nice rig!

The thick smoke makes it hard to see the damage across the canyon, but that hill used to be covered with trees

The dogs were hot and tired

Woot!

Grace made the 8th grade football team.  Only girl and beat out 20 boys!  She is a beast.

BUT - you never would have know when she went off to school this morning in skinny jeans, a lace top and cowboy boots.  She is 6 feet tall in the boots and looks like a model with her looooong legs!

Rats!

Went out into the garage today to get in my mini to go to work and a GIANT rat ran under my mini!!!!  Closed the door and took the Tahoe instead!

Moustache Question

Marty has a new TNDC shirt!

TNDC Big Kids

Last nite, I made the big kids stop their stupid kid tricks long enough to snap this picture of the goofy group!  What an awesome bunch of kids!

TNDC - Stupid Kid Tricks

The kids spent TNDC this week doing stupid tricks.  These are videos of some of the tricks they tried.  The last thing I saw them doing were cartwheels in the front yard.

Fran.....are you out there?

NSC Fran - if you still read my blog, email me or post a message on this blog (the message only goes to me).  I have been trying to find an email for you and can't find anyone who has it.

Rim Fire T-shirt

Here is the t-shirt that some local Groveland folks made to sell and use the revenue to donate to the recovery from the fire.  I think we will all be sporting them!

Football

Guess who is the only girl trying out for football in the 8th grade?

Stay tuned to see if she made the team.  We should find out at the end of the week.

Yosemite Big Trees

Sprinklers are placed around the perimeter of the Merced and Tuolumne Groves of Giant Sequoias in an effort to protect the big trees should the wildfire advance on the groves.

Rim Fire

Here is a pic that was just tweeted by CalFire.  Please say a little prayer that we have no serious injuries or fatalities.  For the size and fierceness of this fire, it has been incredibly safely fought. 

Camp Tuolumne Trails

Here are some amazing pics taking from Camp Tuolumne Trails during the fire.  They are so fortunate that they only lost food from the power outage.

This is sooooo scary!

Rim Fire Perspective

This is a great map that shows the size of the Rim Fire compared to other fires in the area.

Rim Fire Update

Guardraile on Highway 120

Now the 15th largest fire in California history and bigger than the Complex Fire from 1987.  Quickly climbing to be the 12th largest fire.  Lost Berkley Camp yesterday which is an area where we geocache.  And reportedly hit Hardin Flat Road pretty heavy and that is where we sled.

Sign on Cherry Lake Road

Perimeter as of today

Rim of the World overlook

End of Sabbatical

A homemade red velvet cake to celebrate the end of my sabbatical.  The cream cheese frosting is amazing!  Have not tasted the cake yet. 

Reflection

On my last day of sabbatical, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on my time off of work.  My time off was a real gift - it allowed me to do things that I have been wanting to do for a long time and it allowed me to spend a lot if time with my family and my dogs.  In reflecting back over the last two months, this is what I learned:

1.  I really like my job and the people I work with - I missed them and the work.  I feel very fortunate that I feel this way.

2.  I feel very fortunate that I have a good job with a good company and although sometimes there is politics and drama - I am so fortunate.

3.  Life needs to be put into perspective - every day - all the time.  Seriously -- don't sweat the small stuff.  If they are out of your favorite bagel at the bagel shop, there is no reason to swear and stomp away.  Really....not having the right bagel is not life threatening to anyone....get a grip and choose a different bagel.  Heck -- maybe you will find out you like it better.

4.  Be flexible.  Being flexible doesn't mean you are giving up power and letting someone else get away with something.  Being flexible is kind and allows you new experiences.

5.  Surround yourself with people who provide you with energy, joy,  love, and happiness.  If the people you hang out with don't do that, there are many others who will -- focus your energy there.

6.  My husband is awesome.  He just really is.  He is also goofy and dorky....but that is part of the awesomeness.  I am a lucky wife.

7.  I LOVED spending time with Grace this summer.  She has inherited Jim's awesomeness in so many ways.  When I imagined having a daughter when she was born, what she has become is so much better than what I imagined she would be like.  And she just gets better and better.

8.  I have loved having the time to spend with Drew and his wonderful group of friends.  I see the people that he chooses to surround himself with and I see that he has mastered #5 above....and how awesome is that?!?!?

9.  Spending time with your old doggie doing things that you both love is priceless.  And it's even nice with the little wiener side kick!

I am truly blessed to have had this experience to take some time off to recharge my soul, my mind and my body. 

Now....off to work I go.  I am ready and looking forward to it.

Smart Dog

Look how smart Daisy looks in my reading glasses.  She is reading dogshaming.com - which is hilarious if you have never seen it - always makes me laugh out loud!

A couple updates on Daisy Mae:

She turns 10 next weekend!

I have had 3 people ask if she was a Dalmatian since I painted spots on her.   And one woman came out of her house to ask me if she was a Dalmation/Lab mix!

I took her on a 5 mile hike this morning and at 10 years old, that really poops her out - she spent the rest of the day snoozing!