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Journal
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Sunday, July 30, 2006 Not only is it close to 100 out, but a storm came through this morning and kicked up some wind on the terrace causing some wind damage to the tomato plants. One of the taller/heavier limbs containing several promising tomatoes broke off. Harumph. I've was holed up all weekend trudging away on work stuff (and not the fun kind)- have left the building once since Thursday so this was actually quite exciting and blog-worthy. ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Saturday, July 22, 2006 Sunrise and weather front coming through 
Comments Thursday, July 20, 2006 Reason to work at home... ) Reason to go to work... ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Monday, July 17, 2006 Plant update: tomatoes galore ) ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Sunday, July 16, 2006 Yesterday we packed up the cameras, stocked a cooler, and headed to the suburbs for some nature. We learned of the destination, Peck Farm Park in Geneva, because Nikon uses it for nature photography workshops.  There were lots of wildflowers, a photogenic red barn, and nice trails that we would have spent more time on had it not been close to 100 degrees and HUMID. They also have a butterfly house, which once you get used to them and are able to fight the urge to swat them away from you and watch where you step, was very cool.   
Comments Saturday, July 08, 2006 Another red pin on the travel map - our pictures from Yosemite are now online. Comments Thursday, July 06, 2006 We returned to Chicago to find several new tomatoes on the wildly overgrown terrace! ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Tuesday, July 04, 2006 Tonight we went to downtown San Jose to watch the fireworks with about 50,000 other people. We took the light rail, which runs from right in front of the hotel to the park where the festivities were - quite convenient. Happy Fourth! 
Comments Today was another marathon. We checked out of the hotel early, had another good breakfast at Katie's (including a patriotic flag in our hashbrowns), and headed out of Oakhurst. Three hours later we were in Monterey. We walked along the waterfront a bit and then had lunch at El Torito. Our table couldn't have had a better view - we spent the whole time spotting seals swimming in the kelpy but super clear and calm water. After lunch we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium - highlights included the kelp forest exhibit, the sea otter tank (where you could see them above and below the water), and a tank containing HUGE tuna and a weird looking sunfish. THEN, we drove through Pacific Grove and on the scenic 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach. The definite highlight of the 17-mile drive was one scenic overlook where we spotted at least 50 seals (some in the clear water, some one the rocks, and some on the beach) and dozens of sea otters floating on top of kelp a little farther out in the water. So so very very cool ! After a quick drive through the main part of Carmel, we drove to San Jose where we're spending the night before early flights tomorrow morning. Some cameraphone pictures from today... Breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen ) View from our table at El Torito on Cannery Row in Monterey Bay ) The waterfront on Cannery Row ) Kelp forest tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium ) Sea lion @ the Monterey Bay Aquarium ) Just kidding - that's a picture of one of their pictures. This is the one that I shot. ) Amazing view somewhere in Pebble Beach ) Cypress Point viewpoint on 17-mile drive ) ) ) "The Lone Cypress" at Pebble Beach ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Monday, July 03, 2006 Yesterday was jam-packed with national park fun. We spent the morning in Tuolumne Meadows and stopping at lost of viewpoints on the drive there and back. We also watched some climbers ascend El Capitan - a 3000 foot climb up a sheer face of granite - takes anywhere from 24 hours to a week or longer - and you think OUR vacations are nuts! We had a late lunch in the bar at the Ahwahnee, then visited the Maripose Grove of giant redwoods, and then went out to Glacier Point for sunset (which is at about 8 and we didn't get back to the lodge until after 9. Some cameraphone pictures... Tenaya Lake ) ) ) The view of Yosemite and El Capitan from the opposite side ) An un-named roadside waterfall we passed on the drive back ) Today we visited the remaining "must-see" spots in Yosemite Valley that we drove past on Saturday. We started at Yosemite Falls (less than 1 mile - easy hike), then went to Bridal Veil Falls (less than 1 mile - paved), and then went to Vernal Falls (about 2 miles, but pretty steep). We rewarded ourselves with a giant pizza for dinner tonight. Breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen ) Yosemite Falls ) Bottom of Bridal Veil Falls ) Merced (?) River with Nevada Falls in the background ) Looking up at Vernal Falls ) Looking down at the falls rushing into the river ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments Saturday, July 01, 2006 Greetings from Yosemite, CA We flew into San Jose last night - this airport is complete chaos and should be avoided at all costs. After picking up the rental car (an Escape), and checking in to our hotel near the airport, we headed out to find something to eat. The airport area must be a weird part of town because we drove around for about 15 minutes and only saw one - a Japanese tepakyaki place (think Beinhana). So we ate there and it was pretty darned good. ) ) ) This morning we woke up pretty early because of the time difference. We had breakfast in Los Banos (uh, wonder what the founding fathers of this city were thinking, need to look that one up), and we in Yosemite by 10:30. There was a bit of a wait to get into the park, but overall it doesn't seem too crowded. Way less crowded than the Grand Canyon. There are places to park at the major viewpoints, and the tram system also seems very efficient. We stayed in the park until about 5 and then headed back to our hotel (which has free internet access) in Oakhurst. This little town has about a dozen Mexican restaurants, and we tried the one that was the most crowded tonight. Yum! Here are some cameraphone pictures from our first day. Tunnel View ) Yosemite Falls and the Merced River ) ) Information Yurt ) View from Glacier Point ) Price of gas in Wawona ) Dinner in Oakhurst ) Taken with a Nokia 3650 Cameraphone - View all cameraphone pictures Comments
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 A picture every few days or so... 
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