This time-lapse photography (video) is worth a watch! If you've never been to Yosemite, it gives you a tour of the park, and an over-view of the highlights. Nothing does Yosemite justice, other than being in the middle of it, however, this is the next best thing!
Yosemite Range of Light - Shawn Reeder
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/yosemite-range-of-light-time-lapse/200lfn4w
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Life Changes...
I've missed a couple of weeks because - we, meaning my husband and I, have now entered that stage of our lives that we all (or most, anyway) wonder about with anticipation, and sometimes dread. What will happen when mom (or dad) has to move in? It just happened to us, and it has been an interesting, and actually somewhat pleasant, adventure.
Lon's mother, Ann, came to visit us for a month, with the idea of seeing if she might want to live with us, or near by in an assisted living facility. We all had a great time during that month, and discovered that she is great company, and still very full of life. There had been some question about that from certain other persons who will remain unnamed. At the end of the month, Ann decided, ultimately, that she wanted to go back home (to Los Angeles) for the time being, and see how she did by herself.
About a week later, she called us and said she was ready to come back to Phoenix and move in with us. We had expected we might get that call, but perhaps not quite that soon. Without going into the details, we weren't sure it was really her idea, but in the end, we went to L.A., helped her pack up her belongings from the 60+ years of possessions in her home, loaded up a trailer, and off we drove, across the desert, back to Phoenix.
We had interesting discussions on the way home - to her new home. She began the transition right away; she has been adapting pretty well, considering her age, and having lived in one place for a very long time. There are others that aren't doing so well with it, but that's another story for another day, and not our focus, or concern, other than the ill effect it might have on Ann. We shield her as best we can, and continue on the journey.
And, a journey it is. She loves the different landscape, and plant life in the desert. We have taken her on a couple of drives to show her the spring bloom in the desert, which she really enjoyed, along with some sights in Sedona. She is looking forward to a trip to Zion National Park on our way to summer out of the heat in North Idaho. She is also looking forward to her family visiting her in her new home, as they always have visited her in the past. Again, a new paradigm for some, and some who don't seem to make changes very well, and not as well as an 87 year old great grandmother.
Ann had all but stopped using her very nice Apple computer; we got that set up for her and she is back to emailing, and surfing the web, which is great mental activity. She plays a mean game of scrabble, and works her crossword puzzles everyday. She's purchased some new clothes, which is probably the first time in maybe 10 years or more that she's done so. She only has one pair of shoes, and that is the next purchase on the list.
She is back to interest in cooking, and eating! She has always been a great cook, so seeing that re-develop a bit has been fantastic. She is coming out of her shell. Watching an 87 year old use FaceTime with a greatgrandchild is worth the price of admission! It's all good.
So, the upshot of this is I can highly recommend it to anyone who might be dreading it. It wasn't so long ago that extended families living together were the norm, not the exception. It's enhanced our lives. Try it; you might like it.
Lon's mother, Ann, came to visit us for a month, with the idea of seeing if she might want to live with us, or near by in an assisted living facility. We all had a great time during that month, and discovered that she is great company, and still very full of life. There had been some question about that from certain other persons who will remain unnamed. At the end of the month, Ann decided, ultimately, that she wanted to go back home (to Los Angeles) for the time being, and see how she did by herself.
About a week later, she called us and said she was ready to come back to Phoenix and move in with us. We had expected we might get that call, but perhaps not quite that soon. Without going into the details, we weren't sure it was really her idea, but in the end, we went to L.A., helped her pack up her belongings from the 60+ years of possessions in her home, loaded up a trailer, and off we drove, across the desert, back to Phoenix.
We had interesting discussions on the way home - to her new home. She began the transition right away; she has been adapting pretty well, considering her age, and having lived in one place for a very long time. There are others that aren't doing so well with it, but that's another story for another day, and not our focus, or concern, other than the ill effect it might have on Ann. We shield her as best we can, and continue on the journey.
And, a journey it is. She loves the different landscape, and plant life in the desert. We have taken her on a couple of drives to show her the spring bloom in the desert, which she really enjoyed, along with some sights in Sedona. She is looking forward to a trip to Zion National Park on our way to summer out of the heat in North Idaho. She is also looking forward to her family visiting her in her new home, as they always have visited her in the past. Again, a new paradigm for some, and some who don't seem to make changes very well, and not as well as an 87 year old great grandmother.
Ann had all but stopped using her very nice Apple computer; we got that set up for her and she is back to emailing, and surfing the web, which is great mental activity. She plays a mean game of scrabble, and works her crossword puzzles everyday. She's purchased some new clothes, which is probably the first time in maybe 10 years or more that she's done so. She only has one pair of shoes, and that is the next purchase on the list.
She is back to interest in cooking, and eating! She has always been a great cook, so seeing that re-develop a bit has been fantastic. She is coming out of her shell. Watching an 87 year old use FaceTime with a greatgrandchild is worth the price of admission! It's all good.
So, the upshot of this is I can highly recommend it to anyone who might be dreading it. It wasn't so long ago that extended families living together were the norm, not the exception. It's enhanced our lives. Try it; you might like it.
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