Day 3 - The River (cont)

It was a beautiful day, and the water was warm, so Isaac really got into it.  I guess Melissa did too; she slipped on a rock and fell right in! 

Day 3 - The Amazing River!

After viewing the Sequoias, we decided to stop and have a picnic lunch.  Denny, Vivian, and Andrew were tired, so they went back to the house.  Our picnic table was overlooking this amazing river, so went down to explore and enjoy it after our meal.  The water was shallow and warm, so we had so much fun walking on the rocks.  Isaac loved looking at the many guppies and climbing on the rocks.  It was so beautiful, even a covered bridge in the background!  Probably the highlight of Yosemite!

Fun in the Car

Day 3 - The Sequoias (cont)

The last sequoia on the tour was certainly not the least.  We got out and walked through it!  It was really cool to see the sap on the inside, which looks creepily like blood.  After the tour, we amazingly met up with Denny, Vivian, and Andrew again.  I guess they walked the tour while we were on the train. 

Yosemite Day 3 - The Sequoias

One of the highlights of the trip was the great Sequoias.  You really can't appreciate how large they are until you see them with your own eyes.  Unfortunately, while trying to park, Dad, Dave, Melissa and Isaac got separated from Denny, Vivian, and Andrew.  After waiting a little while to find them, we decided to go on the train ride tour of the area.  The trees were amazing!

Isaac running up and down the hill

Rather than explore the tourist shops or watch a movie in the village, Isaac was thrilled to just run up and down this small hill.  It gave Dave and I a chance to relax and get some cute photos!

Yosemite Day 2 (cont)

It was a long, tiring day, and Isaac got quite cranky at times.  We saw our first real wildlife, a deer along the trail.  It was amazing how close we got!  Isaac and Andrew were captivated while the deer drank from the stream.  Isaac napped in the car between sights and nothing could stop him from climbing the rocks!  We climbed down to a large waterfall and waded in the water.  It was freezing!  It was so fun watching everyone climb around and hang out.

Yosemite Day 2

 It was a full day of hiking, climbing, and beautiful waterfalls.  Isaac loved his backpack carrier, which made it much faster to get to the waterfall.  When there, though, he couldn't wait to climb!  Uncle Denny helped him get down close, while Melissa worried he was going to fall head first on the rocks.  Isaac and Andrew became buddies really quickly.

Yosemite Day 1

We finally made it!  It's absolutely breath-taking.  We rented a house in Yosemite with Melissa's dad and Denny, Vivian and Andrew.  It was a long, winding drive into Yosemite from San Francisco.  Isaac got a little carsick, so we were all thrilled when we reached the first look-out point for a break. 

The Great Flood of 2010 Part 2

On Saturday morning, we were supposed to be on a flight to San Francisco to meet Denny, Vivian, and Andrew at 8am.  Instead, we woke up at 5:30am and found ~2ft of water in our basement.  It had rained ~10 inches in less than 8 hours and the street sewers backed-up into our basement.  The power was out for 4 hours, and our sump pump never kicked in again.  Dave rushed to Home Depot and got there when it opened.  He was elbow-to-elbow with people and bought a new sump-pump and a portable pump to help get the water out.  We were pumping water into our bathtub and into the street before most of our neighbors were even awake.  Luckily, Melissa's dad was on  his way to Chicago to fly out Saturday night, so he helped us all day.  He and Dave got the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer all working again.  We delayed our trip until Monday, but managed to get the sofa, ottoman, and drywall completely dry.  We lost a futon mattress, small fridge and chest freezer.  It's a good thing that we hadn't replaced the carpetting yet from the last flood!