TRAVELS WITH MATTIE

We made it back to our stomping grounds, and could not be happier for 2-3 weeks of living with Sam, Sara, Bobby and (sometimes) Adam. Teaching starts Tuesday. Not a bad walk to work. OH HELLO UCSB.

Another great week in the Eastern Sierra. Here are things that happened. SIDNEY TURNED 6. BUCKEYE HOT SPRINGS (and rednecks galore). BIGHORN SHEEP and BIGHORN SHEEP EXPERT. BOBCAT. SARDINE LAKE HIKE.  PTARMIGAN. SOCCER GAME and GREAT DAYS with JOHN AND MARY. MOBILE STATION. MAMMOTH PASS TO RED'S MEADOW HIKE. THE DOOR HANDLE AND STEREO BREAK IN THE TRUCK. THE ASPENS ARE TURNING COLORS. Here are some pictures: 6 YEARS of the amazing Sidney. Lunch and bookstore tours with Uncle Dan in Carson City. RED TAIL on the way to Buckeye Hot Springs. Bridgeport is weird. Mattie paying her respects to Jordan locals (Mono City hills). Bighorns somewhere near Lundy Canyon. Mattie in shelter for the first big rain of fall. Mono Basin, doing what it does best. REALLY. THIS HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE. Looking down on Sardine Lake, then Walker Lake, then Mono Lake after a hike up Bloody Canyon. We've had the best time up here. Last weekend...

HI EVERYBODY! It's been a while, and things have been perfect on the Eastern slope. I left Markleeville/Hope Valley/Minden about a week and a half ago, then drove with Mattie Dog down to the Mono Basin. We stayed for two nights along Lee Vining Creek, had some beers and food at the Mobil Station, and went on short walks around the Lee Vining/Mammoth/Mono areas. And we spent some time looking for artifacts, duh-doi. Then I got a call from the wonderful Eastern Sierra foster family, John and Mary Ljung, inviting us to stay with them for a night at the Mono City Magic Castle. I don't remember if I have described the house before. It is situated on a hill about six miles north of Lee Vining on the 395, overlooking Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierras. The entire southern side of the house is windows - giant wall-sized windows that look over the valley, sagebrush, lake, and a ton of thundercloud skies. There is usually a premier league game on the television wh...