With a Name Like "June Lake," How Could I Resist?

June is the best month of the year. No question. Warm days. Cool nights. Green hills. Snow-capped mountains. Flowers leaping out of the ground and dancing in their finest pinks and yellows and purples and blues. I’m pretty sure the Garden of Eden was perpetual June!

So when we had an opportunity to vacation for a week at June Lake, California, how could we resist? Located just 30 minutes from Yosemite National Park, it seemed the perfect location. And it was.

Here’s what I loved most:

• Family. Spending time with family is the primary reason my husband and I take vacations. Our youngest daughter and her friend came with us. One of my cousins and her daughter joined us in June Lake for three days as well. Delicious conversation and lots of laughter were our fare! 

Strolling through Sequoia National Forest with my hubby.

• The drive—about 12 hours each way through the barren wastelands of Nevada. My husband loved it because he'd never traveled on those roads before. (Something about untraveled roads intrigues him). He also loves the desert. The girls and I enjoyed the drive because we could NAP! For at least six hours. 

• Laughing. Mostly at and with the girls who did crazy things to stay sane during the long drives. Check out this balancing act!
  
  

  

  Balancing a cell phone, Q-tips, bandages, medications, a purse, and a shoe—not as easy as it looks! 

  
  

• Heidelberg Inn. Quaint, lovely, and with plenty of room for us all. We got the best condo in the inn, with views of June and Gull Lakes. 

We stayed on the top floor in the rooms on the left of this photo.

• Church. Yes, church. We attended a Mormon service at Mammoth Lakes in the cutest little chapel you ever saw. The summer visitors outnumbered the 15 to 20 "regulars." And those "regulars"? They are some of the nicest people I've ever met. We even received two dinner invitations for the Fourth of July! I'm sure these members' genuine warmth is why they can survive the Sierra Nevada's frigid, snow-packed winters, where it is common to have 700 inches of snow (aka "Sierra Concrete") each winter. In our church meetings, the Holy Spirit was sweet; our souls felt pristine clean. 

The chapel of the Mammoth Lakes Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• Mammoth Lakes and the Devil's Postpile. If you're ever in this area, don't miss the scenic drive (and several short hikes), the sunset over the Minarets, and the walk to the Devil's Postpile. God did some of His finest work here! 

One of the Twin Lakes.

Twin Lake waterfall.

Hiking to the waterfall.

Hmm. I don't remember the name of this river, but it is lovely, isn't it?

The amazing formations at the Devil's Postpile.

• Sequoia National Park. The giant sequoia trees were astonishing. We saw trees 2,000 and 3,000 years old. Since there were few tourists, we were often alone and could drink in the forest's beauty. Breezes tickled the treetops. A blue and black jay eyed us. A deer bedded down almost beside us. Raindrops sprinkled down to bless our heads. The air was so full of oxygen that we could almost taste it. Amazing fact: Sequoias need fire to propagate—to open their pinecones and to clear the land so seedlings can sprout. Their spongy, red bark insulates and protects them from most of the flames, and when the fire's out, the tree grows new bark to cover the scars. 

The red trees are the sequoias. The largest trees are 2,000 to 3,000 years old! 

Notice the burn scars at the base of the sequoia tree where this darling deer is resting.

• Sleep. There's nothing more cozy than snuggling under the blankets while cool mountain breezes waft through the windows and kiss our cheeks. We slept in every day—sometimes until 6 a.m., sometimes until 10 a.m. Don't laugh about the 6 a.m. My husband I usually have to get up much earlier for work! And since we could sleep in, we also stayed up late!

• Yosemite National Park. Views to die for (unless you stay behind the guard rails!). This park was the draw for our trip. We're glad it beckoned us—the scenery was outstanding—but to tell the truth, we loved the other places more. 

I can't get this close to the wall. I'm too afraid of heights!

Isn't the view spectacular?

My cousin and her daughter on one of our hikes in Yosemite.

• Independence Day barbecue. We accepted an invitation to join a church family for their Fourth of July celebration. The hamburgers were delicious. The company was even better! Sometimes new friends feel like comfortable, long-time friends. It was like this for us. We hope to see them again soon!

• Batman Begins. I love this movie, but the greatest fun was watching my daughter and her friend melting over Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Mr. Bale reminds me a lot of my brother—the one with the long, dark, curly hair and dimples. Very appropriate, since he’s been a fan of Batman for decades!

• Gull Lake. The valley where the town of June Lake resides has four lakes—June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Reservoir. Gull Lake was just yards from our inn, so we visited often. The lake is the prettiest of the four and is cradled in a glacier-scoured valley surrounded by soaring granite peaks. My husband and I spent hours just sitting on the shoreline and inhaling the beauty while the girls waded and skipped rocks in the water. One morning we rented a canoe for them. They loved exploring and seeing the fish swim beneath them. We often thought of my father-in-law when we saw the dozens of trout being pulled from the crystal waters. 

Gull Lake. Can you see why we spent so many hours here?

Here we are hanging out at Gull Lake.

The girls wading in Gull Lake.

And skipping stones.

And canoeing.

• Pope Beach at Lake Tahoe. We can thank my daughter’s friend for this stop. We were on our way to Donner Lake and the Donner Memorial State Park when traffic snarled and nature called. We answered and thereby abandoned history. The girls swam in the frigid water with the Canadian Geese while my hubby and I watched from beneath a beautiful pine tree. Oh, and it was my birthday too! I like getting older. I really do!

I think the geese were more comfortable in the water than the girls were! Brrr!
We saw goose bumps on the girls but not the geese. Go figure.

• Weeds, optician, grocery store, and blogs. We'd intended to stay two days at Lake Tahoe, but it was so overcrowded with tourists, we decided to come home a day early so we could do yard work, run errands, and (in my case) finally have some time to write a blog post or two. These kinds of things are hard to squeeze in since I began working full time, so it was lovely to have a whole day to just get things done. It was the perfect end to a vacation! (Disclaimer: My daughter is sure to argue that weeding does not count as a great ending. Someday she’ll understand. I hope.) 

And so we got to celebrate "June" in July. We had it all—the warm days, cool nights, green hills, snow-capped mountains, wildflowers, and more!

How have you celebrated your summer? What are your favorite places to visit? Please share. I'm gathering ideas for next year.

My Dogs Do Yard Care and Gardening

 Are you a dog lover? Then prepare to be awed.

My dogs, Ember and Tuli, do yard work. Incredible, but true. When I am weeding, planting, or harvesting, they clamor to join me so they can lend a helping hand, er, paw.

For instance, just this week* they helped me eliminate the dandelion flowers in my lawn. Ember and Tuli know that those cute, yellow flowers are megalomaniacs with visions of taking over my yard, infesting every square inch with stringy stems and white-headed poofs. Or maybe they’ve read up on the nutritional value of dandelion flowers, which (according to LiveStrong.com) are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron, and other nutrients. Or maybe they just think the flowers are tasty—those blossoms purportedly have a honey-like flavor. Regardless, my dogs’ help saved me at least twenty minutes of work this week.

Impressed? You should be. And there’s more! Take a gander at this:

Last fall I told Ember that I’d appreciate him even more if he’d actually pull the weeds for me. Evidently, he took it to heart. Yesterday as I was uprooting snapweed from my flower beds, Ember joined me. He grabbed a weed with his teeth and pulled, ripping the plant—roots and all—from the soil. He then proceeded to eat it. (Of course, you’d expect that last part if you knew Ember as I do.) Just think of the excellent service he is providing: He is not only saving me time, he’s saving me money on dog food. How lucky can I be?

Ember checking out the strawberries just before he pulled my weeds.

Tuli is not to be outdone in caring for my flower gardens. Two weeks ago he somehow sensed that Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Knowing that my family gives me a flat or two of flowers to transplant each year, he’s already prepared my flower beds by digging holes for me. I’m pretty sure I can plant a five-foot flowering shrub in at least one of those craters.

Speaking of gardens, Ember and Tuli are masters in the vegetable garden. As our family plants each spring, they closely inspect our work, making sure we’ve buried the seeds properly. As our produce grows and ripens, they sniff each item, judging the ripeness and sweetness of each fruit or veggie. Then, when it is just right, they pluck it from the vine or bush and taste it to be sure it is perfect before sharing with us. Ahhh . . . the blessing of canines who care!

Ember "trimming" the grass.

And then there is the lawn care. Most mornings during the growing season, my dogs act like bovines and graze on the tall grass along the fence line or other spots where the mower missed—thus saving my husband hours of time-consuming, back-breaking trimming.

Tuli and Ember enjoying their fine work.

Ember and Tuli love a luxuriant lawn. For them, there’s nothing better than lying on soft grass and basking in the sun. They know a key component to such grassy bliss is good fertilizer. Thus, they do their part to add nutrients to our sod. In fact, everywhere they “go,” the grass is lusher and greener.

I couldn’t ask for better pets! If you’re feeling even a tiny bit jealous, please don’t be. I’m happy to bring them for a visit so they can help you with your yard and garden.

* This piece was written May 5, 2013.

Something Was Wrong with My Plane

"I wondered how the maintenance department would react to my report that the plane had a problem when I had nothing to go on except a strong feeling."

I'm very happy with this illustration. Thanks, Joseph Alleman!

Take a look at this article, "Something Was Wrong with My Plane." I edited it for the April issue of the Ensign. If you have trouble opening the PDF (the link above), you can to to this text-only version.

Yes, I Even Write Poetry about Insomnia

Bet you’ll never guess when I wrote this beaut!

(Hint: It begins with a three and ends with an a.m.)

If you find something inspirational in this poem—thus justifying its placement in a blog dedicated to celebrating life’s little blessings—please let me know quick! I’m going to need some good excuses. :D

Rotisserie Chicken

When one reaches

a certain age,

sleep slides

from effortless

to effort.

Instead of nesting in

for the night,

one becomes like a bird

on a spit—

rotating regularly,

not to become well done,

but to keep the aches

from doing one in.

Spinning round and round and round!
Photo source: AARP.org 

I Have His Dream Too

Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington.
Photo source: History.com

While listening to NPR Saturday morning, I heard excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech given at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.

Once again, I was moved.

Again, I was moved to tears.

Again, the godly power of his message resonated in my heart.

Yes, we can let the freedom of love for one another ring in our hearts. We can be free at last from the chains of imposing unjust judgments on others, from standing on the I’m-better-than-you Rameumptum.

We can be brother and sisters, one family, God’s family.

Would you like to listen to Dr. King’s speech? Go here.

On Saying "I'm Sorry"

What was more powerful than an thousand sermons? To find out, read this article I edited for this month's issue of the Ensign.

"My Dad's Apology" 

Remember vinyl records? If not, you are still young!
This illustration is from the article.

Gathering My Second Wind

Life sometimes leaves me out of breath, gasping for peace.

To gather my second wind, I laugh, notice nature, recognize God's blessings, and welcome the Holy Spirit’s warm caress.

Here, I share prose and poetry celebrating these gentle breezes. I hope they will lend you breath as well.

Albion Basin in Brighton, Utah.
One of my favorite places to gather my second wind.