Mara's Adventures

Why do I stay 3 months?  I visit a specific national park as a volunteer to hopefully make a difference and leave an impact of some sort.  I also visit the park, one I have never been to previously, to learn more about that park.  How did it come to be, what is its history, why does it remain important?  All questions I try to answer through my time there.  One month is too short to even get to this level.  Two months doesn’t provide enough time to become familiar with the visitors and why they visit.  Three months, while likely not enough in the big picture, gives me time to gain enough history to say I am at least familiar with the important aspects of this park.  As most of you know I came to work with the Research Library, an area I knew nothing about.  I was also granted an opportunity to work with Interpretation and spend 1-2 days each week at the Welcome Center to answer visitor questions.  Because of them I will achieve my 3-month goal and answer the questions I try to answer everywhere I go.  Add to that my time working in the Research Library with a librarian that I think knows absolutely everything about Yosemite means I have an even deeper knowledge of the park history than I anticipated having at the end of my time here. These three months will be worth every day of it!  Staying longer – – – no.  I miss home, my family, and puppies too much to stay longer!  But my 3 months here will go down as some of my best memories.

This week began with another furniture move.  We completed emptying the card catalog cabinet last week and came in Monday ready to move the cabinet out of the museum library.  You’ll recall in prior pictures the card catalog cabinet is not small!  

Thanks to the help of Eric Nelson and Erik Westerlund, as well as volunteer Elizabeth Schwartz, it was successfully moved out of the library.  It was not an easy task.  THANKS TO ALL!

Here is the video of the cabinet move down the 2nd flight of stairs if you are so inclined to watch:  IMG_3955

And then it was done.  Here is Elizabeth striking a pose with the cabinet and all 7 boxes of drawers successfully moved to outside the museum.

So, with this move completed our next step was to look to our next priority.  MORE FILING CABINETS!  The last two file cabinets have 4 drawers full of documents that must be sorted (which means following through a flowchart to determine if they should be catalogued, scanned, duplicated, or discarded) to reset priorities.  

NOTE:  The word of the week is “ephemera” and I didn’t know what that meant until now.  Ephemera in a library is a term for small, printed items that are intended to be discarded after a short time (which can be pamphlets, flyers, letters, etc.).  It took us a full 3 days to get through these drawers and properly file, scan and/or discard them.  

I am so excited for you to see how good things look now that we have accomplished so much.  There is still more to go but we will definitely get these cabinets out this week.

 

We also received a personal tour of the Ranger’s Club.  Click here for more information from the NPS website.

What a great side tour.  All a part of learning more about the park! By the way, there is a sequoia tree in front of the Rangers Club that was planted the year it was built . . . 1920.  It still stands today!

Tuesday was my day at the Welcome Center.  The crowds are still here but certainly not to the same levels as in the summer.  The waterfalls are mostly dry now and the roads to the higher locations are beginning to close more often as the weather turns colder.  Snow has come several times up on Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows.  No one wants to be driving those roads when it is cold and icy.  

Wednesday and Thursday were spent working hard to file away or discard all that paper.  VIP (Volunteer-In-Park) Laura dug her heels in deep to work on this and taught me so much about how to determine what these things were and where they should go (file, scan or trash).  We also had more training on how to look up on various resources to determine if these items were already online.  With her help I got into the groove and between us we made our way through these files.  VIP Elizabeth continued her work on our technical side and VIP Madeline made her way through cataloguing more of our books awaiting input into circulation.  We really are a great working team of VIPs!

Fridays are our day off.  This past Friday Laura made her way to Glacier Park and did the Taft Point hike.  Here’s a video of the view from 8,000 ft . . . Taft Point.  Another great hiking point is Hetch Hetchy. Thanks to Madeline, here’s a video of their time there:  Hetch Hetchy Laura & Madeline – Nov 3, 2024.  Happy Hiking via my friends and their videos!  

Saturday was a half day at the Welcome Center and then Madeline, Laura and I attended the cell phone camera class at the Ansel Adams Gallery.  Our instructor, Derek, was terrific and taught us so much about our phones and their cameras.  Definitely suggest taking this class if you are ever here at Yosemite!  Look at the video Madeline put together about this and a few pictures I took.  Click for video: Ansel Adams Smartphone Photography – Nov 9, 2024

It’s been an eventful week.  And coming up this week are some guests arriving as watercolor paining (taught by our very own artist, VIP Laura!)

On a very personal note, today is the 2nd anniversary of my brother’s passing.  He was a terrific big brother and the biggest jokester you ever met.  I will never forget that laugh of his that came from deep in his core.  I could not have asked for a better brother and I’m grateful for the 73 years we had together and for the times we shared.  Rest in peace Mick.  You are missed!  

Upcoming events include (1)  Friends Cathy Scott and Joan Head coming to visit this week –  November 12-13;  (2) Government Credential Updating in Mariposa the afternoon of 11/12, and  (3) Watercolor class on Friday, 11/15 with VIP Laura.

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.

Hugs, Mara

 

I learned more about our new volunteers this week.  As I mentioned, they arrived late last week and this week was our first full week working together.  Elizabeth Schwartz is a volunteer from Austin, Texas!  She spent her working career in the tech world and since retirement has been volunteering with the Forestry Service and community organizations as well as the National Park.  She enjoys finding ways to give back and to share her appreciation of the natural world.  As an avid hiker and backpacker,  two things I know nothing about, Elizabeth affords me an opportunity to learn more about these activities and begin to gain an understanding of the enjoyment they bring to individuals.   

Laura Poulette is here from Berea, Kentucky.  Laura has been a full time artist since 2015. She creates original art and illustrations, teaches watercolor workshops for adults, and has just begun volunteering with the National Park Service.  Her talents are many and I know she will be a wonderful addition to the Volunteer In Parks program.  She too likes hiking and had a wonderful time traveling here with her son as they camped and hiked various trails along the way.  Nothing better than some quality time with your adult children.  Great times to get to know them as adults.

Both of these ladies add tremendous skills to our library team.  The four of us make a great team together.  I feel blessed to be in their company.

Side Note:  We also heard via instagram (see link at end of this paragraph) that Alex Honnold, the first-ever free solo climber on El Capitan (in Yosemite National Park) in June 2017, was back in Yosemite this week.  For those of you who might not be familiar with him  you can watch the documentary Free Solo on YouTube or Hulu..   Free solo climbing is a form of rock climbing where the climbers climb solo without ropes or other protective equipment, using only their climbing shoes and climbing chalk.  Unbelievable!  Amazing!  Scary!  Worth watching.  National Geographic follows him and he has a couple other documentaries available to watch on YouTube.  Look for Free Solo and follow it up with The HURT and Arctic Ascent.  According to his Instagram page this week he was here in Yosemite! We wondered if he had another climb coming up????  But it doesn’t appear so.  We had hoped to catch a glimpse of him but it was not to be.  Take a look at this link:  Alex Honnold, Free Climber.

We kicked off our week on Monday with Cataloguing Training Part 2 which, after completing, allows us to add new books to the library collections.  After training we made our way to the NPS employee and volunteer uniform caches in an effort to straighten and organize the areas.  These are important as we, as Volunteers,  borrow our uniforms from the cache and must return them when our service ends.  Employee caches work the same way.  Unfortunately, as things are returned they become a bit messy.  Here’s a look at the “before” and “after” pictures. 

Before it looked like this:

And then we came along . . . 

And that which was once chaos is now organized and quite tidy! 

Finally, while off site at this location we were in the Building & Maintenance warehouse and had the pleasure of seeing the wall of fire-fighter t-shirts.  Tradition is for the firemen who come to assist from other areas to leave one of their company t-shirts for the wall.  Take a look!

Tuesday I spent at the Welcome Center.  Not much new here today as all roads were open and the weather was good.  I must say I really enjoy the challenge of this service.  You never know the questions that will be asked and they range from common ones I can answer to some challenging ones I must get help with.  This Tuesday I met the cutest young man.  Shaun is a 12 year old boy who loves adventure.  Here’s a picture of him in his wheelchair which he decorated as a helicopter.  He was an absolute joy to talk with.  

I’m looking forward to Veterans Day as I’ll be working that holiday here at the Welcome Center.  Thanksgiving too if all works out and they need me.  

Wednesday and Thursday at the Library were busy busy busy.  We emptied the old card catalog files, recycled the paper, and prepared the cabinet for moving out.  That artsy Laura is going to do something special with some of the catalog cards for the Centennial celebration. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with!   One more piece of outdated furniture will find its way out of the library giving us even more space to work in.  

So, this week we marked off several projects on the To-Do list . . .  (1) Card Catalog file emptied and paper recycled; (2) Circulation and Accession files updated and enhanced (thank you Elizabeth!); (3) multiple books added to Circulation and updated with call numbers (Thanks Madeline); (4) books mended and repairs (thanks Laura) and (4) accession and deaccessions operating procedures  re-defined and processes updated.  This team really is amazing.

Next week we will be moving the card file out of the library, updating and prioritizing our remaining projects, and all while continuing the work to update, add, and repair books in the collections.  Never a dull moment! Do note that our mandate of leaving the library table clear each night continues . . . we are nothing if not committed to a tidy work area.  Love it.

Halloween celebration at the Community Center was a fun evening.  Sal’s taco truck did not make it (Sal in hospital for some much needed rest) but Madera BBQ was there and we had plenty to eat.  They had a card for Sal and everyone signed it.  He’s a pretty important staple to this small community.  Everyone (except us) came dressed for the holiday and a fun night was had by all.  

Upcoming events include (1)  Ansel Adams iPhone Camera Photography Class on 11/9 (2) Friends Cathy Scott and Joan Head coming to visit on November 12-13! (3) Government Credential Updating in Mariposa the afternoon of 11/12.

I did finish listening to the audible version of the book, Take less, Do More and highly recommend it.  A good, thought provoking way to look at ourselves and the way we see things in new ways.  I strongly recommend it for a great listen.  

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.

Hugs, Mara

 

 

 

 

 

This week has been a super busy one.  Madeline and I kicked off Monday with the removal of 5 (yes, I said 5) 4-drawer filing cabinets from the 2nd floor to an area outside the building.  On our drive into the park Monday morning she said we were going to get these out of the library and she was not kidding.  We were two women on a mission.   

My new nickname for Madeline is now “The Beast” as she did ALL the heavy lifting.  Thanks to a dolly and some tie down straps from the climber crew in an office downstairs, Madeline took down the first one single-handedly!  (Now you know why I nicknamed her “The Beast”.)

One of the nicest guys I’ve met around the museum is interpretative ranger Eric Nelson.  I met him my first day on site when I practically bumped (literally) into a deer hanging out at the museum.  He chuckled at me, as did I and shared pictures of the deer peeking into the museum from earlier that morning.  He is just a super nice person and willing to help with anything.  I know I spoke weeks ago about the Rare Book Room and when I went looking for someone to help me lift some boxes onto a high shelf he was there to help without any hesitation.  

On this morning he was right there once again.  He saw us bring down the first cabinet and without skipping a beat he joined us in this effort and stayed with us until it was done.  Together our hero (Eric) and the Beast (Madeline)  hauled down 5 cabinets and I managed to assist with the 20 drawers that came down separately.  We had all of this complete by 10:00 am when the museum opened to the public.   If you are interested you can watch the video of them taking down one cabinet here: https://youtu.be/fHYy4P6vFVY.

 

 

Removing these filing cabinets really opened up some space for us.  You cannot really see the benefits in these pictures but the bottom line is we are getting better organized each week and eliminating more and more of the stacks awaiting to be processed.  

 

Volunteer Elizabeth arrived Tuesday and Volunteer Laura joined us on Wednesday.  They are both ready to continue the efforts of getting the backlog resolved and we are looking forward to even more productive weeks ahead.  I’ll get pictures of them this week!

Virginia and I spent Friday working on her desk.  I had high hopes of getting it cleared and organized by day’s end but that was not possible.  We cleared one large stack and a few things from the floor.  I was disappointed but recognize that I need to celebrate small successes as well as large ones.   Maybe we can get this done next week.  We’ll see . . . 

Reminder to self:  Progress takes time!

The following came out in the Yosemite Daily Post which publishes park wide.  Always nice to be appreciated.  Thanks Virginia!

Kudos to Madeline Miller and Mara Yachik!  Huge KUDOS to VIPs Madeline Miller and Mara Yachik. Their work and dedication is outstanding, and their intellectual curiosity regarding the Research Library in particular and Yosemite in general brings credit to them and is a demonstrated asset to our community. They shirk at nothing and at the short time they’ve been onboard they’ve made a palpable difference. (V. Sanchez)

Kudos to Eric Nelson!  Thank you, Eric, for jumping in and assisting the Research Library team with getting those FIVE cabinets down the stairs. You saw a need and stepped up without being asked. (V. Sanchez)

 

On to Interpretation:   Tuesday at the Welcome Center was again fun.  We still have lots of visitors and answering questions is a busy, busy job.  Each day I spend there I learn more about hiking and backpacking and the things important to those planning their events.  Seasonal rangers last days was this week and added volunteers won’t be in for another week or so.  We’ll be short-staffed until after Thanksgiving.  I plan to work Saturdays as often as they need me in November and cover a few holidays there while the library is closed (i.e. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving).  

Erik Westerlund did the Ranger talk on Tuesday about Charley Harper (August 4, 1922 – June 10, 2007) who was a Cincinnati-based American  Modernist artist. He was best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters, and book illustrations.

In the 1970s and 1980s he created 10 illustrations of the life and landscapes of our national parks.  Each poster has integrated different things to make the poster like a “find Waldo” piece.  Colorful, fun, educational, and quite interesting.  You can view more of his posters at the link here:  https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/charley-harper-posters.htm  

Thursday night was our paining class here in the Motor Inns.  Madeline and Elizabeth came along and we all seemed to enjoy ourselves.  However, we did confirm that I am no artist.  My picture of Half Dome looks more like a whale gazing up at the sun! LOL!    

The weekend has gone by much too quickly.  Saturday included a drive to Mariposa to pick up a few things at the store and to check my tires.  The tire pressure light had come on this week and while I was fairly certain it was related to the changing temps   I didn’t have a tire pressure gauge in the car and wanted to pick up one.  

This simple process became a bigger one than expected since I stopped at the gas station and found their air pump gauge not working and the gauge I purchased at the first store didn’t work either.  Given that it was a trip to Ace Hardware for a second gauge purchase and then back to the gas station only to find this one didn’t work either.  As I’m contemplating my next move two motorcyclists pull into the station and one comes over to offer some assistance.  Not only did he offer to help, he also had a gauge that worked and checked all 4 tires for me.  His kindness did not go unnoticed.  We visited and he told me about his mom who volunteers at the San Diego airport helping visitors find their way around and how much she loved this role.  He told me he and his buddy were out for a ride and when he saw me bending down to a tire he knew this was going to be his good deed of the day.  I couldn’t thank him enough for the sweet assist.

This brings me to one last thing I wanted to share.  Earlier this week I was chatting with one of the Volunteer Greg Nelson from Minnesota.  He mentioned a book called Take Less, Do More by Glen Van Peski, the founder of Gossamer Gear that he was reading and felt I would enjoy. You will find the link to this book here:   Take Less, Do More

Glen Van Peski, founder of Gossamer Gear, is known for his legendary contributions to the backpacking community. A native Californian, Van Peski grew up in the western outdoors.  When his oldest son joined Scouts, he led the troop’s backpacking program. As he got more involved with the Scouts and backpacking, he began to work on finding ways to lighten his load of gear and in that process he learned some valuable life lessons that have changed his life.  Lightening our load so that we can do more can be incredibly powerful.  I have loved listening to this book and highly recommend it to others.

Now we all know I am not a backpacker, a hiker, or a wilderness traveler.  But now that I have experienced Yosemite, I can see why those that are absolutely love it.  It is a chance to reflect;  a chance to pause and consider all that we are as well as all that we are given, and a chance to appreciate nature and all that comes with it.  It’s a level of peace that can’t be found as easily when you are ‘in the noise’ of living.  I thought about that yesterday with my motorcycle friend.  A couple of guys just out for a ride to enjoy the scenery.  But they were aware of what was around them.  They saw me because they had slowed down their lives and were looking and seeing at the same time.  I’m grateful for that moment for them but also for me.  Their good deed changed my day.  They took less and they did more.  

I don’t believe this world was created by us alone.  And sitting in the middle of places like Yosemite bring me a better view of all that this world is and all that was created.  I’m awed by the people who came before me.  The John Muir’s of the world who saw the importance of this space and the need to protect it for generations to come.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here, to be engaged, and to share in its wonder in any way that I can.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn about taking time to reflect.  I’m grateful for people like Volunteer Greg who shared this book with me.  These are the moments that matter in this world.  We really can take less and do more in so many capacities.

Life here continues to be FUN and BUSY!  What memories I am making!  Upcoming events include (1) Art Class at Local Community Center in El Portal on Thursday 10/24 (2) Halloween celebration in the El Portal community complete with two food trusts, Sal’s Tacos and Madera BBQ on October 31.  (3) Ansel Adams iPhone Camera Photography Class on 11/9 (4) Friends Cathy Scott and Joan Head coming to visit on November 11-12! (5) Government Credential Updating in Mariposa the afternoon of 11/12.

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.  And this week . . . Take Less and Do More!  

Hugs, Mara

 

 

 

 

This week has been a good one.  Feeling back at 100% and giving it my all.  We made great progress in the Research Library as we cleared the table and prepared for the arrival of volunteers Elizabeth and Laura this coming week. Take a close look at the before and after pictures.  We really worked hard this week and managed to get it done.  I’m very proud of us and our accomplishment!  There are a lot of projects to complete but with newly cleared space we will be able to accomplish so much more than planned.  

Thanks to Virginia’s (Research Librarian) patience and Madeline’s drive, we made great strides.  We moved things to the Attic that we did not need ready access to and organized many of the piles into work shelves that could be attended to as projects.  We are working to get a “tech cart” set up for all the tech items such as laminators, scanners, etc. and their supplies.  Organization is our key word here. 

We are planning to get the empty file cabinets and other furniture we are not using moved out this week which will afford us even more space to utilize for the things we really need to access.  Since many of our building and maintenance crews have gone to help out in North Carolina and Florida, we are short staffed.  However, I’ve seen some muscles floating around which we hope to round up to help us get these moved out.  

I’m excited and looking forward to this week’s progress!  We have our projects better defined and our work cut out for us as we move forward to catalog all the items that will be added to the library and eliminate any duplicates or items that can now be found electronically.

In addition to cataloguing, our #1 priority this week will be to help Virginia get the stacks removed from and around her desk.  We plan to categorize these into projects that can be added to our work load.  I know she wants this done but it will not be easy and we appreciate the difficulty for her.  Can’t wait to see the after picture and I’ll bet you can’t either! 

A little history I learned this week (thanks to the wealth of information Virginia provides us!) about the park as a whole.  Virginia gave this to me just last week as she knows how much I worry about giving the visitors good information at the Welcome Center where I work 1-2 days each week.

Carl William Sharsmith (March 14, 1903 – October 14, 1994) was an American naturalist and Yosemite park ranger, notable for his knowledge and interpretation of the natural history of the Sierra Nevada. He taught botany at various universities and was the first botanist to comprehensively document the alpine flora of the high Sierra Nevada. He worked as a seasonal ranger in Yosemite and one of his greatest quotes goes as follows:  A woman visitor approached him, rather breathlessly, and exclaimed, “I only have one hour to spend in Yosemite.  What do you recommend that I do and see in this hour?”  Carl looked at her with his long craggy face and opined, “Ah, lady.  Only one hour.”  Which he then repeated slowly and said, “I suppose that if I had only one hour to spend in Yosemite I’d just walk over there by the river and sit down and cry.”  Truer words were never spoken!  Remember this as you plan to visit Yosemite in the near future!

Did I mention I’m continuing to love on Maraca as the emotional support dog who works in the library.  For those of you who know me personally you know how much I love that part of my job!

Library testing:  Good news!  I passed Circulation 1 training and will continue with Circulation 2 training this coming week.  What does that mean?  Well, it means that I can now add a book to our circulation and place it on the shelf in the stacks!  And even more importantly, it means that I can personally help reduce the backlog!  What does that NOT mean?  It means I am NOT and will NEVER be a librarian!!  Their jobs are too hard.

Our new volunteers start work on Tuesday.  Elizabeth Schwarz is coming to us from Austin, Texas and Laura Poulette from Berea, Kentucky.  Can’t wait to meet them.  I feel certain they will bring us a wealth of new insights and between the four of us we will make great progress.  They are moving into the Motor Inn (the collective term for all 20ish cabins) so we will be car-pooling to work together.

You’ll remember my friend Mary who works in the museum.  She did her Masters program in Scotland and her best friend Grace (from Scotland) arrived this week.  They have planned a road trip across the US and left today.  They have a crazy route that will take them from California to Vegas to Mt. Rushmore to Aberdeen, So. Dakota, and on and on to Salem, Massachusetts and then back to Mary’s home in Michigan.  I wish them safe travels and wonderful memories.  This will be the trip of a lifetime for both and  Grace who will see the United States in a very special way.  Can’t wait to hear all about it when Mary returns the end of November!

Mary, Grace, and I had plans to go to the Ahwahnee this past week for drinks after work on Wednesday.  Of course on that day the afternoon brought us buckets of rain (the first since I’ve been here) and so I backed out of the trip as I did not bring a rain jacket with me.  As it turned out though,  the Ahwahnee was closed for a private event and they did not get to see it either.  Mary and I will have to try to go again when she returns in late November.

On the way home from Sal’s Taco event I captured a beautiful full moon.  Oh the night’s here – they are beyond lovely!  This one is for my dear friend Nancy!

The best experience of all this week was the Valley View Tour, courtesy of Madeline who purchased the tickets for both of us!  It is a 2 hour Valley Floor tour of all the great viewing spots in the valley and led by park rangers and Yosemite Hospitality naturalists.  We saw all of the highlights at Yosemite, as we learned about the history, flora, and fauna throughout the park. Park Ranger Karla was our guide.  A seasonal ranger, this was her final tour as the floor tours close for the season.  Karla was terrific,  telling us all about the views and their history.  Not one bit of information was taken from notes . . . she spoke straight from the heart for two hours!  She was absolutely amazing.  Our driver Danny drove us on the open air tram to all the right places too.  Kudos to both of them for a lovely trip.  Madeline made a short video and I have a few pictures.  What a fun afternoon this was!  

Open for a short video:  Valley View Tour – Oct 19, 2024

Just a few family notes as I take advantage of some bragging time!  (1) Grandson Reid loves his new apartment in a sweet little area of Dallas, above the Oak Cliff Social Club and his job at Flowserve is going well.

(2) Grandson Thomas is also loving his time studying at Denmark University.  This past week he spent at Legoland Billund Resort, the original Legoland park, which opened June 7, 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory.  I can just imagine how much fun that must have been.

(3) Granddaughter Michaela just finished the Nationals with her Water Skiing Team at UT Austin.  She finished 15th in Slalom skiing.  That ended this year’s Water Skiing.  She made the Climbing Team though and that begins right away.  Classes are going well for her and she seems to have adjusted well to becoming a longhorn!  Hook ’em horns.

(4) Twin Grandsons Jack & Luke are enjoying school this year and spending their free time learning new things.  Most recent was a camping trip where they zip-lined.  Unfortunately no one told Luke to hold on to the Zip Line and he spun like a helicopter rotor blade all the way down! 

(5) Finally my puppies.  I miss Lou (age 4) and Gus (age 13) but am grateful Melissa and Robert take such good care of them.  They are spoiled, just as they should be!   

Life here continues to be FUN and BUSY!  What memories I am making!  Upcoming events include (1) Art Class at Local Community Center in El Portal on Thursday 10/24 (2) Halloween celebration in the El Portal community complete with two food trusts, Sal’s Tacos and Madera BBQ on October 31.  (3) Ansel Adams iPhone Camera Photography Class on 11/9 (4) Friends Cathy Scott and Joan Head coming to visit on November 11-12! (5) Government Credential Updating in Mariposa the afternoon of 11/12.

One last fun picture.  This is Dog Rock.  You’ll see it on your left just a short distance after you enter the park from El Portal.  All the bus drivers point it out as it looks just like its name.  Say hello to Dog Rock!

 

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.

Hugs, Mara

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Milton arrived this week and I am grateful my family and friends who live in Florida are all well.  However, I know that was not true for everyone.  Milton was brutal for sure.  For all those who have suffered loss and are still suffering, I am holding you up in prayer.  Between the devastation of Helene and Milton, coming one right after the other, it has been a difficult time.  God bless all of you who are going out of your way to help those in need.  When things go bad, we come together.  That’s the beauty that lies within us.  Every effort you make, every kind word you share, every dollar you give, and every prayer you offer matters and is important.  Thank you for all that you do.

I mentioned I came down with an allergy attack last week.  Feeling much better this week as I continue to take allergy meds.  The cough remains but is getting better for sure.  Unfortunately, I ended up with an attack of fever blisters on my lip so I look a bit rough.  They are pretty large and very uncomfortable.  Ugh!  However, this too shall pass.

Monday was back in the library preparing for our new volunteer’s arrival.  Madeline Miller comes to us from Florida and will be here for 6 months.  She has Cabin #1 (I have #9).  She and her two sisters did a real decorating job on her cabin.  She even made a You Tube video to share a visual tour of her new home.  Take a look! Click on this link:  Madeline’s cabin #1.

Just a reminder, here is my cabin.

 

I also found out this week that our cabins have a laundry cabin as well.  Cabin #15 is the laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers as well as mops and vacuums that can be borrowed.  There is also an area where you can leave things for others to take and use.  Thanks to Madeline for asking if there was laundry.  I didn’t even think to ask! Here’s another YouTube Link for the Laundry Room. Just click on this link: Laundry facilities 

Tuesday is my Interpretation day at the Welcome Center.  I shadowed the Ranger in the morning and then had the Ranger shadow me in the afternoon.  A little stressful but I managed to answer much more than I thought I would.  The variety of questions never ceases to amaze me.  It’s the really open ended ones that give me pause.  Such as “I’m just here for 2 days, what should I do?”  That gets into hiking questions, fitness levels, levels of interest and in what types of things, etc.  You get the picture!  The best of questions however came as I was walking into the museum.  A couple stopped me as they had just heard what sounded like a gun going off (I heard it too.). They asked if that was the notice that a bear has been seen and if so where should they go so they could see it up close.  While I was not familiar with the sound or that it even came from a Ranger, I assured them that a face-to-face meeting with a bear was not something they wanted to do.  They assured me that was the only reason they came to Yosemite and that they wanted to see a bear as soon as possible!  They then asked, “Don’t you have something to call the bears so visitors can see them?”  Just as an FYI – National Parks are not Zoos!  I tried to express to them that bears were all around us here but that they did NOT want to meet one face-to-face for their own safety.  They were done listening and headed off to where they thought the sound originated sure that they would come face-to-face with a bear.  Sometimes, you just can’t get your point across.

Virginia (Research Librarian) and Madeline (new volunteer) spent Tuesday together getting acquainted and settled into the role.  The remainder of the week we three worked together to get a few projects started. Madeline set mouse traps (and emptied them when we caught a mouse), but more importantly she and I took the library cataloguing class together.  She is a master librarian so she is well aware of library procedures and will be a huge asset.  She was also great in helping me to understand the processes required for cataloguing.  I’m going to love working with her!

 

On Thursday we noticed footprints on the top of two books that were shelved. Take a look!

 The prints are too big for a mouse but were perfect for a ring-tailed cat.  After some investigation it was determined we have a ringtailed cat living in our library.  Likely entered through the old fireplace at the back of the room.  Haven’t seen it but it is likely that is the reason we do not have lots of mice around.

According to the National Park Service, the California Ring-tailed Cat is a desirable animal as it seldom causes any concern to people and its prey is almost entirely the smaller native animals. Occasionally in dusty places the small, somewhat cat-like tracks of the Ring-tailed Cat may be seen in the early morning, showing where it has been hunting abroad at night in search of wood rats, white-footed mice, and similar game. It spends the daytime in small caves among rocks or in the hollows of logs or trees.  So, our fireplace has provided the Ringtailed Cat a nice home and we love it for keeping our mice population down.

 

Madeline took Friday to get more familiar with the park and I had lunch with an old NPS friend who works for Yosemite remotely from Santa Fe, NM.  Becky Latanich was my first supervisor in NPS at Sitka National Park. She is a warm soul with a firm but positive leadership style that was easily adapted to . . . so much so I returned to Sitka for a second visit.  Unfortunately she had moved to Pecos National Park by then.  Almost ten years later our paths crossed again here at Yosemite.  She works for the Museum which is the same area where the Library resides.  It was great seeing her again and catching up.  She is as delightful as always.

Saturday was a trip to Walmart.  That means a 2-hour drive to Merced.  I stopped in Mariposa to do laundry and wash my car and then headed another hour plus to Merced.  A stop at Walmart and one at Target supplied me with everything on my list and I returned home around 6pm.  While a bit of a drive it was a beautiful view of the open spaces around me here in California.  What was once green lush cover over the mountains is now a brownish color due to fall.  Not the golden colors of fall back home but beautiful just the same.

There was a fruit store just outside of Merced called Merced Fruit Barn.  They have all sorts of dried fruits and nuts.  Their website is www.MercedFruitBarn.com for anyone interested.  I’m also happy to pick you up anything of interest as I know I will make one more trip to Merced before I leave and it is also on my way back to Texas in December!

Upcoming events include (1) a trip to the Ahwahnee this week with my friend Mary and her friend Grace who is arriving today from Scotland, (2) The Yosemite Valley Floor tour courtesy of volunteer Madeline and scheduled for October 19, (3) new volunteers Laura and Elizabeth arriving October 22 and (4) Halloween celebration in the El Portal community complete with two food trusts, Sal’s Tacos and Madera BBQ on October 31.  

 

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.

Hugs, Mara

P.S.  I have been trying to get the old posts to move to Archives section.  For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get them off the main page.  This week is #5 so you can ignore Week #4 and earlier posts.  Eventually I will figure this out . . . if you know of any solutions to move these off the main page please let me know.  By the way, the only one posted as “STICKY” is #5.  

 

 

This week has been a busy one for me.  My brain has been on overload as I learn new things every day.  I’ve been up to my elbows in work at the Research Library and it feels so good.  The rare book room project is complete.  Books are filed, needed repairs have been noted, and boxes have been moved.  The librarian can now walk in to find the book that she needs.

Not sure I mentioned this before.  The Research Library is not open to visitors.  The public can request items from the library but it is not what I would call a “browsing” library.  Staff requests for materials important to their research are welcome as are any requests from the public.  Our site is small and we are challenged for space.  Plus, as in most parks, we are storing things that are not necessarily meant for the library.  Did I mention space is at a premium for everyone?  The bottom line is that we have constantly striving to do ‘more with less’ and find ways to eliminate duplication and/or electronically store items for easy access.  

Virginia, the Research Librarian, had foot surgery a few weeks ago and has been challenged in getting around.  She has a scooter (which is great for everything but stairs and our old buildings do not have elevators!) and needs a bit of help getting up and down the stairs.  However, without a doubt, this woman is a trooper.  Her Navy career does not go unnoticed.  She retired some years back after serving her country proud.   The National Park Service is fortunate to have her as their Research Librarian.  Her library knowledge, her past library service, and her level of knowledge about such varied topics is quite impressive.  She and her service dog, Maraca, are a joy to be around.   

I’ve learned about circulation and the process required to check out a book, as well as check in a book.  I’ve learned about the library cataloguing system and how to re-shelve books in the correct order.  I’ve learned why periodicals are filed separately and how to add new items to the files. I’ve learned about biographical files and how we keep articles surrounding these persons.  And, I’ve gained another 6” of table top space.  Life is good!

The stacks here are very high but I have notes galore and feel certain we will continue to make progress together.  One of my counterparts arrived this week from Florida.  Madeline was a librarian in her pre-retirement life and will begin working with us on Tuesday.  She plans to be here until April and I feel certain her time here will be well spent.  I’m going to require she sends me pictures before she leaves as I’m sure this will be a library void of tabletop stacks.    I look forward to getting to know more about her.  She is in Cabin #1 (Remember, I’m in #9) so she is close by. 

Interpretation – – – yes, I am now committed to every Tuesday in the Welcome Center answering questions.  I shadowed staff this past Tuesday and was daunted by the depth of information these folks have at their fingertips about the park.  The questions range from what should I do in the one day I have here to  what hikes are available, which ones can I do, how do I find all the special Yosemite places and any other question that is asked gets an answer.  Cindy Hall, the volunteer of the year for 2024, works there every Tuesday and Saturday.  I shadowed her a while and listened to her tell folks about each of the hikes available, their difficulty level, their beauty and their specialness.  She encouraged folks to pick the one that would best suit their abilities and fitness levels. After a couple hours of listening to her I snuck in a question – – – Cindy, have you hiked all the trails here?  She quickly grinned so big she made me smile.  “No” she said.  “But Cindy, how do you know all that about the hikes?”  She smiled and said “I listen to others a lot and that’s how I know.  I live and learn through them who have hiked them.”  WOW!  Such an impressive volunteer!  (I’ll get you a picture of her before I close my time here for sure.)

I’ll shadow again this coming Tuesday and then I’ll be on my own (with always a ranger nearby to assist!). Every Tuesday will be at the Welcome Center as well as one Saturday a month and a fill in when emergency need pops up. 

Did I mention Sal’s Taco Truck was here this Thursday evening.  The food is so so good or I’m just craving some Mexican cuisine (or maybe both!)  These community nights are really a welcome break. 

On Thursday I was not feeling great.  Something turned my sinus faucet on full force which caused lots of coughing.  I thought it would pass but Friday was worse.  I called in sick and drove to to talk to the Rite Aid Pharmacist for some allergy meds.  I believe it is a combination of whatever is new to me here along with lots of dust and digging in the old boxes of the rare book room likely fired up some type of allergy.  Sadly I missed a day of work but I put the long weekend to good use in feeling better.  Out of the last 36 hours I believe I have slept more than 24 of them.  I plan to be back at work tomorrow (Monday) and in full swing for another week in Yosemite.

Not much in the way of news this week from Yosemite.   I am certain I’ll do better at taking pictures next week.  As I have time I’m sending postcards from Yosemite with better views than I could ever take with my phone.  I hope you enjoy them!

On another note, my heart goes out to all who have suffered so much from Hurricane Helene.  What devastation she has done to so many.  I hope this finds your friends and family that were involved with Helene safe and well.  We can replace the loss of things but will never be able to replace the loss of lives.  My heartfelt prayers for all those we lost to Helene and my gratitude for those who made it out.

Now we have another Hurricane on its way.  Milton is set to arrive this week.  May he be kinder than Helene.  I’ll be praying for all those in his path.  

Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.

Hugs, Mara

 

 

 

 

 

 

My last day in the gallery will be Monday, September 30.  A new docent will begin on October 1.  But for this past week I was in the gallery each day, Monday through Saturday, from 10 – 5.  Most days I rode the bus into the park.  I drove a couple days and finally managed to find the right route for employee parking.  Yes! Up until this week I have managed to get there on my own but not without going down the bus only route.  I learned that this was not just wrong but also a longer route (did I mention that the roads where I should turn all say “DO NOT ENTER” . . . employees just need to ascertain which “DO NOT ENTER” to enter! 

It hasn’t bothered me to be lost but what has bothered me was the unknown of how LONG I might be lost.   I don’t want to be driving these roads after dark.  They are winding and curvy and dark is VERY DARK in the mountains!  Good News though as I am feeling more comfortable with the drive this week.  I must say though, I still enjoy the bus ride the most. 

On another note regarding the bus rides, I learned from experience this week that Saturday is a full day for the busses.  During the weekends visitors must have made advance reservations to enter the park.  If they failed to do so the only way they can enter is to take the bus into the park.  That means that they must exit the park and go back to the closest bus stop (which is Yosemite View Lodge) and catch the bus there.  This past Saturday the bus was Standing Room Only.  Certainly makes for great conversations with people from near and far.  Last night I rode in the ‘well’ of the bus (this is where they load wheelchairs and handicapped riders) and had a wonderful chat with a young lady from Brisbane, Australia who is visiting the US while on holiday for six weeks and a young man from Germany who came to San Diego for 6 weeks to perfect his English and decided to extend his stay by spending a week camping in Yosemite.  Both were amazing young people who were delightful.  Made for a great bus ride back to the cabin!

Not sure if I mentioned to you before what a delight the mornings are here.  My morning bus is scheduled to arrive at 6:42 am.  That means, depending on traffic, it can arrive anywhere from 6:42 to 7:30 a.m.  That gives me time outside to just admire the beautiful surroundings.  As I look around me there are mountains.  I don’t hear traffic, I hear nature.  The birds chirping, the squirrels running about, (no bears breathing yet!).  And I watch the sun rise and shine on the mountains.  What precious time this is to experience the beauty that surrounds me here.  I really love this time in the morning.  It is usually just me at this stop so it is an amazing opportunity for reflection.  I learn so much about me during these times. What a gift.

I normally arrive in the Valley (Yosemite Valley is the where the Welcome center, museums, etc. are located) around 8:00 a.m.  It’s about a 40ish minute bus ride.  The “Valley” is the floor of Yosemite National Park.  It is as if you are standing on the inside bottom of a large and deep bowl with mountains all around you as the sides.  

This picture was taken in the area right outside the Museum and the main area in the Village.  You can get a sense about what I mean by being in the bottom of the bowl.  

The Yosemite Cemetery is just on the other side of the street from the Museum.  A good walk can be had here over lunch.

My first stop each day this week has been the Research Library.  The Librarian, Virginia, has been showing me the ins and outs and the projects that we will be working on.  It feels just a tad overwhelming at the moment but I know I will find my place and be able to accomplish the tasks assigned.  I am really looking forward to learning more about the rare books kept here as well as how we address requests and questions.  We have much to do.

We have three additional volunteers coming in   over the next two months to work in the library.  They are from Texas, Florida and Kentucky and will also be staying in the cabins here in El Portal.   Madeline arrives on 10/4 from Florida; Elizabeth and Laura will arrive on 10/22.  I believe they will each be with us for 4 weeks.  I look forward to getting to know them and seeing what we can accomplish together. 

The Chief of Interpretation met with me this week and I plan to shadow he and Ranger Kate on Tuesday this coming week.  (Ranger Kate also rides Jake, the pack mule – – you will recall her from my post where I mentioned I met Jay (not JAKE) the pack horse – – – my hearing gets worse every day!   Kate did say she was struggling with allergies that day and it likely sounded like “Jay”.  The difference between pack horse and pack mule – – – well, that one’s on me!). If all goes well, I will begin serving one day a week at the Welcome Center and then will fill in as needed.  The seasonal rangers (who come each year for the busy months will be leaving soon and having someone who can fill in there will be helpful to them.  I assured Kate and Chief Erik there was no way I should be allowed to give directions given that I can still barely get myself in and out of the Village with any level of confidence!   

What I learned this week about Ansel Adams . . .

A visitor who studied photography with Adams suggests that Adams coined the phrase “pre-visualization” which was a term he used often.  He would see a scene and visualize it in print.  He would then set up his cameras and wait for the shot that would get him to the vision.  Then, with the development process used to transfer that negative to print he would be able to adjust the darkness and lightness of various spots to achieve his “pre-visualized” scene.  Think about that next time you view his prints.

Another of our visitors this week suggested I read the biography of Adams by Mary Alinder.  I’m in the middle of that now.  He believed that to be the best biography written about the artist.  

And yet another mentioned she was his nurse when he had an incident requiring hospitalization back in the early 80’s.  The medical staff were banned from asking for his autograph, but since she was the one administering an EKG for him she did manage to take an EKG strip of his heartbeat and has kept it for over 40 years!  Hmmmmm.  My time there is interesting.

My week ended last evening with a trip to Octoberfest held right here in the village of El Portal.  Bratwursts were sold by a food truck and local beer was on tap.  Music was alive and families were there to join in the fun.  A dunk tank and other sundry games were played.  I’m amazed by the number of community events held in this small community.  They have made what appears to be a very close knit community and one that it is easy to join in with.

So, to sum it up, I’ve had Ansel Adams, Research Library and Interpretation input this week.  I’ve had great conversations, learned more than I imagined about things that I never thought of, shared in the community and had a really good time.  What more could anyone want!

As always, forgive the errors.  Take care, stay safe and be well.

Hugs to all,

Mara