I left my home in Yosemite with a few tears but was also anxious to get home to my friends, family, and my pups. So long Cabin #9. . .
I spent my first night on the road in Fresno, then on to Orange County and a visit with my cousins in Yorba Linda and a dear friend in Laguna Woods. From there it was a stay in a beautiful bed and breakfast on the upper side of Joshua Tree National park. The resident owl was a great plus to my stay here.
It was on to Tuscon then and a few days with the Browns. It was a treat to be able to connect with someone I met first in 1977 and last saw 10ish years ago and pick up as if we had never been apart. What a great couple days together. (Complete forgot to take pictures!)
Daughter Jennifer flew in to Tuscon and we drove back to Dallas together. What a fun time we had. Jen bought lottery tickets for us and we won $200! Woo Hoo!
Daughter Melissa flew in from San Antonio and we shared Christmas with family. She dressed up as a dinosaur and the twins LOVED it!
Then it was home to my puppies. Gus and Lou were waiting on the front porch for me and were so excited but not near as much as me. I missed them so very much. Good to be home again.
On a final note I send love, hugs and kudos to all my Yosemite friends who made this trip such a treat. Madeline, my fellow volunteer and new BFF, composed a YouTube video of some of my experiences here. What a great gift this was and you can watch it if you like by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abUcaAMMTF8 or clicking on the play button in the video below.
I hope that each of you will consider volunteering with our National Parks. What a gift these past 10 years have been for me. It is a chance to give back, meet new friends, learn new things, and make a difference. I love it and cannot wait to tell you about my next adventure. We’ll talk soon. Hugs to all.
My goal for the coming year will be to serve my remaining 500ish hours to secure the Presidential Lifetime Service Award with over 4,000 hours of service. I’ll do that by returning to my local NPS park, San Antonio Missions a couple days each week.
Please forgive all errors, take care of yourselves, stay safe and blessings to all.
Mara