Have I Been To All The National Parks?

SUMMARY: A question posed by a friend who knows I get around.

My answer: Not by a long shot! But–how many have I been to?

At the moment, the U.S. has 62 National Parks. Wikipedia says, “29 states [including Alaska and Hawaii] have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” I’ve never been to Alaska, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. So there’s that.

We also have 128 National Monuments, which are also worth visiting, and some of which eventually may become National Parks.

AND we have all of these: 30 National Memorials (e.g., Mount Rushmore), 5 Affiliated National Memorials, and 19 independent locations that Congress designated as national memorials but that aren’t managed by the Park Service.

But on one site I found that there are “419 National Park Units as of 2019”! Whaaaa?!

Got that?

I’m not even going to mention State Parks!

TIP:

If you haven’t been to many, or want inspirational photos to help you choose where to go, QT Luong is a local photographer who created his own project to photograph all 61…62… whatever… US National Parks. The resulting photos have appeared in National Geographic among other places. And he made a stunning book, Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey through America’s National Parks, Second Expanded Edition. He presented some of his recent and detailed experiences to my photo club a couple of years ago, too. You can order the book or read his blog or see more photos or more at his site, https://www.terragalleria.com/. (Or come visit me and you can see my copy.)

Here’s the full Kitchen Sink list of parks, monuments, and so on. Ones I’ve been to are in THIS COLOR — and I might have been to more with my family in the many years we traveled together through my early and college years– [Copied this list from this handy site]:

ALABAMA NATIONAL PARKS
Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Freedom Riders National Monument
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Little River Canyon National Preserve
Russell Cave National Monument
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
Little River Canyon National Preserve

ALASKA NATIONAL PARKS
Alagnak Wild River
Aniakchak National Monument +
Aniakchak National Preserve
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Cape Krusenstern National Monument
Denali National Park +
Denali National Preserve
Gates of the Arctic National Park +
Gates of the Arctic National Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park +
Glacier Bay National Preserve
Katmai National Park +
Katmai National Preserve
Kenai Fjords National Park
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (also WA)
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark National Park +
Lake Clark National Preserve
Noatak National Preserve
Sitka National Historical Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park +
Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

ARIZONA NATIONAL PARKS

(TMH sez: Have possibly done more of these incidentally)

Canyon De Chelly National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument
Coronado National Memorial
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (also UT)
Grand Canyon National Park
Hohokam Pima National Monument (“There is no public access to the Hohokam Pima National Monument.”)
Hubbel Trading Post National Historic Site
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Navajo National Monument (incl Betatakin tour)
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Pipe Spring National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tonto National Monument
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Tuzigoot National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Wupatki National Monument

ARKANSAS NATIONAL PARKS
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Buffalo National River
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Hot Springs National Park
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Pea Ridge National Military Park
President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site

CALIFORNIA NATIONAL PARKS
Cabrillo National Monument
Castle Mountains National Monument
César E. Chávez National Monument
Channel Islands National Park
Death Valley National Park (also NV)
Devils Postpile National Monument
Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site
Fort Point National Historic Site
Golden Gate National Recreational Area (includes Alcatraz Island)
John Muir National Historic Site
Joshua Tree National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Manzanar National Historic Site
Mojave National Preserve
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Park
Point Reyes National Seashore
Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
Redwood National Park
Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historic Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Sequoia National Park
Tule Lake National Monument
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park

COLORADO NATIONAL PARKS
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (I think so, anyway)
Colorado National Monument
Currecanti National Recreation Area
Dinosaur National Monument (also UT)
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Preserve
Hovenweep National Monument (also UT)
Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
Yucca House National Monument

CONNECTICUT NATIONAL PARKS
Weir Farm National Historic Site

DELAWARE NATIONAL PARKS
First State National Historical Park (also PA)

FLORIDA NATIONAL PARKS
Big Cypress National Preserve
Biscayne National Park
Canaveral National Seashore
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
De Soto National Memorial
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Fort Caroline National Memorial
Fort Matanzas National Monument
Gulf Islands National Seashore (also MS)
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

GEORGIA NATIONAL PARKS
Andersonville National Historic Site
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (also TN)
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Fort Frederica National Monument
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site
Ocmulgee National Monument

HAWAII NATIONAL PARKS
Haleakala National Park
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Honouliuli National Monument (not open to the public yet)
Kalaupapa National Historical Park
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
Pearl Harbor National Memorial (formerly World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, also in AK and CA)
Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

IDAHO
City of Rocks National Reserve
Craters of the Moon National Monument +
Craters of the Moon National Preserve
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Minidoka National Historic Site
Nez Perce National Historical Park

ILLINOIS
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Pullman National Monument

INDIANA
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore)
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

IOWA
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

KANSAS
Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Nicodemus National Historic Site
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

KENTUCKY
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Camp Nelson Heritage National Monument
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (also TN and VA)
Mammoth Cave National Park

LOUISIANA
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
Poverty Point National Monument

MAINE
Acadia National Park
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Maine to Georgia)
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site

MARYLAND
Antietam National Battlefield
Assateague Island National Seashore (also VA)
Catoctin Mountain Park
C & O Canal National Historical Park (also DC)
Clara Barton National Historic Site
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Fort Washington Park
Greenbelt Park
Hampton National Historic Site
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Monocacy National Battlefield
Piscataway Park
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (also PA)
Thomas Stone National Historic Site

MASSACHUSETTS
Adams National Historical Park
Boston African American National Historic Site
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
John F. Kennedy National Historic Site
Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
Lowell National Historical Park
Minute Man National Historical Park
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Springfield Armory National Historic Site

MICHIGAN
Isle Royale National Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
River Raisin National Battlefield Park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

MINNESOTA
Grand Portage National Monument
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Pipestone National Monument
Voyageurs National Park

MISSISSIPPI
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
Natchez National Historical Park
Natchez Trace Parkway (also AL, TN)
Natchez Trace National Trail (also AL, TN)
Tupelo National Battlefield
Vicksburg National Military Park (also LA)

MISSOURI
Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)
George Washington Carver National Monument
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

MONTANA
Big Hole National Battlefield
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Glacier National Park
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

NEBRASKA
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Homestead National Monument of America
Missouri National Recreational River (also SD)
Niobrara National Scenic River
Scotts Bluff National Monument

NEVADA
Great Basin National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (also AZ)
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

NEW JERSEY
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (also PA)
Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River
Morristown National Historical Park
Paterson Great Falls National Historial Park
Thomas Edison National Historial Park

NEW MEXICO
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
El Malpais National Monument
El Morro National Monument
Fort Union National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Manhattan Project National Historical Park (also TN, WA)
Pecos National Historical Park
Petroglyph National Monument
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Valles Caldera National Preserve
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Monument in New Mexico

NEW YORK
African Burial Ground National Monument
Castle Clinton National Monument
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Federal Hall National Memorial
Fire Island National Seashore
Fort Stanwix National Monument
Gateway National Recreation Area (also NJ)
General Grant National Memorial
Governors Island National Monument
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saratoga National Historical Park
Statue of Liberty National Monument (also NJ)
Stonewall National Monument
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Women’s Rights National Historical Park

NORTH CAROLINA
Blue Ridge Parkway (also VA)
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Moores Creek National Battlefield
Wright Brothers National Memorial

NORTH DAKOTA
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (also MT)
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

OHIO
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
First Ladies National Historic Site
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial
William Howard Taft National Historic Site

OKLAHOMA
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

OREGON
Crater Lake National Park
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (also WA)
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve

PENNSYLVANIA
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Eisenhower National Historic Site
Flight 93 National Memorial
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Friendship Hill National Historic Site
Gettysburg National Military Park
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Independence National Historical Park
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Middle Delaware National Scenic River
Steamtown National Historic Site
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
Valley Forge National Historical Park

RHODE ISLAND
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (also MA)
Roger Williams National Memorial

SOUTH CAROLINA
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
Congaree National Park
Cowpens National Battlefield
Fort Sumter National Monument
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Reconstruction Era National Monument

SOUTH DAKOTA
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Wind Cave National Park

TENNESSEE
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (also KY)
Fort Donelson National Battlefield (also KY)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (also NC)
Obed Wild and Scenic River
Shiloh National Military Park (also MS)
Stones River National Battlefield

TEXAS
Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
Amistad National Recreation Area
Big Bend National Park
Big Thicket National Preserve
Chamizal National Memorial
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Padre Island National Seashore
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Waco Mammoth National Monument

UTAH
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Natural Bridges National Monument
Rainbow Bridge National Monument (by boat only)
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Zion National Park

VERMONT
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

VIRGINIA
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
Colonial National Historical Park
Fort Monroe National Monument
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington Memorial Parkway (also MD, DC)
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Petersburg National Battlefield Park
Prince William Forest Park
Richmond National Battlefield Park
Shenandoah National Park
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Mount Vernon — is a National Historic Site but not a park per se. Geez, there are a million of these in the U.S.!

WASHINGTON
Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (also OR)
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
Mount Rainier National Park (“The park contains 42 locations designated on the National Register of Historic Places, including four National Historic Landmarks.” I’ve been to some.)
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
Ross Lake National Recreation Area
San Juan Island National Historical Park
Whitman Mission National Historic Site
Hall of Mosses in Olympic National Park

WASHINGTON DC
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
Constitution Gardens
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
National Capital Parks (This includes many individual sites in D.C….)
National Mall
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
Rock Creek Park
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington Monument
White House and President’s Park
World War I Memorial
World War II Memorial

WEST VIRGINIA
Bluestone National Scenic River
Gauley River National Recreation Area
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
New River Gorge National River

WISCONSIN
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (also MN)

WYOMING
Devils Tower National Monument
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Fossil Butte National Monument
Grand Teton National Park
John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
Yellowstone National Park (also ID, MT)

VIRGIN ISLANDS
Buck Island Reef National Monument
Christiansted National Historic Site
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
Virgin Islands National Park

US TERRITORIES
National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam

The Other Coast Disney

SUMMARY: Walt Disney World (WDW) and environs, Nov 1-9

There’s always so much to say about these trips, and I took no notes at all while it was all going on, so some of it is a big colorful fun blur in my memory. So I’m going to try to capture just a few things about the 9 days, for me, at least.

First, though, my seester is considerably more succinct in her Facebook post:

Now that the trip(s) are over.. sanity has returned and recovery is ongoing. Nov.1st. Flew to Florida. Nov 2 went to universal studios for a day to see Harry Potter stuff. Nov. 3-5 went to WDW, nov 6 did monorail resort hopping and drove out to see the Atlantic Ocean. Nov. 7-8 did More WDW. Flew home Nov. 9. Nov. 12th drove to Disneyland. Did Disneyland resort for 3 days, returning Friday the 15th.

To say that my feet hurt would be an understatement.. and I’m a bit tired..

Wednesday before the trip

Finished packing my big suitcase because that had to go early with my bro-in-law #2 who is going a day ahead of us to sign in for his Saturday and Sunday races (Friday and Saturday? See, I already forgot). Drove half an hour each way to drop off the suitcase at my seester’s place (call her Sister #2). Excitement is high. Hoping I can sleep well the next couple of nights. At the last minute, I dash out to Target to buy a new 4 TB portable drive to use as backup for my photos while on the trip.

Thursday before the trip

Lots to do: My sister (call her Sister #4) has come up from Nevada to stay with the house and dogs, so I need to be sure that things are in reasonable order and that I’ve given her all the info that she needs. Plus making sure that all of my last-minute carry-on packing is done. Don’t want to forget anything important, like the camera! Or the batteries! Then early-ish to bed because…

Friday

Sis#2, I, and Sis#2’s good friend from Australia (call her Mallory, because that’s her Facebook handle) fly together from the San Francisco airport. We’ve all done Disneyland together a couple of times, and it’s fun.

To Orlando. Flight is uneventful.

Arrive around dinnertime. Take Uber to the Disney Swan hotel (haven’t stayed there before), meet Bro-in-Law #2 for dinner. And all are very tired, so not too late to bed. Mallory and I share a room.

See a few details with photos.

Saturday

Universal Florida Resort/Parks! None of us have been here before. We meet up with Sis #1 and Bro-in-law #1. Main goal is the new Harry Potter universe, split between two parks. . Ride a couple of rides. Eat and snack. Shop. Then to our hotel for the rest of our stay (Shades of Green), where Bro-in-law #2 has already checked us in and moved our luggage in. Great guy!

See a few details with photos.

Sunday

who knows about more details or photos. Jeez, have been at it for hours. So many photos! So little time!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Up very early. To Orlando airport in plenty of time for breakfast at Ruby Tuesday’s. Home again, jiggity-jog. Exhausted but not successfully sleeping on the plane again, and the window-seat occupants keep the windows closed, so no views. That’s OK, though. It’s peaceful. At home, I unpack only a couple of things that I need and call it a night.

Sunday

How is it possible that, to unpack, I have to take one or two things to each of a thousand different places in my house and car?! Took a lot of time, but glad to get it done and everything stowed away to await another exciting adventure.

Monday

Woke up with a cold. Children! Airplanes! Not enough sleep! Excitement, adrenaline, blah blah! Ah, well, it was worth it–and I’m on hiatus from work, so plenty of time to rest!

We Need To Get Out More

SUMMARY: Limited dog activities equals limited interesting photos

There’s a new chat channel at work for sharing dog photos, with a different theme daily. I often think, oh, yeah, I have a photo of Tika or Boost or Remington or… doing that! And then I think, jeez, I never do anything with Chip and Zorro. (Which makes the challenges of taking them places worse and worse…)

So last night I took them to the pet store. Early success–Chip jumped right into the car (not the crate; the center of the car through the door, which he wouldn’t do even there last weekend when I tried). So that’s progress again. No idea why sometimes he decides that getting into the car is evil. Actually–after last night–maybe I do: Too many scary experiences? Such a worry-wart.

I took one dog at a time into the store. Chip looked a wee concerned about visiting soil and trees in the parking lot, but moved along pulling hard at the leash. Trotted through the automatic doors looking a little worried still, sniffed at the huge pallet of dog food just inside, and then, when my back was turned (I might have pulled the leash and said, come on), he slipped a little maybe? and there he was in that “I don’t know how to stand up on this scary slippery floor and I’m too scared to lie down” pose. Oh, right, I forgot the whole incident at the guest house over 4th of July. I got him up, he took a few ugly muscles-locked steps, tail between his legs, and then froze. I finally got him another 20 feet in, where he dove for the the cashier’s mat behind the cash register. So I said, “let’s go outside,” turned and headed for the exit, and he trotted quickly and without incident the whole way across the floor, tail low but not between his legs.

Outside, I walked him down the sidewalk a little way, then back into the store. He was fine until he got to the exact spot where he went halfway down the first time, stopped short, started to skirt it, then went back into the “I don’t know how to stand up on this scary slippery floor” mode. So I took him back to the car.

Next up: Zorro. Overstimulated just being out of the car as I walked calmly thru the parking lot. I had a pocket full of Zuke’s treats (which Chip had had no interest in from the beginning = fear stress = would *you* eat if you were scared?). Zorro actually turned and looked at me when I said his name, so we practiced a couple of sits, then letting him sniff around, then more name-call and response, and then, finally, a Down. (Rewards for each success! Yay!) Across the parking lot and into the store. He’s whine-yipping the whole time… not loudly, not constantly, but still overexcited. We walked up and down a couple of aisles, letting him sniff almost as much as he wanted to. When we passed aisles with dogs, he looked and whined but no horrid reactivity; good boy. (He even Sat when the clerk told him to for a treat!) So I took him back out while we were still successful.

Chip was in his crate, standing, tail between his legs, when I opened the door. Traumatized by being left in the car? Left alone in the car? No wonder he wants to stay home.

Such a challenge. I felt so on edge with both of them that I didn’t dare take the time for any kind of photo.

We need to get out more. I will try.

Courageous Kids day at Great America

SUMMARY: A learning photographic experience

Backfill: From Facebook, posted May 12ish.

For families with kids with cancer. On Mother’s Day. Courageous Kids sets up a whole special area of activities and music and celebrity visits and free food and free family portraits by pro photographers. I went along as an assistant photog and for the opportunity to learn more about posing groups of people so the group looks special. Learned a bunch; now I are a portrait photographist. (I wish I were that good…)

The photo organizer had 4 groups of photographers with 4 people in each group. Our group photographed 50 families. I’m exhausted. But really an excellent experience.

For personal shots (like these), rule was, no recognizable faces. I didn’t take many photos. Could’ve taken more, of just the clothing, for example, with permission. Quite a few families came wearing matching t-shirts such as “Sophie’s Supporters” or “Jose’s Team” or “Fuck Lukemia” (yes, really. I cheered).

Ever wonder what Great America stashes in its back parking lots? Well, here’s a delightful sampling.

Hats for volunteers! In pretty much my favorite color!

Oh Em Gee! My retirement home, right here! Favorite *favorite* colors!!!

Where I checked in.

The team captain pro (Annie) in our little group of 4four came prepared with a couple of ways to try to draw kids’ (and adults’) attention to the camera. I like this. She even came prepared with tape for sticking it. (The camera gear belonged to the other pro in our group, Iryna.) The background overflows with the colors of parts of the obstacle course and the birdhouse-building tables.

My swag, such as it is. (I turned in the nifty zippered badge holder at the end of the day, since I have no other need for it.)

One of the stations for kids was building and painting birdhouses. Beautiful colors!

Loved the rainbow one!

Going to the Fair Ain’t What She Used To Be

SUMMARY: With occasional appearances of Mr Fox No.12.

I loved visiting the county fair when I was younger. Miles and miles of livestock from the tiniest decorative chickens or rabbits to the largest long-horn cattle and draft horses.

Food vendors of myriad confections, from cotton candy to pepper steak to garlic fries (and ice cream!) and everything in between.

Winners and participants of nonlivestock competitions: Saliva-inducing canned goods, perfectly hand-stitched clothing, rainbows of quilts, woodworking, metalworking, photography, people’s carefully curated collections of curiosities, table-setting examples.

Hawkers of fantabulous whoozitzes and whatnots that you might not see anywhere else. And of course the carnival rides and games, gleaming, glistening, shining, glowing, in a thousand colors at day and oh so much at night.

The Santa Clara County fairgrounds used to have a field/racetrack/grandstand, too, that drew crowds for whatever was going on at any given hour.

But–probably largely through receding interest as the agricultural Valley of Heart’s Delight became Silicon Valley–the fair gradually became a shadow of its former self. Wasn’t helped along by management who decided to raze the grandstand/field and all of the livestock buildings and facilities some years back, and then couldn’t come up with any sort of replacement that was acceptable to the neighbors or general residents of Santa Clara County.

But–we went briefly yesterday anyway. The entry arch is the same one that has been there as long as I can remember.

Yesterday was LGBTQ day/night at the fair, as they try to draw in new audiences. So there were a lot of rainbows to put us in a cheery mood. It was a good start but didn’t last long and was spotty the rest of the time.

We weren’t thrilled with the entrance, even. So I’ll start by complaining, apologies–it gets better (I think). We went yesterday because the fair’s web page said $1 entrance all day Thursday. When we got there, it wasn’t, and when I got home, their page no longer said that.

And they had the entrance very poorly laid out: Big sign pointing to “Entrance” which was a long maze of fences set up to contain a huge line (no line when we got there), and as we headed through towards the end of that, we saw people coming back in our direction and discovered that the ticket booth sat *outside* the maze even thought it was right next to the far end of the maze where the ticket takers were. So we had to walk back along that maze (neither of us feeling physically at our best), then walk back down alongside it to get tickets, then walk back out alongside it again and all the way through it again, so I wasn’t feeling charitable before we even got inside. I wasn’t grumpy enough to ask one of the guards to just move part of the fence for us to walk through–wish I had. Oh, well.

OK, mostly I won’t complain more; I’ll just be wistful as we go.

Mr Fox No.12 came along but didn’t have much to say. He said he thought that speech was generally free in the U.S. of A. but based on the condition of this location, it seems to be a little under attack, he said. He stayed low in case of sudden mass shootings in the area.

Once inside, you betcha we spotted this right away.

We sat on a bench in the shade–it was warm, not super-hot, but my delicious but drippy dipped cone called for sitting and ice creaming and talking.

Next up: The large animal building (not a barn–those are long gone. This is a repurposed building that used to hold other exhibits and vendors). We walked through, but all the lanes between rows were closed and most of the animals were tied up facing the other way or sleeping on the far side of the pens, so that was quick and dull.

No.12 says that he saw more interesting sheep than these up in Oregon and Idaho, he says. He did scare one into moving suddenly, though, when he tried to jump off my neck when i leaned forward to take a photo. He thought that was pretty entertaining.

What sheep do when their neighbor kicks sawdust in their face. [Nothing, apparently. Maybe he was keeping an eye on Mr Fox. Made me smile, though.]

Be glad your neck wrinkles aren’t like these.

[Dangity ding dong, I just realized that all of my photos have Mr Fox No.12’s signature on them because I neglected to turn that off in my smallification dialog. Darn it.]

Pretty much all the sheep, goats, and pigs that we saw looked more like this: Plump and sleepy and uninterested in giving us photo ops. Didn’t they get the memo?!

Here, all the animals were projects of 4H or FFA or the like, so they were also educational projects, meaning that educational info put together by the kids lined the pens. Perhaps without much proofreading. But I always learn something.

This is pretty much what all the cattle looked like to us.

A quick glimpse along the pig row of the large animal building. Those are exhibitors in the middle; we couldn’t walk through there.

I’m definitely sad when I go these days because it’s even less than a shell of what it used to be. Don’t know whether that was entirely inevitable or as a result of management over the last decade or two. This is the main entry plaza, first thing you go through. Bare. Not many vendors of any kind anywhere.

(My sister, an avid Society for Creative Anachronism member, said that they used to provide demos of fighting and other medieval activities here in this plaza until they realized that, even on Saturday and Sunday, their group made up about half of the people actually in the plaza.)

The “competitions” hall held the usual remnants of what used to be huge displays of photos, collections, table settings, crafts, sewing, canned goods, etc. Some nice things still, and I like looking at them. But I sure wish there were more. Everything done pretty much by youth (K-12), now, not much in the way for adults to participate in. There are some delightfully talented young people out there, though, and that always bodes well for the future, I think.

I did like the socially conscious quilts, including some sections from the AIDS quilt and one beautiful and moving one for the Sandy Hook shooting with the names as part of the quilting. (All but the AIDS quilt also done by “youth”.)

And this–

The quilt took me back to the ’80s and early ’90s, when they were just figuring out what was going on, and there was so much stigma, and so very, very, very many people, particularly here in the San Francisco Bay Area, dying. Frightening times. I’m so glad that we’ve made progress on all those fronts.

⇨ Read more about the quilt at aidsquilt.org.

(This chart is from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. My feelings were more of remembering how hard the times were back then, viewed now from a distance, and relief that things got better. Still not perfect, but so much better.)

(My fair-going friend points out that things might not be as much better as they appear.)

So–back to the fair in general: Just a few of the things in the competition hall (which was also pretty sparse), but some beautiful items to regard. Look how that honey glows!

This is a painted gourd. (For exhibit only, not in competition.) “Miniature Garden Gourd House on Stump” by Iris Gach.

As a collector of dragons (and some other random things, don’t cha know), I’ve always liked looking at people’s personally curated collections at the fair. Like these piggies.

Outside, between the buildings, spray-paint artists were hard at work. How DO they do that directly out of spray cans?!
(Wolf. Purple. Love both. Ooooowwwwwoooooooooo!)

Displays in the other exhibit hall were the now-usual bugs, reptiles, and Dianetics, and not too many of those, either; hall mostly empty.

One part of one of the old exhibit halls was set up as the Wizard’s Challenge, which provided giant chess, giant checkers, a bunch of other giant games and toys, and this delightful giant bubbles station. Dip, pull, and stream, and wowwwwww giant bubbles! You could even capture a nearby friend in one!

Friend was having miserable back spasms and my hip was none too good, so we didn’t stay all that long and didn’t see all that much of the fair. Didn’t make it out to the carnival part, although that was our original goal for photos. Supposed to be larger this year, and if it goes well, it’ll be back next year. Or, if not, there are other fairs within easy driving distance for future reference.

Instead, we quickly called it a day and headed over to Applebee’s for dinner. My salmon and veggies were very good; certainly healthier than anything I’d have eaten at the fairgrounds. And one can’t beat the air condition and the great companionship as two old (ahem, barely middle-aged?) friends talk up a storm. We always have things to talk about, and that is just plum wonderful.

Dogs. And Agility.

SUMMARY: Pix and Ponderings about dogs, agility, nonagility, travel, activities…

This started as a blog about me and my dogs in agility. And it pretty much continued that way for over a decade, with forays into random realms.

But I hardly ever post here any more. Mean to, really I do. Because the secondary purpose was to be my diary, since I suck at keeping a written one, plus can’t click to insert photos into paper!

And then when I do post, it’s hardly ever about dogs. So, here’s a dog. Waiting for the neighbor’s dog to come to the fence so they can bark ferociously at each other. What passes for entertainment in the dog world.

Not too many weekends ago, I went to my club’s agility trial about 50-60 minutes from here. Nice freeway drive through less urbanified areas. At least, early in the morning. I worked. Took a few photos. My heart wasn’t into either one. I think what finally did it for me was that there was a snooker course with an element in it that is one of the spectacular Ellen-and-Boost-fail-to-get-a-Super-Q near misses that just broke my heart. I let too many things break my heart in agility, I think, but even telling myself here and now that that didn’t matter and I’d do anything to have my little blue border collie back, it just kept hitting me.

And I’m not that interested in the courses now–I’m nowhere near competition ready in that I have no agility dogs, even if I were completely physically fit. (Actually feeling pretty good these days, but quite out of condition.)

Agility people are still wonderful. Lots of friends there. Chatted with several. And then they’d need to go run their dogs, or walk their dogs, or take their dogs to the doggie masseuse (really, she’s wonderful; Tika loved her). More and more people running, every time I go to a trial, whom I don’t know from Adam. More and more known people with new dogs I’ve never met and know nothing about So many of the people I became friends with–and dogs, too– by being in classes and seminars with them for long periods.

I haven’t done agility trials or classes or seminars now for over 3 years, except for a very few small attempts at class with each of the dogs. I know that Zorro would love it and would be very good at it. I just can’t spark my own interest in working on it. Doesn’t he look like he’s ready for something new and more exciting?

And then, with that last trial, I just didn’t even want to go to the next couple in the same location, and now there’s one right here locally this weekend and I’m not going there, either. Can’t exactly say why; I had planned on it. But didn’t.

Meanwhile, I’ve been going more and more places and doing more and more things as I get physically better and better– all the interesting and different kinds of places and things that I used to do a lot of before I started agility–

Las Vegas and Grand Canyon in November, for a photo seminar and much more. (I’ve posted almost none of the photos, but here are a couple.)
Yosemite in March, and lucked out in having snow fall on us, something I’ve wanted to happen for many many years but haven’t had the spare weekends also for many years. (Almost no photos posted, but here are a couple.)
Walt Disney World in Florida in April. (almost nothing posted yet, but here are a couple of shots.)
Arizona in May (even though it was for a memorial, still we got around and did things.)
Later this summer, I’m going to Reno for the balloon races, something I’ve wanted to do since I first learned about them many many years ago.
Later still, in the fall, I’ll be going to Ouray, Colorado, for a photo workshop on fall colors in the Rockies, something I’ve almost done several times and then didn’t for one reason or another.
Tomorrow it’s Big Sur: my sis and bro-in-law and I are going on an adventure–Driving there, taking the shuttle to the closed part of Highway 1, hiking over the brand-new trail around the damaged highway, then shuttle on the other side to Nepenthe, a restaurant that we like perched above the cliffs on the ocean, before it’s too late and they finally replace the destroyed Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge and the shuttle will no longer run and Big Sur will no longer be isolated from the rest of the world (at least, from the North–who knows how long until they find the missing Pacific Coast Highway south of there). Until the next Highway 1 disaster.

Had I been doing agility, I likely wouldn’t have done any of these. So, it’s tradeoffs. Always.

And the dogs have stayed home through everything. So, it’s a different life.

I still mostly think of myself as an agility person. Hard not to, with 20 years of classes and competitions and seminars and trips and parties and clubs and all. And yet–I feel that I’m slowly going back to being just a Boring Pet Dog Owner. And yet–I’m still not ready to let the Agility go.

And then–Retirement is looking more and more like it could actually happen. Sooner rather than later. How cool would that be? But what would it mean for what and where and when and how and who? Thought for EVER so long that I’d travel around, hiking, doing agility, and like that. But–now–who knows!

The future is wide open.

Yosemite Valley, Saturday vs. Sunday

SUMMARY: Wordless Wednesday

>> Visit the Wordless Wednesday site; lots of blogs. <<

Seesters Go To San Francisco

SUMMARY: Almost Wordless Wednesday

There are five sisters. Three went to San Francisco to see Says You! live.

Heavy drinkers: Water, lemonade, raspberry lemonade, and hot chocolate chasers.

Who’s the photo bomber?

At the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco theater.

It’s San Francisco: Arrive in the sun, leave in the fog.

>> Visit the Wordless Wednesday site; lots of blogs. <<

Movies Viewed 2010-2013

SUMMARY: One of my hobbies

(Updates after original post are in blue.)

I’ve been meaning to do this every year for many years, but somehow don’t get around to it.

Thought of it just now, so here are the lists of movies I saw in theaters from 2010-2013. FWIW.

(I have several movies noted as “?” which means that, for example, I have a receipt for popcorn but no ticket stub to match that date. I saw some films that aren’t on the list, so I think those must be the ??s. On the other hand, quite a few of these I had to look up on IMDB as I couldn’t remember what they were about, and even had to watch the trailers for some to remind me.)

Listed in approximately the order in which I saw them.

*(nn)* were nominated for the Academy Awards best picture & for which year.

2010 (35 films)
————————————
?? (can’t find ticket, don’t remember)
Blind Side
Crazy HEart
Tooth Fairy
Shutter Island
Ghost Writer
???another one I didn’t note–likely Alice in Wonderland (w/Johnny Depp)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
How to Train Your Dragon
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
Oceans
*(10)* Toy Story 3D
Prince of Persia
Despicable Me
*(10)* The Kids are All Right
*(10)* ???another no note — likely was ** Inception
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
??another no note
Heartbreaker
The Town
*(10)*The SOcial Network
Let Me In
It’s Kind of Funny
Red
Hereafter
Megamind
Fair Game
Tangled 3-D
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Morning Glory
Tron Legacy
*(10)* The Fighter
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The King’s Speech

(Other *(10)* nominees I didn’t see: 127 Hours, Black Swan, Winter’s Bone)

2011 (30 films)
————————————
Rabbit Hole
*(10)* True Grit
Green Hornet
Tangled
Unknown
Jane Eyre
Rango
?? didn’t note
Le Compte D’Ory (Met. Opera in movie theater)
Water for Elephants
Thor
*(11)* ?? another unknown — likely ** Midnight In Paris
Kung Fu Panda
?? no note
Cars
Green Lantern
Horrible Bosses
Cowboys & Aliens
Captain America: The First Avenger
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Debt
*(11)* The Help
*(11)* Moneyball
50/50
Tower Heist
J Edgar
*(11)* The Descendants
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Artist
Tinker Taylor Solider Spy

(Other *(11)* I didn’t see: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Tree of Life)

2012 (33 films)
————————————
My Week with Marilyn
*(11)* Hugo
“Missme 4-D” ?(can’t read my writing)
The Adventures of TinTin
The Muppets
*(11)* War Horse
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Hunger Games
John Carter of Mars
Iron Lady
Mirror Mirror
The Avengers
The Avengers (again)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Brave
The Amazing Spider-Man
Dark Knight trilogy (3 movies one night)
*(12)* Beasts of the Southern Wild
Hope Springs
Robot & Frank
Bourne Legacy
Looper
Cloud Atlas
Wreck It Ralph
Skyfall
*(12)* Lincoln
Flight
*(12)* Life of Pi
*(12)* Argo
*(12)* Silver Lining Playbook
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit
Hyde Park

(Other *(12)* nominations I didn’t see: Django Unchained, Amour)

2013 (46 films)
————————————
The Impossible
*(12)* Zero Dark Thirty
*(12)* Les Miserables
Quartet
Warm Bodies
Jack the Giant Killer
Side Effects
The Great and Powerful Oz
Olympus
42
Jurassic Park
Mud
Iron Man 3
The Great Gatsby
Star Trek Darkness
Man of Steel
White House Down
What Maisie Knew
Now You see Me
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Much Ado About Nothing
The Internship
Monsters U
The Wolverine
The Way Way Back
Despicable Me 2
We’re The Millers
Lone Ranger
The Butler
Rush
Closed Circuit
??? no note
Museum Hours
*(13)* Gravity
*(13)* Captain Phillips
Catching Fire
Frozen
*(13)* 12 Years a Slave
Ender’s Game
Thor Dark World
*(13)* Nebraska
*(13)* Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks
Hobbit Desolation
*(13)* American Hustle
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

2014 [only listing the nominees I’ve seen in January for completeness]
—————–
*(13)* Her
*(13)* The Wolf of Wall Street
*(13)* Dallas Buyers Club

(Yay, I’ve seen all the 2013 nominees!)

Renaissance Faire

SUMMARY: A fantastical Saturday.

I and two friends took ourselves and our cameras to the Northern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire on Saturday. Had to leave the Merle Girls at home, but none-the-less had a great time (although I never manage to take enough photos). Here’s an appetizer selection.

A naughty faun. (Faun girl, if you see this, my friend has more photos of you that you can have. I’m at elf (at) finchester (dot) org.)

An herb seller outfit.

Musicians and performers of all kinds abounded.

It was a Fantasy-themed weekend, and fairies of all kinds abounded.

In the Renaissance, nothing is ever spelled the same as it is in the 21st century. Food and drink, all marvelous, also abounded.

Fairies on horses!

Vendors abounded–amazing ceramics and other stunning works.

Elizabethan outfits were the most elaborate.

Street scene–booths of one sort or another, or stages, lined the entire site.

Dirty Laundry laundresses performing.

Belly dancer.

Romeo and Juliet as you’ve never seen it before!

Playing dice. It was impossible to tell who were “participants” and who were “visitors”–many visitors (like me) dressed for the time period, more or less. And people hung out and did all the sorts of things that people did.

Speak softly and carry a…

And masks.

Oops, caught in the act.

For many more photos of these and more, including nights in shining armor, brilliant colors, and all, here are the rest of my photos from the day: http://elf1.smugmug.com/Events/Renaissance-Pleasure-Faire2013/32572615_t4qXS6