Life Moves On

As a result of the lack of jobs at the end of the year I have taken the opportunity to join my parents on an excursion to Colorado. We have been having a blast. Since we are down to one dog (Cleo had to be put down in Oct.) we decided to bring Mocha with us and let her experience snow for the first time. I can definitely say she is a California Dog when it comes to the cold but she loves the snow. She likes to find the deepest drift and just tears through it like a hurricane. It is great to watch the joy that she gets out of such a simple thing as running full out in snow. We have spent a couple of days at my Aunt's house up in Morrison and we are now bunking down at the Graumann's house in Littleton. We have caught up with all kind of friends: The Matsuda's plus new baby, the whole Todd clan tonight at BD's a Mongolian BBQ place (really cool!), and both of the Graumann clans. It is great to see these faces again and catch up on life. We have so much fun, just laughing and poking fun. It is like we are not away from each other for 360 days a year.
Next on our agenda is Glenwood Springs on New Years day and then Zion National Park for the weekend (yeah, another park to mark off the list).
Here is wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Par 6 Anyone?

I have become a big fan of this game called Disc Golf. Heard of it? We have a really good course here in Fresno and my family and I play every weekend we are in town. 18 holes or baskets with par 3 for every hole. That means that your score should be 54 or lower… hahahaha! My score this week was 87, almost my best score too. So obviously I am not going pro anytime soon, but it is a great way to spend a Saturday. It is a 2.5 mile walk all the way around the course that does not include the double backs that you do to get your Frisbee. It is almost a full body work out because you are bending down to get the Frisbee a lot, and then throwing the disc, which for me involves a full rotation of my entire body, plus the walking. We have all bought the neato Frisbees for the game, and it definitely improved our scores. But sometimes we take the time to watch the other guys on the course, and they are so serious about the game. Majority of them can throw the disc on their drive and get it almost within a few feet of the basket. And their drives make it look almost effortless. My dad and Brother can get it within 10-20 feet, and myself, it takes me a minimum of 3 throws to get it even close to the basket. The point for us though is to have fun. I highly recommend this game for anyone and everyone who has not experienced it.

The Perspective Reader

I love books that give you a new perspective on life. Recently, I read Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London. These two books are inverts of each other. Call of the Wild is about a dog, Buck. He is a tame dog who is stolen and turned into a sled dog up in the Yukon. It sequences his transformation from happy family working dog to his final transition to wild dog running with the wolves. The entire story is from Buck’s perspective of life. White Fang is about this ¼ dog, ¾ wolf who is taken at a young age to be trained as a sled working dog. White Fang find a hard life in the beginning, learning the ways of how wild mixes with domestic. But eventually he find his one true “god” and follows him all the way to San Francisco where he eventually becomes completely domestic.
In both the stories the idea of dog’s intelligence and understanding of what is going on around them is well portrayed. Buck, who knew humans before the wild understands them better than White Fang who has only know the laws of the wild. White Fang calls the humans “gods” because they can wield inanimate objects to their will. Also, both dogs eventually find one human whom they devote themselves to and realize the idea of love and relationship, and the complete submission and willing servitude that comes with love.
Since reading these books I have totally looked at my dog, Mocha, in a different way. I think about what she is processing and understanding, the pack mentality that she has with my family. She was hand raised by us so I think she has a deeper connection to us. It is just a different look on life for me.
I am also reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. This is another one of those different perspectives books. I really like it so far.

Getting Started

Inspired by my former roommates Jill and Amy and their dedication to putting their lives into words I am going to give it a try. First blog, a little introduction to Sherilee:

If you hadn’t notice by the title of my blog I love to hike. I would make a career out of it if I could (National Park Service could be in my future). My recent accomplishments have included Half Dome (Yosemite, CA), Precipice (Acadia, ME), and Cadillac Mountain (Acadia, ME). I am aspiring to accomplish a four day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne (Yosemite, CA) sometime next summer.
I am also addicted to travel. I love to go anywhere and everywhere that presents a new challenge or a new experience. My family and I just came back from the Northeastern coast of the US where we were hiking in Acadia National Park one week and doing a major American History rundown the next week (Boston, Philadelphia, Lancaster County, Gettysburg, and DC). It was our first time on the East Coast and we made the most of it. If you have not done such a trip I highly recommend you put it on your “101 things to do before you die” list.
Books – I would read nonstop if I didn’t have to work. Mostly I read historical fiction but I do like the fantasy stuff like vampires and the like. I have recently read The Dark Queen which was great, about a sorceress trying to defeat Catherine Medici. I also started the Drizzt Saga about a dark elf trying to find his place in a world that doesn’t trust his kind (if you like Lord of the Rings I recommend this).
Thanks for dropping by and please come again.