First day as a 1st grader

These are from Ellora's first day back to school. She is now officially a first grader. First we headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Ellora shared her yogurt with her brother.



These were taken in Ellora's new classroom. She has her own desk now and seems to be enjoying her new space.

Best of luck in the new school year!

Yosemite National Park

Being so late in the season, much of the streams and waterfalls have all but disappeared. Here is a picture of the lower Yosemite falls...or what's left of it.

This is picture at the trailhead to the lower falls. You can see Half Dome in the background.

Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar sight. The granite crest rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor.

Ascents
As late as the 1870s, Half Dome was declared "perfectly inaccessible",[1] but it may now be ascended in several different ways. Thousands of hikers reach the top each year by following a trail from the valley floor. The trailhead is only 2 mi (3.2 km) from Half Dome itself, but the circuitous route is 8.5 mi (13.7 km) long. The final ascent is accomplished by following a pair of metal cables raised on posts up the peak's steep but somewhat rounded east face. The cable route was constructed in 1919, but followed close to the route of George Anderson's October, 1875 first ascent made by drilling iron eyebolts into the smooth granite.[2]
Alternatively, over a dozen rock climbing routes lead from the valley up Half Dome's vertical northwest face. Other routes ascend the south face and the west shoulder. The first modern technical route was the Regular Northwest Face route - originally climbed in 1957 by Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. This 5-day ascent was the first Grade VI climb in the United States.[3]