The Tallest Things I See

I am so happy that the tallest things I can see from my house are mountains.

The tallest thing here isn't a skyscraper or a telephone pole. It isn't something man-made that dominates the landscape, but the tallest thing is nature's pure goodness.

When I look out my window I see the mountains. I see the sky. I can see pastures. And I really like it that way.

People are mistaken when they say that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth... It's actually the little town in the Eastern Sierra of California where I live, Bishop.

We are over two hours away from the closest Walmart and only a bike ride away from world class rock climbing, hiking and the true essence of Mother Earth. And that's how we like it.

Phil and I have now been in the Eastern Sierra for a little over a year and plan on staying here for the long haul. Some people say we are lucky but I would argue that statement. Lucky is like when I was riding bikes with Rayne in Sunset Beach and he found a hundred dollar bill... THEN Rayne took Phil and I out to sushi. Now that was a pure stroke of luck.

Phil and I made a choice to live here and living here was our priority. I feel really lucky to have my job but I would have gladly scrubbed toilets or waited tables just to live in this town.

Although working 40 hours a week isn't foreign to me, it has taken me awhile to adjust to a desk job. I spend a fair amount of time sitting in front of the computer and another nice chunk in a car (when I do rural outreach). And boy, does it takes a toll on the body! I am still surprised at how exhausting a desk job can be. You would think that after a day of sitting you would have a ton of energy to do crafts, clean the house and make dinner. It's not like that for me though. I come home at the end of the day and I just need to sit by the canal with Phil, have a beer and decompress. It's rather a nice ritual and I am growing quite fond of it.

 However, don't let me give you the impression that I am a slouch.

By no means would I say that I am. Phil and I have been climbing every Tuesday on our friend Marsha's (pictured below) indoor climbing wall. As well as getting outside on a regular basis. And for that, I am thankful. Bringing it full circle, I am thankful that I live in a town where getting outside is accessible.

And I'm thankful that I live in a town were people like to come visit. Pictured below is Jennifer, Phil's mom, at the Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park.

Even though our house is small, we love to have friends over. I love it even more when we have friends over to play Settlers of Catan (because I always win).

Below is a picture of Bishop Creek Canyon and a picture of Bobby and Sako gazing into the beautiful cloudy sky. 

Other then the obvious reasons why someone would love Bishop, California: mountains, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, yadda yadda yadda, a major unexpected bonus of moving here has been meeting all the amazing people. For the first time since college, I really feel like I have friends. Below is a photo of Hannah and me rock climbing at Iris Slab in Rock Creek Canyon.

Hannah and her husband Dustin are two of the good friends we have met, ones that you know will last a life time.