Regale - A Visual Story of Anda’s First Blizzard in Yosemite National Park
I've fallen in love with this word "Regale," which means to entertain lavishly, captivate, delight, and inspire. That is what I want to do with my stories. That is what I desire to encourage in others.
Life is an adventure. That is my motto. However, it is up to you to view life as such. Everyday can be the same, or you can begin to notice small miracles all around you.
The story I share in these photos is of my first blizzard in Yosemite National Park. It was beautiful, but I thought it would never end. I could be sour about the amount of snow and power outages, but instead, it became an adventure. The storm allowed me the opportunity to learn more about snow and how to navigate it, as well as, get to know my neighbors and co-workers better as we figured out how to outlast the storm.
The winter storm that swept across California covered the ground in a winter wonderland. MC (my RV named Moving Castle) is holding up well in the frigid temperatures. Evie (my Toyota Echo) has a car shaped cover of snow.
I sit in a snow bank taking a break from shoveling snow away from Evie. The pristine white of the landscape is beautiful, but not so great for vehicles. I didn’t know much about snow or how to navigate it at the beginning of this storm, but I learned quickly.
During the first break between storms, I took a walk around the beautiful forest where I live. It was a peaceful and captivating view of the wilderness.
With determination to have some fun while digging out the car, I made a snow kitty in hopes of making my daughter, Z, smile. The snow didn’t stick together as well as I thought it would, but I managed to make some ears stand out from its head. I found some pine needles for the whiskers and a couple tiny pieces of bark for the eyes. My efforts were rewarded with a smile from my cat-loving kid.
I learned very quickly that digging out a car and clearing the top of an RV is hard work. Snow is heavy and I had to take breaks to ensure my lymph system was not overloaded by the exertion. Working diligently, a little at a time, got the job done. A key part of life is going at your pace. That has been one of my lessons over the last couple of years that was exercised during this adventure.
Life can be boring and mundane, but if you take even a few moments to view life as a wonder, then you will open up new worlds for yourself. This snow storm was like a test of exertion. I am thankful of my ability to handle the experience by learning about snow and opening myself to receive help from others around me.
I managed to clear the car and the roof of the RV, with a little help from friends and a lot of determination. That was the first of three times I would have to do this during this series of storms.
