516. Approve

516. Approve
Definition: (v) to think or speak favorably of
Location Placed: Winchester Gun Museum, San Jose, California
Date Placed: 6/13/13 at 3:06pm





I decided to pop in for a quick visit to the gun museum after touring the outside of the grounds. It had a ton of old guns, as expected. Not knowing much about guns though, I didn't find it as exciting as the architecture of a house designed by someone without a lick of architecture experience. But it definitely was worth a poke around to see all the historic things in the museum that weren't gun related. 

515. Enamored

515. Enamored
Definition: (v) to inspire with love or captivate
Location Placed: Winchester Antiques Museum, San Jose, California
Date Placed:  6/13/13 at 2:42pm





The little museum off the gift shop had some of the coolest little bits and bobs from the past. There were several of those little fortune teller machines and pieces found within the house. I imagine all the people that might have used those machines on the boardwalk or on first dates when they first came out. I wonder what sorts of secrets and hope those machines confirmed or denied. Did the predictions come true, or were the recipients disappointed?

514. Powerful

514. Powerful
Definition: (adj) having great strength
Location Placed: Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
Date Placed: 6/13/13 at 2:32pm





On our way to San Francisco, we stopped in San Jose at the Winchester Mystery House. If you've not heard of it (and before a few months ago, I hadn't), it's the home of Anna Winchester who was the heir to the Winchester rifle. She had quite a bit of money and was very superstitious, so she bought an 8 room farmhouse and believed she had to constantly be updating the house or bad spirits would find her. So for 38 years around the clock, she was constantly renovating the property. At the time of her death it was 160 rooms, many of which were in a state of renovation.

513. Charismatic

513. Charismatic
Definition: (adj) exercising a compelling charm
Location Placed: Yosemite Lodge Lobby, Yosemite National Park, California
Date Placed: 6/11/13 at 11:24am





It's hard to get over just how large the park is. At 1190 square miles, it is only about 20 or so square miles smaller than the state of Rhode Island! We only managed to see a small portion of the park that also happens to be the park most others seem to visit as well. It makes me wonder what the other parts of the park hold that we didn't see. More waterfalls, certainly. I imagine some gorgeous meadows, although I think wildflower season is about done. More rivers, perhaps. But one definite, is more beauty.

512. Gaily

512. Gaily
Definition: (adv) cheerful or in a lighthearted way
Location Placed: The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, California
Date Placed:  6/11/13 at 10:19am





The Ahwahnee Hotel is the place to go if you're looking to stay in an actual hotel, rather than a tent, cabin, or house. They (so I hear) have a really nice dining facility with great views. I can pretty much only speak to the lobby, gift shop, and sweet shop, but suffice to say all of those were pretty nice. We didn't have nice clothing with us on the trip so we were unable to check out the dining facilities, but if you have, let me know!

511. Trouvaille

511. Trouvaille
Definition: (n) a lucky find
Location Placed: Glacier Point Gift Shop, Yosemite National Park, California
Date Placed: 6/10/13 at 12:24pm





In addition to my love of waterfalls (don't go chasing them!), I have a love of high places. Seeing places from up high is something I really enjoy. From Glacier Point, you can see Half Dome, which is in the background of the first picture.You can see Nevada, Vernal, and Yosemite Falls from this vantage point. And if you're very lucky, you can see some pretty cool wildlife by the way of pretty birds, slinking coyotes, and lumbering bears. (The bears we saw were definitely a highlight of the trip!) If you're in Yosemite, Glacier Point is a definite must see.

510. Reasonable

510. Reasonable
Definition: (adj) having sound judgment
Location Placed: Curry Village, Yosemite National Park, California
Date Placed: 6/9/13at 3:56pm
Status: FOUND!





The number of waterfalls in Yosemite is impressive. Not only that, but many of them you can climb close to or even around it. There is nothing better after an exhausting and lengthy hike, than being rewarded by standing at the top of a waterfall. That is definitely the sort of exhilarating feeling a girl could get used to! It makes you appreciate the natural world just that much more.

509. Sociable

509. Sociable 
Definition: (adj) friendly; willing to talk and engage in activities with other individuals
Location Placed: Wawona Gift Shop, Wawona, California
Date Placed: 6/9/13 at 1:49pm





In the beginning of the vacation, I had trouble getting over how twisty the roads were. "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" kept playing on loop in my head. We were staying in a home at 6000 feet above sea level. The roads pretty much hug the mountains edge in some areas, so you ended up looking a LONG way down. By the end of the trip, we were quite a bit more relaxed but the beginning definitely had us on the edges of our seats.

508. Artistic

508. Artistic
Definition: (adj) having or revealing natural creative skill
Location Placed: Mariposa Grove, Wawona, California
Date Placed: 6/9/13 at 1:20pm





Having never been to a woodsy area of California before, I had never seen the Sequoia (or Redwood) trees before. They were extremely impressive! We did a little bit of hiking amongst them to find the one we were able to walk through. I just find it so impressive that a tree can survive with such a giant hole in it. I also like that you can tell relatively easily when you are looking at a redwood tree, as they are, well, red. I am extremely happy I got to experience them on our vacation and would recommend them to any nature lover!

507. Studious

507. Studious
Definition: (adj) marked by purposefulness or dilligence
Location Placed: Mountain Lodge Restaurant, Yosemite National Park, California
Date Placed: 6/8/13 at 7:24pm





The first night of our vacation we decided to try to get the lay of the land by taking a trip to the Mountain Lodge Restaurant. There's not a lot of dining out options. The location was pretty central to all the Yosemite Village locations, and nearby an ample selection of cold treats. (Let's pretend I didn't buy an ice cream every time we were in the area...) It certainly has a great view of the mountains, but almost everywhere does! We were all still in awe of the views and didn't really concentrate on the food. So I can't even tell you what I had or if it was all that good!