Sarita Shoemaker

Sunday Means Pancakes

Not that PRETTY but sure taste delicious!

Recipe FIRST then a quick story about my first experience (on the outside looking in) of the LDS Church’s “Conference”. I got home from work in time to watch the section that was specifically for the women. I normally pour myself a cocktail to watch Columbo but decided I was curious about what and why they split out the men and women and what message they give the guys and how it would be different from the gals.

I didn’t pour a cocktail because I felt sort of weird about watching a church thing drinking a cocktail. That’s just me… maybe the “new” me?

MY PANCAKE RECIPE, inspired by that LDS talk plus The Joy Of Cooking book my mom gave me.

Sunday Pancakes
Makes 6 decent size 4” fluffy pancakes
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free*

Tools:
Mixing bowl (large)
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Small Spatula
Small bowl
Whisk (or a fork)
Large Spatula (for flipping pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 Cup flour (or *GF Oat Flour)
1t sugar
1/4t salt
3/4t double acting baking powder
½ baking soda

1c almond milk
2T white vinegar

1T chia seeds
3T water

Spray oil unless using a non-stick surface to make your pancakes.

Vegan butter
Maple syrup
Fruit topping, if you like!

In this order:

Place all ingredients and tools on counter.

In a small bowl (I use my 2-cup liquid measuring glass), blend Almond Milk and vinegar, with a fork swirl around and set aside. Give it at least 5 minutes to curdle the “milk”.

In a separate small bowl, blend chia and water, stir with a fork then set aside. Give it at least 5 minutes for the chia to begin absorbing the water.

In large mixing bowl use a whisk and blend the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Blend wet ingredients together (I put the chia into the almond “milk”). With a fork stir a bit to really get everything well mixed. If you have a few minutes, let it all stand and become blended.

Add the wet to the dry, using a spatula to fold in. Don’t whip it up, FOLD IT. This keeps the air bubbles in tact (which is what will help make it fluffy).

Heat griddle to HIGH.

Spray cooking oil LIGHTLY.

Pour mixed ingredients onto HOT HOT griddle making a 4” circle (or use a ⅓ cup).

Wait for bubbles to appear through your pancake to flip it (normally 3-4 minutes). This is how you know it is cooking through but not burning.

Flip cakes on griddle for another minute or two (you can peek to see the desired browning).

Serve up and enjoy topped with vegan butter, apple butter, fruit…syrup.

Enjoy!

MY EXPERIENCE YESTERDAY – WILD

Saturday October 6th, 2018

I work at a grocery store in an extremely religious town. 88% (according to the last Association of Religion Data Archives). Most of the people I see come through my check stand are students. This is the “future” of the LDS church (obviously) and a very dedicated group.

The thing I love about these young people is that they are pretty nice, ethical and not confrontational at all. So, for example, if the person behind them in line (non-LDS) is making snarky comments about some sort of religious thing it does not seem to break their stride or belief. Also, once they establish that the person in front of them or behind them in line is part of their church they have SO MUCH to talk about and chances are they are related somehow. These conversations are always cheerful and happy.

So, by the stats alone, 20% of the people visiting me are not part of the LDS church and they are mostly visiting the store on Sunday when no good Mormon would be shopping (especially in Provo). Most of them roll their eyes toward any effusive connection they are witnessing between the students (which makes me mad…as though I’m part of that behavior AND I AM NOT).

The point today is to fill you in, from a stranger’s view, on what Conference means or meant to most every single person that went through my line.

The Structure Of My Day (Conference Day Included)

This is important.

My shift began at 9:00am. I arrived 15 minutes early to talk to my boss about a meeting I am expected to be at for one hour. We are not allowed to work overtime and I try hard to follow the rules.

The store was busy! Similar to the hours before Superbowl would be in a big city. None of the employees were smiling. It looked like HAIR ON FIRE mode.

I did not understand the tone and volume. It was quite different than every other Saturday I’d worked. I asked one of my bosses what in the world was happening!? “Conference” I was told. “What is that?” “Big gathering of all of the members to hear the people at the top of the church speak.” “It looks like the day before Thanksgiving!” “I guess it sort of is like that for a lot of them.”

I’d heard this word earlier in the week but had not paid attention.

One lady got TICKETS to be on the stage. (?) She was famous for this and got hugs and pats on the back for the accomplishment. It was extremely honorable I guess.

Snapped a pic on my 10 minute break. I get three 10 minute breaks in an 8 hour shift.

Our store is close to downtown Provo where there are loads of meetings, conferences, workshops…you name it…at the Convention Center. I expected that was what would be happening.

That is NOT what was happening or even close.

Our lines were 6-8 people deep. We had ALL of our check stands open. The Self Check-Out line stretched through the store about 40 yards back.

Everyone was hurrying “to buy food for Conference”. Actually, I think I’m saying it wrong. When Randy gets back in from changing out his tail light I’ll ask him what the right terminology is.

I got my nerve up to ask a friendly family of eight (Grandma, Mom, Dad and kids) where Conference was. “We’re watching it at home.”

“It’s televised at your house? What channel?”

“BYU TV”

“Ah, duh.”

“So everyone here is buying food for this conference?”

“Yes, I’d guess so.” I think it was the dad and he looked around smiling at the hundreds of people standing in line IN GOOD SPIRITS.

“How long does it last?”

“Two hours.”

“Wait, two hours?” I blurted this out as I thought to myself, “that doesn’t seem like a lot of time to plan this much food!”

“Well the first part is two hours then there is a break and another conference for two more hours.”

“Are you not allowed to eat during it?” as I stared at the bags of snacks I was scanning.

The process was done…I’d learned a tiny bit there in that few moments of time.

At 10:05am it was SILENT in the store. Like library quiet. Obviously, everyone was in Conference.

Then the next wave hit. Just as large as the last one. I was manning a smaller check stand for “About 15 items” which seemed to be what everyone was getting.

This time I saw a dad and three kids coming through. 4 doughnuts, ice cream and corn dogs.

SIDE NOTE: Diet DP (that’s what it is called by the students) seems to be the #1 drink of choice today. DP (not diet) is #2. Dr Pepper.

“Everyone is in a great mood it seems.”

“You betcha they are! We just got out of Conference!”

“That’s cool. What did they say?”

“WE ONLY HAVE TO ATTEND CHURCH TWO HOURS INSTEAD OF THREE!!!!” he exclaimed – seriously elated.

I don’t know how things run – so I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Normally we have to attend 3 hours. The first hour is ______ (I forget what he said) then the next hour is _____ (again, forget) and the last hour is split out with men and women (or something like that) in private meetings.”

He saw my confused look. I am guessing he assumed I still did not understand what he just said. He’s partially correct. What I was confused about was that this seemed to be the best news since sliced bread. I didn’t quite understand what or why these folks (who I assumed were super duper dedicated to their beliefs and structure) would not see how odd it was to “get an hour off” of their religion.

“It’s to spend more time with our families.”

“Well that’s always going to be a good idea.”

I am still digesting what I’d heard so far and putting it together as quickly as my old brain would process.

“We’re gonna celebrate together with our doughnuts!”

Off he went, walking a little taller like we all do when we’re filled with good thoughts.

The remainder of that two-hour drive had the same excitement: “TWO HOURS!” “ONLY TWO HOURS!” “AN HOUR OFF! Yipeeeee!!!!”

I continued to process it all.

Just before the end of that second blast I asked a young couple – super cute and they got along like Randy and myself – what the NEXT conference was going to be about.

“Well, we’ll be splitting into the men and the women conferences.”

“How do you do that at your house?”

Cute young wife, “I’ll be going into the church with the other women to watch it together.”

Handsome young husband, “I actually think I’ll stream it online. I’m not sure where I’ll watch it.”

“What will the men be told that the women can’t know about?”

They looked at each other in a way that I felt I’d stepped a LITTLE TOO CLOSE for comfort…crap…oooops.

“I mean, what will the women talk about?”

They looked at each other again before speaking, wide WIDE eyes.

“It’s about how we can be better wives, sisters, mothers mostly,” she said quickly and I think she was blushing a little, “so we hear what inspiration the Prophets have to guide us.”

“Oh, ok cool. Are there girl Prophets?”

Time to go…didn’t get that answer. They had to jet and I wished them a great day and to come visit again.

They waved me a cheery goodbye, giggled with each other arm and arm and happily (they were sincerely smitten with each other) walked out into the cloudy and sunny chilly day.

I thought about this whole experience the remainder of my shift which was about an hour and a half.

BYU TV. I was pretty sure we got that channel. I decided I was going to tune in to this “Women’s Conference” to see what they had to say.

5:00pm could not arrive fast enough. I zipped over to the State Liquor store for some Tito’s Vodka, Corralejo and Odell Brewing Co beer (7% ABV). The store parking lot was PACKED and I had to park down the street!

After I fed the dogs I settled in on our new warm comfy couch and aimed the remote toward the TV sans a cocktail. First I made sure I was recording Columbo and then switched to BYU TV. There was a man, pretty old, speaking from a teleprompter.

The room was packed with women (I am guessing only women).

The speaker made some mistakes while reading and the speech was stuttered and difficult to understand.

I recollected the cute wife’s explanation, “better wife, better sister, better mother.”

I got a little bothered about this while listening.

How is a guy (this guy) qualified to tell a gal how to be a better wife, sister or mother?

How is ANYONE deciding what is “better” or even worse, what is “bad” behavior as another human being?

Maybe I needed that cocktail.

I forced myself to listen to this man go on and on – making more mistakes reading his teleprompter until I couldn’t watch any more. PETER FALK!!!! I found my favorite detective and started watching.

Reflecting: all of this experience today felt familiar. TOO FAMILIAR.

My decades of being part of the church of scientology came rushing back. Forced EVERYTHING. Told and taught, “If it isn’t true for you it isn’t true” while being sent to hard labor for wanting to leave and be with my mom instead of participate.

The scientology group is following the map that the Mormon church has created. I respect the Mormon church for the stories of what they had to go through in order TO SURVIVE as a human race traveling across the USA. To me, that fortified the fabric within them even more. That, to me, deserves respect.

Scientology attempts to feed its flock lies upon lies about how their struggle to survive should inspire members to donate to their war chest (built to fight mental health advocates, ALL psychiatry, ALL psychology and any/every person that speaks out against them).

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY

I will always respect that someone has a different point of view. I am in awe of people that have experienced so much and have actual and factual accounts that they share with me.

It is difficult to understand why so many people cannot see the irony of being told they get 1 hour back in their lives.

We get to choose our lives, our words, our belief… which is where I think dedicating your LIFE to something that you are happy to be free of (for that hour) doesn’t quite make sense to me.

A belief system that DICTATES your thinking (in any way) is wrong.

I enjoyed Columbo, relaxing with my feet on my chocolate lab’s warm belly and my cat by my head.

I got up this morning early and whipped up healthy-ish pancakes for my husband which made me a better wife (he sure was happy).

Basically, I just want humans to be kind to each other (and the planet and animals) no matter what God they claim or belief system they follow.

Wait…Success?

Rolling SOUTH from Utah to Arizona — Now this is just beautiful! We took the scenic route.

I haven’t actually POSTED on my blog in almost two months. I have a few blogs half-baked (like my July 5th one entitled “Blowing Shit Up” which was a recap of what it must be the only outlet the “community” here can embrace that let’s your inner frustrations out to air and RELAX a bit: JULY 4TH FIREWORKS and that was eclipsed by Pioneer Day a week later. Not a lot of alcohol sold but tank loads of pop and candy did! It’s WILD how different things are here compared to pretty much every other place I’ve lived.

What’s with my SUCCESS?

It’s about my body and a little challenge I embarked on alone. Pilates and Yoga.

My mid section had taken on extra inch-age and I was feeling way too plump.

My pilates mat was invaded. — Piper found it to be a comfy place for herself.

I know my waist was spilling out over the top of my pants (uncomfortably) which resulted in hiking my pants up giving me “high-waters”. BY THE WAY, DID YOU KNOW THAT WAS A FASHION TREND IN 2017 ACCORDING TO GQ MAGAZINE??

My job keeps me behind a counter which is why no one asked me “where’s the flood?”. I do not like looking in the mirror to begin with but now that I’m “working for the man” I have to check my appearance before going to work to make sure I’m neat, tidy and professional which is where I began noticing the extra muffin top!

My success is: without changing my diet much at all (including having cocktails) I put myself through 4 Pilates Classes and 4 Power Yoga Classes in the last ten days (July 24th to be exact) and today when I put on my jean shorts and belt in it’s usual hole IT WAS LOOSE! I’ve shrunk my torso/hip area as well as my thighs!

I’ve managed to tighten my body up and that’s what I wanted to do…no idea where the extra “body” went but it’s gone. Only lost 1 lb overall.

So, today I’d like to encourage you to find something exercise-like and privately set out to do it for “____” (insert number of days). Not a huge goal – just a calm one you can stick to. If it has to do with changing your body, use your clothing and how it fits as a guide NOT THE SCALE!

I am stronger in my core. I can hold Boat Pose and drop down to Low Boat and hold it for the counts. My down-dog is more flexible and actually feels GOOD (my wrists would get so tired I had to stop). I did a LITTLE at a time as well.

Pilates has been insanely helpful. SLOW movements, core strength, few reps.

I hope you give it a try!

🙂 Sarita

Resources:

Power Yoga, Provo Recreation Center, Chenea Duerden Class on Tuesday 6am and Saturday 6:30am

Pilates, Provo Recreation Center, Heather Jenson’s Class on Thursday at 6am

Pilates Abs and Booty Workout on YouTube by BohoBeautiful

30-Minute Strength, Cardio and Pilates Core Workout by POPSUGAR Fitness

My Current “Diet”

Raisin Bran, Coconut Hemp Granola using non-sweetened almond milk or my home-made museli (sunflower seeds, oats, coconut, chia, cranberries with ripe raw fruit on top) using unsweetened OJ as my “milk”.

Giant vegan veggie wraps every day for lunch (like a 5 cup salad squeezed into a wrap). Always using Randy’s Hummus. We use our food processor to make shredded celery, radish, zucchini, carrots then store them in small containers. I add 1/3c of rinsed beans, 1/4 avocado (when we had them), lettuce and hot sauce. Two days I baked a potato and sliced it length-wise and put 1/4 of it in the center of my wrap then the hot sauce on it to soak in while I worked).

Corn tortilla chips or celery/carrots dipped in hummus when I got home from work as a snack.

Spaghetti squash with home made veggie-packed red sauce, baked potato topped with hummus and salsa, garden burger packed with lettuce on a bun, home made pizza with veggie toppings LOADED, tangy corn and mashed potatoes.

Cocktails: Vodka shot with cranberry juice, fresh margarita or a Stella Artois beer. I did have one cocktail almost every day (don’t judge me!) because, well I LOVE THEM!?! Plus: I didn’t have any alcohol for the entire month of June and GAINED 5 LBS.

OTHER NEWS AND UPDATES

AN ACTUAL VACATION

We had time off and went to Arizona where I discovered they must have moved it closer to the sun. IT WAS SO HOT.

We drove through two thunder and lightening storms as well as a haboob (see video above). I also discovered Flagstaff and if I could, I’d move there in a minute IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL with green and trees (didn’t see if there was water).

Our pets stayed home with an incredible house sitter. I have to show you a pic she sent me of her little sister giving Zoey love. My heart was so relieved and happy! Finding someone that you trust to take care of your pets is tough and we found a gem. She is a nursing student (pediatric is her goal) and just graduated…she works full time at the hospital AND works at the place I work at and she is a bad ass there (knows how to do EVERY job you need).

We also saw THREE car crashes along the way – I wish I knew how the people were that were involved. Crossing my fingers they are OK. I was taking pics during two crashes as we passed.

WEATHER REPORT

We have 12 forest fires plus 7 controlled burns happening here in Utah as of today.

The Air Quality is TERRIBLE.

Three fires are blowing smoke here into Provo.

I’m watching the news about California where 25 of them were reported last night!

It has been over 100 regularly but the mornings are in the 60’s (which is AWESOME) but it is dark (NOT AWESOME) and not safe enough (IMO) to be out running the streets or trails.

Ray's Lift intersection — At the top of Ray’s we jumped off the lift and hiked up and into the mountain!

SUNDANCE MOUNTAIN (RESORT AND TRAILS)

We FINALLY got it together on a day we both had off to ride the lift to Red’s at Sundance! The smoke gave limited visibility but it was still spectacular.

We got to the top and hike into areas that were untouched. It reminded me of our trail running/hiking experiences in Simi Valley California. Each step through the weeds pricked on my legs and at first I was irritated. That’s when I realized HOW MUCH I LOVE BEING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS AND MISS IT. So, I walked intentionally through brush and weeds just for the feeling of “nature touching me“. Mel, if you ever read this…I put that there just for you.

On our descent (WHICH WAS EXTREMELY STEEP) we landed at a Funk Jazz Concert by the Christian Mills Band where brews and food were in abundance as well as dogs and kids. It was Sunday so I’m guessing nobody was LDS (?) plus pretty much every group had beer.

FAMILY GOOD NEWS

Life is never perfect and our family has had plenty of ups and downs.

Between all of the noise of surviving on this planet there is one thing we (Randy and I) care about more than ANYTHING: our kids accomplishing their goals as well as being a good and positive member of society.

Morgan our youngest daughter is about to begin the Fall Football Season as a BYU Cheerleader!
We plan on attending the BYU vs Cal game (which team should we root for!?). Claire graduated Cal and Morg is at BYU. I love OSU and Randy USC. Hmmmm…

Our daughter Claire appeared in Forbes Magazine! Her company, Next Energy, is making the planet a better place. We are so proud of her accomplishments in the field of science. Pretty soon Neil DeGrasse Tyson will be asking her for info about science stuff… I can feel it!

Our son Jordan earned his Associates and has been immersed in Native American History. He also has filled me in on what is happening and has happened in Congo.

I finally graduated High School!

OK that’s all for now.

I have some letters to wrap up and get sent!

A few more pics, in case you are curious…

Some good memories here.

My bee and butterfly garden is blossoming

The Concert in Sundance.

Piper. Still rules here.

Dinner with family!

This is where they spend every evening after work.

Off the chair lift on the trail…in street shoes (DUH).

Spectatcular view!

Haven’t seen this in almost a year. It worked! I was happy right away.

I think it still has beauty.

Working on youthful skin (you get what you pay for)

A Happylope!

It pains me to see this knowing our food either helps or harms.

One of my dinners, plated.

Rolled up to the crib the other day and everything was alright again.

Prickly and awesome!

Let’s ride! At noon. 100 degrees. Uphill from Nunn’s to Big Springs!

U-Scare-Ways! Not good signage.

Having “the talk”.

Chilly Peach Oats and More!

Warning: at least 1 cuss word.

I’m not a fan of the following:

Seeking a good recipe idea on my phone/iPad or desktop. Search and discover plenty of intriguing photos and headlines including ‘recipe’ in them. Choose one, click link and begin reading the Life History of the writer/blogger along with giant (well taken) photos of progress of the dish plus the grand finale (sometimes 3 or 4 shots of it). After 10+ scroll-flips I happen to locate the ACTUAL RECIPE I needed 10 minutes ago. Ugh.

I really don’t care about the backstory or the life history build up. I’m too busy right now! Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate the story and enjoy the writer’s thoughts but it’s just too much. Now I know which sites have this and coast past them before clicking in my search.

On that note I’ll shut the hell up now and post my recipe!

If you want a story, just keep moving down my blog post (2 scroll-flips) and I’ll weave an amazing tale/backstory about my dish…plus photos!

Ingredients:

1 Fresh peach
3/4c Oats
1T Sunflower Seeds
1/2T Chia Seeds
1/2T Shelled Hemp Seeds
2T Cranberries
1T Coconut flakes
Orange juice fill bowl until it covers all of the goodies
Stir
Let sit so seeds and oats can absorb the juice (YUMMY!) for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Eat

Stirred! — Stirred, so my chia and oats absorb some of the OJ quicker.

This breakfast is very simple. I put all of my individual components into separate glass jar containers and my table looks like an apothecary before I begin combining everything. Tomorrow I might change things up. It’s a risky life I’ve leading over here, right?

But seriously: all of these ingredients give me a lot of energy. The only sugar is in the cranberries and OJ. You could one-up me by squeezing your own OJ (let me know if you do).

Epic Backstory For This Recipe

I got up at 5:00am remembering I’d agreed to run a 5K before it got too hot today.

My dinner last night was a veggie burger and I loaded it up with lettuce and tomato, Frank’s Hot Sauce and mustard. I had a cup of tortilla chips (the end of the bag so they were pieces). Very satisfied, I grabbed my book to read a few chapters then do my regular “time for bed” ritual.

It stays daylight – broad daylight – until 9:00pm here so I’m disoriented as far as when I should be in bed.

At 10pm we finally hit the hay and I played Edgar Cayce’s “Abundance Program” to drift off into Sleepy Town. I fall asleep so quickly with this guy’s calming voice and never really know what is being said past the “blink your eyes slowly as I count to 10”.

Back to NOW. 5:00am. Sipping my coffee quickly (thanks to my amazing Husband Unit for brewing it every dang day of my life) I imagined what I’d wear to run in. I had bad breath and crap in my eyes as I enjoyed and watched the local news telling me how much hotter it would be today.

Then I got dressed (fast) and met my Husband Unit (HU) at the door to go.

“We’ll go upriver today.”

That’s the path right next to the Jordan/Provo River. It’s asphalt and maintained pretty well BUT it does have a lot of ups and downs due to the tree roots so I have to pay close attention when scooting along and that makes it tough to daydream.

The sun hadn’t crested Y Mountain and I noticed zero clouds in the sky. Yup, it was going to be hot today and I was thankful we were getting this done now. I CERTAINLY would not be doing it later in the day!

We ran together and then I needed to walk. After my HU confirmed the Brutality and Women’s Self Defense moves I’d learned from Master Rene in Simi Valley he took off in a blaze of neon orange wearing his Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue shirt (one of his favs…thanks Deresa).

I watched him disappear into the foliage and lost contact with him completely.

It was me, the river crashing next to me, snails that had no chance of making it across the path in time (so I stopped and saved every single one of them) and a soft cool breeze. The path was completely empty and peaceful. There is a canopy of tall trees covering most of my route and I could see birds moving around zipping back and forth.

I began running again forced to watch my footing to avoid tripping as well as paying attention to any spider webs that might be crossing the path. We were THAT early and the rest of the town was still sleeping.

I crossed two foot bridges, ran beneath three under-bridge-paths and wound up sort of at a cross road “T”.

On the left it seemed to Dead End into a power plant and on the right there was a beat up asphalt path with a body stretched out next to a bike. It was a homeless person trying to rest. I decided to turn around and glanced at my Garmin. 1.84 – then I did the math on whether or not that would equal a 5K as I began jogging – alone – back down the river path. Despite the river crashing loudly next to me, I had my antennae up (read: danger!?!).

I heard the sound of scuffing and tripping behind me and turned quickly ready to kick someone’s ass.

Ah. My HU.

We began jaw jacking about ideas for our future. Things inspire us on our running time. He had two excellent ideas. I laughed (in my head) when one of his new ideas was about the same idea I’d had! How does that happen??

I’m not going to tell you the ideas.

With about half a mile left HU is DONE walking and says, “you ready to run yet?”.

Yes, I was. Plus my pipes had turned on and I needed to get to the fully plumbed home we were renting.

The sun was blasting over the mountain when we made it to our street.

I never like road running and definitely don’t enjoy doing it on trash day when the sun bakes the cans. We have a few neighbors that NEVER take their cans off the street and put them back in their yards. They smell THE WORST.

That hurried me along (as well as my plumbing needs).

Post restroom visit I hear a voice calling from the backyard, “you coming to workout?”. I’d forgotten about agreeing to that part! I hurried up the basement steps to the yard where my HU was doing Man Makers. I grabbed weights and started my curls while deciding which body part I wanted to work on. Arms, Shoulders, Abs.

Finished my plan, 100%.

This is where my recipe comes into the picture.

I was hungry. There were two peaches on the counter about to expire due to the heat.

So I made the peach recipe above.

The End.

PS:

What did you eat for breakfast? Did something inspire the choice? Just curious.

In case you are wondering…a few pics/videos for fun:

The Jordan/Provo River bridge crossing. I feel the urge to just stop on bridges to watch what is happening beneath them.

I found out how effective this sit-up is for me. I move slowly and stretch both to my toes and above my head each time. Ahhhhh….I can’t seem to put the video in (like I could with my HU above).

Lake George…Sad Face

Most evenings... — Most evenings…Oh how I loved this peaceful existence.

The time has come and gone to secure being Camp Hosts again for the most spectacular place ever: Lake George in Mammoth Lakes California.

We will not be Hosting this year but our dear friend Mona WILL be!

Lake George is NOT the same as other campsites in Mammoth.

I wanted to give you a few pieces of advice to ensure you have a VERY FUN AND RELAXING STAY.

First Come, First Serve.
Don’t bring an RV. They don’t fit and the campground was not paved for RV’s. Sites are graded for one tent. Max occupancy is enforced.
You will MOST LIKELY experience BEARS. Be smart: put EVERYTHING in your bear box. Putting it in your car is not a bear box and they WILL open the door to get the food. They can actually lift the handle and open the door OR they can bash out your window. Either way, your car will not be left in good condition.
DO NOT LEAVE FIRES SMOLDERING. You SHOULD have a bucket of water next to your camp site before you even START a fire. If you leave a fire smoldering you will have the privilege (which is what it is) of staying there revoked. The Camp Host is NOT an enforcer, it will be the Authorities on your case and they don’t mess around with this risky behavior.
There are winds and the best sites to avoid them are #16 and #15.
You get ONE CAR per camp space. Additional cars can be parked in the lot, no problem. You just can’t occupy another spot without paying for it. You get a Car Pass when you pay for your site. Be sure you post it on your rear view mirror.
I have no idea what the camp fees are going to be this year (2018). Check the Mammoth Welcome Center to find out if the camp is open (it was delayed in 2017 and did not open until July 17th.
Be nice to your Camp Host, she can accommodate most needs but the reality is she can only do SO MUCH.
The worst days to try to get a camp site are Thursday,Friday, Saturday. The best days are Sunday (when everyone is leaving) or Monday.
Checkout is NOON, don’t bug occupants for make “side deals”. You can take your sweet time packing up and leaving! Relax and ask anyone that bothers you to speak to the Camp Host. You paid for your stay and we want you to get every ounce of the experience.
Check In is 2pm. You must PAY for the site and OCCUPY IT. You are not allowed to pay for sites and not actually camp there. Don’t ask the Camp Host to break the rule for you. If your site isn’t occupied with YOUR GEAR then we are obligated to give it to the next person ready to move in. This is a big issue: people believe they can reserve/save spaces but you are not allowed to do that.
We do not have a Credit Card machine. Cash only. I forget if you are allowed to write a check (I don’t think you can).
You can stay in a site 7 days MAX. In 2017 the rule was you had to vacate your site before you could come back. That means there may not be a site after you leave so plan ahead. There are Walk-Up sites in Lake Mary and Twin Lakes. Be NICE to all Camp Hosts if you want help finding things.
Clean up your campsite when you leave. We understand that in the night you drop things and it’s tough to navigate around BUT in the morning when you are packing up you can definitely see your trash, fishing line and greasy messes left on the tables and bear boxes. DO NOT LEAVE A MESS, we are Hosts not your maid. Be a respectful guest and try to leave the place NICER than when you arrived.
Do NOT come to Lake George to get high, drunk, fight or play loud music. Seriously. The Mammoth PD patrol often (every day) and will remove you. PLUS people go to Lake George to get AWAY from this stuff. Want to “party”? There are plenty of other camp grounds you can find.
There are no showers at Lake George, only bathrooms with toilets and sinks. No electricity either. Oh, and the visitors to Lake George use the restrooms too (and mostly they keep it clean but they are also mostly guilty of leaving trash all over the place including fish guts).
You are not allowed to clean your fish at the water spigots. OR YOUR BODY.
There isn’t cell signal at the campsites. YAY!
Closest showers are Lake Mary or in town.
There is a small store at Lake Mary that has essentials (most of the time).
We usually had firewood for sale, $7 a bundle. Bringing exact change helps of course. I think the grocery store sold it for less.
Grocery shopping in Mammoth? READ YOUR RECEIPT if you shop at the only grocery store in town (big box). They overcharged me REPEATEDLY and it wasn’t until I’d been in there a lot of times complaining that it seems this behavior changed. I personally suspect they know people are only there for a few days and won’t take the time to fix the mistake. So BEFORE YOU LEAVE scan over your ticket and make sure it is exactly what it should be. If you see an error just go to the front desk and they will refund your money INSTANTLY when you tell them you were charged for items you did not have on the belt. I was told that this grocery store is #1 in the country for $$$ sales. They also are in the Top 5 of Shoplifters being caught.
Before you get to Lake George (or any site) grab a map of the area if you plan to hike because there are no maps provided up here. You can get maps at the Welcome Center.
Be nice to your neighbors, they are probably amazing people that you’d like to stay in touch with years to come.
Be nice to your Camp Host! The pay is terrible and the hours are SUPPOSED to be 3 a day (that’s all we are paid for). We get woken up in the middle of the night for LOTS of reasons (none of them great), we get yelled at, people are disrespectful of the rules, WE HAVE TO CLEAN THE SHITTER! Give us a little kindness because it makes a difference and just feels nice.
If you would like to be a Camp Host, check out the company that we worked for: California Land Management. The pay is terrible but you do get to park your “house” on site for no charge. As a Host we did have “Full Hook Up”. The pooper was a mascerator (poop puree system) and had to be pumped UPHILL to the restroom.

I sure wish we were able to be there for the 2018 Season FOR SURE.

Being a Camp Host was one of my most favorite jobs ever for two reasons: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION (we feel so lucky to have been chosen to run Lake George as well as Oh Ridge in June Lake) AND the incredible people we met on our journey.

Let me know if you have questions! And if you are reading this and were part of our 2017 Camp Season PLEASE send me an email so we can keep in touch! SaritaShoemaker@g m a i l.com (spaces added on purpose).

Check out our photos of our stay at Lake George – it was tough looking at those memories and not being sad that we aren’t going to have them again this year.

Larry McGee gave me some amazing bear coverage photos that I’ve included.

Maybe 2019 (fingers crossed).

RARE: A map of the campground.

Most evenings…Oh how I loved this peaceful existence.

You need this to park your car in the campsite.

Our first WEEK we met Cinnamon the bear.

Perfect campsites.

Raking and perfecting my sites.

Houses on the other side of Lake George are OWNED by people.

I cook, they jaw jack and enjoy the fire side conversation.

The Mammoth PD coming to the rescue!

Have a map but…still getting lost.

Bike Path! Highly recommended.

Visiting with friends that were rolling through was so cool!

Geting Zoey to do more than lay around.

Mark your calendars! This was a tough one – we ran in SAND.

More Police presence. And they’re all super nice officers.

Forget something? Check here first. Thrift Store.

Photo Credit: Larry McGee

Thursday Mile: Rolling Journal

Well, I put my money were my mouth is today 4/5/18.

Last week (3/29/18) I wrote about the challenge of getting my body OUTSIDE and running after at LEAST 10 months of NOT running across the planet.

My previous life (the last 12 years of it anyway) always included running – even little bits – because of our outdoor boot camp program. It was part of my “job”. The lesson for me is: don’t stop moving across the planet! I took my job for granted and the awesome feeling “running” gave me is returning.

My Trainer encouraged me to just run OUT for 1 mile and then walk back to the start. Excellent advice for me (you might consider it for yourself if you are like me…just getting back to moving across the planet).

Today’s route was along a river (very peaceful) with spring colors popping out like Christmas lights along the way. I ran alone along this asphalt path thinking about the people in my life that are joining me on this little adventure of #ThursdayMile

I hope everyone that wanted to commit can make it happen and post a comment of at least ONE of the mile times they had (or an average).

Remember: this is just for you to improve yourself and NOT a competition with anyone else.

This week I had to stop myself from running SAVING it for my Thursday Mile. I was anxious to accomplish my mile today (so I think that worked out well). I did go to the gym inbetween but that’s not the same at all.

Journal Info…
4/5/18 10:43, no poop pick up
3/29/18 11:34, 1 poop pick up

When you run a mile today, please share that you did it and if you want to include your time that’s up to you. Also, if you have any positive words to add that would be amazing.

I’m already excited to run next week!

Anonymous poll:

BIKE RIDE 13 MILES

My friends Bill and Peter would include me in their trail bike adventures on a regular basis. Then Tracey started joining in and eventually we had a BIKER GANG I called The Little Rascals.

Randy and I spent one of the sunny days here on a long ride down the Jordan/Provo River on our mountain bikes (on a paved path) to explore what things looked like from our house all the way to Provo Lake! The path itself is covered with naked trees (which we expect will be exploding soon in color!) and there were plenty of people taking walks and running. I couldn’t take any pics of that or I would crash and land on people or in the river. Next time, maybe. The end is wide open where the airport (I wondered where it was!) is and a long dirt road. We rode it almost to the end. I caught video while there of the MILLIONS of toads croaking. It was magical!!

It was so pretty and I was thinking about my friends wishing they were with me enjoying it too.

So, on that note: HI GANG! I took these pics for you! I miss you all tons!!

Homes are being renovated beautifully here in Provo!

Ha…had to stop and take a pic.

Right near the lake.

Interesting place…not sure what it is.

A signage collection.

History!

The bike path leads to the lake…the airport is between the path and the city.

One Mile Across The Planet

I have not actually RUN across the planet in almost 10 months.

Today I “ran” a mile non-stop. If you were watching me you might think it wasn’t RUNNING. But it was. I scooted along at my best possible pace without feeling like throwing up.

It’s only a mile, I know.

But when you run on the planet (not on a treadmill) a mile you get to see how LONG it really is.

I’m sure I will be paying for it tomorrow.

My blistering pace was 11:34. It does include one time I had to physically STOP while Kona pooped and I picked it up. According to my Garmin that took about one minute (and I needed it because I was sucking air any my heart rate was at 180).

WHAT GRAVITY FEELS LIKE

I have been doing kettlebells, yoga, pilates, aqua zumba (by the way, I cut my big toe on the bottom of the pool and didn’t see it was infected! Blah-blah-blah as my workout time.

This does not compare to running mentally or physically.

My body felt HEAVY and SLUGGISH and GIGGLY.

AM I ALONE?

Do I run or blow it off?

Are there any other people dealing with this sort of thing today?

You WANT to run but just can’t find the motivation? You let every excuse come up and accept it?

That was me until about 30 minutes ago.

As I’m writing this I can feel my left hip flexor twitching…and I’m happy about it!

PLEASE JOIN ME

I’m going to commit to posting my Mile Time every Thursday. If I run more than one time this week then I’ll post my best run time.

This is all to get me to do it.

Would you please join me? PLEASE? I need at least one other person to commit and we can run “virtually” at least 1 day a week.

Maybe that will build up to 2.

For now I’m happy with having run ONCE.

#ThursdayMile

#SelfImprovement

#Accountability

#VirtualRunningFriend