Catdad and I spent an idyllic 2 days in Yosemite for my birthday weekend (Halloween, of course!) We had been driving all day with frequent stops for photo opportunities. It's amazing that anyone can drive in Yosemite more than 5 minutes without stopping to take a shot of the spectacular scenery unfolding mile after mile. Yosemite absolutely takes my breath away!!

Eventually, we stopped at the Ahwahnee Hotel for a very pricey cocktail. Wine $11 a glass. Sierra Nevada draft beer $6.50. Wow! So we took our pricey cocktails and went outside to enjoy the ambiance of the Yosemite Valley. Behold the unbelievable Ahwahnee Hotel, climbers on El Capitan, and .... "Cheeks".

There were actually 2 or 3 ground squirrels who were busy stocking up for a long cold winter. And they were not at all shy about doing their business within feet of where we were sitting. It was amazing to watch them literally stuff acorns in each cheek, and down their throats, before trotting off to the nearby "Squirrel Hollow" in Mr Oak Tree.

Hilarious!!

For $11 a glass of (very good) wine, I got a great floor show to go with it!!

Stunning set ! finbarr · 2010-11-11: 02:50

Nice post joycephotography · 2010-11-11: 09:13

Sounds like you all had a fabulous time....even better brought back lots of memorable shots! First I thought maybe that was you and cd hanging from that rock wall in #2!! No? lookagain · 2010-11-11: 16:37

Awesome set!! Even better with the wine, I'm sure. ????? · 2010-11-11: 21:01

Nice Set Jannie !! Great shots !! Cheeks was one very busy critter ! It was one of those "You had to be there" floor shows !! Good thing there was "2" Drink minimum !! cd catdad · 2010-11-11: 23:12

The hotel in #1 looks amazing, and #2 is impressive! Rest is cute ;) Ole365 · 2010-11-12: 15:50

Beautiful ! Gerad · 2010-11-13: 07:14

Fantastic set! Great shots of cheeks and the climbers, Wow long ways up:)) nssco50 · 2010-11-14: 00:54

Great shots. The one on the 4th is a stunner! Hope you had a happy birthday and no matter what the cost of the cocktail it seems you could not wish for a better place to consume it. Hope to get to Yosemite one day. On my second (and last ) trip to the USA I found the squirrels very comforting as they reminded me of the kitties I had left behind in Oz. WILDIRIS · 2010-11-15: 01:18

Wonderful set! wildduck · 2010-11-15: 02:42

Awesome set! ????? · 2010-11-17: 07:27

great MARETKA88 · 2010-11-18: 14:06

I have to apologize! I didn't know you had your own blog! thanks for sharing your trip with us and I really enjoyed your shots! :-) ????? · 2010-11-18: 19:02

Such a cute little critter looks like me at lunch time!! ha ha SheriJ · 2010-12-01: 20:16

loving the last one ..so cute ^^ riotstars · 2010-12-02: 07:21

love these Jannie. that looks like a very cool hotel too! thank you for taking us along with you :):) ????? · 2010-12-03: 13:46

Looks great! ????? · 2010-12-14: 21:47

All of them are great...especially #2 is AWESOME :)) lynnsgallery2 · 2010-12-31: 07:56

Such a beautiful place to spend your birthday. The shot with the climbers is awesome! :) livelovelaugh · 2011-01-01: 10:59

Tagged: yosemite