Saturday Short Subjects: Yosemite Turned 123…

and no one celebrated.

Because the park was closed due to the government shutdown.

Yosemite National Park survived the massive Big Rim Fire that started on August 17. [The wildfire burned an area estimated to be 402 square miles. The cause is still under investigation. Best estimates are that it will be fully contained tomorrow, October 6.]

Yosemite, in the high Sierras of California, became a national park by act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It is known for striking granite vistas, waterfalls, and majestic giant sequoias, celebrated in the dramatic black and white images of California photographer Ansel Adams.

Normally I would include a link to the National Park Services page on Yosemite for more information, but even the website is down.

Many people dream for years about a trip to Yosemite (or any of the other 58 national parks) and make reservations months in advance. Now they are locked out. Yosemite is on my dream list, and I know how I would feel. 

Tourism is taking a big hit.

So are the federal coffers. According to the LA Times, each day of the shutdown the National Parks is losing an estimated $32 million in park entrance fees and other revenue. 

Today’s headlines tell of an exhausted Congress planning to take Sunday off (while still being paid I might add).

I’m made as hell. Are you?

PS Thanks to Google, you can check out 5 of the national parks in California on Street View here and enjoy a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon here.

Sorry, but that’s about all I can offer.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Freebie Friday 4.8.11

Worthy Things to Do, Listen To, or View that Won’t Cost You a Dime 

Welcome to the April 8 edition of Freebie Friday. With the potential for a government shutdown staring us in the face, the theme today has political overtones.

First off: Do you think you know the Constitution? The Constitution is being invoked right and left these days. Now might be a good time to test your knowledge, relearn what you may have forgotten over the years, or learn what you never did in the first place. You can determine your Constitution IQ with quizzes ranging from easy to expert at this site. You will be able to see your results and how they stack up against the rest of the country. [I did well on concepts but fell short on the details.] The site has a wealth of resources for teachers. If you find after taking all the quizzes that you could use a handy pocket version/guide to keep at the ready, you can order one here for free.

School vacations, spring road trips, and National Park Week are just around the corner. Although your first thoughts regarding a government shutdown may have turned to such themes as: When will my tax refund arrive? or Will there still be air traffic controllers? Have you considered what a shutdown means to the National Park system or the Smithsonian? These “non-essential” entities will be closing at midnight unless a solution is found in the next few hours. Perhaps it’s a good thing that my dream trip to Yosemite didn’t fall into place for this weekend.

If you are locked out, you will have to content yourself with the next best thing — a virtual experience. To find a particular park in the National Park system, visit this site. There will be a number of links for any park you choose.The Yosemite video tour is here. 

There are virtual tours for many of the current Smithsonian exhibits as well. The list of current exhibitions is here. This is the link to Set in Style: the Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels, now on view at the Cooper Hewitt in New York City.

It’s certainly not the same as being there, but I have a motive for sending you to these sites. Our country is rich with treasures. Someone has to preserve and protect them. I know it’s not spelled out in the Constitution, but if not the government, then who will do it? There is no question in my mind that this is tax money well spent.

Have a great weekend! I can smell Spring today and I think the forsythia is going to pop!

FYI Why a piñata? Just like a blog link, until you open it, you won’t know what’s inside.