Travel Recap

Sunday's family time is over, so playing catch up.
We had planned to go North for our sister getaway, but that didn't pan out, so I suggested a place my younger sis had told me about down South - and we switched gears.

Our medieval feast didn't work out either (no kitchen here) but hey - if this pack of wandering grannies are anything - we are flexible! We opted to eat out! (A better plan anyway - no work, and no dishes!)

After quilt shopping, pharmacy hopping, and a short dash to the hospital (long story - I said pack of grannies didn't I?) Nothing serious, we just had to buy a part - ha ha! ...We found us a Chili's. (We don't get Mexican at home, so why not?)

Then we went to the B&B to party. We read poems, told stories, and yes, even danced a little in our crowns of Autumn leaves - just celebrating Fall, and Sisterhood.

This is our B&B - it is in a little neighborhood of old restored pioneer homes. We rented this whole house, which sounded big in the description, but was only a 2 bedroom with a fold out sofa and a roll-away... Hard to believe that a family of 10 once lived here! ...luckily, when they restored it, they added plumbing!

For some reason they spoiled me and gave me the biggest room. It looked so authentic in every detail - we had been talking about "hauntings" earlier, so when we went up there, I said; "Well, if any room in this house is haunted, it would be this one," just because some of the other rooms had things that were not true to the period, but this one looked like someone from that era could still be living there.
As soon as the words left my lips I regretted it, because then I was freaked out and couldn't go to sleep!
This bed was SO cozy - it not only had a down comforter - it had a down mattress cover too! Ahhhhh ...Like curling up on your mother's lap.

...The desert is still blossoming like a rose... The weather was perfect.

We needed an extra person to take photos, because we were always one short - but oh well. My 3 sis's on the front porch.

This lovely lady in the center had made us all quilts! She had a little story about each one, telling why she chose the colors etc. Truly touching and amazing!

We were right across the street from this historical building - I've driven by it a million times, but never been inside. This time we took the tour.

This is another famous landmark that I've been hearing about for years, but never been to. They serve a killer "malted" called a "concrete" that everyone needs to try before they die - we had that and one of their deli sandwiches, and I seriously didn't need to (and couldn't if I'd wanted to) eat anything else all day long!

I've hiked around the canyons here, and seen all the volcanic rock, but I had never seen the volcanoes they came from. This time we checked them out.

...All that and a little bit of shopping was as much fun as we could cram into a day and a half, but it was worth it. Hoping to do it again before too long...

*One faraway sis wasn't able to join us this time - so this travel log is dedicated to her - we missed you sis! Hugs!

With this I take my leave and bid thee fond farewell - and to exit on a "medieval" note, take a peek at this, and have some silly fun!
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Book Report - "Wesley the Owl" ....*Spoilers*

I haven't been doing many book reports here anymore, but this latest book I just finished impacted me to the point, that I just wanted to talk about it.

Many times I'm attracted to a book by it's cover & title, and this one was just "cute" enough to get me to look. As I read the description, it captured my imagination, and it "followed me home."

Wesley the Owl is not a novel - it's a memoir, written by a young botanist from Caltech, who was entrusted with a rescued baby owl to take home to raise and observe.
Owls are the type of creature who "imprint" on the person (or creature) who takes care of it, and bond for life - thus, as the quote from the Little Prince goes; "If you tame something, you are responsible for it forever"

It was so fascinating to learn about Owl behavior in the wild - and in captivity. Many survival techniques are taught to the creatures by their "parent", but when the "parent" has no knowledge of that behavior - what then?
Wesley appears to learn a few behaviors from his human parent, that are foreign to owls in the wild - and misses out on learning some that would have been crucial for him to return to it.

Not just an interesting story, but also a touching one - it is apparent through the book, that this Botanist also "imprints" on the owl - as she chooses her bird over "the latest boyfriend" time and time again, and, at the end of the book, ends up still single. ("Love me, love my owl.") Mainly because many aspects of the owl's care are difficult for the average human to tolerate (Like the mouse thing - ick.) and they are put off by it.

I also learned a bit about the behaviors of Botanists, which can be even more strange than wild creatures they care for! ...Such as the one who became obsessed with black widow spiders to the point that he not only kept them and raved about their "cuteness" at the office, but refused to kill them or damage their habitat at home - letting them breed freely and take over his house and yard - until he ended up in an "institution" of a different kind. Hmmm...

As the book progresses, Stacy (the botanist) and her owl not only bond, but learn to communicate with each other, and is a very touching and tender story. But this book conveys a little more than that - it teaches that all living things are individuals and have a soul - it also passes on a reverence for all life.
I don't think I'll ever look on any creature in exactly the same way.

Read it - you'll love it!