Roadtrip to the Southwest

It's hard to believe that it's been more than a year since our accident.  As you may have already noticed, there have been long periods between blogs, partially because it was hard to sit at the computer for any length of time, and partially because there was very little going on besides recovery much of the time.  Adding insult to injury, my camera doesn't seem to be working and many of my photos from the past few months didn't turn out.  Hopefully I will be able to change that as this year moves forward.  For now my camera phone will have to do.

Like many others around the country we have been experiencing a very cold winter.  However, we did manage to get out of town between snow storms and spent the month of February chasing after sunshine.  I found that I was able to travel in the car fairly well, but we kept much of the tourist activities to a minimum and concentrated on making short stops to visit with various family and friends throughout the Southwest.  

Even in Southern California we couldn't completely escape the cold.  As you can see, there were bits of snow on the hillsides of this large wind farm we passed on our way into the desert.  I won't bore you with my opinion of wind farms other than to say that I find them very unattractive. This one went on for miles and most of them weren't even working.

 Eventually we left them behind though and we were able to enjoy the arid beauty of these Joshua trees instead.

We passed through the town of Barstow, California which is located in the middle of the Majave Desert.   I did share these photos on my Facebook as this area is where I spent part of my growing up years when my dad was stationed here while in the military.  In the distance you can see the words Calico on the side of the hill.  Below it is an old silver mining ghost town. It was bought out by Knotts Berry Farm in the 1950's and my dad used to work there on the weekends driving an old mining train that went around the edges of the town. While we didn't stop in for a visit, I have many fond memories of spending hours up there with my brothers exploring the old buildings, riding on the train and taking burro rides up and down the little street. I see from this brochure that it must be much more commercialized than it was when I was a little girl.  Isn't that true of just about everything?  It's now a county park and is listed on the California Historic Registry.  If you are interested you can learn more about the history and images of Calico here

Eventually, we made it to Las Vegas where we spent four days at a beautiful resort hotel on the outskirts of the city.  The pool was gorgeous.  Unfortunately, it was too cold to use it!  Still, I loved looking out at the mountains in the distance.

We had some lovely sunshine here but don't let the pictures fool you.  As you can see, I was still in long sleeves and a winter vest.  We met up with my oldest cousin and his wife here and enjoyed some yummy pizza.  Another day they took us on a tour of the town.  For all you football fans we got to see where the new Raiders stadium is being built. 

Finally, it was time to hit the road so we headed into Arizona before crossing back over to San Diego.  The desert in this area is completely different from the Mojave. We hit some rain but eventually the sun came out and there were lots of interesting rock formations.

 

After a night in Phoenix visiting friends we headed to San Diego where we met up with another of my cousins who lives in the hills outside of the city.  She has a wonderful view of the valley and the hills beyond from her back yard.  She tells me that at certain times she can hear the bells chiming from the church below. Lovely!

It rained quite a bit while we were in San Diego as well, but we were rewarded by this beautiful rainbow in front of my cousin's home at the end of the day.

Finally, after two weeks on the road and numerous rain storms and even some sleet we enjoyed our first patch of warm weather in Carlsbad, the town where my family retired to after my dad left the military.  We were only able to spend one full day in the area before meeting our children near Los Angeles but at least we were able to enjoy an afternoon of warm sunshine at the local harbor. 

This was the first half of our road trip and there will be more to share, but for now, thank you for stopping by.  It's nice to be back on line.  Feel free to leave a comment if you so choose.

A Walk in the Arboretum

The clouds have been gathering and the sky is getting dark.  Soon I will begin to hear the sound of raindrops on the roof which will probably last the rest of the afternoon and into the night.  Last week however, it was a different story as my cousin came to visit and we were able to enjoy a lovely walk in the sunshine at the Evergreen Arboretum located in one of our local parks. It's not very large which makes it a perfect place for me to enjoy all the beautiful plants without getting overtired.  There are many types of evergreen trees in this garden.  However, I was more interested in the flowers and shrubs.

Here were the last of the late summer dahlias still in bloom and such a pretty shade of yellow tinged with peach.

Nearby was a section filled with different shades of pink and purple.

I don't know if this is a type of fuschia or something else altogether.  The color combination is striking.

This bench was the perfect place to stop and take a break and to enjoy the tranquility surrounding us before moving on to navigate the steps up to the fountain.

  

 

The green leaves on this maple tree won't begin to turn golden until November, but the seed pods have already turned a bright orange-red, and it won't be long before the wind causes them to propel down from their clusters like tiny little helicopters.  When my children were small they used to love to watched them slowly spinning down to the ground.

Autumn seems as though it has barely touched this garden, but the trees in other parks in the area are telling a different story.  Across the way from the pool where The Investigator and I go for some of my Physical Therapy  these trees have already shed many of their leaves leaving a crunchy carpet to walk upon.

And once again, I have brought a taste of autumn indoors.

If you look through the windows you can see the autumn colors both outside and in.  So I leave you with this wonderful quote by Albert Camus which says everything I feel about this time of the year. 
  

"Autumn is a second spring

when every leaf is a flower" 

 Thank you for stopping by. Adieu.

 

Remembering Oso

It was a quiet summer for us this year, but as the warm summer days have drifted into Indian Summer and now the beginnings of Autumn we decided Saturday was a perfect day to take a leisurely drive.  I truly love the fall with its crisp sunny days and chilly nights.  It always makes me feel much more energetic than during the warm, lazy days of summer.

We decided to head North and East with no particular destination in mind, just enjoying the beautiful blue skies and open farmland nestled under the Cascade Foothills.

 

 After a couple of hours in the car we stopped here at the North Fork of the Stillaquamish River so I could stretch the stiffness out of my leg.  

Ordinarily when I would spot a trail like this I would be on my way to see where it ended up.  But it was much too rocky to attempt with a cane and I have come too far in my recovery to make a mistake now that could cause a fall.

 So, I contented myself with enjoying the lovely view from above.

 As the afternoon progressed we found ourselves driving past the site of the terrible Oso landslide which took place March 22, 2014. The slide covered over one square mile blocking the highway and filling the river with mud and debris.  Forty-three people were killed and forty-nine homes or buildings were destroyed.  The American flag was posted on the top of a tree trunk, all that was left of the home that once stood there.

We live a little less than 30 miles from where this took place and every community was shocked and devastated.  More than 600 people took part in the search and rescue efforts. One month later President Obama took the time to come out to meet and comfort the survivors and families who had lost loved ones.  

While spending time near Oso was a sobering experience we very much enjoyed our little outing and look forward to more of them as I get stronger and stronger.  I know it has been a while since I have been here myself, but I do thank you for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment if you like. Adieu!

A Beautiful Quilt

I recently had a friend who is very dear to my heart stop by for a visit.  She brought me the gift of a beautiful quilt she had made for me.  Guess she had checked in with my mom to see what some of my favorite colors are.  I cried when I opened it, thinking of how many hours she spent making something so lovely just for me.

She lined the back with a soft fluffy material that makes it not just beautiful but so warm and cozy.  I am going to love snuggling up with this.

It has been quilted with this beautiful heart design that will always remind me that I have received a true gift of love from the heart.  

 God continues to show me day after day how much he loves me through my family and friends.

And for those of you who have been praying for me I want you to know that I am doing well.  I can now stand on my own and am walking with a walker.  I hope to soon be able to move to a cane.  The journey to recovery is long and hard but God is faithful. 

 May he bless you exceedingly.