Fort Worth, Texas

While Rick had business meetings in Dallas, the girls and I spent the day in Fort Worth, Texas at the stockyards. What a fun day! It was authentic Texas! Cobblestone streets, cowboys (and girls), Longhorn cattle, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, a cowpen maze, passenger train, rodeo and twice a day cattle drives right down the main street. Very cool place.

Romero demonstrating the lasso technique

Stevie and I wore our cowboy hats and felt right at home.

We met a cowboy named Romero, who demonstrated how to lasso and chatted with us about the cattle.After walking around the area and chatting with Romero, it was time for the day's first cattle drive. Everyone lines the streets and watches as the cattle and cowboys come round the corner and walk on past. So neat to see. The cattle were so close we could touch them!
 After watching the cattle drive, we ran into a cowboy that had a Longhorn saddled up for folks to sit on. Of course we took advantage of that opportunity. That old guy (the cow) stood as still as a statue while all 3 girls got on and I took pictures. I think he had done that before!

We also had an opportunity to Skype with the second grade class back at NSA while we were at the Stockyards. It was fun to share the day with them. We tried our best to show them some Longhorns (2nd grade: if you are reading this, I am including this extra Longhorn picture here just for you!).


Finally, it was time for the girls to give the Cowtown Cowpen Maze a try. There are observation decks to look out over the maze before you enter so you can attempt to plan your course...the girls insisted that I not help 'guide' them from the watchtower.

Stevie in the maze!

Once they took off, I immediately lost sight of them as they were too short for me to see their heads in the maze...I could hear them saying "Oh My Gosh" and "AH, Which Way". It was MUCH harder than it looked but, eventually, everyone made it. Ashley even went back to help Stevie find her way and lost the first place finish to Rachel as a result. What a great sister! We had a great time!

Albuquerque, New Mexico

After driving all morning through New Mexico, we were very pleased to find ourselves in Albuquerque by early afternoon. We strolled around this beautiful city and visited some fun and unique local places. We visited the old town area which is designed in classic style with a church, a town square/gathering area and shops surrounding it. We loved looking at the unique buildings and their authentic styles.

We did visit the world's largest rattlesnake museum (I am not sure there are any others actually..so by default) and a store that sold every kind of chile you could imagine. While at the rattlesnake museum, we saw an article framed that told the ridiculous tale of a man biting the head off of a rattlesnake. His lips were too swollen to comment, an the doctors deemed him 'lucky' to be alive after getting bitten 5 times! A closer look revealed the newspaper, article and man are from Elkton, Virginia !! Other unique items of interest were scorpion lollipops and stuffed jack-a-lopes. Hum, are they real or aren't they?

Ridiculous article from Virginia!!

We have thought a great deal about the people we saw in New Mexico, in Albuquerque, and in the various Indian lands we drove through on the way. There was a true poverty there and we saw people that really needed a hand. We wished we could have been more of a blessing to those that we encountered. Sometimes you wonder if your kind deed changes them as much as it changes you! One man in particular, we are still thinking of and hoping he finds his way.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon! 

We arrived there late in the afternoon on Saturday. Honestly, I do not have much to say about it, because, there really are not words to describe how truly awesome this sight is. Mostly, while there, you stand amazed that this exists and feel grateful that you have had the opportunity to see it. We did meet a great senior citizen volunteer that shared with us the best 'strategy' for viewing on a tight time-line. Interestingly, she was from Virginia and had lived in the Norfolk area! We followed her advice and stopped at several viewing points around the rim. Each location was spectacular! We headed out just as the sun was setting.
 

Full moon rising!

 

 

Amazing ending to amazing day!

Mojave Desert, Route 66

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eastbound and down....We have begun the eastward part of our journey back to Virginia! Our first day of travel took us through the Mojave Desert as we made our way from California to Arizona. We plan to be spending late afternoon checking out the  Grand Canyon, so we are rolling along.

We decided to take Route 66, rather than I40 (the roads parallel each other), for part of our drive today so we can see the ghost towns and famous scenery along the way. We were alone on this road for much of the time (most drivers today use the 40, with its higher speed limits).

We saw some interesting, creepy, deserted places, like the famous Roy's Motel Cafe, and towns that had population signs of 10!  Also to note, Joshua trees and a Tarantula crossing the road!! AAHH!! I think that added to the creepiness for sure!

Kinda creepy, deserted place in Ludlow, CA

Mojave landscape

Ahhh, oh my gosh, I cannot even stand to see this picture!! Really....I am turning my head.....

Hollywood

Rick had some work in Los Angeles, so, after leaving Los Gatos we headed south to L.A...

Obviously, the girls wanted to see the Hollywood sign and the famed Hollywood Blvd. We arrived in town and headed straight for the hills to get as close as possible to the sign. We checked online and found the best viewing spot (straight to the end of Beachwood Dr) in the original Hollywoodland neighborhood. The location was right in the Hollywood hills and adjacent to an area called Griffith park. Cool to see the sign so close-up and, big surprise, there is a horse farm up there! Who knew that? I was expecting only Tom Cruise or somebody up in those hills and instead found horses! Even better.

After taking pics and wandering around the trails on the hill, we headed back down to Hollywood Blvd. It was interesting to see, but a total tourist trap. There was, of course, the Kodak Theater and the Chinese Theater next door, which are famous locations. Then there were the stars....the girls were happy to see David Hasselhoff's star! Funny, they knew him from some Spongebob episodes! Silly. Oh, and, there was some big red carpet event taking place at Hard Rock so the street was blocked and security people were all around...and lights, cameras, etc...

Limo drop off zone in front of Hard Rock Grand Opening

After taking in the sights, we headed over to Santa Monica where we were staying. Friday, while Rick worked, we strolled (and shopped) down 3rd and Promenade St. and then drove up through Malibu and checked out the beach and homes. So lovely. 

Hanging out in Malibu on a Friday afternoon.

Point Dume, Malibu

The Best Day Ever-surfing Santa Cruz & Buffett concert!

This was possibly the best day ever!

We started out surfing in Santa Cruz and ended with a Jimmy Buffett concert. I almost need not say anymore....but, I will.

Though Rick has surfed a bit while in California, the girls had not yet gotten in the water until today. They were very excited to get the chance to try out classic California surfing. (They are quite at home in the Atlantic....but no experience managing a big heavy longboard, a wetsuit and kelp!)

Ashley, Rachel and Stevie each had a chance to go out with Rick by themselves...he's a great surf coach! After paddling out, they were able to get right up and rode in with no trouble. Other surfers out there were encouraging them and they loved that interaction. Ashley even had some adults on the beach ask her for advice! Funny. She was kind of excited about that. Overall, it was a lot of fun and they had a great time. I got some great pictures of the day to share.

Rachel, ripping curl!

Ashley & Rick

After getting back to Los Gatos and cleaning up, it was time to head out to the Shoreline Amphitheater for the Jimmy Buffett 'Under the Big Top' concert. We went with one of Rick's co-workers Chris and his wife Kathy (Chris also loaned us the surf boards and wet-suits that we used earlier in the day! Awesome.). Anyway, as all good parrot heads know, the parking lot is like a pre-game tailgate and one must arrive in time for this event! We mingled and visited with each other and many random folks looking for their lost shakers of salt before heading into the show. Good times. 

Hey, there's a parrot on your shoulder!

  The show was, of course, fantastic! Love, love, love a Buffett show. It is a great time with beach balls flying, crowd interaction (think: fins to the left) and great slideshows of beaches and places that conjure up coastal memories.

  It was a great day! Time to think about going home.

Under the Big Top Tour!

University of California, Berkeley Botanical Garden

CAL Berkeley, Botanical Garden

 

 

 

We decided to spend our Friday visiting the Botanical Garden at the University of California, Berkeley. It was our last afternoon with Nanny and perfect weather. The gardens cover 34 acres of mountain side adjacent to the University. We had a great time exploring the gardens and looking at all the beautiful garden 'rooms'.

We especially enjoyed the arid desert garden and the old rose garden.

Desert Garden...giant cactus (not the scientific name)

The Eastern United States garden reminded of us of home. It pretty much looked like our backyard! We found many specimens from North Carolina and one plant from Henrico, Virginia. Additionally, we had the chance to spot some interesting critters including hummingbirds, a tree frog and newts! Here are some pictures of our day in the garden.

Hummingbird resting

Stevie in the herb garden.

Newt...neat!

Jelly Belly Factory Fairfield, CA

The Jelly Belly Factory...what is there not to smile about here! So colorful, fun and sweet! We had a super time at the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory in Fairfield. We arrived just before 11 and had a brief skype session with the 2nd grade classes at NSA. After saying goodbye to them, we got in line for our tour. Free tours take place all day, almost everyday.
Once we were in line, we were given our hats. All people entering the operations part of the factory have to wear a hat. We were very excited as we started our tour by heading up the candy corn staircase. After gathering briefly, and listening to a few rules about the tour (no pictures or video inside the operational areas and keep your hat on)...we headed through the swinging doors to the factory part of the building. First thing you notice, that sweet smell of jelly beans! Nice.

Yuck..Ashley just tasted Pencil Shavings!

We followed our tour guide through all of the main areas of the jelly bean making process (there is an excellent virtual tour of this process at jellybelly.com), in all, about a 45 minute tour. We were given samples at several different points in the bean making process. First sample was just the squishy center. Next, the outer shell was newly applied, and finally, a sample of a perfect, freshly made, finished product. We learned that it takes 7-21 days to make each jelly bean and that the 3 most popular flavors are Very Cherry, Butttered Popcorn and Licorice.

One fun thing we were able to observe was the bean sorter. A big, rolling barrel spins the finished beans. Beans that are not perfectly shaped, will not fall through the holes in the sides of the barrel. Therefore, these imperfect beans do not make the cut to eventually be bagged and sent out to the public. These beans are called Belly Flops! The company does sell those beans but only at their factory store.

All the Autumn Flavors! Yum!

Other fun stuff: the sample bar (just what it sounds like!), looking at all the neat bean products in the Jelly Belly store, and jelly belly shaped food in the restaurant!

And the most fun thing: Bean Boozled beans! They are ordinary jelly belly beans and flavors with look-alike wacky/terrible flavors mixed in! They say the only way to tell the difference is to taste them....and hope you made the right choice. These flavors include rotten egg, moldy cheese, skunk spray, toothpaste and pencil shavings just to name a few. Ewww!

Blahh, skunk spray!