I do love to travel. We have a teeny little RV called a Casita, and when we bought it, I had no idea it was a thing. But it is, and there are Casita rallies all over the nation. The one we go to is in Grapeland, Texas. Yep, that's a fer piece from Idaho, but the people are great fun and we have a blast listening to all the music and visiting with new friends.
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| Our Casita--it's only 14' long but has a kitchen, bathroom, and a king bed. |
We drove hell-bent for leather from Idaho down to Houston, Texas, and I'm pleased to report that we didn't have any pipes freeze. However, the first night out, a pipe connection in the closet burst and our poor little Casita had two inches of water on the floor. Every single item of clothing we brought was soaked. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't a great start to our grand voyage, for certain. I'm very grateful that Mr R can fix almost anything. Whew!
When we finally got to Houston, we visited the Johnson Space Center (I'm telling you, the Apollo rocket is HUGE), then the Houston Museum of Natural Science where we had a little chat with King Tut. The craftsmanship of the artifacts is incredible and so beautiful. The display is very well done, with items positioned close to how they would've been in the actual tomb. We spent several hours there, and of course we had to look at the dinosaurs, too.
My childhood friend, Lynda McCoy, lives in the area so we were able to meet up for breakfast outside of Houston. Our time together went by in a flash and I was sure sad to say goodbye to her.
The trip home from Arizona was uneventful, but being a desert girl, I had to admire the beautiful spring landscape in the middle of Nevada. The green bushes against the snow-capped mountains were too beautiful not to photograph. So here we are:
Then off to Grapeland for the Third Annual Texas Dogwood Casita and Friends Music Rally. This is a mix of professional and amateur musicians--anyone who loves music. Everyone who wants to perform gets a turn, so it's a mixed bag but lots of fun. You can see an example on my TikTok page. I couldn't get it to embed here.
We stayed for the eclipse but the weather wasn't kind. We did see the before and after, but the totality was covered by clouds. Boohoo. Then we left on Tuesday to head for our friends' house. That would be the famous author Caroline Clemmons, Hero, and Bea Tifton. Oh, and a whole slew of cute dogs and cats. There's always a pet to cuddle at their house. We did some catching up, some computer work (by some, I mean very little), and a lot of eating. Bea knows all the best restaurants and the best foods at each one, so we rely heavily on her advice, for sure. We had leftovers for three days after leaving their house. LOL. I regret that we didn't get any photos. I was too tired to smear on my war paint, though.
On down the road at Pyote, Texas, I posted on Facebook. Lo and behold Mr R's high school buddy and his partner, who currently live in Eastern Idaho, were overnighting in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They'd driven to Texas to see the eclipse, too. So we met up in Demming, NM, for a nice long breakfast visit. That whole situation was quite a coincidence, but it was sure good to see them.
From there we went to two other famous authors' house, Ann Charles and Sam Lucky. Ann picked a good one--Sam's not only a talented author, but he's also a dang good cook. No weight was lost there, believe me. Anyway, while Sam toiled away on the last chapter of his book, Ann took Mr R and I to the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona. That was really fascinating. And up the road was what I've been waiting for decades to see, Wupatki, red sandstone ruins from a flourishing community prior to the early 1100s. These people were the ancestors to modern indigenous peoples of the Four Corners area.
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| The Citadel |
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| Hanging out with Ann Charles |
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| A much-deserved rest with Mr R |
The trip home from Arizona was uneventful, but being a desert girl, I had to admire the beautiful spring landscape in the middle of Nevada. The green bushes against the snow-capped mountains were too beautiful not to photograph. So here we are:
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| The beautiful Nevada desert. |
And we were happy cross the border back into Idaho, to finally get home, take a long, hot shower, and sleep in our comfy bed that we didn't have to crawl into from the foot. I love the Casita but I also love being home again, although I do have my next two trips planned already. 😊
But all was not well at Windy Hill Farm, because most of the plants in my greenhouse had cooked. So, starting over there. I knew the risk when we left, plus, I'd planted some things way too early. It's the first year for the greenhouse so I learned my lesson. Next year, the planting schedule will definitely be revised.
Stay safe, and until next month, Happy Reading. 📚😍
Anyway, so it goes on Windy Hill Farm.
Tada!
For reading, I've been into fantasies lately. How about your book choices?
Stay safe, and until next month, Happy Reading. 📚😍
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