Road Trip! San Juan Capistrano.

Last weekend we took a trip down to San Diego to watch the Oregon State University Beavers play a football game. Which was great fun.

Between Thousand Oaks and San Diego is Mission San Juan Capistrano, so on our way home we stopped in. If you have the time it is fun to travel the El Camino Real and visit all the missions.

The San Juan Capistrano was founded in October 30 of 1775, but then a do over, November 1st 1776 after a little uprising in San Diego. This was the seventh mission of the 21 Spanish missions in California. It is famous for the cliff swallows that used to nest there. The only swallows I saw were these out along the I-5 freeway.

There is more to this place than the birds of course...have a look.

 a Quinceanera was also taking place at the Mission.

 one of the two fountains

 

 St Peregrine Chapel. a baptism was going on while we were there.

 Kathy watching the Koi.

 Through the window of the chapel

 altar niches in the old stone church, destroyed in an earth quake, 1812.

The Day of the Horse

For the past nine years ETI corral 37 has been holding an event called Day of The Horse. The event is free to the public, its intent to aquatint citizens of Thousand Oaks with equestrian groups and history of the horse in this area.

  Proceeds from silent auction and food sales go to buying hay for the horse rescue and ride on therapeutic stables.

Kathy usually volunteer's at this event in the Ride on booth, this year I decided to go and have a look...

 

 

 I met equine ambassador Jackson...He was hard to miss.

Here he is scoring a carrot...see in his mouth

He has appeared in GQ in a photo shoot, but it hasn't gone to his head.

he was just such a mellow fellow

this picture says it all. 

Nuttin' on T.V.? Try this movie...

I am no Siskel and Ebert, but I really like this movie. Smoke Signals, written by  Sherman Alexie, I've read a couple of his books, I love they way he uses language, he paints a picture. 

One of my favorite lines from this move goes something like this," my boy could fly, like some kind of indigenous angel, only his wings were made of t.v. dinner trays..."

Basically this movie is a quest, but I love journey movies and books, or I guess they are called coming of age, what ever, I liked it.

 

 

Victor on the left in the picture and Thomas on the right , are on their way to Arizona to pick up Victors dads ashes. The story is told in a series of flash backs ,why Victors dad left, why Victor and Thomas have the connection they do. It's funny, its sad and as I said before the language is poetic at times.

If you watch it let me know what you think!

Fall Color

Not what you were expecting was it?

The monarch butterflies are migrating south. For the last couple of weeks now they have been flitting through the park, my back yard, down the freeway...

Its harder than heck to get a photo of a butterfly in flight. I got this one in coffee lady Martha's yard.

Every fall the monarchs on the western side of the Rockies migrate south to California. The ones East go to Mexico. Keep in mind the generation that migrate south has never been here before.

They over winter along the California coast...I live in the blue circle on the map above.

Every year I say I am going to go see the hundreds to thousands that hang in the trees....but I don't.

 At coffee last week, we were discussing how you never do the things close to home because you think , I can do that anytime...well, I came home from coffee and put "Visit butterflies" on the November calender. I am going this year, even scoped out the best butterfly viewing places....

I learned some interesting facts form this web site, the map is from there too..US forest service wildflowers

Facts such as:

• one generation migrates south , it takes 3 to 4 to move back north. 
• the generation that migrates south doses not complete its development to sexual maturity, allowing it a longer life span to winter over.
• spring time triggers the butterfly to finish its development , it mates,lays eggs.
•  the kids that hatch start the trip north. 

Nature is so darn amazing!

Buffalo girl

In July of 2000, we took the girls to Yellowstone, Kathy was 7 years old.

She was fascinated with the buffalo,  we purchased a small toy buffalo for her at the gift shop, she named him Fluffy. Fluffy is about all she remembered of the trip, so when I asked her if she wanted to join me this summer on a trip to Yellowstone, the now 20 year old, jumped at the chance.

 As we crossed the park boarder,....Fluffy appeared out of the back pack.  Yes, Fluffy had returned to his home range.(pictures provided by Kathy)

Looking for relatives

Helping Plan sightseeing destinations

On top of the world

sight seeing

resting up in the room

Fluffy came home with a new friend, as yet to be named.

You just never know what something can mean to a person, this funny little Fluffy and Yellowstone touched a little kids heart and her funny bone too.

Good Read

~They say I must die. They say that I stole the breath from men, and now they must steal mine. I imagine then, that we are all candle flames, greasy-bright, fluttering in the darkness and the howl of the wind, and in the stillness of the room I hear footsteps, coming to blow me out and send my life up away from me in a gray wreath of smoke. I will vanish into the air and the night. They will blow us all out, one by one, until it is only their own light by which they see themselves.~ from Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent

That's the opening paragraph, it gets better from there. Lets just say it is the Les miserables of Iceland circa, 1828.

• Things are not always as they seem,
•  Life has no guarantees and can change in an instant,by our doing, or through actions of others.
•  People will believe what they want to believe.

This novel is a work of fiction, based on real events.

If you want to know more about this book click here .

The votes have been counted, and the winner is!

Momma Elk

Along the road in Utah some where

Came around a corner and saw this, slammed on the brakes,swerved to the shoulder , got out of the car,  dashed a crossed the road in the rain and fog, and snapped this photo. So unexpected!

Grand Canyon North rim

On our way home from Yellowstone, we spent a night at the North rim of the grand canyon. had to drive in thick fog to the lodge. When we got there we couldn't see the other side of the canyon.

the fog had lifted by dinner time, we could see the thunderstorms rolling in, lightening striking the south rim as it came. The fella at the lodge said is was unusual for the clouds to be below the rim.

 

WE had thunder and lightening and rain most of the night, but that was cool! next morning was still overcast and scattered showers but we got a better look at the canyon.

We stayed in cabins near the lodge it was fun, If you haven't been you should go!

cabin

 

 

 

The lodge is build right on the rim whit a great views from the dinning room, here is a view of the lodge from the trail below.

In the the lodge I found this monument to Brighty of the Grand Canyon. I loved that story when I was a kid. There is a book and of course a Disney movie,  movie/ t.v. show, they used to show on Sunday nights , remember???

vote for your favorite photo!

Thank you all for your kind comments on my photos! I picked some of my favorites to re post and have you all vote for your favorite. You can vote on the blog at the bottom of the post or in the comment section on Facebook below the link. I have captioned each photo so just tell me the name. If I didn't include your favorite, just tell me which picture it was and it will get a vote!

Trout Lake

biscuit basin

momma elk

pelicans

osprey fledglings

fountain geyser

frog

chipmunk

Grandfather

rainbow spring

sunset

waterfall

Vote for your favorite photo