Christmas

Christmas Eve tea (Kathryn's photo)

Some pictures really are that funny.

It's not Christmas until you've crawled on Grandma.

Do you know what I know?

My favorite part of that song is when the shepherd boy asks the king that question. So tonight, think of yourself alone with a flock.

In the distance are more sheep and more shepherds. The stars are bright and you are thinking of sadness and worry. Then your sky changes and what was once a field becomes a place of glory. An astonishing voice speaks as you tremble, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

You rise in wonder. Then more come and the sky is no longer dark and starry. The inhabitants of heaven are singing with a voice as big as the sea: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" You hear their words in your soul and your soul cannot stay where it is; it must move. You find a little family with a baby swaddled just as the angel said that you would. In a manger is a child. In a manger is a savior. You smile broadly and you tell the king what it that you know.

Maybe he'll say something like this: "Listen to what I say. Pray for peace people everywhere. The child, the child sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light."

Favorite Wildcat Ever

Watch Darren go. He's magic.

The Writer's Almanac for December 18, 2007

piano plays and fades.
Garrison: It's the birthday of American born blogger, linda jean. She spent much of her solitary life in the town where she was born. She thought that she was ill-equipped for living alone and yet believed that she grew to know herself more fully than she would have otherwise, and her life became more authentic because of it. linda jean who wrote:
"I told a man that my birthday was on the 18th and he said that his was on the shortest day of the year. I told him it meant that he was born on the longest night of the year which he hadn't considered. I have a belief that we are affected by the time of year in which we are born and so we have similarities to those who are born near the same day. It's not a belief in the cosmic, astrological sense, but based on the physical world. Our birthdays are cold, they include Christmas decorations, the day is short. Our first days were full of shortened sunlight, festive gatherings, clinking Salvation Army buckets, and heavy clothing. On our birthday we wake up and think 'why is it still so dark?'. I find the weight of heavy blankets comforting even when I'm not cold."

More sequins please

I think just about everyone had a grade school teacher that handed out a "test" and said "be sure to read all of the directions before beginning". There was a strange restlessness from half the class and the other half began working the test problems. I was, predictably, one of the kids that failed to read the directions that said not to answer any of the questions for an A or something like that. I was and am still indignant that no one graded the work that I did. No matter how many times I take a test like that I am going to fail. I have no idea how many essay exams I messed up by answering all three questions instead of answering one of the three thereby running out of time to complete the final essay question worth 50 percent of the points on the test. It seems like a simple enough solution to read the directions, but I've lived long enough to know that if the problem seems obvious to me, I won't read the directions.

This weekend I started a felt ornament kit project where I'm making little felt ornaments in the shapes of stockings and wreaths and other holiday icons. The kit was given to me out of one of my grandmother's stash of craft kits. I have to refer to the directions at various times in order to get through the tougher portions. One of the directions in the kit is not to deviate from any of the instructions. I have deviated. I've deviated a good deal. The ornaments have less sequins and are filled with cut up pieces of a plastic bag from the grocery store. The deviations let me come up with prettier ways to make things and make them look more like objects I would have made.

I wonder sometimes if all of my best work isn't the work that wasn't supposed to be. Maybe my best essays were the ones I wouldn't have written had I read the instructions or my best days are the ones not set aside in my calendar for fun or good. Some days it feels like I took a wrong turn somewhere, but I wonder if I had taken the right turn if my life would have too many sequins and look less like something that I had made.

P.S. If you haven't seen pictures from Thanksgiving yet, go and visit JEO.

I can be pretty boring.

If you want, you can listen to today's arguments regarding 6 Guantanamo Bay detainees heard before the Supreme Court. It's an hour and a half long and there are a lot of references that went over my head (it's a lot easier to follow if you've read the briefs). It's easy to zone out, but fascinating.

It's about humoring me.

This picture makes absolutely no sense.

Post Thanksgiving

I went away for Thanksgiving. Thankfulness is all about perspective. I am really thankful to have someone like my sister in my life. We did lots of kitchen types of things and lots of outdoorsy things before the kitchen things.

When I got home I discovered some new tenants on my porch: Smoop and Lucky, two cats. They keep on coming on to my porch and I think I'm going to let them without too much grief. I have the room, they need a porch. However, I won't be feeding them no matter how tempting. Besides, they are far from skinny, which makes me wonder how many porches they frequent.

Beyond all of that I thought I would share some travel observations and some noted unnotable moments which are numbered for no reason--

1. The airport in San Francisco is not a warm place. They even have a large piece of public art with the word "void" across it. It felt like being on the campus of KU. Everyone is walking around like everyone else is invisible. I really dislike those places. In spite of that I would like to visit (I've never been there). Flying out and looking down I wondered if I could visit some day and drive over every single bridge in one day.
2. Exercise makes life easier. I've been trying to be more diligent about taking care of my body for the past few months and I was pleased to discover that my Oregon hiking was much easier. We didn't do any strenuous hiking, but I did notice that it was all a bit easier.
3. I ate pomegranate for the first time the day before I left for Oregon. While I was in Oregon I cut open and seeded my first one. Before last week I had never thought about them and now I think that they are great. Yes, there is a huge life lesson in the pomegranate.
4. I don't think that I get enough hugs. Just an FYI. In case you see me, I'm open for a warm one.
5. If your little dog is hacking while you are hoofing it through the Denver airport, he would appreciate it if you stopped and checked on him. The girl walking behind you would appreciate it as well since your little dog's hacking is not a dry cough.
6. I will get dirty if given the opportunity, always.
7. Just because someone is rude to you when she gets on the plane, she might feel guilty by the end and be extra nice at the end of the flight. She didn't hate me just because she was mean to me.
8. Seeing old friends is magical and seeing old friends in the redwood forest makes you believe in magic.
9. God has blessed me with a wide berth of thought and a really entertaining mind. It's pretty fun to be me and I get a kick out of having pretentious reading materials when I'm travelling, but when it's late at night and my flight is delayed it would be nice to have something besides poetry, Dostoevsky, The New Yorker, and Harper's to read. I watched Larry King Live for an hour.
10. The issue of the The New Yorker that I was reading was the "cartoon" issue. As much fun as it is to have pretentious reading materials, I also love getting to an entire page of cartoons and not getting a single joke.

Thanksgiving Haiku

Happy Thanksgiving. Last year we started a little tradition here that I believe ought to continue: Thanksgiving Haiku. It's a bit early and nothing too Thanskgivingy has happened yet, but I'm afraid the next few days will yield little time for poetry. So, here you are:

Rotten pumpkin stink
A disposed decoration
One less for Thursday

Please join in.

I throw like a girl

I do not like to admit certain gender differences. I hate saying that someone "throws like a girl", but last night at church I was watching the girls throw the football and they were all throwing like girls. I also hate to admit that I am a girl that throws like a girl. It's terrible to assign typical gender abilities to anyone let alone myself, especially when I generally have "typical" female weaknesses without having too many "typical" female strengths (like cooking a delicious supper or keeping a neat house or being a great flirt). I realized watching those girls that I must look like a girl when I throw a ball too. For some reason, I had never thought about the way I look when I throw a ball. I hope I can still throw a ball without feeling too self-conscious and embrace throwing like a girl.

I started thinking about writing and whether or not there is such a thing as writing like a girl. I thought of certain works by women, especially feminist writers, and how most of their works could only have been written by a woman. There are also works by men that could not have been written by a woman. This conclusion is strange to me because I want to believe that genders can write the same things, but our experience differs. I did finally think of a few people whose work seems to be non-gender informed, but how can I be sure? I wish there were a way to read without knowing the author so that I could really examine the issue without prejudice. It sounds like a grad school project.

I'm pretty sure that I mostly write like a girl, but I do love to create gender ambiguities.

Question Authority

My brother had me watch this Youtube video. I think a few of you will recognize the star.

I just watched Luther which happens to also have a strong message about questioning authority. I do wish I had read a brief biography before I watched so that I would be more prepared for when exactly the movie would end. If you hadn't thought about how amazing it is to have freedom of religious belief, then you ought to watch it.

I also wanted to provide a link for your questioning pleasure that relates to a conversation that I had at lunch. I was wondering how long this particular political point had been an issue and I think this got me a bit closer to the source.

Finally, not that many little girls are authorities, but my niece has seemed to accurately assign the names of various Winnie the Pooh characters to real people in her life. I have been assigned "Pooh". I'm a little afraid of the implications.

Squirrels

These are two squirrels that I met recently in a small southwest Kansas town.

A politically charged blog entry

This week I'm pretending that I'm going on some great trip and I have to get up when it's dark so that I can make my flight. I actually arrived to work almost on time with this strategy (only 10 minutes late)and though it was starting to be light when I got to the office, the sun was not risen technically. I'm not really enjoying the extra light this evening. It's making me angry because I would have preferred it on the other end of the day. If I were running for President, this would be my one campaign promises: return the end of daylight savings to its previous weekend. When will the candidates address the everyday man's concern?

Shhh

Silence is sneaky. I drove into town from the farm without realizing that I hadn't turned on my radio at all until I was back home. I had been thinking without outside stimulation during the entire drive. It's good to not talk and to not hear anything sometimes. Faith steers you when you can't hear anything. I realize that I haven't been saying much through this medium lately either. It's not that I'm not thinking silly thoughts or that I don't wish to share, it's just that sometimes you have to be quiet with yourself to let yourself examine what it is that you aren't saying.

Recently I went and visited a place that I've meant to see for years. It was quite worth the visit and so I'm letting you know that if you haven't gone to see the Tiffany stained-glass windows in Topeka, you really ought to some time. Do it when you have the time, or make the time if you need be. It seemed like it would be a good place for silence, if you need that.

A hero sleeps at night.

I've been having fitful sleeps lately. I even counted sheep last night being unable to remember the charms of Linda. Getting less sleep is certainly an annoyance and an inconvenience. It does yield some nice weird dreams. Last night I dreamed that I was a boarder in an old home that was being renovated. The young couple that was working on the house seemed to avoid me. However at the end of the dream the husband told me that he really thought highly of me. He then said that I was capable of being a hero, but I wasn't quite one yet. He then gave me advice on how to actually achieve hero status. Alas, I can not remember any of his advice. Then I dreamed I was at a spa with my husband who had to use smelling salts to awaken me after I had fallen asleep in some fancy bathtub. He went ahead and purchased the smelling salts to use at home when I was sleeping and was snoring too much. I've never actually been to a spa, but it seems odd that I would take a bath as part of my spa treatment, but I suppose it's possible. Not sleeping tends to mean that something is bothering me, but I'm not really sure how to make it go away. Either I'm concerned about my snoring or I'm concerned about not being a hero. I can't really do anything about the snoring except take sudafed, allergy prescriptions and try to avoid mouth breathing to the extent possible. Being a hero seems like it might be too much work, but maybe I need to explore it as an option. My new life coach has suggested that I need to get a hipster photo for my blog, but I'm not sure if that's what the man in the dream suggested. Or it may be that it's too cold at night to be sleeping without the heater running.

More fortunate than usual

Today I received two fortunes in my fortune cookie. One said "Take no risks with your reputation". The second said "Take that chance you've been considering". They seem to be contradictory unless you assume chances can in no way damage your reputation. I suppose it's possible. When I arrived home I had another fortune sticking to the bottom of my shoe. It was partial, but it seems rather important since it went to all of the trouble of sticking to me like a sandbur wanting to find a spot to sprout. "[rip]month/ [rip] is shining". It makes less sense, but probably the most apt to occur. Any advice is welcome regarding this muddling of advice and fortunes. Or I could ignore it all, smile and continue.

Fall into produce

It's October 1. This is a picture of my first tomato of the season. If you will recall, last summer tomato was one of my dear friends, but this summer he has been fickle and unproductive. I guess he's more of a cool weather producer. He didn't want to be trite and produce in August like all of the other tomatoes. I suppose that I'll be trying to farm out my excess in November.

A top ten list

Top ten numbers 1-10

• 10. four
• 9. three
• 8. eight
• 7. nine
• 6. five
• 5. ten
• 4. two
• 3. seven
• 2. three
• 1. one

PBS programming suggestion

If football games have a halftime, why can't Ken Burns' documentary "The War" have a halftime?

ABC poem

Shauna suggested this one earlier... simply choose a word for each letter of the alphabet. It's easier if you cheat on "x", and I won't blame you if you do.

A bashful caress

dares escape from

graceful hands

I just kiss lips

moving now, openly

playing quilt-like

river sensations--

(unlike very xeric yuccas)

zeal.

The results are always a little goofy because of the ending, but it's kind of fun to have it end real wacky.

ways to insert ineptitude into everyday life

1. be easily distracted by minutia.
2. make sure putting items away means "where ever it was last time you needed it".
3. be easily bored by details (unless they are irrelevant minutiae).
4. buy a nice thesaurus and never remember where you were the last time you needed it (see number 2).
5. make sure your coping mechanism for being overwhelmed by too much to do is to think of something new to do that doesn't really need to be done.
6. never think of supper until you are hungry.
7. never think of a task until it requires immediate attention and you have less time than required to complete it.
8. create art from anything in your house.
9. own too many shoes (see number 2).
10. forget what day it is.
11. play distracting music whenever you need to concentrate.
12. daydream.
13. enjoy your dictionary so much that it's a 15 to 30 minute distraction every time you look up a word (wow, I never notice how similar the spelling of "hummus" and "humus" are).
14. stare at ceilings.
15. make up alternate endings to important information people say to you.
16. enjoy the sound of "slipshod" so much that it no longer sounds like criticism.
17. never, never finish anything.
18. find the easiest route to completion and be a perfectionist.
19. ponder your teddy bear's inner thoughts.
20. laugh out loud every 20 minutes because everything serious is hilarious.
21. have a lousy sense of smell.

Just a couple of things.

I've been thinking about Madeline L'Engle since she recently passed away. I would love to say something fitting, but the things I want to say seem too personal. I began reading all of her novels from the library (up the stairs on 7th Street) when I was in junior high. I am rereading Camilla to mark the occasion and I am struck by how deeply connected I feel. I wasn't sure if I would feel it, now that I'm not in junior high, but it's still there.

I also finished reading Death Comes for the Archbishop. Yes, I liked it. It was slow and not plot-driven, but to the extent that reading should be a peaceful endeavor, it was. Cather's landscapes are superb.

In unrelated clothing news, my grease-stained skirt was successfully rescued with a product under my sink called "greased lightning". I do not recall buying it, but it was there when I needed it.

Nowhere

The blog has already visited this place, but I went there this weekend just to have some outdoor time. This CCC dam is in NE Finney County and is currently called Finney County Wildlife Area. It's more like an abandoned dream. "Finney County Abandoned Dream Refuge". Maybe I'll make a new sign. There isn't any water and I didn't see much wildlife other than the millions of grasshoppers and one lizard. The first picture is of the little graveyard near the dam. It's in a neat circle and completely overgrown. The second picture is on the dam identifying itself. It's a place of eerie solitude especially because it has the feeling of a ghost town though it's a couple of miles from the remains of Ravenna, the real ghost town nearby.

Overgrown

Pictures from the Wildlife area tell a story of abandoment walking through it. It's a place that makes humanity's imprint seem like a part of the natural process. The place is unassuming in its offerings of beauty, like most prairie landscapes. In the distance there are very slight bluffs. As you drive toward it on highway 23, the Pawnee River valley lays out before you completely like a geology fieldtrip demonstrating topography. The land is trying to swallow the quarried stone with little weeds breaking it apart bit by bit. However, one hundred years from now, I'm certain the K-Demon marker will endure, with or without its laughing face. That slab of stone is about 2 feet thick.

Taking pictures of myself

The first picture is using a fence post and the 10 second timed photo option. This is how far I can run from the camera before it snaps the picture. On a sacrificial scale of 1-10, 1 being selfish and 10 being complete self-denial, this photo scores a 6 based upon the scratches and itching running through the grass caused.

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The second photo is an attempt at the self-portrait for a myspace page (reference "Hipster Olympics"). I also like pictures of the wind.

If you happen to notice these things, those are in fact the 4th pair of sunglasses this summer. The first pair is lost, the second pair fell apart, and the third pair were stepped on in a dressing room.

Ravenna Ruins, Valentine Day, Grasshopper

My day in list form

(beginning with the first memory of the day)
1. Did hair at 2nd stoplight on the way to work.
2. Got a cup of coffee from the basement at work.
3. Pondered whether the list could be used as a poetry "form".
4. Stared resentfully at in-box, the physical in-box not email.
5. Took out M. Ward and switched to Spoon in the hopes of making day more lively.
6. Read about possible candidates for attorney general.
7. Talked to Watson about crime without using the word "elementary" which was a disappointment.
8. Cut someone's birthday cake without her presence because I wanted coffee with my piece of cake and her email said we could "dig in".
9. Sighed heavily reading new legislation.
10. Pondered desperation and its link to crime.
11. Wondered if outline wouldn't make a better poetry form than list.
12. Admired birthday girl's orange roses.
13. Ate omelet with swiss cheese, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms for lunch.
14. Came out as closet environmentalist to co-workers.
15. Threw away letter for reception to be held after work and realized that our office must not recycle.
16. Called _________ and ___________ about ____________.
17. Discussed conspiracy theories or rather theories of conspiracy.
18. Tried to clean desk, but got bored after putting first book away.
19. Sang "Halloweenhead" repeatedly in head and decided maybe I should quit listening to Ryan Adams.
20. Was offered trade in fantasy football which was withdrawn before I read it.
21. Wondered to whom itunes email regarding new music from Kenny Chesney and Lyle Lovett was aimed and realized it might be my boss.
22. Thought about how Lovett and Chesney both had oddly short marriages to actresses.
23. Walked to a secretary's desk multiple times for "red vines" candy.
24. Thought about various ways to use string in collage projects.
25. Called to get dates of birth for several co-conspirators.
26. Thought about the death penalty.
27. Signed name 14 times.
28. Kept list during work hours.

Change like a cinquain

A non-commenting reader requested another round of poetry so I wrote a self-contained cinquain. It's a lot like a haiku. I didn't really follow any of the iambic rules, so feel free to ignore them here too. I put the required syllable number next to the line. My cinquain is in honor of some lovely guests that I entertained at Casa Linda.

Visit (2)
A name you know. (4)
Strangers become my friends. (6)
I show you my hometown, my place. (8)
Your turn. (2)

It's easy. Syllable lines are 2, 4, 6, 8, 2 .

I acknowledge that you probably need a theme to jump start the creativity. People complained that the last poem was difficult because I offered no topic. How about we make the theme: "change"? Summer is finishing its season with us, things will be changing soon and it suits the poem I have offered. The cinquain link offers some standards about parts of speech if that would help you, but do not feel obligated to follow those.

This entry is about clothes.

I love having a story ready. Especially about clothes because I have too many and it's a little embarrassing from a minimalist-philosophy-pursued-through- simplistic-living point of view. Today I was ready with lots of stories. "I really like that blouse. The color is very becoming." "Thank you. I found it in a thrift store in Oregon while shopping with with my sister. It's got some sort of original tag in it from a boutique in Hollywood, California." Usually I cut these stories short depending on the audience. The blouse, by the way, is white with a green leopard-type spots. In real life that conversation ended at the thrift store in Oregon, but here, I have no need to mercifully end my ramblings.

The story of the outfit continues including the patent leather shoes I was wearing today which were found in a thrift store in Arizona. I speculate that they were bridesmaid shoes for a wedding without a dance based on their style and amount of wear. My black skirt was purchased from my own local downtown, something few care about to the degree that they should (I'm not being judgmental, just saying that you should buy locally whenever possible, especially if you are going to own too much anyway).

The earrings I was wearing completed the storied outfit. "I love your earrings where did you find them?" "I bought them from an American Indian at the Continental Divide. He said he was out of gas and needed money to get to Amarillo, Texas. So I bought a painting from him as well. It's hanging in my bathroom. Of course, he drove away after walking up to me carrying a gas can, but I'm sure he was running low." Again, some details were omitted in real life, but that is one stinking cool pair of earrings.

PS My grease-stained skirt is actually coming along nicely. I'll fill you in once I'm certain I've won.

What will push me over the edge?

Sometimes I feel like I'm on the verge of having a great and life-altering realization.

The distaff side

Does anyone have any thoughts about getting a grease stain out of a khaki skirt? (Yes, farm grease) (You're right. I should have changed before I went to the farm) (No, I didn't have to ride on the 4 wheeler)( Yes, it's always a possibility that your clothes will be ruined if you wear them out to the field. I know).
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

for no reason

I took both of these pictures last week for no reason while on my way to visit my brother's new business. I'm posting them maybe for the same reason that I'm awake for no reason when I'm tired. I just feel like it. Tonight is perfect. I was out at the farm and when I stepped out to leave, the moonless sky was dark and glittery with millions of stars. The August summer air was nighttime perfection. That time of darkness, that perfect temperature, that pure joy of a night like this was just what I needed. I drove home windows down and listened to my new Avett Brothers cd which is making me happy...The beginning of the song Salina goes like this:

Salina, I'm as nowhere as nowhere can be

can't you add some somewhere to me

Ah Kansas, I'm kneeling, Ah Kansas please.

So many good moments happen for no reason. The goodness would be lost if I tried to assign one. So, I'll agree with myself to go to sleep tonight with a smile and a satisfied yawning "thank you". Hopefully, tomorrow night will bring more of the same.

By Kismet

It was a difficult week for getting excited about much of anything. My weekend outing was no exception. The most unfortunate thing about visiting a place is the unpredictable factor of the individual and her mood(the same can be said about reading, art, movies, and probably a million other things). I'm not certain if my gloomy week made me lethargic this weekend or if it was the humidity. Neither are normal. It may have been a bit of both. I made a short trip this weekend to Meade State Park which is a little fishing lake with a small swimming beach. I enjoyed the drive, and the landscape as you approach the lake is very pretty. However, I'm not sure that I had as much fun as I should have.

I worked on reading Death Comes for the Archbishop. Betsy appropriately loaned it to me before I began my road trip to the Southwest, and as is my custom with reading, I am still working on it. I decided that maybe Willa Cather demands a faster reader than me. She frustrates me because I know that the writing and descriptions are beautiful, but I never feel like I've read enough of a book to feel like I'm into it and that I want to finish. I am determined this time, in spite of my My Antonia failures.

I swam a little bit. I had brought a floaty ("air mattress" if you like grown up words), but the wind was blowing pretty steady at 20-30 mph so I decided not to bother. There wasn't a single boat on the water, though the park rangers made sure to yell at people who veered outside of the designated swimming area. One observation made by a young girl as she a passed a pair of goggles to her friend summed up this lake "look under water, it's pure green". Not that "pure green" bothers me at all, I am a water-deprived Kansan.

There was a strange, short trail at the park which I ventured. I wasn't really sure what I should be observing on this walk. There were many cottonwoods, and plants unknown to me, but I wouldn't describe any of it as interesting. Many of the trees were charred by small fires, but none of the area looked like it had experienced any extensive damage. A bird guide might have been helpful because I saw some strange looking ones which I thought might have been delightful had I been educated enough to understand why. Just when I was telling myself "this trail is only .5 miles long, I don't care how humid it is, you are making it to the other end", I saw the back ends of two white tailed deer. Of course, this made the humidity more bearable and the strangeness of the trail enchanting. I came to the end of the trail, looked around and went back to my car the same way that I had come.

One of my friends from work had told me about getting water from the artesian well at the park, but I was unable to find this source or where it was I should refill my water bottle. It could be that I was tired, but after a bit of driving around, I returned home, the same way I came: by Kismet.

Meade State Park Pictures

Pure Green

Surprisingly empty for a summer Saturday.

This is the beginning of the trail. This is pretty much what it was like most of the way.

have you...

prayed for peace today?

road food, part 2 by jen

Linda's happy about breakfast!

We had supper in Winslow, AZ at the old Harvey House that Linda mentioned earlier. First we had soup - a creamy sweet corn soup on one side and black bean soup on the other. Next, stuffed squash blossoms filled with cheese and corn. We split the main course, a lamb variety plate. (They were proud of their locally raised lamb, so we thought we ought to try it)

foods of havasu

This may be the best pizza I've ever eaten - pesto with sauteed peppers and onions, whole cloves of roasted garlic, and feta cheese crumbles . . . yum. Linda's pizza was also good.





These next guys are tapas that we were inspired to eat after watching travel channel episode on visiting Madrid. In the first, Linda shows her "I'm eating raw meat" face while posing with seared ahi. Next is my fish kebabs. Then, we're still hungry and order calamari. The last pic is our little calamari friend.

road food by jen

fancy schmancy meal - our friend at the hostel said the restaurant wasn't too expensive.
(he lied)
Linda enjoyed a lightly breaded, pan seared trout, stuffed with a mushroom and shrimp medley, topped with caviar and served on a bed of Israeli couscous. I had the beef special, with goat cheese, garlic mashed potatoes.


supper at the famous El Rancho hotel, where John Wayne and Lucille Ball once stayed.





Linda loves coffee!









passenger car floor after 2 days

Some last bits

These are the last of the vacation photos that I'm going to post. I'll make a game out of these last ones. Answer the questions using the corresponding photos

1. In the first photo Jen is hearing a version of a song for the first time. What song is she hearing and who is the artist (yep, it's a remake)?

2. What is Jennifer's old west name?

3. What is upsetting Linda?

4. In the final photo why is Linda using the heifer's toilet?

I hope that you have enjoyed my vacation. (We may have one more post on the food, but I'm not sure about that yet).

The Painted Desert/Petrified Forest

And petroglyphs!