Dreams, Moments, Travels
A new twist on the old familiar bus stop. If you are visiting Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, or one of the other half dozen cities that define the Phoenix Metropolitan area, you will typically be hard-pressed to see anyone besides the homeless at these bus stops. More than likely this is due to the formidable heat we deal with on a regular basis, still it is a shame to see empty buses and lonely bus stops that rarely warrant recognition.
If you should be so lucky enough to live in a big American city where Cabela’s has opened a store and brought nature to the city, you have seen the future of retail sales. No chintzy spending going on in this chain; management has bellied up and created displays that will have visitors’ jaws hanging near the floor. Fake mountains, waterfalls, and trees are the perfect setting for stuffed antelope by the dozen, elk in herds, bounding mountain lions, leaping mountain goats, a fluffy, friendly grizzly bear, wolves on the hunt, and even a polar bear all on display in natural settings right there amongst the canoes, tents, and the world’s largest collection of camouflage hunting clothes ever assembled. Then there is the stream/aquarium display with trout, catfish, and even endangered fish, so we have an opportunity to see as much wildlife as humanly possible before they become extinct. So go visit Cabela’s as soon as you can, buy a gun, and go kill yourself – a wild animal.
This was Jutta’s first-ever American Christmas, and she, too, had a present under the tree.
With gifts exchanged and breakfast finished, it was time to say bye to everyone who came together to share a Christmas with Tata and Woody who hadn’t had a proper Christmas get-together in years.
We are now on our way home back to Phoenix, Arizona. But what would Christmas Day be without a quick walk in the surf? Jutta and Caroline doff their shoes and socks, flittering about in the shallow, cold waters of the Pacific.
Like her daughter, Jutta was not about to lament things even if she thought the water was cold, I think she was surprised and delighted to be able to walk on the beach with Caroline in what is winter back home in Frankfurt, Germany.
This is the original photo accompanying this post, but it was inexplicably lost to the digital gods protecting bits and bytes. As the only version now remaining, I’ve included it as one can never have too many memories lying around that reflect happy days spent with people we love.
We left early this morning for the drive into the mountains to an old stagecoach road. The photo includes my cousin Nancy, her husband Sam, her mom Jean, and kids Teresa and Daniel. Of course, my Aunt Ann and Uncle Woody are with us too, but as is often their routine, they passed on being in the photo and encouraged all of us to get a photo for them.
Our drive took us here to Cold Springs Tavern, where the proprietors have been feeding travelers for 141 years.
A wood fire, great food, and an abundance of atmosphere made for a terrific start to Christmas Eve.
On the drive back down San Marcos Pass (Highway 154), the Channel Islands in the distance were as clear as we have ever seen them.
We are spending Christmas in Santa Barbara with my great Uncle Woody Burns and great Aunt Ann. It is a perfect day, although it started a little on the cold side. After the usual shopping around at Costco, we enjoyed our hot dog lunch with Ted’s Hot Dogs (via Buffalo, NY).
In the afternoon, my cousin Nancy, her husband Sam, and their two kids, Daniel and Teresa, along with my aunt Jean, joined us at the Burns residence. Later on, Nancy and I went on a last-minute hunt for a Christmas tree – no easy feat in Santa Barbara, I can assure you. With 77 degrees (25c) of crisp blue skies overhead, towering mountains behind us, and the ocean before us, Santa Barbara is the perfect place to celebrate Christmas and watch for birds.
This could well be our 100th drive west to California. We have made the 350 miles (560km) drive so often we are no longer certain just how many trips have been made. This particular journey will take us to Santa Barbara, California, to spend Christmas with family. We left Phoenix in the rain and heard later that fog closed Sky Harbor Airport. California, on the other hand, was all blue skies and warm days. This photo was taken about 80 miles from the California border, traveling west on Interstate 10 from Phoenix, Arizona.
When time allows, I’ll never skip the opportunity to stop in at The Northwoods Inn, and so it was as we lost an hour on our up to Santa Barbara.