Home again, home again!

Last night at almost exactly 9 :50pm, our pilot brought two tired travelers down for a smooth landing in the Bellingham Airport.

For the last four days my mom and I have been in Palm springs CA. visiting my grandparents. And we had so much fun! My grandparents had several adventures planned for us, so there was never a dull moment! ( I took all of these pictures, so these are the real thing:) I couldn't stop taking pictures of the beautiful mountains that surrounded us.

On day one, it was slightly overcast, but still warm, and we went to a large outdoor market, where they sold everything from jewelry, hats, pottery, and belts to socks and earmuffs. (who would have thought people would be thinking about buying earmuffs in California!)

On day two, it actually rained! But that didn't stop us! We went to a famous date farm called Shields. In their shop they sell everything made from dates! Jams, cookies, cakes, candied dates, ice cream, and dates of many, many different flavors! My mom and grandparents were in heaven because they all looove dates, but I really, really don't like dates! But I still had fun looking with them! And after they were through sampling all their different dates, they bought a couple of packages, and we all had some of their delicious ice cream which Shields makes themselves. I had chocolate, and everyone else had their famous date ice cream.

Then we returned home and I did some swimming. The pools at the resort where they stay, are filled heated by the water in the natural hot springs that the area is known for, and I tell you, those pools are really warm! I went swimming that night when there were less people, and the pools were steaming!!

On day three we went up the palm springs tram. (refer to previous post for more info) It was a warm sunny day, but up at the top of the mountain, it was 26 degrees, and they had 2 1/2 feet of snow!! It was beautiful at the top, and the ride was amazing! The views are exceptional, and even my grandpa who doesn't "do" heights, absolutely loved it. We really enjoyed that. Look at the pictures of the beautiful views from the top of the tram!! Those tall white objects are a few of hundreds of windmills that power the area.

After some lunch, we headed out to the Living Desert, which is a zoo of sorts, but this included botanical gardens native to the California desert, as well as animals. That was a really beautiful and well put together place, and we were glad we went.

My favorite was the butterfly/humming bird exhibit that they had. It is a small, enclosed, outdoor garden, where the humming birds and butterflies live in natural unison. Two of the birds were nesting in small trees, so close I could have touched their tiny nests! I also loved the frogs!)

Part of the zoo, was a life size re-creation of an African village they call Watutu. That was fun to walk through!

Cousins.....:)

On our last day, we took a nature walk along the San Andreas fault. It runs along an oasis in that part of California, and after a 3/4 of a mile walk in the desert, you suddenly come upon this beautiful, gigantic grouping of huge palm trees,

that surround a natural pond, and make up a small palm tree forest.

Along the way we spotted several of these adorable four-toed lizards.

And several of these rather un-nerving signs!

It definitely makes you observe the other signs that say "Stick to the trail!!"

But thank goodness we saw neither sight nor sound sound of these reptiles!

Grandma and Grandpa in front of a stunning view of the mountains.

But now that our trip is over, and the Lord has my mom and I both safely back at home, I have to admit, that I'm glad to be back! It is difficult when you don't have your siblings to talk to, and exclaim over this sight or that, or to ask dad about this or that bird or tree. I know I definitely prefer traveling with my whole family. But I still had a blast, and this trip will serve as a road marker, as I travel through my life.