San Diego Zoo Safari Park & Wine tasting...

May 31

Our friends, David and Karen, have annual passes to the Park, formally known as The Wild Animal Park, and took us for an afternoon of exploration.

Some of my favorite animals are the African Elephants, especially the babies.  We went to a very informative Trainer Talk, that impressed and educated.
The Frequent Flyers Show had us "watching with delight as birds of various species show off their flying talents—with many soaring right over the audience!"
I have a new camera and delighted in using its telephoto lens to capture some amazing images we discovered there.
Travel through a bit of Africa on the Park's Africa Tram Safari, an exciting expedition that gives you a chance to connect with our African wildlife on a closer level. The safari's brightly colored tour vehicles take you on a relaxing tour around some of the Park's large field exhibits, where you can enjoy our extraordinary animal collection.


Africa has a dizzying mix of habitats, animals, and cultures, and the Africa Tram Safari tour gives you a glimpse of this amazing diversity. Your knowledgeable guide fills you in on the animals at the Park, and points out particular individuals and interesting behaviors you may be observing. All your favorites are here: herds of curious giraffes, massive rhinos, graceful gazelles, and impressively horned antelope.

After our explore, we met Karen and David's friends at North County Wine Company for Italian Wines Night.  How can we not love this description?
We love all days, even Mondays. Really. Every day is a gift, a blessing, and an opportunity to improve ourselves as human beings. Let’s face it, though. Friday rocks!

And what better way to celebrate the end of the work week and the coming weekend than a kick-ass tasting at the best wine shop in North County!

We put together a killer lineup of wines, some tasty treats to help soak it all up, a winemaker or sales rep to question, quiz, heckle, or flirt with, and a festive friendly atmosphere that will leave you smiling all the way to Monday and beyond!
Connie, Walt, Mark, Marget, David, Karen, Steve and I spent hours enjoying great wines, tasty treats and interesting company.
 Buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici
Italian to English Translation:
Good Food, Good Wine, Good Friends

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Sizzling SoCal...

May 30

Okay, so the weather in Southern California takes a bit of time to get use to again.  One of the reasons we chose to relocate to Tahoe is the cooler summers (the temperatures are currently 25° less).
Thu
Partly Cloudy
93°
59°
Fri
Partly Cloudy
95°
64°
Sat
Clear
100°
66°
Sun
Clear
95°
63°
Mon
Partly Cloudy
90°
59°
Tue
Partly Cloudy
90°
57°
Wed
Partly Cloudy
90°
57°
Thu
Partly Cloudy
90°
57°

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U.S. Route 395 South...

May 29

We left early this morning for the 466 mile trek to see the folks with a couple of stops planned along the way.  We love to be tourists.

Historic Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery The facility was built and operated by the California State Fish & Game Commission. Starting in 1915, the citizens of Independence began a local fundraising drive to purchase a site for a proposed state fish hatchery... "to design a building that would match the mountains, would last forever, and would be a showplace for all time." The architectural style they chose was Tudor Revival. When construction was completed in 1917, it was the largest and best equipped hatchery in California and could produce 2,000,000 fish fry per year.
The scenic beauty of this special location was worth the detour.

I have a talent of seeing "famous people".  I passed Gregory Jbara as we were strolling the grounds of the hatchery.  Mr. Jbara is a talented actor who is Garratt Moore on Blue Bloods.
His character is the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, working for Tom Selleck's character, the NYPD Commissioner.  What fun seeing him from a show we enjoy.
I have loved this building ever since we began traversing this route many years ago.  If anyone knows its history, please share it with me.
Signs along the highway call to us.  We have been meaning to stop here and finally did.  Wow.  Fossil Falls The rugged and primitive features of Fossil Falls are the produce of volcanic activity. As recent as 20,000 years ago, lava from the local volcanic eruptions poured into the Owens River channel. The erosional forces of the Owens River acted upon this volcanic rock, forming the polished and sculptured features that now can be seen at Fossil Falls.
These photos can not capture the magnitude of these lava rocks, worn smooth by nature.  They are truly spectacular.
Fossil Falls originally started downstream from where it sits today; it moved upstream as waterfalls typically do. Water falling over the edge of the waterfall undercut the falls and caused them to move upstream and grow taller. This process is called plunge-pool erosion.

After 12 hours on the road, the folks' new home, on the 14th hole of the golf course, was an oasis.  I eagerly await our lazy morning of coffee, family and almost 100° temperatures.

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Airports and Memories...

May 29

Last night, at the historic Camp Richardson Lodge, we were mesmerized by David Borges' presentation showing the six different South Shore airfields that were either proposed or built.  He also discussed the many airlines that flew into and out of the Lake Tahoe Airport.  The conclusion was stories and photos of flying mishaps that occurred at the South Tahoe Airport.

What I love about these programs is the audience.  The room was filled with 'old timers' who knew the history with many of them having actually lived it.  Their input brought the information to life!  If I couldn't have been here in Tahoe at that time, the next best thing is to hear from those who were.

Most of the audience did not want the history lesson to end. Kudos to the Lake Tahoe Historical Society for providing such a great service to this community by sharing our town's fascinating past in such exceptional ways.

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