Our agenda, today, was to stay local. We began with a stroll around the Temecula Duck Pond, one of the town's most visited parks since its dedication in 1995.

The park features a traditional Japanese garden which expresses the solidarity between Temecula and its Japanese Sister City, Daisen-Nakayama.
We discovered unique birds and a turtle or two, too.

Our history lesson began at Temecula's first park and its famous They Passed This Way monument, designed by Sam Hicks (for whom the park is named). Inscribed are the names of 56 pioneers, carved by hand into the granite. Temecula had been a crossroads for the settling of the West for quite some time. 
While we were standing around 'talking history' Steve, from the Temecula Museum, heard us and asked if we wanted to see the inside of St. Catherine's Church. Built in 1917, it was the town's very first church building.
I hadn't been inside it since the first wedding occurred here after its restoration to become The Chapel of Memories. I was on the Historical Society team which actually gave away that very first wedding. It was a wonderful project to be apart of.

We briefly visited the Museum to see the current exhibit- A Photo Album of Ireland.
This is a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary histories viewed from the perspective of private individuals and families from Ireland. These images reveal details about how people lived, worked and gathered in Ireland from 1850 through the 1990s.
This wedding photo of the Baker/Deely Family had us intrigued because of the removal of one man's face. Steve deduced that it was cut out for a locket. Jenny and I were thinking more nefarious thoughts.
And how about this photo of Mary Shackleton (1789-1896). Mary is a member of the renowned Irish Quaker family that includes Antarctic Explorer Ernest. Cool stuff.
After various shopping stops we paused for Bob and Jenny to visit with our Temecula family at their lovely home.
The final stop was at Pechanga Casino's golf course restaurant, Journey's End.
Happy hour and lovely views... oh the perfect conclusion to a perfect outing.
We ended the day with all of us in our pajamas, snacking on popcorn while watching a movie rental. It is the simplest of pleasures that make the heart happiest!