Hemet, California

We have spent the last week at Annette's in Southern California. The other day we drove Joshua Tree National Park from one end to the other. The diversity of the park was something I did not expect, from ocotillo to calla to the Joshua trees themselves. The topography with its varied rocks was beautiful.

Ocotillo - not in bloom yet though. 

Calla. Don't touch. 

A grove of Joshua Trees. 

This rock formation was called The Face. 

We drove up to Keys View, one of the highest points in the park.  The view was gorgeous, as the usual haze was gone. We saw San Jacinto to the south and San Gorgonio to the east, plus the Coachella Valley below. It was such a beautiful day to visit the park. 

Annette took us on a winery tour on Sunday, and even took me to quilt shops - my addiction.

Yesterday we drove up to Simpson Park here in Hemet. The Diamond Valley spread out below us, along with a closer view of San Jacinto. Tomorrow we head north. 

San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio last evening with the sunset. Our first stop this morning was at the Alamo. My only memory of Alamo history comes from my childhood and consists of knowing that Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie died there. This visit taught me what I was missing. I was also pleased to see that the city takes good care of the site. 

As I like to visit quilt shops, it isn't surprising that before we stopped at the Alamo we visited a quilt shop that I heard carried Day of the Dead and Texas based fabrics. Las Colchas turned out to be a real delight! 

We spent a few hours on the Riverwalk after our Alamo visit. It certainly does wind through the city! The day also turned out to be the warmest day we have had so far, 86 degrees. But there was a nice breeze on the river. 

We stopped for lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant called Rita's on the River. I couldn't resist! I told the hostess that my name was also Rita and they gave me a free t-shirt with the restaurant's name. The food was only okay, but the margarita was terrific! 

There were birds begging at every table, including three tiny ducklings without their mother. I hope she found them quickly. 

Baton Rouge

We spent the last two nights in Baton Rouge (Red Stick), Louisiana. Since it was Sunday and many places were closed, we drove the River Road and visited Houmas House Plantation. 

This plantation was once one of the largest in Louisiana, over 300,000 acres. The property is circled in the map above. 

All that is left today is 38 acres and a restored house. Houmas House is popular today as a wedding destination and also has three superior restaurants. We ate at the Burnside Pavilion Cafe, named for the owner who amassed the huge property. 

The current owner is an art collector, with an extensive collection - not always pertinent to the period of the house, but interesting anyway. His Chihuly is hidden in the gazebo at the top of the garden. 

We also stopped at the state capitol, the tallest in the country at 34 floors, built in the 1930's by Governor Huey Long. As it wasn't open, we walked the park. 

Huey Long is buried in the park, and was assassinated in the building. I don't know much about him. The description of him says he was a populist, a demagogue and a flamboyant national figure.