This week was a mixed bag

It’s kind of exciting to have visitors, and this week my sister, Pam, and my grandniece, Amy, flew in from Chicago to spend a few days with me.  They had delays and missed connections and didn’t arrive until the wee hours of Sunday morning.  Since I don’t drive at night, they holed up in a motel in San Diego until I could get there once the sun was up.  Of course it rained for my whole drive to the motel.

On the way back to Jojoba, we took a side jaunt to the Palomar Mountain Observatory.  The drive up Mt. Palomar was socked in with fog, but skies were beginning to clear at the top.

The 200” telescope is used nightly by astronomers.  If you visit, you get to go inside the building, but there’s no looking through the telescope.  I found it interesting that the huge lens was made by Corning in New York.  I used to live not too far from Corning, and had visited their glass works many times in the past.

That’s the road up the mountain.  Lots of switchbacks.  It’s a good thing we went on Sunday because by Tuesday morning the road would have been snow covered.

On Monday we spent most of the day inside the rig since it rained almost all day.  I did show them around the park, and we went for the Monday afternoon root beer float gathering.

Tuesday the sun was out so we headed for Borrego Springs early in the morning.  Kind of surprising to see snow on the mountains along the way.

I took the scenic Montezuma Valley Road down to Borrego Springs.  Pam really enjoyed the scenery and couldn’t get over all the big boulders strewn about.

Of course there was the mandatory picture with the serpent to take care of.   You know, the last time I saw Amy she wasn’t even in school yet, and now she’s 14 and a freshman in high school.  Her mother, Christine, used to come and spend the summers with my family in upstate New York when she was about that age.  Time sure flies.

I do believe we found all of the sculptures that were scattered around the countryside.  Some, like this one, I had never seen before.  The brittlebush was blooming everywhere along with these desert wildflowers.  I have no idea what they are.  We stopped for lunch at Carmelita’s in Borrego Springs before heading back to the rig.

About 3:30 we went down to the air gun range so Amy could have her first experience shooting an air rifle.  She did very well.  We were all having a good time, when I suddenly knew I was going to be sick.  Thank goodness there was a large garbage can at the range.

Needless to say I was toast for the rest of the day.  Spent most of my time in the bathroom.  We’re thinking it was possibly food poisoning from the shrimp taco that I had for lunch.  I was worried about being able to take Pam and Amy back to the airport the next morning.  Thankfully, Fredericka, a fellow member here, volunteered to drive them at the crack of dawn.  I never would have made it.

So I’ve spent the last couple of days recuperating from that miserableness.  I sure am glad they visited, but I just wish I hadn’t gotten sick.

                                                                              THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy