Traveling Fun and Travel Gnomes

First, we took a couple of really long flights.  We did get to see Phoenix from the air at night and it was pretty.

Then, after what seemed like too short a night's sleep, we got up and had the loveliest tea and brunch at a local tea house.  They had gorgeous tea cups and tea pots and every conceivable tea accessory.  I bought the coolest infuser for pots and cups.  Mom bought me a lovely new tea cup and she had one that she had already bought for Miss M with Magnolia blooms on it.  The food was undescribably delicious and I really enjoyed the tea.  We bought some of the Orange Cranberry that Miss M had with her meal.

Then we visited an old wagon on the Oregon Trail.  Inside that building behind the wagon are several posters describing the trail and the trials and tribulations of early settlers of this area.

The gnomes really liked the wagon - they visited two but the other one had large oxen that were somewhat intimidating.

Then we visited Ontario . . . Ontario, Oregon that is!  We spent a lovely couple of hours in the Oregon Trail Museum learning about the history of this region and the peoples that settled it.  It's a lovely place and rich with history.  We met the loveliest lady at the museum who actually was sent to one of the Japanese American Internment Camps right after she graduated from High School.  How sad and terrible that we have that as a part of our history.

We gained an hour in an instant when we passed by this sign.  The Gnomes loved it and so did we!  The mountains in this area all still have snow on them and it's very different and very beautiful country.

Then we lost that hour we gained when we passed by this sign and the Gnomes loved that just as much as gaining an hour.  So did we.  We can now say that we've been in every time zone in the continental US in two days.

And then we headed home to see the Alpaca.  This is Encanto and Sonquo and you can just see the edge of Polo.  Cielito is shy and didn't want his picture taken.  After we gave them their treats, two of my nephews came over and we played games.  I had never played Zombie Fluxx before, but I can promise I will play it again.  I think I'm going to get it for my house.