Horse Farm Hundred

Horse Farm Hundred

Gainesville, FL

October 25, 2015

To keep things fresh, we drove up to Gainesville on Saturday morning for a Sunday bike ride. Saturday, pre-sunset, we arrived to the college town and went to the Newberry Corn Maze. We ran through a maze of corn, jumped on hay barrels, and rolled in a pile of corn. Weee!! After seeing pictures of Pedro, I think he’s meant to be a country boy. Saturday night we ate the most delicious food at Jamaican restaurant—Reggae Shack.

Making a 'corn angel'

Sunday, we woke before the sun and biked to the start line. The bike ride was 102 miles through the country side of Gainesville/Ocala, Florida—past a lake, many horse farms, over hills, etc. This annual bike ride is one of my favorite views and activities. Every 30 miles, we took a pit stop for sandwiches, fruit, and candy bars. Yummy! 

Girls, Giggles, & Grapes

October 17-18. 2015
Atlantic City, NJ

Girls Weekend!! 

I learned a new term this weekend, “phantom trip”. My mom and I organized a secret trip for my sister and aunt in order to celebrate their recent birthdays and give a break from their busy lives and long work hours. The clues: pack warm clothes, you’re getting on a plane, it’ll be just us ladies.

Four gals got off the plane and were greeted by refreshing air, a soft sun, and colorful leaves. We piled in the rental car and drove in the direction of the Italian Wine Festival. 

We took a quick pit-stop at a flower/produce store to admire the flood of colorful flowers and odd-shaped pumpkins. The drive through the back roads was beautifully lined with slightly autumn leaves and woods. Once we arrived to the festival, everybody layered on clothes, scarves, hats, boots, etc…. and started the wine sampling. Once the giggles started, we sampled all of the foods offered and even ventured to sampling the grapes off the vine (A+ for flavor and freshness!).

We got back in the car heading toward Atlantic City (don’t worry—Mom was a sober designated driver only drunk off of laughs) and found a farm stand on the side of the road selling Apple Cider Donuts! This moment was probably the highlight of our trip—donuts at the “Funny Farm”.

Saturday evening, we were planning on a night of parties…. But fatigue set in after some pub food and a tour of downtown.

Sunday morning had a fresh start with the beautiful air and crispy car ride along the coastal villages to south New Jersey. Mom conquered driving over a large bridge, Laurie set her spirit free on the beach, and Lindsey lit up just breathing in the cold, beachy air. 

A few hours later, we made it to Cape May. Little children in costume hinted us to the awesome downtown strip of shops that were invaded by cute children (and adults) dressed as their favorite characters. We saw a fuzzy cookie monster just learning how to walk, baby Frankenstein, and a laundry machine girl. The stores were giving out candies and the fudge shops gave out samples of their best treats. 

For Floridians searching for fall festivities, this place was a pot of gold! To finish out Cape May, we visited a local winery and sat by the fire. 

Sunday night, we walked the famous boardwalk and met up with an old family friend inside the Trump hotel. 

Spartan Ultra Beast

Tahoe trip
October 2-5,2015

If this trip were a movie, I imagine it would start with various extreme contrasting flashbacks. Probably starting with the long, calm, quiet uncomfortable ride in and airplane seat or with the loud, blinding wind on the cold mountain top...

The trip to Tahoe was planned and settled back in January 2015. Pedro, in his obsession of Spartan obstacle course races, decided that he was going to take a stab at one of the most difficult Spartan races. I planned on attended but didn't purchase my entry into the race until June or July. (I'm not one to enjoy watching from the side lines and I've read too many motivational books about taking giant leaps outside your comfort zone.) In those 9-10 months, we tried preparing and training for the race through other races, gym classes, and beach runs (though I'm not sure if I've ever felt completely prepared for a race).

The race was on Sunday, so we flew into San Francisco the Thursday before race day to give time for acclimation. Friday, we drove around San Francisco with Pedro's family-- saw some main highlights and even got to stop by Tartine Bakery for a sample of the original classic sourdough bread! Additionally, we ate lunch at a mole restaurant. Can you believe it? An entire restaurant for MOLE?!!? (Here's a reference to my obsession with Mexican mole sauce.) 

 

After 6 hours of grueling traffic, we arrived in Tahoe Friday night for our stay in a yurt. I found this awesome place off AirBNB and have to say that it was a wonderful (glamping) experience.  Saturday was an antsy day.

 Sunday was race day. At 5:30am, we showed up to the starting line with layers of cold/wind/sweat-resistant clothes on, a head lamp, camel-pak of water, packets of energy bars and gels, and the wishful thinking that we were going to be part of the 50% in that crowd to actually finish the race.

About a half mile in, I decided that this was a bad idea. About 3 miles in, I found out that the race was not 26 miles... But 30 miles! From mile 6 to 8, we climbed straight uphill (the first 5 miles were uphill but nothing compared to the next 3). 

Once we reached the top of the mountain, my fingers and hands were swollen to twice their size, my left ear drum felt frozen, we were literally in the clouds, and the wind was preventing me from standing up straight. The downhill wasn't fun, but i figured it may make the situation better. Around mile 8, I tried convincing Pedro to continue without me-- rolling on the ground under barbed-wires for about 125 meters killed my spirits even more. He said he wasn't going to leave me and tried giving encouragements. 

We finished on lap (16 miles) and took a break to re-fill our packs with fuel. We continued on for the second lap (figuring that we wouldn't make the goal of under 12 hours but probably able to finish in the cut-off time of under 15 hours).  Neither of us truly believed in completing the 29 mile double-lap course, but we were stubborn. The second lap mostly consisted of walking. Knee pain started around mile 17.   
It got dark with about 5 miles from the finish line. We somehow finished the course with a time of 13hrs 56min. My entire body hurt worse than ever before. Every joint and muscle felt the need to punish me. A big race is a funny experience. There's very little celebration when you finish and you're even too tired yourself to celebrate. I think my favorite part of the day was snacking and enjoying the rush of energy after consuming calories. My racing partner was an extra bonus too.

Beach House in Peru

September 4-7

Around the world (part two)

The greatest things about the week were spending unlimited time with Mom (I’m trying to learn how to talk as much as she does) and being able to go wherever the wind takes me. This leads to “Part Two”. After getting back to Florida, I met Pedro and his brother at the airport for a trip down to Peru. His parents met us at the Lima airport and we drove to a cool fast-food restaurant on the side of the road. I had a fruit smoothie (guanabana, chirimoya, and mamey) and a veggie taco (very different than an American veggie taco). Around 2am, we arrive to the beach house about 1 hour south of Lima. The next 2 days, we…

·         visited the market

·         sample some exotic fruits(which may or may not have caused two-weeks of stomach                     pains)

·         rode bikes around town

·         ate awesome foods

·         drank Cerveza Cusqueña (his family wanted to sample every variety of beer that                      weekend)

·        Took multiple naps

·        Ate more awesome food

·        Tried to speak Spanish

San Bartolo, Peru

Barranco has pretty cool art!

On Monday, Pedro’s parents took us to Barranco—a bohemian town south of Miraflores. We drove along the coastline and later toured another neighborhood which hosts the Peruvian Pentagon. I’m not really sure why they call it the “Pentagonito” because the building sure didn’t resemble the American building nor did it resemble the shape the building is named after.

All in all, I’d say this was a successful trip. I’m not quite sure if I came home well-rested, but I did enjoy the freedom to go and do whatever I pleased. J 

One Week with Mom

August 28- September 7, 2015

Around the world (part one)

With one week off of work, I ended up traveling 11,315 miles,  visiting 3 countries (yes, USA is included), visiting my brother, eating some amazing foods, and spending time with lovely people. While the trip extremely deviated from its original plan, Mom and I decided to make our own “Amazing Race” experience. Good thing she has the spirit of creativity! 

One week with Mom…

Back in March, I won a raffle at work that gave me 2 free roundtrip tickets on Harbour Air—an airline that flies seaplanes in western Canada (Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria, etc). I decided that Mom would be my lucky partner. We had the tentative plans set out—the dates, destinations, activities…--with the intentions of going where the wind takes us.

Friday evening, we met at the airport and boarded the plane to Seattle. Saturday morning, we finally decided the necessary layers of clothing for a day in the odd Seattle weather and boarded the metro-train for downtown--- PIKE’S PLACE MARKET! This has been a dream of mine ever since my brother told me about the dreamy spot with a variety of food and life. There is no better market buddy in the world than Mom. Walking up to the market, Mom and I were distracted by every cool, shiny thing that describes the awesome hippie food scene—vegan pastry shop, pickle shop, ginger beer, mmmm… When we got back on track, we were next mesmerized by the huge, vibrant, yellow sunflowers just flamboyantly waiting for attention, the table full of lavender that just transported me back to the countryside of south France, and the rows of bright, plump berries just waiting to be devoured. We had landed in heaven. Luckily, the market wasn’t too crowded, so it wasn’t a problem that we slowly walked through the market in a daze of happiness. This morning, we ate: Indian food, crumpets with honey, homemade pickles, raspberries… and then took the train to another part of town to sample some local (Portland) kombuchas in a trendy Whole Foods. Scrumptious! 

Next was Chinatown. We explored the large Asian supermarket in town and then ate dinner in a Korean tofu restaurant. Mom picked out a dish that she has had before- “bibimbop stone bowl”. It came out steamy and was delicious (but burnt my tongue)! The meal was accompanied with four small plates of kimchi, pickles, and other cool new bites. As we rode the train back to the hotel, we passed a huge industrial looking brewery building and a car mechanical shop that repairs hippie vans. For a gloomy city, there still seems to be some awesome life here!

The next morning, we rode the train to Chinatown for a breakfast of tea and a Chinese bun with a clump of raisins inside (kind of a sad surprise when we were expecting magic little raisin men to jump out of the bun as we ate it). We went back to the large Asian supermarket to buy two bottles of kombucha to sample on the bus ride up to Vancouver (soooo much kombucha in this place. It was so exciting). We caught the bus at the Amtrak station before noon and picked the front seat with a great view. 

When riding out of the city, we passed villages of tents. This is something I’ve vaguely heard of, but never really expected. Throughout the trip, as we tried to find last minute hotels/hostels, all of the places had to make sure that we were from out of town. They mentioned that there is a large problem with locals (or nomads) trying to stay in hostels around town. 

Mom's first hostel

About 4 hours later, Mom and I arrived at the Vancouver Amtrak station with our backpacks, some Canadian dollars, and no clue of what we were going to do or where we were going to sleep. After finding a map and the general direction that we should head, we stopped in a nearby hostel to see if we could book a room for the night. To our misfortune, the man said there were no room and the city was pretty booked for the remainder of the week so it would be hard to find a place to sleep. Somehow, Mom was very patient and, within a couple of hours, we found a hostel with 2 beds left near the center of town. This was going to be Mom’s first (and maybe last) time sleeping in a hostel. I’d say she was a pretty good sport!! 

After dropping our bags, we explored on foot and search for the Olympic Village. Many miles (and map-checks) later, we visited the apartments area of the Olympic Village. We never found the Olympic rings. L The evening dinner was the highlight of the trip. We entered a Japanese restaurant hungry and hoping to try some of Vancouver’s famous food. We ate some fancy sushi bites and a delicious teriyaki salmon! MMMM.

Vancouver, BC

Granville Market

Monday morning, we woke up to some pretty heavy rain. I called the airline to discover that they cancelled the day’s flights due to poor weather. We decided that flying on a seaplane out of Vancouver was a highly improbable event, so we tried to do some planning. When planning failed, we explored the Granville Market across the bridge. We walked in the rain (in panchos) to find the market. At the market, we planned some more. We came to a decision to visit Scott in Wisconsin! (I’ll fast-forward many hours due to some unglamorous travel details….) and then we ended up at a fancy seafood restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel. Wet and tired, we took a seat at the fancy table, ordered some fancy drinks, and ate some fancy meals while watching fancy people. With all of the mild misfortunes of the weekend, we soaked up the comfort of the moment and lingered at the restaurant longer than any waiter would prefer. 

Many unglamorous hours later, we were in Scott’s car driving past green parks in a homey town. That evening, Scott took us to a Pakistani restaurant for some new food and a view of spirited college kids enjoying the simplicity of the sidewalks in a college town. 

The next two days were comforting with a homey apartment, our own kitchen, and fresh laundry. Mom and I hung out all day and sipped kombucha in the evening on Scott’s apartment roof. What a vacation!! J Thursday evening, we watch Scott and his Frisbee team cream their opponents. Friday morning, Mom and I packed up for the next adventure—getting back to Florida. 

California 03

Los Angeles, California 

August 21, 2015 

Friday afternoon, LA was on the radar. Around noon, I got an email about the plane delay until 2am. After a movie and dinner, we finally decided at midnight to try going to LA. My argument: we are still young and have very few responsibilities in life. Pedro decided to be nice and we drove to the airport for the next adventure.  At 5am on Saturday, we arrive to the car rental place (after climbing mountains, crawling under tunnels, and jumping over bushes). To my excitement, we got a VW beetle convertible! What better way to experience the west coast than a convertible?!? (Expect, I guess there is pretty low gas mileage and a lot of blind spots). 

We headed straight for the beach, drove along the coast, and enjoyed watching everybody wake up. Tons of cyclists gathered for their morning rides along the coast, surfers tried to catch some waves, and volley ball games started up on the beach.

After hopping back in the car, I found a restaurant nearby for breakfast. The menu there was incredible-- breakfast burritos, vegan pancakes, smoothies....! With a happy belly to wake me up from the smoggy morning daze, we continued driving north (top down) along the pacific coast highway until stumbling upon an inviting beach for an afternoon nap in the sand--resulting in a refreshed body with healthy tan lines. 

The remainder of the day can be summed up with driving, breezy hair, and trail mix. The next morning, we parked at Zuma Beach by Malibu for an early morning dip. The cold water was actually refreshing for my inflamed joints. This trip was everything I needed to start an energized week! 

 

Colorado Ragnar

Colorado Ragnar 

August 7-8, 2015 

In early July, I received a short email asking if I was interested in participating in a Ragnar in Colorado with some half-strangers. That email lifted my spirits for the remainder of the work day and added an exciting activity on the horizon.  I am lucky enough to know Jeff, who knows Richard, who works at a mountain lodge 90 minutes west of downtown Denver. Richard's co-workers needed some extra members on their relay team to participate in the race from Copper Mountain to Snowmass, Colorado.  WEEEE! Pedro and I did a little extra running in preparation just to make sure that our feet and lungs were functional. 

We a caught the Thursday night flight to Denver, met up at Jeff's place and drove to the mountains.  Around midnight, we pulled off the road into a national forest, pitched a little tent, fought for some warmth with the sleeping bag, and tried to get as much rest as possible until the 5am wake-up call. (The morning couldn't come soon enough when we were fighting for warmth between the cold ground and 38-degree air.... as Floridians.) 

Around noon, the entire 12-person team met up at the first major baton exchange (from van 1 to van 2). Van 2 loaded into the van and headed down the road (and up the mountain) to look for our van's first runner. The baton was passed from person to person and when we waited for our next turn, we hung out in the van. Van 2 was lucky to have a guy on the team provide his pride and joy, Gus, to be the machine that drives us, sleeps us, and lets us bond. 

Once night fell, the boogie man came out to haunt the runners. If you can't picture it, imagine running in a haunted movie with blinders blocking your peripheral vision and then add in the adrenaline rush of the unknown of wild animals in the area. One guy got hit in the face by a bat when he had to run through a tunnel, another guy saw spooky eyes staring at him. I was lucky enough to have the pity of a teammate to run with me at night. His rapid speed did not help my already elevated heart rate from the elevation change and my extreme fear of the dark. We reached the last 1.5 miles of the leg running through a town. We saw two deer enjoying the privacy of the late hours. Unfortunately, we got lost in a park (technically it was the race's course markers fault) resulting in an extra 2 miles added to the leg and me catching a ride to the next exchange spot via a race volunteer. Talk about the universe playing games with my fear of the dark!!

Eventually the sun rose and we had one last leg to run per person. Tripp found some cool Native American Adobe ovens, Pedro found an awesome waterfall, Hung ran until he couldn't run anymore, and I saw some cute goats and bunnies in the prairie! We were the first team to cross the finish line!! After some lounging and a large burrito, we packed in the van for a dazed ride back. Viewing the entire completed course backwards, from a van, and in the daylight was pretty cool. Turns out the scary portion of the race from the previous night were actually very beautiful canyon trails next to a flowing river. 

Saturday evening, we drove back to Denver with Jeff. He unfolded his bikes and we rode to downtown-- through cute neighborhoods, past a nice park, and alongside a little creek.  We ended up at a brewery with a blue grass band playing outside. We sampled some various beers and went on a quick walking tour of the area. One of the neighboring bars felt like a museum inside with quirky decorations and overflowing plants. Then, we hopped back on the bicycles and road along the trial 7 miles back to Jeff's place. The mixture of beer, fresh air, cycling, and a lovely environment led to a ride home that was more exciting than anything Disney World could ever offer! The last 20 minutes of the ride, we had to peddle as hard as possible in order to catch shelter before the looming thunderstorm decided to finally strike. 

Well, we rated this weekend trip as a success. I was able to expose Pedro to the love of Ragnar. We hope to participate in another and are currently looking for team mates to participate in Virginia Trail Ragnar. 

Miami Summer

Weekends in Miami

June 27, 2015

For two weekends, I had the privilege of experiencing South Florida as a tourist. Early Saturday morning, we packed sandwiches, fruit salad, chips and water into a cooler and headed 1 hour south to John Pennekamp State Park for a glass bottom boat tour to a nearby coral reef. After a slow cruise out to the ocean, the speed picked up enhancing the excitement with wind blowing in through the hair. We hovered over the reef for a sneak peek at the sea plants and crazy cool fish. About 45 minutes later, we returned back to shore eager to jump in the water.

From my experience, the beach at John Pennikamp is far from the best beach in South Florida. Instead of sand, the shore and water bottoms are completely covered in rocks. Additionally, even though this is a place known for snorkeling, the waters near the beach were completely dark making any snorkel sights difficult. The one up-side of this beach was that we saw a group of tarpon swimming periodically flashing their fins out of the water!

Next, we went to the well-known Tiki Bar in Islamorada—a restaurant/bar right on the water with iguanas running around, cool swinging tables, and the perfect view for a sunset.

The following day, we drove 20 minutes north to Hallendale Beach. This turned into a well-kept secret with free parking, people-ready beaches, white sand, and blue water. Unfortunately, the day was cut short once we heard sirens and saw the black clouds approaching with only a five minute warning. This was my first thunder storm of the season!!

July 3

I love holiday weekends—no work and something to celebrate. This weekend was different than my other Independence Day celebrations. (In 2011, I was in France for July 4^th, so celebrations were non-existent. The French national holiday is the week after the American national holiday, but my experience wasn’t filled with national colors, red/white/blue foods, or unusual cheer—just wine, cheese, and a walk in the woods. Still pretty cool, looking back, but that was the year I realized that 4^th of July is a cherished holiday! ) Last year, my brother and I went on an awesome road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway. This year, I was with a group of Peruvians who somehow are very patriotic even though the USA is not their motherland.

Friday morning started out with one of my favorite Florida activities—snorkeling!! We rode a catamaran out from Key Largo to Mosquito Reef for one hour of snorkeling. The day had a blue sky, few clouds, brilliant sun, and calm waters! I got to see some pretty cool underwater life, but I was sad when we got back to land. (If anybody wants to go snorkeling, let me know!!)

After snorkeling, we drove 5 minutes down the road to Hobo’s Café.  I remember coming to this restaurant as a kid when we visited the Keys. As expected, the fish sandwich was great, but a looming storm hurried the meal.

 

Refreshed and satisfied (but still salty and sweaty), we packed into the car en route to Coral Castle. Built in Florida City in 1920 by Edward Leedskalnin, this small castle is made completely of coral using simple tools. The tour was great! The creator was 5 feet tall and weighed 100 pounds, so his carved reading chair fit me perfectly! Since the thermometer read 97-degrees, it made sense for my deep craving to jump in a swimming pool. Luckily, Tony has a little oasis in his back yard to feel like a secret lagoon. J

Saturday, we took a boat ride through the back waterways of extremely wealthy people’s homes. We passed the houses of Marc Anthony, J. Lo, P Diddy, and some others. In the evening, we laid out blankets on the lawn of Peacock Park and ate sandwiches and chips until the night time fireworks show.

Sunday, we attempted another beach day back at Hallendale Beach. This time, we were blessed with a beautiful day and awesome waves but challenged with massive amounts of seaweed. By the end of the weekend, my skin was bronzed and satisfied from the sunshine. 

Denver Spartan Beast Race

Denver, Colorado

June 13, 2015

After staying in Jeff’s cozy basement, Denver started out on a rainy and chilly June morning with the comfort of free coffee in a packed breakfast house. After a full belly from a breakfast burrito, we drove the car past parks and fancy shopping centers to a highway with mountains on the horizon. 

Hike in White River Nat'l Forest

By noon, we reached Silverthorne, Colorado—a town of outlet stores designed in an earthy way that makes you feel good about consumerism and shopping :-p. Here, we purchased last minute items in preparation for Saturday’s race AND we browsed the Perl Izumi store (a big treat for two lovers of cycling & sports)!

After shopping, we checked into the hotel and brought a small pack for a little outdoor adventure in order to prepare our bodies for the high altitude. I’m not sure how long it takes to adjust the body to running in 10,000 feet altitude, but I assume that it requires more than 24 hours!

Breckenridge, CO

Post-hike, Pedro made sure to find the “Spartan Race” sign in Breckenridge. During the downtown exploration, we found the highest running store in the USA, windows full of real-estate opportunities, and a neat downtown next to a flowing river. Back in Frisco, we went to Whole Foods for a late-night snack of fresh juice. Even the Whole Foods was super cool with tulip decorations outside, a cooler full of local kombucha, and a ski lift car available to dine in.

Up until the morning of the race, we drank water beyond our personal abilities to drink water (advice from a local wooden statue salesman). The race started at 60 degrees at the bottom of a ski lodge, with a wicked one mile up-hill climb followed by crossing waist-deep through two heavy-flow almost-freezing creeks. (Thank goodness for my well-draining shoes and dry fit, thermal pants!) About 5 miles into the race, we crawled up a snow-covered mountain. The next 5 miles was a series of inclines and declines (more up-hills than down-hills) with a nice pause at the summit of 11,000 feet. Needless to say, we were pretty pooped by the end of the 12.5 mile race!

Post-race resulted in a rewarding hot tub soak followed by awesome burritos. Sadly, my body had no energy or desire to continue to explore the amazing nature outside for the remainder of the day.

Sunday, we visited downtown Vail and then drove back to Denver. At City Park, energy was in the air—a live jazz show was about to start for everybody on the lawn, food trucks lined the nearby street, and about 10 soccer/volleyball/Frisbee/other random sports were playing around on the other lawn. Everybody walked by with either a bicycle, a dog, and/or a picnic basket…. Talk about my dream park!!

Sunday night was one of the most memorable food experiences I’ve had. We visited one of the best vegan restaurants in downtown Denver—City o City. I had the special of the day—a burrito turned into a fluffy waffle with black beans, vegan meat, some creamy stuff…!! Without a doubt, I was one happy camper on the flight home. :)

We ran into snow!

Hippies, Hills, and Hugs

May 29, 2015

Ohio, USA 

Cleveland started out on the wrong beat with (1) a lady in the plane accusing somebody's 4 year old son for touching her butt and being a pervert (2) a lady in the car rental line continuously answering her excessively ringing phone and yelling at the person on the other end and (3) two women conversing in detail about their cats’ diets. What is in the water here?!?

Friday evening, we went to dinner with the Krause family to Tree Hugger's Cafe. The experience lived up to the summary of what we should expect-- extremely slow service, fresh ingredients, tasty food, and casual hippies. Besides the lengthy wait, I was satisfied! My 8-hour hibernation in the wonderfully chilly and cozy basement was preceded with drinks made by JFK’s famous grape kombucha. (Even Pedro was a fan!!)

Saturday morning, we stopped by Nanny & Grandpa Basford's house for a quick visit before driving 2 hours south to the Spartan race in Cumberland, Ohio. On the way to the race, we passed a place called "The Wilds" where rhinos, bison, and other animals roamed the vast farm land.

After driving down long, endless roads we arrived to the race site. At the 12:45 starting wave, my shoes were tied and my muscles were forced to prepare quickly. Within 30 seconds of starting the race, we got completely muddy and were faced with never-ending hills—neither the incline nor the decline were easy. This race wasn’t a bloody one (compared to Las Vegas); however, Pedro suffocated the entire time from allergies and I had a small crisis that I twisted my ankle (the ankle is fine!). We finished the race together to put the third piece of the puzzle together.

 

After the race, we drove for 2 hours through winding, curvy roads through the countryside past historic churches, old European style farm houses, and farm equipment billboards. By nightfall, we arrived to Wooster for a nice (but short) visit with Aunt Beaulah and Uncle Dick.

The trip was short but, nevertheless, a dreamy one. I hope to return for a visit to all of the llama farms we passed on the side of the road, a barefoot walk in the grass, and a glass of iced tea in the back yard.