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Sunday, May 22, 2016

Wandering – Halted!

We attempted to take our first trip out of the camping season this weekend.  John Boy was able to come with us and we were all packed and ready to go! Then SNOW happened.  We tried to get over I80 and were turned around just past Truckee, CA.  Even if we had chains and the proper equipment, the weather was rainy and thundering at the Lake of the Springs Campground we were headed too.  We turned around and decided to stay a little closer to home to go fishing. We headed down to Davis Creek and spent the better part of the day Hiking and Fishing.  It turned out to be a great day!

Here’s how the events played out, as we were posting them to Facebook.
Enjoy the journey and check out Davis Creek if you get a chance! Great hikes and a beautiful area!

The Walsh's are OFF!! 
First camping trip of the season and of course we must go over I80 in sketchy weather! https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v7/f2e/1/16/1f633.png
Once we get over the hill we'll be ok though.

FOILED by Mother Nature! We weren't able to get over the top due to snow. Not worth the risk. Maybe next time!

Due to the weather over Interstate 80, the Walsh's were forced to wander closer to home today. We took a fun half-day trip down to Davis Creek Regional Park for some fishing and hiking and a picnic lunch. Despite having a chilly wind blowing and the fish weren't biting it was a fun day! The pond was cute and there were tons of birds and geese to keep us company. After lunch, we went for a nice hike on the Nature and Discovery trails. The hiking trails were well marked and easy to follow, but would have even been better had we had the guide. There is so much to do at this park, it would take a whole week to see it all! 
We may have to suck it up and come down here for some dry camping so we can do more. We were glad to be able to use plan B and get out and enjoy nature despite last night’s snow storm.




Turned out to be a great day-trip!

Check out this link for more information on the Davis Creek Regional Park:

Also, check out the Hiking / Walking map for the trails at Davis Creek!



Monday, May 16, 2016

Beautiful Sunset at Home

Sometimes we spend so much time searching for beauty we forget to look right out our front door.
Stop. Look. Enjoy. 


Saturday, May 7, 2016

Small Town, USA


In a few short weeks The Walsh’s will be heading out to celebrate “Jim Butler Days” in Tonopah, Nevada. 
We are making the journey to celebrate the crowning of the new King and Queen, John and Susan (Doug’s Parents). Growing up in small towns, we were both blessed with the fun and excitement that only small-town festivals can bring.  The excitement of something to look forward to and an excuse to do dumb things with your friends.

Doug and I have been living in the city for quite some time now.  I won’t call it a big city, but for us its huge compared to where we both grew up.  Living in the city has its conveniences and advantages, but it does make you forget some of the amazing experiences we had.  The carefree childhoods and everyone knowing everyone.  It truly does take a village!

A few years ago we made the Memorial day trip to celebrate Doug’s class reunion… We won’t talk about which one, but let’s just say is was a while back!  While we were there, I was reminded of being a child and going to parades to collect candy… I had forgotten this until we were standing street-side waiting for the parade floats to begin and all the little kids around us started pulling out plastic bags to carry their treasures.  I felt so bad that little Jillian didn’t have one! How could I have forgotten such an important part of being a kid? We did manage to fill our pockets to the brim with candies of all kinds to take home however. 

Another piece that took me back was the parade started with the national anthem and was filled with so many patriotic songs.  As I stood on main street and watched the floats of farmers displaying animals, cub scouts and daisy’s marching with their troops, local politicians handing out buttons and the class float filled with the many proud graduates I was brought to tears.  I missed home.  I missed the traditions and fellowship that only small town festivals can garner.

The weekend this year is no different.  It is filled with all the fun and excitement you would expect in a small country town.  This year’s festivities include: a talent show, scavenger hunt, princess and queen pageant, coronation of the King and Queen, high school graduation, carnival, parade, street dance, arm wrestling competition, dwarf car races, fun run, Boy Scout pancake breakfast, craft bazaar, Nevada State Mining Championships and of course lots of live music!
Whew! It’s going to be a busy weekend that’s for sure!

If you have the opportunity to visit a small town and experience this, I urge you to do so.  Take a moment, look around, take it all in.  There is something very comforting about it all. Small Town, USA.  Good people, great communities and memories for a lifetime!

For more information and history about Jim Butler Days please check out www.tonopahnevada.com




Saturday, April 30, 2016

Bountiful Baskets - Fresh food at home!

When we are not wandering, we are looking for ways to enjoy home. One of my favorites is participating in the local Bountiful Baskets Co-Op. For a very small fee we can have an awesome haul of fresh fruits and vegetables! This photo is of our baskets this week (it is two contributions worth). They come to our area every two weeks. We can have a regular basket or upgrade to an all organic basket. They also offer great add-ons! This week we also got 8 lbs of mangos! It's a fun way to add fruits and vegetables to our diet and the basket ingredients help decide what's for dinner. Check them out for your area! www.bountifulbaskets.org

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Great Reno Balloon Races 2013

Each year in early September Reno plays host to the largest FREE Hot Air Balloon event in the world. With over 120,000 spectators in attendance each year, the Great Reno Balloon Race is by far one of the best special events in the Reno Tahoe Area.  This year will be the 35th Anniversary of the race and surely one you wont want to miss. 

Make sure that you get up early, brave the traffic and get a seat on the field for The Glow Show, Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension.  Each one is accompanied by wonderful music and an even better announcer.  It has never failed to bring tears to my eyes. A wonderful experience!  This is one event that brings out the masses.  Everyone from families, youth groups, college kids, and anyone 1-100.  Totally worth the 4:30 alarm clock on a weekend!

A few notes/reminders:
Parking can be tricky.  The area around Rancho San Rafael is all residential.  Get there early to get a good spot, or pony up the $15 to park in the lot. 

Wear good shoes. Even if you are in the lot, be ready to walk. It's okay for handicap access, but sometimes uneven pebbled paths can be tricky for those in a wheel chair for with a walker.  

Bring a blanket and warm beverage.  The summer nights/early mornings in Nevada are chilly and laying in an open field at 5:00 a.m. can get down right cold.  The event does host vendors that offer breakfast items and drinks, but the lines can be long and are usually cash-only.

Restroom Facilities.  Simply a line of port-a-potties that always seem to have a lengthy queuing line.  Just pay attention to your "little's" especially. The wait can be up to 5-10 minutes.

Please check out their website for more information and upcoming dates:
www.RenoBalloon.com

Thanks to our Friend Javi for the amazing soundtrack.
"Fairlight"
Nave Artificial, Musician and Composer
YouTube - Nave Artificial

Friday, April 22, 2016

National Park Week

In honor of National Park Week,‬ here is a shot of us cooling off under the bridge at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. Great day, great park, great trip! 

This was just one wonderful stop in our trip.  It was fun to look at all the different buildings and watch the horse carriage rides bounce along the trail.  We watched an actual blacksmith make beautiful items from horseshoes.  Some that would make an excellent addition to our home. It was very hot that day and we wandered down to the river to cool off with our toes in the water.  


It was certainly worth the trip off the main path of the park! Much less crowded and a neat introduction of the pioneers to Jillian.


Check out the Pioneer History Center HERE

Big Island, Hawaii - November 25-30, 2009

It’s hard to go back in time and remember all of the amazing parts of a vacation, but I am going to start in 2009 with our Hawaii trip.

We decided to head out for a long Thanksgiving weekend. As we flew into the big Island we were all looking out the plane windows and the kids behind us said “we’re landing on a brownie!” If you have ever flown into Hawaii, you know what they were talking about! We stayed at the Royal Kona and the hotel was great! Nice big room with a view of the bay that the Iron Man Athletes swim in. 

We spent 4 days exploring the Big Island.  We experienced Volcanoes, Black Sand Beaches, Sea Turtles, a Dinner Cruise, Shopping, Thanksgiving with purple potatoes, an amazing Luau, the Akaka Waterfall, the Mauna Loa plant, Greenwell Farms coffee plantation, a helicopter ride, and the best beach side coffee shop ever!

I don’t know if we’ll ever get back, but I like to think that we made a connection that Thanksgiving Holiday and made memories that neither of us will likely forget.

SLIDESHOW SOUNDTRACK - "Fantastic Wind"
Instrumental music composed by: Nave Artificial, Musician and Composer