I'm so happy to be back! Here are some entries I wrote elsewhere while the server was down:

I just came back from vacation: traveling up and down the state of California! I will add a few pictures later. . . .

 

 

Our first stop was Morro Bay. It is a small town, with a giant rock in the bay called (and I am not making this up) Morro Rock. In the one night we spent, we ate good clam chowder at the Great American Fish Company.

 

Then, after hearing horror stories about senic Highway 1 south of Monterey, we chose to take a different road, known only as... The American Backroad. After eating lunch and ollieberry pie at Linn's, we past ranch after ranch, even seeing California Quail and deer in the same minute!

 

We arrived in Marina that night, but treated ourselves to a day in Monterey, where we treated ourselves at Bubba Gump's for dinner. Thanks to my dad's foot, we also visited the hotel-like hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. The entrance had a huge dome over a koi-filled pool!

 

Then, we began our wild adventure up Highway 1. On the first part of of the journey, straightish roads and sloping hills lulled us into a false state of security: surely, the road north of Monterey will be fine...

 

Next stop: Foggy Pacifica and a Fire Truck tour in San Francisco. We went over the Golden Gate twice, visited some unuique, antique houses, and of course passed some former military buildings and the San Francisco Fire Station.

 

We continued our journey north, and on our way to Bodega Bay, we stopped at Fort Ross, formerly a Russian military base and home to a diverse population. After a long day on the road, where we were also misguided by a faulty map, we enjoyed our hotel room, which had a loft and metal spiral staircase. It was the one four-diamond hotel we could afford for the vacation.

 

For those who don't know, Alfred Hitchcotk filmed "The Birds" here and in nearby Bodega. We ate at the remodeled Tides and then visited the schoolhouse.

 

In our final leg on HWY 1, "Happy California Cows" enjoyed the ocean view, while pine trees met the ocean waves, and all went on, until Fort Bragg. I was delighted to see that Ft. Bragg had a Masonic Temple... and pet shop? Or is't a pet hospital? It must be normal, as another store, Fiddles and Cameras, sold in that strange combination.

 

After so much fog, we finally had a semi-dramatic ocean sunset. My mom, brother, and I watched most of it, as though we had been waiting for a flash of green light.*

 

The next day, we woke up early and went on the Skunk Train: once a logging train, now used for excursions through the forest. We stoped to eat lunch under coastal redwoods, and were entertained by the Train Singer. We finished the day with collecting sea glass and driftwood at Glass Beach. The highlight was that Dad found a piece of blue glass, and my brother's piece of driftwood resembles a seahorse!

 

The next day, we arrived in Santa Rosa: just in time for a Midnight Magic Party at the local Barnes and Noble! Having just traveled up and down the state, I was virtually oblivious to the controversally early reviews of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Rather, we explored the two-story building for activities and a magic show. I did not stay up until midnight; we needed to wake up early the next day.

 

And so, we passed the Wineries of Sonoma to enjoy the small trains of Train Town, and then the Sonoma Mission. It was small, and did not have a rose garden like most of the others. However, it did feature watercolor paintings of all the missions.

 

Still, we had stayed too long. We trudged through several accidents on the 101 South: We passed San Francisco, Morro Bay, and other cities and strees with cool names: flying over our original route in the dark. The stars created a brilliant tapestry, and the moon reflected white light on a still ocean. We arrived at Lompoc, only a few hours from home, at around midnight, 1 am.

 

To our surprise, we found that Lompoc is the flower seed capital of the world! On our way to Solvang for danish breakfast and treats, we visited the colorful rows of flowers. Dad also showed us the military base where his Boy Scout troop went for camp.

 

Then, after ten days of adventure, we arrived at our front door. The next few days, I slept in, read the first twenty-six chapters of "Hallows," and now I am describing all of it here.

 

_____

*as seen in "Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End

Music: "Headstrong" (Trapt)

 

After so many service, our kitchen fridge has finally shut down for good. As we rush to move the food before it spoils, I cannot say how happy I am that we have a second, if smaller, one in the garage.

 

Yesterday, my fantasies of visiting the San Diego Conic-Con died slowly: both of my parents had a sore body part. (Mom, her back; Dad, his foot)

 

Finally, I conjured up some ideas for my dream room. I've been daydreaming about it for a long time, but these are my most recent ideas:

 

Colors: Light blue, lavender, and silver.

 

Bionicle Display: Of all my ideas, this is the one that I always turn over in my head. My most recent idea is a built-in china cabinet, with cubbies on each side. It also features paintings of different places of the Bionicle world: Metru Nui and Daxia are already committed for this.

 

Natalus-Shell Desk: That shape, but it doesn't spiral all the way to the center. In the thicker end we find drawers, but on the opposite end, we find the computer and keyboard. All the wires go into a pipe, which in turns directs them to the floor and electrical outlet.

 

Finally, I got some books this week: Bionicle Legends #7, a grim scene-setter for 2007's story; Bionicle World, an informative atlas. I also bought the Artemis Fowl Files and AF: Lost Colony, neither of which I have read yet.