In My Little Town

I live and work in a little town founded by the logging boom of the late 1800's. There are remnants of that era still standing proud.

My little town is better known in our county as the city of retirement. But slowly and surely, new folks must move in to be the next retirees.

My little town bustles with activities for all ages.

Pétanque, the pastime favorite of long-timers.

In my little town we have dogs of all breeds, ages, and social status. That pit bull defies the doggie social stereotype.

In my little town there is no lack for choices for dining out. We have yogurt with umpteen million toppings.

And if you feel a little sophisticated, a little debonair, if you feel like visiting Europe for dinner, we have this rustic, quaint Italian osteria, complete with a cook and host who have the wickedest French accents. Go figure.

In my little town, we have Starbucks and the Walnut Café.

Where you are always greeted with a smile by the barista who calls you by your first name and knows your beverage like a programmed Miele coffee machine remembers your cappuccino settings.

But wait, that's not all.

In my little town we have little shops that sell a shoe for every mood. This is for when I feel like kicking some booties!

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Tiffany

It was a good day because of two things.

1. I ran into a piece of Truk while shopping at a garage sale. It was the third sale of the morning. I heard the unmistakeable language, and had to interject. (For those of you who don't speak Trukese, I apologize. Find a translator if you're interested in knowing what went down.)

"Ami chon ia?" I asked.

"Weno," one of them answered.

"Pwan ngang," I said.

"En mei sinei emon nengin itan Chein?" she asked.

"Mei wor emon pwii itan Chein ekan angang pioing..." I answered.

"Ina!" she said enthusiastically. "Chienei chon angang kongof!"

And so I was tickled that not only are we from the same island, but she knows my cousin Jane. What a small world this is. To make it even smaller, we ran into each other several more times in the next hour, shopping garage sales.

2. Tiffany. We met at a garage sale. And I took her home. I need not say more!

Well, okay, so she's not a genuine Tiffany. But she's pretty enough to grace my hutch.

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Hotel Room Tour: Las Vegas Mandalay Bay

You know the rooms of a hotel are going to be fabulous when the sconces look like something out of a Burmese palace...

... and the lobby bathroom fit for royalty.

Indeed, here was our bedroom, overlooking the Mandalay Bay Beach.

Hey, I have a pen just like that one in my purse!

=P

Hotel Room Tour: Grand Canyon Yavapai Lodge

It had a cabiny feel.

With a flat screen TV that reminded us of the world away from the Grand Canyon.

The room was very basic. Rustic at best.

But they had plenty of towels, which is always a good thing.

And footprint friendly to the environment.

I didn't use the soap, but I brought it home.

You can't tell from the picture, but the middle of the soap is hollow.

Hotel Tour: Las Vegas Bellagio

The registration lobby.

A bathroom with chandeliers.

We had brunch here (thanks Cousin Jess!). We waited in line for more than an hour. By the time we got in, it became well worth the wait because we were starving.

Hotel Room Tour: Las Vegas Stratosphere

This is the same granite slab that's in my kitchen, "antique brown".

And yes, I took all these home with me.

Hotel Room Tour: Hilton Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco