Vanchella Vagabonds

We haven't been very vagabond-y the past four weeks. Our friend Ann graciously invited us to stay at her lovely home in Chico, California , even while she herself was on vacation in Michigan. (Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness Ann!) It's pretty hot here in Chico, so we've been getting full use of Ann's beautiful lagoon pool and enjoying the yard.  Our mascot for this vagabond stay is Kingston. Being a herder, he likes to patrol the perimeter and always lets us in the door first.  As many friends know, I have animal allergies, so I cannot pet Kingston. However, he does enjoy my foot belly rubs! He also gets very excited when John takes him for a walk at the park down the street. He couldn't keep his eyes open! There is also a kitty, Solace, who mostly keeps to herself. Unfortunately, because I do like cats, I cannot have interaction with her. Isn't she pretty, though? As if COVID isn't enough, California has had to deal with extreme heat waves ...

By Chris While we were staying in the Mission Canyon neighborhood, we took some time to visit the Rose Garden at  Mission Santa Barbara .  Although we've been to the Mission several times, we're not typically in Santa Barbara during the time when many of the roses are in bloom. There were so many varieties, I couldn't begin to capture all of them. These were some of my favorites: In the Mood and Falling in Love Julia Child Wild Blue Yonder Glowing Peace   Cherry Parfait https://santabarbaraparks.com/parks/mission-park-and-rose-garden/

Yesterday was transition day. We left Santa Barbara and headed northeast about 8 hours to Chico , California, where we are staying with our friend Ann for a few weeks.  We've known Ann most of our adult lives, having met in graduate school at Wayne State University . Here's a photo of when we met up in California in 1996 on the occasion of the annual meeting of our professional association . Who knew we'd all end up back in California later in our lives?! Torrey Pines State Reserve , La Jolla, California Our Route The first part of our drive was familiar territory, a beautiful drive up the 101 through the Santa Ynez Valley, past Pismo Beach ( and all the clams you can eat ) and San Luis Obispo and then up toward Paso Robles, where we stopped for an In-N-Out in Atascadero. As I discovered researching a previous blog, all of the restaurants have the crossed palm trees, so a picture was required! Next, heading east, we had to cross more mountains. This always makes me nervous ...