Thursday, April 24, 2008
Jojoba Hills SKP Resort, Aguanga, CA: Mar 1-27
This was an especially fine time to visit Jojoba Hills, or anywhere in southern California, with the proliferation of wildflowers. We accompanied Pat & Dennis on a few sightseeing excursions, including two to the ocean, and never failed to be amazed at the richness & diversity of color exhibited by the various wildflowers species. One trip we stopped at Rancho Santa Fe to check directions. 
This small community is apparently quite wealthy (we saw 3 Ferraris) and much of their wealth is spent on landscaping -- all public areas were overflowing with gorgeous flowers. Another trip we went to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad CA -- 50 acres of coastal farmland transformed each spring into a solid expanse of some of the most vibrant & varied colors imaginable. The most prevalent flowers were rows of brightly colored ranunculus, which made striped beds as far as you could see. Happily, it was at its absolute peak in most areas.
We also visited an alpaca ranch near Aguanga. Before purchasing the ranch, Julie Roy, the owner, analyzed businesses to determine their viability as a living, and concluded that growing alpacas is as wise an investment as one can make. So certain was she, in fact, that she & her husband took her own advice and purchased this ranch (www.AlpacasAV.com). She certainly seems happy and continues to sing the praises of alpacas. She also has been trained and acts as the alpaca midwife for all the babies.
Doug drove to Tucson with daughter Erin for a long weekend to view Gayle's house one last time & see if there was anything that either of them could absolutely not live without. It was interesting to cover the 450-mile trip fairly non-stop in 7 hours, a trip that would take us 3 days pulling the trailer. They enjoyed hanging out with Gayle, and their stay overlapped brother Rodger's visit by one day. It was good seeing him again too. Much quality time was spent in the drive over and especially the drive back, where they blithered away for most of the trip. They enjoyed date shakes at Dateland both ways. Erin's Mini Cooper performed like a champ & Doug was never uncomfortable, cramped or nervous.
We also spent time with our usual pursuits of line-dancing, playing bridge, and games with Pat & Dennis. We also learned to play the American version of Mah Jongg and will enjoy playing that at the Benson co-op. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and our 27 days came to an end far too soon. We're not sure when we'll return to CA or Jojoba Hills, especially if gas prices continue their upward spiral.# posted by Doug and Willie @ 12:09 AM 
