Marie Antoinette.  She was 14 – an age by which most would be considered a child.  She was handed over in marriage to the future King of France.  Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna was the 15th (of 16) child of the Empress of Austria, Maria Theresa, in 1755.  Surrounded by opulence the young Maria preferred music, art and the theater to the mundane academic studies.  As a result she could barely read or write, which would prove to hinder her later life.

The Way. It’s funny how some moments in time stay with you – inspire you.  It’s what I felt while sitting in a dark theater watching the documentary, “Walking the Camino – Six Ways to Santiago.”  I left the theater vowing to myself (and to Abi) that we need to make the journey, to walk the Camino.

We pay the obligatory fee at the entrance to Burney Falls State Park, park and step out of the car and it hits us – we’re in the mountains.  What is it about mountain air and the smell of pine trees?  I swear the air has healing power and for me, it always brings about a big sigh of happy.

Klamath Falls. It should be said right up front that there are no falls in Klamath Falls.  I often wonder how many people mistakenly travel to the area looking for the falls.  No disrespect to anyone who lives in/near Klamath Falls but there is just not a lot going on there; it’s more of a passing through kind of place.

.The Camino Documentary.  We rarely go to the movies.  Aside from the whole theater experience, which I admit can be fun I pretty much like watching movies at home.  Think about it – $17 admission versus $1.20 at Redbox? In your home theater you can pause the movie when you have to “ahem” leave the room and you don’t miss the most dramatic/emotional/important part of the movie.

The Pacific Northwest

There is something quite special about the Pacific Northwest.  It boasts forested land with trees like you’ve never seen, spectacular crystal blue lakes and rushing rivers offer the best in fishing and rafting.  And, let’s not forget about the ocean and the beautiful coastline.

Egypt.  Let me start by saying that #1 on my “top 25 things I want to do before I die list” is to live an obligation free life. I’m holding on to that. Number two is to live in Italy for a couple of months and learn to cook authentic Italian food.  Beyond those, the order of the rest of my list doesn’t really matter.

We’ve just hiked our way to the top of a plateau known as Upper Table Rock and the view is breathtaking!  It’s so quiet I can hear my heart pounding as it settles back into a normal rhythm after our ascent.  The dark gray rain-filled clouds are hovering and ready to burst.  The air is cool while the birds soar in silent flight.

Just recently I shared with you our discovery of a long-forgotten blink of a town known as Hilt. It’s  just a few miles south of the California Oregon border.  When I told a friend of mine about our discovery, she asked me, “Did you know there is a Buddhist Temple just beyond Hilt?”  Um, no!

Hilt, California.  Yesterday, we had a few hours to call our own so we grabbed our jackets, the camera and a water bottle and off we went.  We knew the weather was going to change quickly and dramatically. But, at least to start with we were enjoying the sun.  We opened the moon roof and hit the highway.