My first hodgepodge

I keep seeing friends doing the hodgepodge, so I thought I'd give it a whirl :)

Also, I though it would be easy.

HAHAHAHAHA.....!

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Has your April been filled with showers? 

Uh... no. We've had temperatures in the 80s and then in the 50s, with no rain at all. Our last rain was in March.

Last rainy day we had.

Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it?

Pffft.... I just saunter through it, unless it's pouring down like a monsoon or I'm dressed up, Usually, I'm looking at everyone else like they're nuts. 

It's water people and unless you're the wicked witch of the west, there's no chance of melting, so calm down. 

I do have a vintage umbrella, but I've yet to use it.

Besides rain, what else has filled your April?

Mostly visiting new places with John and spending Easter with my family.

2. What's something you could you give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

The movie Gone with the Wind or the Victorian era in general and no, I'm not kidding. It's a sickness.

3. Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

Making poundcake with my grandma Bonnie. I was the sifter:)

4. What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

Hotel California, but I know every single word now ;)

5. According to one travel website, the most overrated tourist attractions in America are- 

Niagara Falls (NY) Hollywood Walk of Fame (California) 

Times Square (NYC) 

Epcot (FL) 

Seattle Space Needle (WA) 

 Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston) 

How many of these have you seen in person?

Only the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Times Square.

I grew up in LA, so we went to Hollywood all the time and I lived in Virginia at one point, so NY wasn't too far to visit.

Neither one is all that and a bag of chips, honestly. Both of them are dirty and filled with weirdos and hookers. But totally go visit them. Don't let me stop you ;)

Did you feel like a tourist? 

No.

Did you care?

I would have if I did. I used to try my best to fit in, so I didn't look like a dork. My mother ingrained that in me. Now... I could care less. I embrace my dorkiness ;)

Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

Disneyland,

Knott's Berry Farm,

 and The Fun Zone on Balboa Island.

Love them. 

It's in my California blood.

and

Carmel and Monterey. I lived in Pebble Beach later in life, so they were right down the street. 

6. Your signature clothing item?

1950s house dresses or rolled jeans and a black t-shirt. And almost always... Keds.

7. What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once? Why?

Raising something from a baby, or taking care of someone other than yourself, whether it's an animal, a child or something else that can't take care of itself  It teaches you responsibility like nothing else can.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This was way harder than I thought! And my apologies for being late on my first try.

xo

rue

Road trip to Bisbee!

On my last post, I mentioned that we recently went on another road trip.

A usual, we decided to pick up some snack-treats when we were on the road and thought this place was too cute to pass up.

Sadly, the outside was the only thing cute about it, but we ended up buying some locally made candied pecans just to be nice.

You know what though? Those pecans weren't too bad!

Or I was just starving.

By the way, you might need to get yourself a snack and a drink, because this is a long, picture heavy post.

Just warning you ;)

Anywho... after the pecan stop, we settled in for the drive.

I saw the sign for Bisbee and squealed inside like a little kid :)

You see, I've wanted to go there since the first time I was driven through it. 

I'm not going to go into the details, but let's just say that years ago I wanted to stop there, when I was on a highly irritating journey with some very annoying people to Tombstone for the first time and was told no.

Anywho, heading in, the first thing you see is the old firehouse that was built in 1914...

and then you start into the main part of town.

It's so interesting how some of the building are run down, like the ones above, and then some are beautifully taken care of, like the ones below.

It's a very old town, so the roads are steep and narrow, especially through the neighborhoods.

Eventually, we parked the car to walk around.

Our first stop was the Copper Queen Hotel.

This image via google images, because I forgot to take a picture of the whole building.


This guy looks like he's having fun ;)

It was hard to take pictures of the inside, because it was pretty dark, so I only took a couple of the lobby.

Back outside, it was chilly, but everything was blooming.

I don't know what this plant is, below, but it was everywhere and it was gorgeous.

Walking farther up, you'll find the old library.

Oh and those strands of lights that go from building to building light up at night :)

There were a lot of interesting things to see if you paid attention ;)

Buildings that look like they're on top of other buildings...

an old hotel filled with bikers...

and if you go off the beaten path you'll find a home with pigs in the windows.

There's beautiful architecture, even on the alleyway buildings...

the most unusual screen doors...

and gates that take you up in-between buildings that lead to who knows where.

Then you can head to a bar ...

that at one point during prohibition, was a stock exchange, and then a bar once again when it was over...

and meet a resident dog.

There are buildings that are still beautiful...

and sadly, only the remains of others.

There are rundown houses that are in desperate need of love...

and beautiful homes that are loved.

Ultimately, it's a place I fell in love with...

and want to visit, again and again.

And I think I will :)

xo

rue

Happy Easter!

It's a little early, but I wanted to make sure that I wished you a Happy Easter...

 with just a few reminders.

Watch out for lecherous bunnies.

Be sure to put on your best Easter attire.

And don't forget your Easter bonnet.

;)

xo

rue

Four things

When I came down with a cold last week, it took three things to make me feel better. 

A whole lot of vitamin C...

via google images

a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup...

via chowhound

and about two dozen daises.

And now I feel much, much better.

:)

xo

rue