An Unexpected Journey, or, from the Prairies to the Mountains to the Ocean

No, I didn't take a trek to the Lonely Mountain with a wizard and a baker's dozen of dwarves in search of gold. But my sister and I did, at very short notice, fly out to the Golden State last week to pack up my dad's belongings and start them on the road to Wisconsin. (My 87-year-old dad, after a very bad fall last month, has made what his nurse practitioner calls "an amazing turnaround", and will shortly be moving to the Dairy State to be near us. Hooray for Dad and his determination to get better!)

We had such a busy week, there were very few photo ops. But I did take some on the flight out....

My sister casting on in the Madison airport as we wait for our first flight:

(Doesn't everyone travel with yarn?)

Meahwhile, I pulled out this gorgeous stuff (a birthday gift from last year)...

...and with my sister's help, wound it right there in the terminal. A family nearby began to laugh and comment on our yarny activities, and when the ball-winding was done, my sister struck up a knitting conversation with one of them - a gal in a gorgeous Stephen West scarf. We found that they had once lived in Southern California (small world!), and were taking their 90-year old dad to Colorado for some skiing. ("He's not allowed to ski alone any more," said the knitting daughter.)

Next stop, Denver, where we changed planes. As we waited on the tarmac for our second flight, Tallulah climbed out of my purse and gazed wistfully westward towards her birthplace:

Another plane takes off, with Denver and the mountains in the background:

Then it was our turn to head west over the Rockies - which were so clouded over we could only catch glimpses of the foothills on either side. On the western side of the range, the clouds began to break:

Then on over Utah, with its amazing rocks and rivers, buttes and bluffs, and many-coloured landscape:

I'm always amazed at the beauty and diversity of this great land in which we live.

After colourful Utah, Nevada seemed rather brown and featureless (at least the bit we flew over):

Then, before we knew it, the mountains of our childhood were in sight and the SoCal sprawl was beneath us (under a layer of smog):

We had safely arrived in Orange County, where palm trees line the airport entrance.

It was a beautiful day. After a visit with my dad in the rehab center, we headed over to his home.

His lemon tree was loaded with sunny-looking fruit:

A good start to what turned out to be a very stressful week. (Which, I am thankful to say, is now over.)

:)

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