Yosemite National Park is an inspiring place no matter the season, but there is something magical about the park in winter, with its sparkling snow-covered meadows against a backdrop of grey monoliths and towering evergreens. The girls and I had another opportunity to visit our perennial happy place with Owen this past weekend as we… Continue reading Happy Isles and a Happy Dog in the Season of the Sticks
Category: Food
A Day in St. Robert, Missouri
The bluffs above Big Piney St. Robert is kind of in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. Located in Pulaski County between St. Louis and Branson, it is considered the gateway community to the U.S. Army's Fort Leonard Wood. Indeed, that was why we were there. We were celebrating Jacob's graduation from basic training, and with… Continue reading A Day in St. Robert, Missouri
Lake of the Ozarks
If anyone mentioned to me at the start of 2022 that I would be making not one, but two trips out to the Ozarks region of Missouri, I'd have probably given them the side-eye and questioned why. Not that I don't love interstate travel, or that I don't think that the Ozarks offers some breathtaking… Continue reading Lake of the Ozarks
State Capitals: Jefferson City
Missouri State Capitol Building Business of an exciting sort took us to Missouri at the end of September. While it was not a great week to be absent from work (this was the week of our seventh grade overnighter to Catalina), the reason was of such magnitude and importance that there was really no question… Continue reading State Capitals: Jefferson City
The Hollywood Bowl
The LA Phil gets ready to perform There are few things that are so quintessentially LA than summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. This historic 17,500-seat amphitheater has been an icon since its founding in 1922. With its distinctive bandshells built at the base of the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood sign in the… Continue reading The Hollywood Bowl
The Cranky Camper 