TODAY WE DROVE THROUGH IDYLLWILD BY WAY OF MIDDLE EARTH...

Today the hubs and I drove up to the mountains of Idyllwild. This is a beautiful little community alongside mountain pine forests. It's loverly. We enjoy going up there through all the seasons. It's cooler in the summer, we find snow in the winter, monster pine cones in the fall and lilacs in the spring. It's tough to find fault with Idyllwild. They have groovy log houses and A-frames all through the woods. It's a funky, artists' town with a huge jazz festival that's known for its out-door rib fest. It's all good up on the moutain. And here's a fun fact for anyone older than 40. Remember the opening scene of Bonanza when Pa and all of his sons are riding towards you on their horses in that beautiful field with the moutains in the background and the big ponderosa pines? Yea...that's Idyllwild. We pass that same exact field everytime we go...and it still looks the same.

So, I snapped a few pics of the hubs in the snow. We stopped at a little general store (log cabin, no less) to get our requisite candy that we munch on during our road trips and I noticed the gentleman's dialect. I've gotten quite good at "hearing" these things. So I asked him what part of the Northeast he was from. "Maine" was his reply and that was all it took....he and the hubs were best friends for about 30 minutes. His name was Bruce and he was about 65, maybe, it's difficult to tell these things. He was absolutely charming and his store, Harmony Farms, is a total blast to walk around in. A. Total. Blast. He and Peter didn't live too far from one another in Maine. I told him that if we ever lived back there, it would have to be around Bangor because of the teaching jobs at the colleges there. He was pleased with that because it was close to where he was moving back. He and Peter each agreed that the desert wasn't fit for human habitation during the summer....It went on from there...

We then had dinner at a little place in the village, bought more candy, and came home. It was a great day. The best part of the drive home was this: as we were driving out of Idyllwild, through a particularly dense mountain pine forest, the clouds were very very low. The elevation is high anyway, over 5,000 feet, so the combination made for a very foggy/cloudy day. The effect was stunning. The best word is "enchanting". The forest was very green, the clouds hung quite heavy, the sunlight was spotty at best and shone in occasional shafts. The entire scene look like something out of Middle Earth. As we drove our car along the winding road, we could see the sun-drenched hill side miles ahead. It was quite surreal...and after yesterday's rainbow encouner, maybe I should stay away from the moutains for awhile.....

Anyway, that's my report on today's activity...Idyllwild...I recommend it....just don't go into the enchanted forest alone....