Just Like a Dragonfly

Well, I've been home from vacation for a couple of days now. It was really nice. We had a great time.

I have to confess, I actually didn't take a whole lot of pictures. The most I took were on the day we went to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. We had a fantastic time while we were there. Its a giant preserve dedicated improving the lives of exotic cats that have been kept for breeding purposes, as pets or by zoos and private owners who have mistreated them or been shut down by various governemnt agencies. Its a really neat place. Some of the cats have really sad stories, and the entire staff has the whole history of each one of them at their finger's ends.

We spent the whole day there enjoying the beauty of the cats, learning about them and in some cases playing with them. There was a black leopard named Spike who loved to stalk along the tall grasses in his cage. If you took off running down the path, he would chase you and jump up at the fence and then make a chuffing noise (the sound big cats make because they can't purr). I loved him. He was adorable.

Kitten, not suprisingly, was very fond of the tigers, and there were several that were very fond of her too. One of them seemed to watch her no matter where we were walking in the compound part of the refuge. Oscelot spent a good deal of time admiring the servals, which are funny little cats. We laughed because the girl at the front desk said she thought the servals were mean. It gave me a giggle.

If you have time to visit their website, you should definately check it out. Its a wonderful place and they are working for a wonderful cause. As a person who lives in a state that allows the sale of exotic cats without resrictions or permits required, I feel thankful there are people out there working to protect the poor animals that are victimized by the trade.

We had a lot of good food while we were on vacation. I actually ate mexican food. It was delicious though. It was at a little restaurant called Casa Colina. The food was amazing, the service was good. I was pleased to see the chef/owner visiting tables, including ours. It was amusing, though. All the waitstaff were men, I am dead certain they were all gay, and they all had bleached blonde hair. I joked with the girls that maybe their dress code was really strict, or maybe they all lost a bet. We weren't sure. Either way, the food was excellent. We also ate at an Irish restaurant called the Pied Piper Inn. The food was terrific, and again, the service was stellar. Our waitress, who was also the bartender, invited us to a big party at a bar across from our hotel after we finished. We didn't go, we wanted to sleep, but it was a nice thought, wasn't it?

We wandered the shopping district more than we ought, and found a ton of things we really liked. Thank heavens we didn't buy all of them, we wouldn't have been able to fit them in the truck. We also got massages and spent a lot of time in our hotel watching food network and playing in our giant jaccuzzi tub. Its the first one I've ever been in (in a hotel room at least) where I could lay down completely and still have room at the head and foot of the tub. It was delightful.

I must confess, though, I was glad to get back home. I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked without my bed, so I was delighted to crawl into it after nearly a week of not being in it. I've spent the last couple of days trying to rest, because heading back to Casa Bueno for black friday is not something I particularly look forward to. Its a rough day all around.

Since we've come home I have been lucky enough to spend time wtih both Precious, Kitten's bff, and Flyguy, who came over last night to play a couple rounds of scrabble. I was also delighted, because he brought us this adorable little staircase to put in front of the litter box for our kittens, who have trouble getting into it. He made it, and I thought it was really sweet of him.

Today we are going to Kitten's mom's house for Thanksgiving. I am making my very first turkey. I'm pretty anxious about it. I mean, I should be okay given all the episodes of Thanksgiving everything on food network. I know how its done, I've just never put it into practice. Otherwise, it should be another relaxing day. I get to watch pride and prejudice on television, we'll probably play a few games, and we get to eat a huge meal. Things should be pretty nice.

Well, I am to dash off to the MIL's now, so I have to sign off. I hope your turkey day is fabulous. Don't put the stuffing in the bird. Itll make you sick.

AGxx