Driving to Death

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise, Jutta Engelhardt, and John Wise in the car on the way to Death Valley National Park in California

Some people dream of one day visiting the Great Pyramids in Egypt, others look to ancient Greece and the Acropolis in Athens, but for my mother-in-law, that mythical place her imagination dreamt of visiting one day that felt a million miles away was Death Valley National Park in California, and here she is returning for yet another visit. Nothing seemed more exotic to her than the images conjured up by a place so hostile it is called “Death” Valley. After all, the Sahara may have you thinking giant African desert, but it doesn’t sound horribly foreboding, or the Gobi Desert, you might as well add an extra “s” to desert, and you’d have what sounds like a yummy treat, the gobi dessert. But DEATH Valley, that is something to be reckoned with. So off we go, driving west, driving to DEATH!

Leaving

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Jutta Engelhardt with Woody and Annie Burns in Santa Barbara, California

This is the main reason for going to Santa Barbara, to visit my Uncle Woody and Aunt Ann. Jutta first met them about four years ago and, ever since, has enjoyed visiting Santa Barbara and getting to know my aunt and uncle a little more.

Rainbow on Interstate 10 in California

Before she returns to Germany in April, we will go back at least once more for another long weekend binge of eating too much pizza, cookies, cake, drinking wine, and shopping at Costco.

Woah Nelly

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt on a bicycle in Phoenix, Arizona

Riding high on her success of mastering the horse, Jutta was primed for some mountain biking. Well, except that she was so wobbly we decided the stationary bike might be a better choice until she builds up some endurance. The good news, my mother-in-law only tipped over once…and I was right there to catch her. During her stay here in America we will try to get to the gym more often, walk more often, go for a swim as much as possible and if the Gods are favoring us, hike a couple of local mountains.

Ride, Jutta, Ride

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt riding a horse at Chile Acres in Tonopah, Arizona

It’s never too late to try something new and so Jutta, at the ripe old age of 72 got up on a horse for a riding lesson. Jutta has ridden before, oh, about 60 or more years ago. Celia at Chile Acres saddled up Pawnee who gingerly ferried this grandma around the pen for a bit of excitement. After the riding lesson, we enjoyed a meal made by Celia featuring her homemade goat cheese. We actually tried two different kinds of cheese, one was a French herb blend and the other was sun-dried tomato. The main course was a vegetarian mousaka with homemade goat feta and dessert was, of course, you can guess this, a goat milk-based pudding! Celia truly is a “Barn Goddess”.

Bubbles The Goat

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt and Bubbles the Goat getting to know one another at Chile Acres in Tonopah, Arizona

After visiting one farm it was off to another, this one being Chile Acres. Here my mother-in-law, Jutta, is meeting Bubbles the Goat – ya, I know, it’s kind of like two old goats getting to know one another. Chile Acres is owned by Jimmie and Celia Petersen. Not only do they raise goats, but they have their hands full raising Saluki dogs and dachshunds, caring for a dozen or more cats, more horses than you can shake a stick at, a donkey that thinks it’s a horse, and chickens; lots and lots of chickens. We originally met Jimmie at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market where he hawks the eggs from all them chickens. Well, he doesn’t really hawk them, he’s actually quite pleasant and quiet about it, but I thought you might go for the pun, chicken, hawk, chicken-hawk!