THANKSGIVING TRIP ~ November 22-25, 2007

I don’t know about you, but the day after Thanksgiving my e-mail inbox was inundated with special sales, deals, and other offers. It seems that everyone was jumping on the “Black Friday” bandwagon. Of course I love a good sale as much as everyone else, but I don’t see why we have to be bombarded all at once over Thanksgiving weekend when most of us would rather be spending time with our families than spending money on retail commodities. Okay, I admit being a little disappointed at having to miss out on some such giveaways because I was busy traveling with my husband and children... but we had great fun on our trip together so I suppose it was a worthy trade-off!

After a big turkey dinner, we brought some leftovers with us and spent Thanksgiving night camping out in the middle of the California desert.

On Friday morning we went to the General Patton Museum.

Later on Friday afternoon and evening we took a look at Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier, and the Third Street Promenade.

On Saturday we saw the big cloud of smoke from the Malibu fire, but the highlight of the day was getting to meet evangelist and author Ray Comfort who was open-air preaching at Huntington Beach.

On Sunday we drove back to Arizona via Route 66 from San Bernardino to Victorville and through Barstow, Amboy, and Needles.

We had a long distance to go so we didn't have much time to stop and explore along the way, but the area around Amboy in particular was a beautiful scenic (and desolate!) part of the Mohave Desert that I would love to visit again soon.

I hope you are taking an opportunity to enjoy some quality time with your families and loved ones amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Click on this link to read our family newsletter:

http://www.knowledgehouse.info/Xmas%20Letter%202007.pdf

YUMA PROVING GROUNDS ~ March 17, 2007

On our way home from Yuma, heading north on Hwy. 95, we passed the Yuma Proving Ground. Since 1943 when General George Patton trained his soldiers there, the Yuma Proving Ground has played a significant role in testing weapon systems and training troops for battle. There is a Heritage Center Museum on the grounds although it was closed by the time we got there around sunset.

But we did stop for a photo op by the big gun at the main entrance, and you can drive a little ways in to see an outdoor interpretive area with historic military vehicles and weapons systems.

They have a great collection of tanks ("tanks a lot" - ha!), at least one of which saw battle and has the bullet holes to prove it. (More like dents and dings in the thick metal.)

This is a must-see exhibit if you have boys – plus it’s free and it’s always open even when the museum is not. At the time we were there, it looked like they were in the process of grading an adjacent area, perhaps to add another addition to the exhibit.