The Cozy Mystery List Blog

1.  I’ve heard of wild turkeys, but boy was I surprised to see three different sightings of them on the road side in west Texas.

2.  I had heard about the “Prada Marfa” art work that is a building that looks like a Prada storefront, but was quite surprised to see several cars parked so that they could visit the art work. (At the cost of $80,000, this “artsy” storefront in the middle of nowhere seems rather odd to me – we drove by it quite accidentally.)

3.  Now that Barnes & Noble has come into so many cities across the United States and gotten rid of the mom & pop bookstores, I was pleasantly surprised to find a town in Texas with a population around 6000 with two book stores and what looks like a very nice little library with a sign that says “Second Best Small Library in America.” Great to know Alpine, Texas has so many readers!

4.  As we were heading into El Paso, on I-10 (a major interstate) we saw a couple who had pulled over onto an entrance ramp, who were digging up a Yucca plant to apparently take with them. That was odd indeed!

5.  Right as we were heading into El Paso, Texas we saw a dust twister, and leaving that same city we saw another dust twister an one side of the highway, with another dust twister on the other side of the highway. That’s a whole lot of dust twisting!

6.  Outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico we saw a sign that said “Dust storms my exist. Zero visibility possible.” Not a sign that fosters a lot of faith in one’s driving abilities.

7.  Same area as # 6, I wonder about the people who live out in this desert, how their lungs must be…

8.  Same area as # 6, shame on me for thinking that San Antonio possibly going into stage 3 water restrictions is a drag.

9.  A lot of the  buildings/homes in the Mission Hills area of San Diego made me think of David Suchet’s Hercule Poirot’s home. The deco style architecture in a lot of the places was just too cool: bubble glass, curved walls, angles inside of other angles, etc.

10. As we were driving to a wonderful area (Point Loma), we saw a real life mailman walking from one house to the next, delivering the mail. With the advent of all these collection boxes that are now so common, neither of us had seen a walking mailman in years unless you count the one we saw recently in an episode of the old Hazel television show.

This concludes my “Oddities from the Road” entry, although, who knows, there may be a part 2 in the future.

P.S. >>> Thanks to all of you who have given us some California traveling tips. We are adding those we can into our trip.

We have lived in Texas for over twenty years, but for some reason, we have never visited Big Bend National Park. We still haven’t! (Actually, my husband visited it when he was single.) However, our first stop on this very laid-back vacation was Fort Davis, an old army post which apparently is a must-see for all Big Bend visitors. And rightfully so.

Ft. Davis is a partially restored old army post on the San Antonio – El Paso Road. It served as a post from (roughly) the 1850s to the 1890s. It is incredibly picturesque – nestled in a mountain range. It is exactly the type of terrain you’d expect to see John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Jimmy Stewart saddling up their horses in order to go protect the passing westward bound wagon trains.

Quite a few of the original buildings and most of the foundations are still there. The National Park Service has restored and furnished several buildings – one of each “type” >>> enlisted men’s barracks, officers’ quarters, officers’ servants’ quarters (Can you imagine that?!), and the commanding officer’s quarters (Wow-zee!). But by far, the most interesting building for us was the restored and refurnished hospital. I commented to my husband that seeing the doctor’s black bag open on the table as you walked into his office would have made me re-think just how sick I really felt. That’s the effect the gleaming, shiny saw would have had on me!

I think Ft. Davis is well worth the detour off of I-10 between El Paso and San Antonio. It looks like Alpine is the nearest town with lodging. We only spent two hours at the fort because my husband felt a little tired, but you could easily spend three to four hours walking round the site itself. And, there are actual trails for those who are more adventurous.

P.S. Be sure to get the “Bugle Calls” sheet from the ranger on duty. It’s fun to be able to identify what the bugle calls signify as they are played throughout your visit.

My husband and I are heading out west in a few days, so I’m rushing around getting everything ready. Today I am washing clothes, just finished up getting my favorite “trip drink” (Fresca Peach – YUM!), and doing some other “fun” types of pre-trip chores.

We are lucky to have our son take care of our house while we’re gone, that way I don’t have to worry about it. (It’s a lot easier for him now that Sprite isn’t here, needing 24 / 7 care.) I am a very committed worrier, so having him take care of our house saves me from spending a lot of time needlessly worrying about things like: Did I turn on the alarm? Did I remember to turn the oven off? What if … You get my point.

We will be driving out to California (from here in San Antonio) making two stops along the way. We plan to visit Fort Davis, Texas our first night, and then on up to Tucson, where we will be visiting the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

Of course, no trip to California would be complete without (almost mandatory) stops: the San Diego Zoo is our first California destination. We are then planning on driving up the California coast, which I am really looking forward to doing. Did I ever mention that I am a lover of missions? I simply love walking through historical places, and missions are probably my very favorite types of places. (Lucky I live in San Antonio!)

There are twenty one missions on the west coast of California, and we plan on seeing several of them. You won’t find us on a bus ooo-ing and aaaa-ing at “the stars” homes, or on a bus going the opposite way, towards Rodeo Drive. Those things simply don’t interest us.

I’m going to be getting our audible books ready for the trip, and want to try a few new authors for both my husband and me, as well as some that we already know we enjoy. More on that later.