Sunday, June 09, 2013

Sonora Roadtrip - Postcards from Paradise

We went to Sonora yesterday for a memorial service for a members of Don's old unit.  We had time for lunch and found this wonderful little deli, The Lighthouse Deli.  


I had their scrumptious veggie burger made from their special mix of black beans, carrots, zucchini, oats, and various seasonings.  Topped with avocado, it is definitely worth a repeat.  These folks below are the happy crew.  Little Miss Thumbs Up gave out great directions to the funeral home.


 We walked around downtown and found a hunting, fishing shop.  They had this cool large scale model of a gattling gun.  Don had never seen such a large model of one before so, of course, I had to take a picture for him to remember it by.


 We also stopped in at Tar Flats - a fascinating place fill with the pungent  aroma of handmade soaps and candles. The walls alone are a reason for a return visit.  Check their website thought.  There is so much more to LOVE here.



On the way home, I set the camera to sports mode for continuous pictures after my click.  Got some terrific pictures on the fly as we flew by in our car.



This was the reason for the pics on the fly.  I remembered seeing this roadside shrine on the way up to Sonora in the morning.  I didn't want to miss it on the way back so miles and miles before we got there, I was on the lookout.  This is one of six I managed to catch.  I'm posting others on Flickr later.


We had a wonderful day despite the reason for the trip.  Chief Master Sgt, Butoh lived a good life with lots of children and grandchildren to keep his memory alive.  And as Fr. John (our friend who conducted the memorial service) said - we are not drawn together by death but by love.  Love indeed.


Go Here for More Postcards from Paradise

8 comments:

Amy Burzese said...

I'll take a black bean burger over a turkey burger any day. Those walls do look very interesting. Probably there is something to see everywhere you look. Beautiful drive-by shots. I was wondering about the shrine. I guess someone lost their life there?

Annie Jeffries said...

Hi Amy, I don't know about other parts of the country but I know in California and parts of the Southwest, roadside shrines are very common to memorialize someones death on that spot. We have lots of them in our area.

Nonnie said...

the roadside shrines are common here in Indiana also. thank you, Annie, for sharing the marvelous drive-by pics!
the sandwich sounds tasty; now I need to see if I can find a recipe because eating spots like these are rare in our town.

rebecca said...

the photo of your road side shrine is hauntingly beautiful. the circles of flowers so touching and gorgeous beneath a metal cross.
thank you annie...
we suffered a death in our family today and your post is tender and comforting.

Ginny Hartzler said...

You got the shrine!!! We have many of these along the highways, at the spots where someone was killed. They remind us t be extra careful as well. I bet Tar Flats was a real hoot to look through, the walls are so unusual...

Annie Jeffries said...

Hey Ginny. Those walls are the real deal. They go back to the late 19C. Sonora is an old gold rush town.

foxysue said...

A day to remember in more ways than one, the last photo is so beautiful, I clicked to get the fullness. Thank you for sharing, yes we drawn together by love and we share all! x

Darla said...

Thanks for sharing your trip to "The Gold Country". Haven't been that far East in awhile. Glad you captured the photo of the shrines.

Darla