Valley Springs, Ca, USA - 7th June 2009
By: ashl_bee
Just like Ashley's mom said, Today we went to the Poultry Auction to find a companion for Baby. On the first Sunday of every month people bring all kinds of birds and small animals to be auctioned off.
As you can see, it is mostly different types of Chickens. Ashley assured me that this birds get dropped off in the morning and taken away soon after, that way they arent in the small cages for very long.
Unfortunately, we didn't find any small pygmy goats for Baby, but Ashley's dad bought a Holstein calf!
After the auction, Ashley had to leave for a Baby Shower. I was told that it was something that only women attended. I was very excited because I thought I was going to be able to meet more girlfriends, but I got left behind with the men of the house, Ashley's dad John and Ben. We played more Guitar Hero. I really like that game. They also told me that there is going to be alot going on this upcoming week. I look forward to it and sharing it!
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Posted Jun 16, 2009, 6:28 pm Last edited Jun 16, 2009, 6:30 pm by ashl_bee
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New Orleans, LA, USA - 26th June 2009
By: ashl_bee
So we got up very early this morning and watched Ashley pack some clothes. All five of us jumped in and got cozy for the trip.
After a long ride, we finally were able to peep out of the bag. Ashley gave us a piece of paper to hold on to. Between us all we figured out that we were getting on an airplane from Phoenix, Arizona to Houston, Texas.
We thought we were in for a weekend in the Lone Star State, but when we got there we boarded yet another plane. During this flight, Ashley had an empty seat next to her so we got to enjoy the ride outside of the suitcase. We made sure to get our seatbelt on securely.
This flight was not as long as the other and when we arrived Ashley told us to look out the window. We had arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Big Easy!!
After a short taxi ride we arrived at the hotel we were staying the weekend at, The Ritz-Carlton right on Canal Street.
The next day, we took a tour of French Quarter in a horse drawn carriage. Because there were a lot of passengers, it was hard to get pictures of me and all Ashley's other visitors with all the special things we saw. We learned all sorts of history about the area, especially since The entire Quarter is a National Historic Landmark and fortunately the area was relatively unaffected by Hurricane Katrina compared to other surrounding areas.
We passed the infamous Bourbon St. This is the location of Mardi Gras festivities in the Spring, as well as The French Quarter Festival and Southern Decadence.
The whole tour lasted about 90mins and we went on almost every street of the district. We started and ended in Jackson Square which was also known as Place d'Armes. During the day, many local artists have their work on display and for sale. The park is situated in front of The Cabildo, which is where the Louisiana Purchase was finalized and signed, The St. Louis Cathedral and The Presbytère, which housed the Roman Catholic Priests and authorities in the 18th century.
Originally, the area was used for public execution of disobedient slaves. After the Battle of New Orleans in 1814 the park was renamed for the Unites States President Andrew Jackson and a statue was erected in his honor.
After a long day of walking and sightseeing we went for dinner at Jean Lafitte's Bistro which was above The Old Absinthe House. Jean Lafitte also had a major role in the outcome of the Battle of New Orleans along with Andrew Jackson.
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After eating lots of yummy food including World Famous New Orleans Blackened Catfish, and Brie and Risotto balls, and many drinks we finally returned to the hotel for a nice relaxing evening before leaving the next day. Even though the trip was short, I look forward to my next adventure with Ashley. She said we might even get to see fireworks because Independence day for the USA is coming up soon!
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Posted Jul 4, 2009, 10:20 pm
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Flagstaff, Arizona, USA - 4th July 2009
By: ashl_bee
July 4th is America's Independence Day. More specifically is it the federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. On this day, America was officially free from the rule of the Kingdom of Great Britain. During this time of the year, and specifically on the 4th itself, many people celebrate by having events and get togethers such has barbecues, picnics, parades, concerts, carnivals and firework displays. Also, a lot of people wear very patriotic clothing, with flag emblems on them or the colors red, white and blue.
Because Flagstaff is not only a forest, but also technically a desert climate as well, it is very dangerous to have them if it is too dry. We were thinking that we weren't going to see any this year. We spent most of the morning and afternoon at Ashley's companion's house. He let us play some video games with him.
After killing lots of Zombies, Adam told Ashley that this year Flagstaff was actually going to have Fireworks. So we loaded up a blanket and sweaters because it can be quite chilly in Flagstaff at night and headed over to where the show would be taking place. There were lots and lots of people there. The show was very exciting, but because it was nighttime, it was hard to get a picture with me at the fireworks. But here is one of my favorite pictures of the whole show.
Ashley is hoping to get some time this week to show me and the other TV's around Flagstaff and give us a tour. We are hoping to get some good pictures because it is very pretty this time of year.
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Posted Jul 9, 2009, 3:49 am
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Fisher Point, Arizona, USA - 10th July 2009
By: ashl_bee
Today we went on an outdoor adventure. It was very beautiful outside, and the weather was perfect. Ricky the rat, Thiele, Roots Bear, Tiger Lilly and I got to ride in Ashley's backpack. We are all ready to go!
Ashley explained to us that we were going on a hike, as well as geocaching. Geocaching is somewhat like a treasure hunt. People list the coordinates, and clues to a hidden container on the website [url=geocaching.com]geocaching.com[/url]. Sometimes there are trinkets inside the canister, and sometimes it is so small that you just sign the log. Ashley explained that sometimes it can be frustrating, but the excitement from finding the cache is worth the hunt. To get to the trailhead, we had to go off-roading a little. The bumpy road opened up to a small clearing and we spotted some female elk. Elk are one of the largest species of deer, and look almost identical to Red Deer found in Europe. We saw a lot them, but it was hard to get very close.
Soon after the elk sighting, we arrived at the trail. There was no marker her, but as we got closer we found a trail marker that let us know how much further to out destination. After hiking 2 miles we only have a little more than a half of a mile to go.
As we were getting closer, it got very windy so Ashley packed us into the backpack so we didn't fly off. She didn't want to lose any of us. Not too long afterwards, Ashley unzipped the pouch we were resting in and got to see the view.
We took in the view and rested awhile, then got to searching. 15 minutes later, Ashley's friend found something that he thought was the cache, but it was a teaser. It took a little while and just when we were ready to give up, Ashley figured it out, and the cache was found. Inside there were lots of different things including fly paper, bug bite medical swabs, and a travelbug, which Ashley explained was somewhat like a Toyvoyager. Usually, it is a tag or coin that travels to different geocaches. We didn't take anything this time, but we did sign the log and headed back. It was great fun and I can't wait for the next adventure I get to go on!
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Posted Jul 14, 2009, 12:16 am Last edited Jul 14, 2009, 12:18 am by ashl_bee
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Flagstaff, Arizona, USA - 26th July 2009
By: ashl_bee
Just writing to check in. Life around Flagstaff has been pretty slow. The weather here has been really strange. Early in the day it will be an enjoyable cool temperature, then towards the afternoon dark clouds start to develop followed by strong winds and heavy thunderstorms. The storms were frightening at first, but now they are quite beautiful. Ashley explained this weather is called Summer Monsoons. The rain during this time of the year is highly variable and is characterized by random bursts of downpour followed by breaks that can last for minutes or days. Due to the weather, venturing outside and taking pictures has been quite a task. Ashley has promised to show us around this upcoming week even if the weather is less than favorable.
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Posted Jul 26, 2009, 8:00 pm
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