Time For a Bath

 After so many travels, I take a good, cleansing bath. I get exposed to many things such as germs in an airplane, dirt in the park, animal hair, food crumbs and spills, and unfortunate drops. When I need an immediate wash, I will use a spot cleanser that is delicate for my fur. But then a few times a year, I get a full spin in the machine.

I use a special bag made for plushies to swim in. They are made of a durable canvas with a zipper. They are like pillow cases, but these protect our fur better than a cotton pillow case.

One or two of us can get in the bag at the same time. Once it is zipped, we go into a front loading washer and get washed in cold water. Any detergent is fine, but no bleach or fabric softener. After the wash, we go in the dryer for a spin on the air setting. Sometimes it takes two air cycles, or we can do one air cycle and then spend some time near an open window without direct sunlight. Then we smell so fresh! And then finally, we use a special brush to fluff up our fur.

All clean and fresh and soft. Can you believe I am over twelve years old? And after all of my travels and spins in the machines, I look pretty good.

Silicon Valley Pride 2019

 For a few years in a row now, I attended Silicon Valley Pride, which is held in San Jose.

 It is a parade and festival for LGBT+ people and their allies to celebrate, but to also share information and to rally together to fight for rights.

 The San Jose Fire Department attends, and they have a fire truck painted up like a Shark. The local NHL team is the San Jose Sharks.

 I have seen these maker buses around and wonder what fun and innovative things are happening inside.

 There are vendors there selling many trinkets and flags.

 The groups march in an organized fashion, and they each have a banner announcing who they are.

 I love this rainbow balloon arch.

 Many parade marchers handed out flags to the spectators.

 This truck was the float for the local community center. People were dancing in the truck bed, it looked fun! I wanted to join them.

 One company even handed out lollipops! My favorite!

 This is the local cosplay group, people marching as their favorite characters.

 I love the way this bus is painted, it is so festive.

 I've always been impressed with these balloon tails.

 There were a lot of dogs walking the parade. It was a beautiful day, so I know their paws weren't sizzling.

I collected a lot of swag, and had a great time supporting the community.

Heading Home

 

We made it to LAX so we could catch our plane home. I wanted to arrive early enough to find a place with coffee that I know and like. And I did. I found a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Mr Duffy and I shared a blended mocha. It was super yummy.

 We got a window seat this time and were happy.

 There were some clouds over the ocean, but then when we were over land, we had a clear picture of... mountains. Just lots of brown.

 We got our pretzels and had our usual fun with them.

 It was a really quick flight - just around an hour.

 And then we landed and made our way to the baggage claim.

We got a ride and made it home. I love traveling, I love New York and Los Angeles, I love being out in the world and doing things. But I also love home. I'm really happy where I live, and who I live with. It really is where my heart is.

Descanso Gardens

 Mr Duffy and I had a day in Los Angeles before finally making our way back home. I thought it would be a good idea to do something that was on the calmer side, so a garden came to mind.

 I looked online and found that Descanso Gardens was in the area. So that is where we went.

 This ended up being a good idea. Not only was it not crowded, the weather was not hot and we got fresh air among beautiful plants, flowers, and trees.

 When you walk in, to the right is a gift shop, and to the left there is a cafe and a walk-up window for snacks and drinks.

 There are streams, small creeks, and tiny waterfalls throughout the park. There are also many benches, so this would be a great place to unplug and just read a book, or snap photos of the nature.

 It feels so relaxing to be near running water. I did look to see if there were salmon in there. Alas, no fish, but that's probably a good thing because I might have jumped in there.

 There are several different types of gardens, such as a rose garden, Japanese garden, and a whole section devoted to native California plants.

 They do have a cute little train that is a few dollars extra. To me, it was worth it to try it once. I do like these little rides, and it put a smile on my face.

 There were a lot of flowers in bloom.

 The color of these flowers - sunflowers or daisies, I'm not sure which - was so bold and gorgeous.

 Ah, another place to enjoy a relaxing pond.

 I liked walking across all the bridges they had.

 This is in the Japanese garden. I was really disappointed that they didn't have any koi.

 We trekked up the hill to the California area. This section had palm trees and cacti.

 They also had redwood trees.

 We noticed the time and the train was about to end its run for the day. So we made haste to the train.

 Whee!

 Hang on tight!

 After our train ride, we went back to California.

 It's a hidden Mickey!

 I miss Disneyland.

 "I just wanna see some palm trees." Are you singing along?

 There was a neat little hideaway under these gigantic leaves.

 There were lizards! They are so cute.

 Here was another shaded spot that had some benches inside.

 I love the greenery.

 We made it up to the gallery and the Boddy house, but they were both closed for the day. The grounds around the buildings were open, though.

 This was the end of our tour. We went down a very long, steep hill and to the exit. The park is beautiful and I had a nice time. I just wanted to get an icy beverage before heading back for our final night of vacation. So we went to Starbucks.

I had an iced, sugar free vanilla latte. Good stuff!

It was a lovely day, but I was wiped out from so much travel.