Zoltar, Take Two! This Time in Utah.

A few days ago, after walking through the Harley Davidson store, my Mom and I entered the slider restaurant.  And who was there to greet us?  Zoltar!!!

Honestly, I've never seen one in Utah.  The only two I've seen were at the Santa Barbara pier, which I blogged about last year, and I believe I saw one in the Pacific View mall in Ventura next to the food court, but that was ages ago and my memory is cloudy.  Anywho, I was just surprised to see Zoltar, and so close to home, too.

Who woulda thunk.

And so I did what any sensible person would do.

I paid a dollar and got my fortune told.

 "You are a very virtuous person.  You have chosen the path of righteousness and you will be very happy.  You are not easily influenced.  Your relatives have a great deal of respect for you.  They know that you have a keen mind and an understanding nature.  You have a good sense of values.  You love a beautiful home and one of these days you will be in possession of one."

:0)

Learning about History through Vintage Postcards

 It's no mystery on this blog that I love postcards.  I participate with postcrossing.com, in which I'm really close to receiving 400 postcards total from around the World.

A little while ago I started collecting vintage/antique postcards.  My collection is pretty small, but so far I love what I've been able to find while visiting antique shops.

I visited quite a few antique stores throughout the Utah Valley, but couldn't find any Utah postcards.  I guess it makes sense that I had to travel outside Utah to finally find some, and it was in Cambria CA where I found a nice little stash.

 These postcards I place between 1945 and 1950

It's fun reading what is described on the back.

 Southern Utah postcards circa 1970's.

Did you know Bryce Canyon inspired the look of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland?  It's all thanks to a National Geographic article back in the day.  (I heard this on one of those behind-the-scenes DVD's that you can buy at the Disney park.  I really need to find the article.)

 I've heard my Mom and Grandparents talk about "The Sky Ride" at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon several times this last decade, but every time I visit the falls I have a hard time imagining it.  There's no trace of this old ride. Apparently there was a restaurant at the top you could visit.  That would have been fun.

I believe I literally let out a squeal of delight when I found the postcard and couldn't wait to show my family.

 Before and after photos of Mount St. Helens.  Amazing.

 More postcards spanning the country.

I just love how these older postcards are drawn/painted.  It adds to the charm.

 Now this is my most favorite find:  A photo book of images found throughout Oregon and California, all drawings.

 I love the classic cars.

My Favorite Place in the World: Cambria CA

 Yes, I love Disneyland.  Love, love, love the place, but Cambria CA is my favorite place in the World.  I discovered this quaint little town in the seventh grade, when my class in middle school took a field trip to Hearst Castle, San Simeon.  We drove through Cambria, and I knew I had to return and explore.

These pictures are from a trip I took with my Mom and Grandma last year.

 Where I like to buy old books and look through the art gallery.

 Super yummy BBQ.  I crave central California tri-tip.  I miss the smell, and at this grill you can smell the tri-tip cooking down the street.  Honestly, this is one of the things I miss most living in Utah.  There was a fantastic tri-tip grill in Porterville, where I grew up.  So yummy.

 . . . Have I mentioned how much I love Cambria's quaintness?

 All along Moon Stone beach there's a walking path.  It's necessary during high-tide, but really nice to walk along.  On this trip I didn't photograph any squirrels.  There's so many!!  And they're crazy friendly.

 Moon Stone beach is my favorite beach in the World.  Granted, there's not a lot of beaches I've visited, but I love this stretch of Ocean.  During low-tide it's fun to walk over the rocks and look at the tide-pools, seeing crabs, shells, sea urchins, and other fun things.  Sometimes you can hear an otter in the distance trying to crack a shell on a rock.  And the "sand" on the beach are little stones.  You must wear shoes.  It's fun to shift through the tiny stones to look for different colors, or find "moon stones" which, here, are white agates covered with calcium.

 It's so cold that my Grandma brought a blanket.

 A sign reminding you not to feed the seals.  During certain times of the year you can see them hanging out on the beach.  It's really fun.

 Some of the extended Linn's shops behind the restaurant.

They're all about the Olallieberry.

 My favorite shop.

 It's a tradition to always fill a sachet with potpourri.

Apparently, according to my Mom's cousin, my first cousin once removed, Cambria is really getting hit hard with the California drought, which is really sad.

But I hope to visit one day soon.

Cambria and Moon Stone beach is beautiful in the Spring with all the spring flowers. I love to visit this place in my dreams.

Your Speech is in Your Roots

 Santa Rosa, Modesto, and Reno.  Those are the cities that represent my dialect.

The "hot spots" are places my speech is most similar, and vice-versa.  I got this map from a really fun, introspective quiz called "How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk."  It's on the Sunday Review page, and was making it's rounds on FaceBook last Christmas.

This quiz is based on the results of the Harvard Dialect Survey back in 2002, which only has 25 questions.  The original Harvard Dialect Survey had a total of 122 questions.  You can go to the page and click on each question to see full, illustrated results.  It's a lot of fun poking around, comparing answers to locations. 

Here's one of the questions: "What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?"  I've Honestly never heard of this phenomenon having a word.  I've always looked outside and admired how beautiful it is, opening the door and running into the rain to go rainbow chasing.  Some places call this a "Sunshower," "Pineapple Rain," or "Liquid Sun."  I like liquid sun.  That's what I'll call it from now on.

Also, thanks to this quiz, I've finally figured out the difference between a Highway and a Freeway.  Yes, I'm 31 and I've seen the light.  I realized it's because I grew up in Porterville, which is far from major Freeways.  Highways connect everything there, the major Highway, the All American City Highway, connecting Linday, Porterville, and Bakersfield, received this name after 1995 when Lindsay earned the award. Porterville earned the All-American-City award a year earlier in 1994.  It was a HUGE deal.  Anyways, where I grew up all the cities connected via Highway, wrapping around agriculture and cow farms.

I thought it would be fun to have my family take this quiz.

The three cities my Mom got: Reno, Santa Rosa, and Oceanside.

My Dad: Stockton, Fresno, and Modesto.

Steven, like me: Santa Rosa, Reno, and Modesto.

Robbie: San Jose, Corona, and Denver.  (I'm still trying to figure this out.)

Michael: Santa Rosa, Salt Lake, and some place back East (probably because he served his mission in South Chicago.)

I can't remember everywhere my Sister-in-law Krista got, but Salt Lake was one, as was a city in Idaho where her Grandfather is from.  Krista's Sister, Erin, got Salt Lake, Fresno, and Bakersfield, which I find particularly amusing because she's never been to central California, and I grew up between those last two cities.

So if you're curious, and have some time on your hands, I recommend taking the How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk quiz.  It's pretty fun.

Sunday Balloons

 I'm glad my Mom opened her blinds when she did yesterday morning.

"Sarah!  Get up here!"

"Why?"

"Just come up here."

I rushed up the steps, and just in the distance there were two balloons, colors popping just above the tree line.

In less then a minute I rushed down the stairs, grabbed my phone and keys, and jetted out the door.

These pictures tell the rest of the story :0)

Keep your eyes Open.

You don't know what you'll miss.