Emily and Mitchell in the USA

This weekend we went back into the desert! Anza-Borrego is a state park about two hours from us and known for the giant metal sculptures which can be found dotted about the desert. But there was a lot to see before we got to them. We stopped on the way there in a little town called Julian which is famous for its apple orchards and apple pie. It is also an old mining town and has several gold mines, including one which is open for tours. We did some panning for gold and then went inside where the miners used to go. They showed up the hats they used to wear with candles on top and the different tools they'd use to get through the lines of quartz.  Finishing the tour, we then went into the town to get some pie! Mitchell got a traditional with whipped cream and I got Dutch caramel apple with cinnamon ice-cream. They were very tasty and very large slices! We then walked past a few of the small shops and stopped for some hot apple cider from a cart. They asked us if we wanted cream and c...

It's been quite the week of festive events! On Tuesday after we went camping we went to a Friendsgiving; like Thanksgiving, but held for friends. There were about 15 people and everyone brought a dish to share. There was traditional food like turkey, cornbread and mac'n'cheese, and some exciting things like jambalaya and Pakistani style rice. We even had Mexican style cheesecake and flan for dessert.  Then, on the Thursday, we went into Downtown Riverside to see the festival of lights! We'd been promised a big show with vendors and carriage rides, but all that had been shut down this year (and I'm guessing last year too), but we got to see the light displays which had been put up all around the city. We then got some pizza and went to a popular doughnut place where there were so many flavours! They were all huge, so we shared a lemon pistachio flavoured one, but they had maple, rocky road, strawberries and cream, snickers, and so much more. On Saturday, we got Chris...