Its amazing what just a little bit of water can do.  From stark desert nothingness, the land is transformed into an oasis of life.  Full of green, and flowers, butterflies, birds, and even water beetles.  People flock to it as well.  Muddy footprints left from someone playing at the water's edge, F + M and A + N marked their union, and cars stopped all along the highway to catch a glimpse of the often elusive fresh water.

We found this place on our return drive home so we just stopped for a little while to snap some photos and make sure it wasn't a mirage.  We all thought how nice, though, it would be to stretch out a hammock and read under the shade of an acacia tree while listening to the ripple of the stream.  Its funny how just a little bit of water can make you want to linger.  

the lake

Ya for sailboat races! I love watching the elegant boats glide across the water. A day at the lake isn't complete without at least one dog in the boat and the sun on your face.

Serenissima

The train hummed along, twisting itself through the foothills of the Alps. We stopped in Innsbruck, Austria, the site of the 1964 Olympics, for lunch and to change trains. The boy confessed that he had chosen a less direct way to reach our destination so that we could pass through the mountains. After a delicious bakery style sandwich, which of course can only be found in Europe, I felt tryptophan taking its effect, so after boarding our new train I settled in for a nap.... The next thing I know, several hours later, I wake up and to my surprise have a very different vision outside of my window... The land is lush and green. The mountains have passed, and distinctly there are rows and rows and rows of.... grapevines. Its not so bad when you go to sleep and wake up to find yourself in Italy! After and hour or so more, as I was about to loose it with excitement to see which city we would stay in, our train finally stopped in Venezia! Just when I felt that my life couldn't possibly get any sweeter, we off boarded the train, and there was a guy in his flashy designer suit and D&G sunglasses, waiting for the boy and his plus one. We followed this costra nostrati out of the train station, not to the bus stop, but to the dock where our private water taxi awaited us. Our impeccably dressed captain weaved us through the canals of what must certainly be the most beautiful city in the world.