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Roca and rattlesnakes
Today was a bit of a hodgepodge day that consisted of shopping, tourist-ing, and panic attacks. But there were no rattlesnakes. Well, at least none that I saw.
My parents had to go to “the other side”* for some shopping so I tagged along to get a few things for myself, with the idea that we’d check out the Almond Roca factory and maybe some other touristy things. So, that’s what we did.
The day started great with a trip to the Almond Roca factory. I grew up with the candy around the house but it was Mum’s “special” stuff so I rarely got any. But as it’s a local confection, it’s what I like to take to friends back in Scotland. And as a couple of my friends are fans of the stuff, I thought I’d pop into the factory “for them”. (Well, and for me …)
After that, we went to the PX where I got a groovy new pair of boots and an awesome new toy that I’ll tell you about later. Then we went to the commissary for some groceries. Frustratingly, I had a minor panic attack when we were at the store because of the massive build-up of stress and worry I’ve been dealing with. It’s a post-widowhood “souvenir”, but thankfully they’re extremely rare now. In fact, it’s been more than two years since my last one and that was when I was clearing out my marital home.
Anyhow, I’m just hiding that part in the middle so that I’m being honest with my amazing support network, but so that maybe most people will just gloss over it to get to the pictures …
On the way home, we stopped off at the Cedar River Watershed, home of Rattlesnake Lake, for a quick look around. I was highly entertained by the rain drums (see the video below) and was even more entertained by the information centre inside where I got to play the little kiddie games. (Yes, I do that and I am not ashamed to admit it.)
We made a couple more stops along the way, too, to see the only railroad “ruins” and to walk on the rocky shore a bit. I was going to stack rocks, but there was already someone doing that so I had a wee chat with her about the awesomeness of rock stacking.
And then we drove home. Where I’m now blogging to you before I go and relax in front of the television. I wonder what tomorrow will bring …
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* “The other side” is what folks from the Homeland call anything on the other side of the mountain pass. It is commonly understood to mean the Greater Puget Sound Area and is often talked about as the big, bad, scary place that many locals are afraid of. (Those city folk are weird, you know.)