Why the Chimney Hill Inn? Because they raise alpacas. And alpacas have the shape of giraffes, the wool of sheep, the face of Sam the Sheepdog, and a personality that is somewhere between dog, goat and rabbit. They are a South American camelid, and if you can stare one in the eye without laughing hysterically, you are probably depressed. The lady alpacas at the Chimney Hill Inn, by the way, are protected by two guard llama. Also not a sentence that can be spoken without giggling.

Lucy feeds the alpacas:

John feeds the alpacas:

The rest of the photos:

We hiked one trail for about an hour and a half, which was just about all we could take in the heat.  And since we neglected to get a picture of the four of us (BAD grandkids!  bad!), here are three of us in sweltering heat:

We saw a bunch of animals in Joshua Tree despite the fact that it was 115 degrees.  This lizard is about 4 inches long, and is hanging off of a near-vertical rock.

And whooo did we find to greet us at the bed and breakfast?  Two very watchful great horned owls protecting their three young.

I (Lucy) spent several afternoons at Granzi and Granpop’s house stalking hummingbirds to get a picture.  They pretty much hid from me, but they couldn’t resist the feeder by the window, so I did manage to get a few of the tiny birds.

Another highlight of the trip was seeing Granzi give the Islamic Art tour at LACMA, which is one of her hobbies.  The art was beautiful (the intricate tilings were my favorite, of course), and Granzi knows a lot about it–we were impressed.  Here’s one of John’s covert pictures.  Granzi is wearing a personal speaker because sometimes she gives tours for upwards of 40 people!

And with being that close to the beach, we stopped by to visit the Pacific Ocean and I got a picture with my dashing husband.