Gone With Gold

Last night we decided to spend today prowling around Joseph...

She sees what I did there.  Oh yes she does.

 ...but the overnight winds were so strong that our tent poles were occasionally inverted (so exciting to wake up to metal one inch from your face!), and when we got up this morning there were storm clouds threatening, plus Nathan felt Something Terrible trying to take up residence in his throat, and so we decided to pack things up early, spend half the day hanging out in Joseph, and the other half heading home to Timaru, where walls stay where they've been put.

One of the neat things about Joseph is the abundance of really nice bronze statues:

Making friends.  With a shirtless cowboy.  As you do.

 We did a bit of shopping, as well (what vacation is complete without spending more money?!), and Nathan got himself a souvenir fish hat, and I got some hand-crafted jewelry (see the earrings below!) from the neatest little shop (I knew I would love it when I saw the dragon over the door).  We also made time to buy postcards for the niblings, and then of course we had to fill them out, so naturally we chose to do so in the local chocolate shop.  Again, staffed by amazingly friendly people.  I don't know what they put in the water here, but it's working.

or maybe it's in the chocolate?

 Once we'd gorged ourselves upon sweets and hospitality, we shoved the post cards in a mail box and headed out for the long drive home.

(When road tripping with a photographer, one must always budget 1/3 again more time.  At least.)

Just as we'd long wanted to go see Palouse Falls, we'd also wanted to stop at the tree farm we always see during our drives to Spokane.  As it turns out the place is called GreenWood, and it makes for exactly as lovely photos as we'd thought it would:

Poplars?  I think?  Who is knowledgeable about trees?  Share your wealth!

And now we are home.  And going to bed.  Because it is not late, but we are quite sleepy.