By Annie Bowler, January 1, 2026 Volume 30 A road trip in early December across California reminded me of how lucky I am to call this diverse, gorgeous state my home. But all this beauty creates challenges: I’m often tempted to stop to take in the views and explore; just ask my travel partner, John.  My first such stop was at the stunning San Pablo Wildlife Refuge, home to birds, birds, and more birds. This refuge is an amazing example of how preserving wild lands near urban

Travels With Heart, By Annie Bowler, December 1, 2025. Volume 29 I’m grateful that we’ve owned the Flower Farm for so many years. Certainly, there have been some challenges, but by and large, it's been a truly worthy endeavor, mainly because it has connected us with so many wonderful people and has allowed us to play a part in hundreds of milestone gatherings of every kind. Each fall for 13 years, a wonderful group of women, who we fondly call the “Loomis Loonies,” have reser

Travels With Heart: By Annie Bowler, November 1, 2025 Volume 28 It's funny how you can stay close to home yet have so many interesting, thought-inspiring experiences. It was that kind of month for me. Enjoy!       I attended "Terra Madre Americas” in Sacramento recently.  It was a fabulous, one-of-a-kind celebration that featured food and drink tastings, live music, celebrity chef demonstrations, educational speakers with food gurus like Alice Waters, artisan vendors, food t

Travels with Heart: October 1, 2025 Volume 28 John and I enjoyed much of September exploring Northern California and Oregon camping in...

Travels With Heart, by Annie Bowler, September 1, 2025 Volume 27 Sugarloaf is the place I want to be! Kindness and creativity are the...

Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler July 1, 2025 Volume 26 June was quite a month! It began at the California Democratic Convention which...

Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler, June 1, 2025 Volume 25 The weather’s been perfect this spring. It’s rained almost every week,...

Travels with Heart, By Annie Martin Bowler Vol 24 April 1, 2025 In early March, I went on a quick walk at dusk and was blessed to catch...

Travels with Heart, By Annie Martin Bowler Volume 23, March 1, 2025 This story reminded me that we humans are capable of incredible good,...

Travels with Heart, By Annie Bowler, Vol 22. February 1st, 2025 One of our goals when we travel in our van is to reconnect with family...

Travels with Heart: By Annie Bowler, Vol 21. January 1st, 2025 Decorating our Christmas tree and house brings back so many wonderful...

Travels with Heart By Annie Bowler, Vol 21. December 1, 2024 Fall brings us all many wonderful opportunities. We’re lucky that our county...

Travels with Heart: By Annie Bowler, Vol 20. November 1, 2024 Fall might be my favorite season at Serene Lakes. It’s quiet, the air is...

By Annie Bowler, Volume 19 October 1, 2024 It’s been a wild, fun, and challenging last few weeks. Early this summer, John and I finally...

By Annie Bowler, Vol. 18 September 1, 2024 If there is one thing that’s certain in life, it’s that things will change. With change often...

Travels with Heart: By Annie Bowler, Vol 16' August 1, 2024 Though we didn’t travel far this July, it was a full month. Jocean and his...

Travels With Heart: By Annie Bowler, Vol 15, June 1, 2024 Hello Friends, I don’t know about you, but June is one of my favorite...

Travels with Heart By Annie Bowler, Vol 14 June 2, 2024 We’ve had a fun but slightly wild May. We didn’t travel far this month, but...

Travels with Heart, May 1, 2024, Vol: 13 I’d never been to Death Valley but I've always been curious about this place with a forbidding...

Travels with Heart, By Annie Bowler, Vol 13 April 1, 2024 We haven’t traveled far this month but apparently, you don’t need to go far for...