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Travels With Heart
John and Annie Bowler have worked hard to develop the Flower Farm into a lovely community gathering spot. Now that they are no longer running the Flower Farm Café, John and Annie are finding time to relax, enjoy some adventures and follow some of their other passions, which for John means creating art and for Annie, it means writing, including her blog, "Travels with Heart."
So if you're wondering what John and Annie are up to these days, you can get the latest news in each month's “Travels with Heart" blog. Here's to many wonderful adventures!
All Posts
Travels with Heart: Here and There
By Annie Bowler, May 1, 2026 Vol 34, I’ll start with a short health update but if you don’t know what I am talking about, refer to last month’s blog. It took a while for my heart, and my head, to get used to its new battery-powered system, but five weeks post-procedure, I am doing quite well. I absolutely love that my heart now beats as steady as a metronome. I never realized how often that my heart used to beat in crazy rhythms until now; what a relief this has been! I am g
Annie Bowler
May 14 min read
An Important Heart Journey
Travels with Heart by Annie Bowler, April 2, 2026 Vol 33 I haven’t traveled far recently, but have experienced an amazing journey, nonetheless. Read on to learn more... As some of you may know, I was born with a congenital heart defect, specifically a bicuspid aortic valve, meaning my aortic valve has two flaps instead of three. I was unaware of this fact until 17 years ago when I started to have a fib, which are disorganized electrical signals causing the heart to beat out o
Annie Bowler
Apr 35 min read
Travels With Heart: Exploring Local
By Annie Bowler March 3, 2026 Volume 32 John and I took a much-needed break recently and boy, did we have grand fun! We headed to the “Grass Valley Center for the Arts” to hear the “American Patchwork Quartet” a group that reinterprets traditional folk songs with a "masterful confluence of tradition and innovation;" they combine American folk with global influences, including West African rhythms and East Asian musical elements. We enjoyed delicious Italian at Cirino's at Ma
Annie Bowler
Mar 14 min read
Honoring the Past and Moving Forward
Travels with Heart: by Annie Bowler, February 5, 2026 Vol. 31 All five of our children attended Del Oro High School, for many years, John taught art and was the Varsity Men’s Soccer coach at DO and I volunteered and attended a countless number of events. Del Oro has been an important part of our lives for the more than 35 years; it’s been our home. There’s a deep and justifiable sense of local pride for D.O. as the Loomis community has a good thing going in our hometown high
Annie Bowler
Feb 83 min read
Travels With Heart: On the Homefront
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
Annie Bowler
Jan 75 min read
Much Gratitude
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
Annie Bowler
Dec 1, 20254 min read
Local Inspirations
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
Annie Bowler
Nov 6, 20254 min read
Oregon Adventures
Travels with Heart: October 1, 2025 Volume 28 John and I enjoyed much of September exploring Northern California and Oregon camping in...
Annie Bowler
Oct 1, 20254 min read
Summer’s Adventures
Travels With Heart, by Annie Bowler, September 1, 2025 Volume 27 Sugarloaf is the place I want to be! Kindness and creativity are the...
Annie Bowler
Aug 31, 20253 min read
Indonesian Adventures!
Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler July 1, 2025 Volume 26 June was quite a month! It began at the California Democratic Convention which...
fran bowler
Jun 29, 20255 min read
Spectacular Spring
Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler, June 1, 2025 Volume 25 The weather’s been perfect this spring. It’s rained almost every week,...
Annie Bowler
May 26, 20253 min read
Spring Reflections
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...
Annie Bowler
Mar 23, 20254 min read
Roads Less Traveled
Travels with Heart, By Annie Martin Bowler Volume 23, March 1, 2025 This story reminded me that we humans are capable of incredible good,...
Annie Bowler
Feb 22, 20253 min read
Ah, with a Little Help from my Friends.
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...
Annie Bowler
Jan 27, 20255 min read
Holiday Reflections and Welcoming the New Year
Travels with Heart: By Annie Bowler, Vol 21. January 1st, 2025 Decorating our Christmas tree and house brings back so many wonderful...
Annie Bowler
Jan 11, 20255 min read
Fabulous Fall
Travels with Heart By Annie Bowler, Vol 21. December 1, 2024 Fall brings us all many wonderful opportunities. We’re lucky that our county...
Annie Bowler
Nov 30, 20244 min read
Community Reflections
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...
Annie Bowler
Nov 13, 20244 min read
Travels with Heart: Northern Explorations
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...
Annie Bowler
Oct 1, 20244 min read
A Bit of History
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...
Annie Bowler
Sep 4, 20243 min read
Organized Chaos
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...
Annie Bowler
Jul 30, 20244 min read
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