Today we left for California. On the way, Lydia told us about how Filmore used to be the capitol of Utah, and that there was a Costa Vida there that was always super packed because everyone stopped there on their way South (all according to her history teacher). Lydia captured our imagination, and we pulled off in Filmore. Lily and I didn’t know it, but Filmore was the capitol of the Utah territory for a brief moment under Brigham Young. The capitol building was never finished and only one legislative session was held here, but the completed wing still stands today and at one time was a Presbyterian school, and before that I think it may have been an LDS-run school (see the below rules for teachers and punishments).
Design for finished capitol 
Completed Wing 
Prisoners were chained to the floor since there were no doors to the prison. 
Today was full of delightful surprises. As we were approaching Las Vegas, Lily remembered that she has a close friend, Missy, who lives there. We called up Missy, and on a whim picked up Thai food and visited Missy for an hour. It was wonderful! Missy was a treat to visit with, so warm, engaging and friendly, and her kids were so polite, kind, and delightful. And our kids were out of their minds with interest at Missy’s chickens. See the videos below!
We pulled into our Super 8 in Oceanside late at night. On the way we listened to a mind-blowing book called The Lemon Tree about the relationship between Israel and Palestine (charting both their general histories as well as the relationship between a Palestinian family, and an Israeli family that moved into their home after the Palestinians were kicked out of Israel. ***Spoiler alert*** A member from each family becomes friends and they turn the home into a school for Arabic children.