Where swallows fly, or not

Magnet #112 - San Juan Capistrano

Remember when we discussed that every once in a while I end up in places and sometimes missing the biggest thing to see? (And that's why I generally do an itinerary for every trip I take to avoid such a fate?)

Ummm, yeah. San Juan Capistrano. Famous for the San Juan Capistrano swallows.

On that Woman on Her Own roadtrip I took through Cali, on a whim, I decided to drive through SJC.

I saw no swallows. None. I went to San Juan Capistrano...and completely missed the damn birds. Truth be told, they fly in March, so I really missed them because my timing was off. But still.

Now...if you know me well enough, you know that this is perfectly fine by me, given my hatred of all things fowl. (Except chickens. And cute and not-so-cute ducks. And maybe baby chicks. And owls.) I also get scared of Mother Nature en masse - and apparently - the skies go black when the swallows fly! Gah. Scary, scary, scary.

So, I've made my peace with not seeing the swallows. Sort of. I mean, it's a shame, but really? Lots of birds = lots of bird poop. Ewwww.

But, SJC itself was a lovely little town. Got to see the mission where the swallows used to hang, got to see a bit of the historic district-y area, and of course, the shops.

And as we all know...I like a little shop.