Today, in the extremely bright sunshine, we walked  to the DAV Thrift Store that resides on the Pacific Coast Highway, somewhere in Oceanside. I don’t know specifically ‘where’ in Oceanside, just that it’s south of us.

We embarked on this journey after breakfast so we were nourished, unlikely to faint away from the physical aspect of the endeavor. Had I known, at the time, that the one-way distance to our destination was 1.7 miles away, I may have given it a second thought.

To those of you who walk on a regular basis, that’s no big deal, right? Well, to me, a person who ‘talks’ about walking more than ‘doing’ it, 1.7 miles is a pretty good hike. Making it even worse, there was the trip home making it a whopping 3.4 miles! That’s a long ways. I know that one of the Nancy’s I know walks that far between snacks, and probably thinks I’m overreacting to the distance. Now I’ll admit that I wasn’t aware of the distance involved at the onset of this trek. Diane kept that a secret until we made it back to our abode.

Making it even more profound, was that I added at least another mile to that by leaving Diane to browse while I backtracked to an O’Reilly automotive store we passed on the way. I did that because I needed some R-134 refrigerant for the Buick. The A/C quit working right about the time we hit warmer weather on our way. This happened the last time we took a trip south, when the Buick was still under warranty, and nothing was found to be wrong. They just recharged the system and it worked fine. Until now. Now, considering that we don’t use the A/C during the winter, maybe it failed right away and we just didn’t know it.

So, thinking I knew the solution to the current problem, I went to O’Reilly’s to get the recharge kit. It cost over $53 which includes a $10 core charge for the can. After getting it, I walked back to the DVA place and entered the store just as Diane was checking out. She stuffed everything in the handle bag she thoughtfully brought to make it easier for me to carry. She just knew I would because I’m that kind of guy. I carry stuff for her. Open doors, too.

Then we started the journey back to the condo. About half way Diane’s knee started acting up so I had to carry her. It was necessary to stop frequently so she could rest because holding the bag made her arm tired. And, though the front of me is soft a cushy, my back is still bony and uncomfortable for her to ride on. She’s never been one to take piggy back ride so I’ve never really felt a need to concentrate on developing a fat back. After today, I find it necessary to rethink that.

Once back in our room, Diane started working on lunch. I was allowed to help by making the salad. I regret not taking a photo, but eating it was more importing than documenting it at the time. She broiled an enormous steak, cooked some asparagus, and baked a couple of potatoes. It was totally awesome! I, of course, was forced to eat everything that Diane couldn’t consume. That’s a large factor in my development of a cushy front side. I’ve had to do that our entire married life. I’ve been very well fed because I had to do that for the kids, too.

Now it’s late, the laundry is done, folded and put away, and we’re just sitting around eating candy and drinking wine

Life is pretty good.

Tomorrow the plan is to seek out the Del Mar Fairgrounds to wander amongst a reported 2500 custom vehicles built before 1972. I guess it’s a big deal so we’re going to find out. We actually got a little sample of what will be there during out walk from downtown. Just as we neared our destination, we heard the unmistakable rumbling of some modified engines and turned to see a line of about 30 customs coming up the street. We watched, they all waved at us, and we waved back. They drove past our facility, took a left at the stop sign, then turned left on “S The Strand”. Apparently this is a fun thing to do and we got to see them twice because there are no buildings next to our condo complex, allowing us to watch us them cruise down The Strand. Very colorful and pleasing.

Now I must rest. I’ve got a nearly 5 mile walk to get over. Next time I’ll ask how far it is before agreeing to go.

I’ll leave you with photos of this cafe we found today. It’s named after our daughter, Jennie.

This was painted on the side of the building. It faces a paved, vacant lot right on the Pacific Coast Highway, that had a price tag of $499,999.00. That’s vacant, as in without a building on it, as if it’s bargain.