Day Twelve – The Monorail and “O”

Standard | Posted on March 14, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Hi there! Though I’m sure no one cares, today we got up semi-early so we could use our monorail tickets one more time before they expired at 2pm. We used that trip to go get our tickets for “O” at the Bellagio, and to scope out the route we had to take this afternoon to eat the Flamingo buffet then attend “O”. The Flamingo is 2.4 miles from our condo so we chose to use public transit in the form of the Las Vegas monorail. In total, walking to the LVH stop, walking from Bally’s to the Bellagio, walking back to the Bally’s stop, then walking from the LVH stop to our room covered a total of just under 3 miles. The reason for this is because they trick you by making you exit the monorail into a casino. There’s signs leading you to various streets, but they all point to the middle of the casino where they mysteriously disappear. Thankfully, the folks with brooms are more than happy to help point the way. Some even escorted us reporting that we aren’t the only people in the world who remarked about the disappearing signs. Pretty tricky, huh?

Then we returned to our room, had a bowl of cheerios, and took a nap until 3:30 pm in preparation for our assault of the Paradise Buffet at the Flamingo. We had to rest up for that.

On the way out of our facility, the lobby was full so I walked over to the concierge and asked, loudly, if they still had free monorail passes. I was surprised that those in the lobby didn’t make a run on the concierge, which was my intent. Instead they all stayed placidly put in their lines for the main desk. The concierge ladies got it, and reported that the free ones were all gone, but they had discount coupons for 2 day passes. That’s interesting because the normal machines only have 1 and 3 day passes. I mentioned this and was told it was something new that just started. So, we accepted t he passes and marched off.

This is Diane on the that trip. I used the stairs …

This is Diane a the biggest slot machine in the world … she lost $1.00

This is what we ate for our late lunch at the Flamingo …

After lunch, we wandered over to the Bellagio to get in line to enter the theater. This is Diane waiting for the doors to open along with the other 1798 people who were going to see “O” …

I took a picture of the people in front of us but, wait! There weren’t any. We were sitting in the front row! OMG! In the middle, almost. Close enough. Now, all I can say about “O” is that it’s a totally incredible show. Being in the front row, however, has it’s hazards. All I can say is that if you find yourself in that location, wear dark pants. I wore khaki pants. So, guess who got more water poured on them than anyone else in the front row? Well, me, of course. I think it was totally planned by the clowns who did it, just so it would be obvious that I got soaked. Diane got wet, too, but she had dark clothes on. She was thinking ahead, I do believe. By the time the show was over I was almost dry, so it was totally OK. Lots of fun. Oh, and it really was clowns who got me wet.

On the way out of the show we stopped on a bridge to watch the Bellagio water show. It’s quite impressive, too.

Now it’s 11:11 pm and time to stop. Good night.

Day Eleventy – Las Vegas

Standard | Posted on March 13, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

This was our ride today after Diane won a thousands and thousands of dollars on the penny slots.

… and this is what we had for dinner, just because it’s really, really good …

I’m sure you know the truth here, so I will not elaborate. The beans and wienies and fried potatoes were really good. They would have been better with bread and butter, but we’re on a diet for some reason.

We got up late this morning so didn’t get the early start we wanted. Diane will dispute that because she said she got up at 6:00 am after I hit her with a pillow which is just pure fiction because I do not remember it. That’s the rule. If I don’t remember it, it didn’t happen.

After they took the limo away from us, we took a ride on the mono rail to the Flamingo to get tickets for the Donny & Marie show. This is what it looks like while you wait for the mono rail …

… and this …

Las Vegas is much prettier at night, as I’m sure you know. We, however, prefer the natural light of day instead of neon. Now neon is pretty, and hides a multitude of flaws to be sure, but it’s all about preference. Know what I mean?

Before I forget, again, while we were at the Flamingo, a girl in a bikini came through to deliver a pizza to someone. I’m sorry to report that I have no idea what kind of pizza it was, but her bikini was blue. And small.

I had to take a break because Jim called to give us permission to cross the Idaho border. Finally! I called him 3 or 4 times over a 3 hour period, but he wouldn’t answer. I figured he was in the bathroom. He would neither confirm nor deny that when he called so you know what that means.

Gonna quit now. I think we’re going to Nellis AFB tomorrow. Just for fun.

Day Ten – Off to Las Vegas

Standard | Posted on March 12, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

We were up at the crack of dawn, packed everything up, and were on the road by 8:30 am, and made it to Las Vegas, unscathed, by noon. At 1:00 pm Diane hit a jackpot on a quarter machine for $86,437.00. As she was cashing in, a young nubile girl walked up to me and attached herself to my arm and said Diane sent her over thinking I needed company while I waited for her … then I woke up.

It was 9:30 am. Diane was reminding, in a fairly loud manner, that we only had 30 minutes before we had to check out of the condo. She already had everything in the kitchen boxed up, ready for transport. As I left the bedroom, she entered and started filling the suitcases. What a gal. All I had to do was hurk all of it down three flights of stairs to the vehicle. There is no elevator in any of the buildings. And, I lied because I only had to hurk everything down one floor.

By the way, the above picture is of our room. It’s the corner unit on the top floor. I already shared our view out the front, so don’t need to do that again, do I?

We chose to head north a little ways and take State Road 76 to I-15, which goes smack through the middle of Las Vegas. Before we got to SR-76 Google Maps told me we could take Oceanside Blvd to SR-76, and get off I-5 a little sooner. What we learned by doing this is that Oceanside Blvd connects to Mission Blvd and goes for miles, and miles before allowing access to SR-76. They make you go through about 8 major malls along the way before allowing access to the road allowing quicker access through the town.

Finally, we made it! We were truly on the way.

Then I decided to get to work on the iPad but I failed to plug it in last night so the battery was only charged to 48% and that wasn’t nearly enough. So, I felt around on the floor for my DC to AC converter. I have to use that because the iPad won’t charge using the USB connection of the other nifty little gizmos I have. I don’t know why, and don’t really care, because it wouldn’t do ay good to care. Anyway, after digging around for a while I camer to the conclusion that either someone had robbed us, and taken only the converter, or I had relocated it to the rear compartment that was now under the suitcases, and about a couple hundred pounds of other “stuff”. Thankfully, Diane’s kidney’s required relief so we jumped off the freeway at Barstow to patronize a California Visitor Center. That was pretty tricky because the signs led us into a huge parking lot that was surrounded by four strip malls. We had to pull to the middle and stop so we could search for the Visitor’s Center, which we wanted because we knew they had restrooms, and found it tucked into one corner.

Before going in we opened thr back hatch and I lifted up the suitcases, and other stuff, while Diane looked in the compartment. Thankfully, the converter was there so we could relieve ourselves calmly, allowing all the urine to drain completely, unlike what would have happened had we been tensed up.

Unfortunately, plugging the converter into the power port didn’t produce any results because the insides of the plug were missing. I surmised that, since the missing parts had a threaded component, it was no doubt still in the compartment, under the suitcases. Since wer were already moving, at 86 mph, I chose to seek an alternative way to resurrect the converter.

Since Agnus has a similar configuration for the power port plug, I chose to dismantle it to see if I could make the AC converter functional. Try as I might, I could not unscrew the knurled section of Agnus’ part, so needed a tool. Fortunately, I carry a bag of computer tools with Diane’s laptop and it has a pair of needle nose pliers. Using those, I accomplished my mission. I got it apart. Now all I had to do was transfer the parts from Agnus’ power plug to the AC converter power plug and see what blew up. That took a little engineering, and the pliers again. The threaded portion from Agnus didn’t quite match the converter but I discovered that, by using the pliers, it wasn’t that difficult to force the threads into the plastic portion of the plug. So, if you ever have to do this, now you know how. It works. The only problem was that Agnus would have to function without external power for a while.

I let the AC converter propel the iPad charge up to 82%, then reassembled all the plugs to their normal configuration. Knowing the process made reversing it simple.

I’ve shared the foregoing details with you because there isn’t anything else to write about on this leg of the trip. I-15 is flanked by miles and miles of sage brush interspersed with random towns and cities which all look alike. It’s as if the towns and cities are comprised of nothing but mall, after mall, and they are all the same color as their desert surroundings.

This what it looks like most of the way …

We went through Baker which has a population of 600 peoples. Apparently they’re either having difficulty with their sewage facilities, or it just smells that way all the time. A little south of Baker is an exit for Zzyzx Road. Really. It’s named Zzyzx. I didn’t think it was legal to use words in America that don’t have vowels. Interesting. Kinda made us want to get off and see what it was all about. Maybe that’s why they named it that. Interesting.

We arrived at our destination at 4:30 pm. Diane sat in the driveway until I got checked in then I went out to get all our “stuff” and take it to the room. While I, and Randy, were loading the luggage carts Diane went inside to the restroom so she wouldn’t have to help. She returned just in time to move the vehicle to the adjacent parking lot while Randy jockeyed the carts (two of them) into the elevator and to our room. It was kinda funny going through the lobby of a Hilton hotel with boxes of food, and bags of various other “things”. It didn’t really matter, however, because we didn’t meet anyone on the way who felt the need for an explanation.

We’re on the 17th floor of Hilton’s newest condo facility in Las Vegas. It’s a renovated hotel but we don’t know what it used to be called. Doesn’t matter. It’s a very nice place. We’re happy. Our view is of the Stratosphere on the strip. This is what it looked like before the sun went down …

This what it looked about 5 minutes ago. It’s got lots of lights.

Day Nine – Laundry & Costco

Standard | Posted on March 11, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Greetings.

First, did everyone turn their clocks ahead last night? If not, you’re living in the past and are probably an hour late for everything today.

Today we set around most of the day reading our books. Diane’s going crazy buying books on the Kindle, now that she knows how. I can say stuff like that because she’s made it pretty clear that she doesn’t read this blog for a reason. I don’t know what the reason is but, since she doesn’t read it, I can say anything about what she does, or doesn’t do, without fear. The only thing that would ruin that for me is if one of you broke this bond of trust I’ve established with you, and casually mentioned it in a phone conversation or an email.

I got up first this morning and tippy-toed around the condo like a ninja until Diane got up. That didn’t take long because I couldn’t help myself and did a jump-kick accompanied by a fairly loud “HI YAAAA!”. I was immediately sorry for getting so into character. Next time I get up first I’ll sneak around like something more quiet. Or, just sit quietly until summoned.

After Diane arose, we made breakfast … pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was really good, but my last meal that tastes good until I get my blood sugar down a little. It’s not overly high, but the potential is there and i need to be a good boy and eat properly. Probably getting out and exercising a little wouldn’t hurt either. Along those lines, we walked around the resort today and discovered that they have a really nice little gym at right next to our unit. Go figure.

Then we went to Costco to get some plastic containers for some of the food we have in open boxes. Like sugar and Cheerios. There may other stuff, but those are the important ones.

When we returned from Costco I carried our dirty clothes to the laundry area so Diane could wash them. It’s not that I refuse to do laundry, as if it’s a woman’s job, which it is, but rather because I’m not allowed to do laundry. That career ended when I washed one of Diane’s sweaters, dried it, then picked almost all of it out of the lint trap. So, today I just stayed out of the way doing what I was gold to do. Most notably, she showed me one of my shirts that had some spots that only she could see. We were in a rather dark room so she told me to go out in the sun and look for spots. So I did. And, I got in trouble right away because she didn’t tell me to take the shirt with me. I went back and got it, took it out in the sun, but still couldn’t see them. But, I smeared laundry soap all over the front, as directed, to ensure any possible spot was covered.

We didn’t eat supper. Actually, I don’t think we ate lunch, either. I guess that’s because we ate breakfast in place of lunch and there wasn’t enough time to eat dinner because our clocks were an hour off.

Now it’s late and time for bed. Tomorrow when we get up we’ll pack up all our stuff and head to Las Vegas. It’s been a good week.

Day Eight – Oceanside & Camp Pendleton

Standard | Posted on March 10, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Since we went to bed around 8:30pm last night, we thought it would be OK to get up at 6:30am this morning. Actually, my bladder thought that would be a good idea. So I did. Besides, I’d been in bed long enough by then.

Diane got up shortly thereafter and started right out talking to me which is unusual because I’m normally not allowed to converse with her for the first couple of hours in the morning. That’s not entirely true … I’m not allowed to talk to her if she just gets up early to use the bathroom with the intention of returning to bed, no matter what time it is. She says if I do, “her head turns on” and she can’t go back to sleep. So I have to work on zipping it, which is difficult for me to do.

The big event of the day was going to the swap meet at Oceanside. We were originally going to the Spring Valley Swap Meet, but thought we would avoid driving long distance and go to the local one.

For those of you not versed in the construction of California, Oceanside is a Marine town located outside Camp Pendleton. The swap meet we went to is held at an old drive in theater that still has four huge screens standing. It’s obvious they are no longer used, but it’s kinda cool. Diane and I used to take the kids to drive ins when we lived in Long Beach many, many, many years ago. I think Jennie was 9 then. Jeff was 12.
Anyway, turns out that Saturday is a slow day for the swap meet and that Sunday is when things are really happening. Most of what was on sale were tools and clothes, and lots of stuff from China. It was fun to walk around and look at all the stuff and we actually bought a few things. This is Diane’s coop de grace:

This is something we’ll get years of use from, I’m sure. She was delighted, as you can see.

From the swap meet Diane chose the route and we immediately found a “Yard Sale” sight that was just around the corner. We stopped and visited with the guys who seemed to be working the sale and wound up buying a couple of beach chairs for $5. They are classics and will work well with our new umbrella, sitting outside our old Winnebago.

From the yard sale, we went back to the I-5 freeway and headed North for about 30 seconds to the main gate at Camp Pendleton. With our brand new base decal the guard waved us right on through, not even looking at our ID cards. The Navy base will not let us in with looking at IDs. What’s with that? I guess it’s because everyone on Camp Pendleton is armed and dangerous so they are too worried about random scary people.

Our first stop was for gas. On base it’s $4.40 a gallon. Nice. That fill up will last us until Las Vegas. After getting gas, we went to the Commissary to look around and to get some milk and butter … and ice cream … and candy bars. We may have gotten something else, but those were the important items. The Marine commissary is much nice than the Navy’s. Nice big wide aisles, well marked, lots and lots of checkers. And, nice people all over. We enjoyed our little stop there very much.

I was on the base numerous years ago, like in the 60s, when my cousin Brad was stationed there. That’s Gene’s brother. And Kathie’s Uncle. Brad was a Marine Corps Major at the time, and was in charge of base security, as I recall. He gave me a tour of the base and I was amazed at how huge it is and how much open space there was. There’s still lots of open space, but there are many more structures now, and more going up. It’s littered with little strip-like malls with all manner of wares. Nothing like the bases I grew up on during my Navy days. It was pretty incredible. I took this picture as we were driving off the base …

Not a very good picture, but maybe it’ll give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

When leaving the base, the I-5 Freeway is right there in front of you … North to Los Angeles, South to San Diego. We noticed as we drove over the freeway, to head south, that pretty much everyone in California was heading that direction so the freeway was like a colorful glacier … pretty to look at but not fun to be on. So, we struggled through a 1/4 mile of it and bailed off to take the back streets back to the condo. Along the way we passed Tamarack Avenue, for about the eleventieth time, and thought of Nancy again, as we did every time we passed it this trip, so I took a picture to show her just how far her little St. Helens street really goes. Here it is …

When we got back to the condo we ate soup. I’m truly sorry that I didn’t take a picture for you. It was very good. We had cheese & crackers with it. Once that was done we sat down and read our books for hours. Then I took a short nap and Brian called me right after I woke up. Perfect timing. Brian, you may, or may not, recall, is one of my old shipmates. We talked for a couple of hours telling each other sea stories about our respective careers, and remembering the time we spent together aboard DD-808 during our WestPac Cruise in 1965. He remembers a lot more than I do. He must be younger. I didn’t ask. Now I’m going to quit.

Day Seven – Lots of Dead Shrimp !

Standard | Posted on March 9, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

OK, so I didn’t take a picture of the shrimp I ate, but I did get this one after that when we drove around on the Naval Base …

That’s the USS Peleliu (LHA-5). It was in the same amphibious group as the USS Cleveland and we deployed with her numerous times to the Western Pacific in the 1980s. I believe that she is now the oldest active amphibious ship in service since the USS Cleveland was decommissioned last September. I took pictures of some destroyers, too, but don’t know if you are all cleared to see them.

Now, let’s back up a little … we got up at a reasonable hour this morning and headed back down to San Diego with the intent of getting a smog check so we could get a base sticker for the car. Complicating this was the fact that we had an appointment with Chuck, and his bride Vonnie, at the old Chief’s club at 32nd Street. You may recall that this is where we had prime rib last Wednesday. Today it was dead fish and dead shrimp, and shrimp & chicken pancit. Pancit is noodles. Very good stuff. There was peel and eat shrimp, too. I ate way more than I should have and will probably pay the price when my right big toe breaks out in a terminal case of gout. It won’t really matter since everything from my hip down on the right side hurts. So, a sore big toe is really no big deal. I already limp on that side. I’m not complaining, mind you. I’m just stating facts.

We were able to get the smog check done ($40) but it almost made us late for our rendezvous with Chuck & Vonnie. They had already been through the line and were just sitting down when we sauntered into the joint. We had a great visit and Chuck is going to give us a hand with the September reunion. I’ll have to introduce him to Brian, who also is helping.

After a great visit and lunch, we went to the 32nd Street pass and ID office for our base sticker. I got in line and stood there for about half an hour before someone came out and said their computer system had just crashed and they couldn’t issue decals, just passes. So, I took the pass I already had, went back to the car and “ordered” Diane to take us to the Naval Air Station to see if we could get a decal there. It was a nice ride over the Coronado Bridge, and Diane took the order quite nicely. We quickly got the decal and a nice young lady in uniform, a Seabee from Tennessee, stuck it to our windshield. We won’t need to get another one until 2016.

It turned out that President Carter was at the Hotel Del Coronado today riding a Trikke. Perhaps you saw it on the news. Probably not because it was a local “thing”. I guess he used to live on Coronado a long time ago. That’s just really nice to know, isn’t it?

After we left Coronado we went back to the Naval Base so Diane could shop. No amount of whining and crying on my part would redirect her efforts. So, of course, I went along. The fact that she was driving had nothing to do with the fact that I had to go with her. I could have gotten out any time I wanted to. Really. I could have. She may have even stopped to pick me up and take me to a hospital. Maybe not.

Once done shopping, and confident that the rush hour was at it’s peak, we headed back north to Carlsbad on I-5. Most of the traffic during that time is going South, so it’s really not too bad. We arrived in time for another ho-hum sunset.

Day Six – Carlsbad & Nothing Else

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

No picture for today because we didn’t do much. Just lounged around in our jammies until afternoon. Ate breakfast around 1000 and the maids visited us to clean at that time so we visited with them while we ate. It was a joyous event. I ate four eggs and about nine pieces of bacon and a pound or two of potatoes. It made me extremely full. I wouldn’t have voluntarily eaten that much but Diane’s back in the mode where I have to eat whatever she doesn’t want, even after she’s taken it all by herself. Being an extremely good husband I, of course, do what she tells me even if it means I will probably never, ever, be able to wear my 36″ waist pants again. Ever. So, while we were out we dropped by a local Goodwill and got me another pair of 38″ jeans. Now I won’t have to run around in my underwear any more.

Most of our time outside today was spent along the Carlsbad and Oceanside seaside. While traipsing around one of the yacht basins we stopped at a little coffee shop to pay way to much for some of the worst coffee we’ve probably ever had in our entire lives. In the lingo of the land, it was pretty gnarly. I drank mine out of spite, but Diane couldn’t finish hers. Thankfully, that’s the one thing, today, that she didn’t make me finish. Thank goodness. I’d’ve never made it through two of them.

Tomorrow we’re going back to San Diego for another lunch buffet. Seafood this time, and we’re meeting with another DD-808 shipmate to do it.

Tonight is going to be a challenge because our new next door neighbors are young, very noisy, and spend a lot of time on their balcony, going in and out of a very noisy sliding patio door. If they don’t drop the noise level in the next 20 minutes (2200) I’ll have to take my life in my hands and go bang on their door to ask for a little peace and quiet. Either that, or take my sleepy meds.

Day Five – 32nd Street Naval Base San Diego

Standard | Posted on March 7, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

This is me and Brian. He and I were shipmates on the USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) in 1965. This ship was in the first squadron that was deployed to the Western Pacific specifically for the Viet Nam War. It was the first US ship to conduct NFGS (naval gun fire support) missions during this War. Our first NGFS mission required us to sail up the Saigon River, something we could only o at high tide. This means once in, we had to stay there until the next high tide. The entire time we were in this situation, the gunners shot their 5″ 38 caliber guns at targets provided by an army spotter plane. The Veterans Administration cannot confirm that we ever sailed up the river, making us part of the “Brown Water Navy”, and subject to Agent Orange exposure, because they report they cannot locate the deck logs for that ship during that time. Kinda odd, huh? This is significant because it means they will not allow any claims for agent orange exposure for anyone in that crew for the entire time we were there.

Okay … enough sad sacking.

Diane and I spent a wonderful day with Brian. We ate lunch at the old Naval Base CPO Club. The CPO stands for Chief Petty Officer, which Brian and both were. Now the CPO Club is a catering facility, but is open for a buffet lunch every week day. All you can eat for $11.95 a person. Sure beats the casinos. Today we had prime rib and it was really good. That’s what they have every Wednesday. We’re going back for Friday’s crab & shrimp buffet and I’ll take pictures.

The old Club is an elaborate venue which will serve us well for DD-808’s reunion this coming September. That’s one of the reasons Diane and are in the area, to set up lodging and food for the masses we expect to attend that gala affair. Now all we have to do is figure out a tour for them. I suggested to Diane that we should buy all these old guys trolly passes, get them on the train, and see how many of them can get back to the reunion. She said I probably wouldn’t make it back, and she wouldn’t go with me if I was leading. Now do you wonder why I have absolutely no confidence in my abilities to do pretty much anything? No respect at all … well earned, I might add,.

We stayed on the base, fiddling around in the exchange (that’s a big store) until we were sure everyone else in San Diego was on the freeway. We timed it just right and managed to make the 35 mile, 45 minute trip see like 35 mile, 55 minute trip. And Diane refused to use the car pool lane, staying in the 3rd fastest out there. That amazed me. She usually goes about a zillion miles an hour, or as close to it as she can. She’ll deny that, of course, and I don’t blame her. I would too.

We made it “home” without mishap and immediately put on our jammies, turned on all the TVs, and had a snack. I ate dead shrimp and Diane ate dead chicken pieces. Then we had Haagen Das ice cream bars (little ones), now we’re going to have apple fritter things from Costco. Then I’m going to take a bath. Diane said I smell funny. Plus, she thinks it will help my right leg which I think is atrophying … it’s getting harder to use it all the time. And it hurts. I know. I’m whining again, aren’t I?

I didn’t mention that we got home just in time for sunset. It was pretty ho hum, don’t you think?

Winter in Carlsbad

Standard | Posted on March 6, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

I just finished about three hours of typing today’s entry when, ZAP!, it all just disappeared. It was a really good one, too. But, I’m not going to try to redo it because I’m a little bummed.

It included everything that happened today, in vivid detail, and I was trying to end it with a photo of dinner when things went bad.

In a nutshell, today was cold compared to yesterday. Hence the title. Had to wear a jacket all day and it was overcast. I think I mentioned that the local weathermen decided there was a one-day cold front in the area, but the rest of our stay will be nice and sunny.

We went to San Diego which is a 35 mile, 45 minute trip.

I got a new military ID card and a base pass for the car. While I was doing that Diane got the oil changed in the car, gassed it up, did some shopping and returned to park in the furthest space away from where I was. It was planned, I’m sure.

We returned to the condo and cooked dinner and just rested. I rested so much I fell asleep.

Now it’s time for bed. We hope for sun tomorrow.

Day Three – Carlsbad, CA

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Day Three
March 5, 2012
Our brief stay in Fresno ended at 0915 this morning. It was then we raced to our vehicle and headed on down the freeway. I won the race so got to drive first. I drove for almost 3 hours. During that time I only scared Diane twice, and she only got mad at me once. That’s a modern day record for three hours.

Bad coffee at Hampton Inn & Suites continued to be the norm so we started a search for Starbucks a little north of Bakersfield. We didn’t find one until we reached Lebec. That’s where Highway 99 and I-5 become one. There was a McDonalds located conveniently next to the Starbucks so we decided to eat a meal to get us through Los Angeles. This meal reminded us why we typically do not eat at McDonalds because the quality of their food, compared with pretty much any other fast food joint, sucks. Bad as it was, we deemed ourselves fortunate to have discovered sustenance, though we didn’t really need it. As we were finishing, the place filled up with customers, then a bus load of girls in really short shorts stopped and they all came in adding to the growing noise level. As a result, Diane made me ditch the last three french fries and the last two bites of my terrible 1/4 Pounder so we could leave. I didn’t deem the loss to be a big sacrifice. Once in the car, she made me throw away my drink cup as there wouldn’t be room for both it and my Starbucks drink. Meekly I complied, though I had a large number of sips remaining.

After we obtained our marriage-saving caffeinated beverages, Diane assumed the drivers position and we leaped into the southbound traffic toward Los angeles. Diane suggested that we should have filled the tank, but I reminded her that we made a decision that we weren’t going to spend any less on gas than we have to. It’s bound to be much more expensive on the other side of the Grape Vine.

Speaking of the Grape Vine … there was still a trace of snow up there and the temperature was 72. Admittedly, the snow was a few hundred feet higher than we were, so it was surely colder where it was.

By 1230 the caffeine kicked in for Diane and she was a very pleasant person to be near the rest of the day. It helped that she knew she wasn’t going to have to drive but a couple of hours because of the sacrifice I made with the donation of my three hours behind the wheel, dodging trucks.

We arrived at our destination at 1500, pretty much on the dot. For you non military folks, that’s 3pm. We needed food and, as luck would have it, there’s a COSTCO about a mile away. So, that was our first visit after getting our “stuff” to the condo.

We are on the top floor and this is the sight that greeted us upon our return from shopping. Not lot to say after this …