Long Beach, California

Continuing on with our "catching up" with people who have passed through our lives at some point and continue to remain in our hearts, I went to lunch with friends from Hughes Electronics (my former employer). We ate at Zahou's in Redondo Beach where they have the best desserts!

Lidia, Patricia, Jan and Kay

On Friday, we decided to take the Catalina Express over to Catalina to spend the day. We brought along our bikes and literally pushed them a mile up the hill at least 50% of the way. But, it was worth the effort to experience the views. Here are some pictures we took.

View of Avalon from high up the road.

There are lots of golf carts on the island.

A pet cemetery we passed while traveling up the hill.

On Saturday, Susan (daughter) and Samantha (granddaughter) picked me up so I could spend some time with the kids and attend a play ("Once Upon a Mattress") by the Millikan Middle School & Performing Arts Magnet where our granddaughter, Erin, played a major supporting actor part as Lady Larken.

Erin after the play.

Spent Saturday night at Susan's place while Jerry stayed back at the RV with our dog, Chanti. Guess he and John got together for a special clam and mussel linguine dinner for just the two of them as Marijean was in Temecula.

On Monday we took the bikes and traveled south on the bike path along the beach. The weather has been just beautiful here in Long Beach. In the evening, we went to the jacuzzi.

Then, today, I went to lunch with a friend that goes back to 1946. We started out in grade school together, went through high school and then through nurses training. After that, we would see each other a couple of times at reunions, but basically did not keep up with each other in between those times. What a fun time I had catching up with Nancy.

Me with Nancy

Went with John and Marijean to the Long Beach Yacht Club for dinner this evening. After we leave Long Beach on Friday morning, we won't be back in the area until the end of the year.

John and Marijean

Let me just say that we realize that we are blessed to be able to enjoy our retirement in the way we are living it -- full-timing in a motorhome, seeing family and old friends, meeting new people along the way, and exploring this great country we live in. It is a dream come true.

Long Beach, California

Golden Shore RV Resort - Long Beach, CA

It's been a week of entertaining and biking.  On Tuesday, we went on a 12 miles bike ride.  There is a 52 mile long paved bike trail running right past the RV park.

One of our reasons for coming to Long Beach was so that we could catch up with friends and family.  Before we moved to Cambia in 1999, we lived in Playa del Rey, CA for 23 years.  The Golden Shores RV Park in Long Beach is the closest one to our former stomping grounds.

First guest was Brad (long time friend of Jerry's) and his friend, Heidi, from Germany.  Loved the white chocolate she brought us from Germany.   

Brad and Heidi

On Saturday, our daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Andrea and Natalie, drove down from Santa Monica to spend the day with us.  We did lots of talking, walking, Natalie went swimming, and eating (Jerry made dinner).  Afterwards, Natalie found her favorite "strawberry cheesecake bar on a stick" in the RV park store after we forewarned her that the small store would probably not carry that item.

Then, on Sunday, we had a brunch of lox and bagels with friends of 33 years, Walt and Joan, who live in Santa Monica.  They are exactly our ages.  We had so much catching up to do (even discussed cameras), but we all forgot to get a picture of the four of us. 

Yesterday, Pete, a former employee of Jerry's came over to bring us up-to-date of his activities after graduating of Otis College of Design in 2000.  He and his wife are expecting their first child in a couple of weeks.  Good luck Pete and Jamie. 

Pete and Jerry

Today, John Scott who was Jerry's high school photo teacher, drove from Manhattan Beach to join us.  They go back 50 years.  Wow!  We are all getting up there in age.

John Scott and Jerry

After John left, we took a walk around the area near the Long Beach Aquarium, downtown Long Beach, and the marina.  The area is built-up nicely.  There is music playing on the boardwalk, and it is just a pleasant area to spend some time.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with friends I worked with at Hughes.

Long Beach, California

Our last week in Temecula flew by.  In fact, the whole month in Temecula just flew by.  Where did it go?  Is this what full-timing is all about?  Each day is a good day.   The RV park was pretty much empty during each week, but really filled up over the weekends, and especially over Memorial Day Weekend. 

Pechange RV Park During Middle of the Week

Middle of the Week

Memorial Day Weekend

                                                                                         

Of course, RVers are patriotic!

We took one morning to enjoy breakfast at the Pechanga Golf Course Restaurant, and afterwards, walked the grounds.

On Tuesday, we drove to Long Beach from Temecula.  Stopped along the way to pick up some items I had sent to Susan's house and say "hi" one more time to the kids, Samantha and Christian.

We are planning on staying at the Golden Shores RV Resort in Long Beach until June 18.  Jerry has scheduled a lot of people we want to see, and I still have to work into the schedule seeing my long-time friends, graduations and a play that our granddaughter is in.  Should be an interesting few weeks.

Temecula, CA - Week 3

Last week we were fortunate to have friends from Irvine drive over here to visit us for lunch.  It was good catching up with John and Christine again.

Walking around Temecula near Pechanga we find a hugh park (3 soccer fields and 3 softball diamonds), along with other children and family things to do.  They take sports seriously here. 

Even mothers with their babies in strollers make time to gather in the park to exercise by running up and down the hills.

Then, on Saturday, our son and daughter (Shannon and Susan) and their families drove down from LA (about 1 1/2 hour away) to spend the afternoon. 

Me with Susan (daughter)

Susan, Shannon (son) and Christian (grandson)

Grandchildren (Samantha, Erin and Natalie) and Shannon (At least the girls look good!)

Raul (son-in-law) with his birthday cake.

Jerry BBQed ribs, chicken and tri-tip.

Shannon helping himself to the food. 

Jerry was a bit careless, though, and cut his thigh with the Ulu knive he brought back from Alaska.  After everyone left, he took a taxi to the nearest ER (in Murietta) where they stitched up the wound.  It was a 5 hour ordeal; he got back to the RV at 3 a.m. 

Susan brought us our mail that Pat sent to her to deliver to us.  It included the book I had been waiting for from Annie Holmes.   While he was gone, I had time to read the book (Skiff Song) which I finished just as Jerry arrived back to the RV.  It is a wonderful read, especially for anyone interested in speed sailing or learning how to follow that small voice we each have in our head that tells us to take a different path.  

Yesterday we biked 8 miles round trip to Staters Bros. to get fresh vegetables for the week.  At some point, we will have to consider towing a car.  Sure could have used it on Saturday night. 

Temecula, CA

Still here!  We again rented a car from Enterprise for the weekend and went back to Old Town.  John joined us on Saturday morning where we stood in line for freshly made crepes' at the Farmer's Market. 

Here is Jerry and John standing in line for the crepes'.

Here is the Dream Crepe': banana, strawberries, chocolate, whipping cream, powdered sugar and Grande Marnier. 

Then, on Sunday, we went back to Old Town where they were having "Cowboy Days."  There were re-enactments of western shootings, complete with actors in full old-fashioned clothing, stage-coach rides pulled by horses and a chili cook-off.  We just loved the energy of the place and walking the streets.  Also had to get some more home-made fudge.

I also loved taking pictures of the flowers!

Pechanga RV Resort

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mother-substitutes out there!  Hope you had a day you will cherish. 

We are still at the Pechanga RV Resort.

This first week involved getting organized.  After dropping off to friends and relatives "stuff" we were carrying on the RV to deliver to them, we now have more room for what we will need to live full-time.  The project never ends.  One thing is for sure, full-timing makes shopping simple.  We basically shop only for food and toiletries.

This weekend we rented a car from Enterprise so we could get a better perspective of Temecula.  What an absolutely beautiful city!  This city certainly takes pride in its landscaping.  Almost everywhere we drove, we saw flowers, greenery, manicured boulevards, palm and other trees.  We stopped to take just a few pictures.   

We visited Old Town, a quaint part of Temecula that still has old wooden boards for the sidewalks.  It used to be a cowboy town.  In fact, John told us that, 45 years ago, he and Marijean came to Temecula and found it to be a real cowboy town with horses, gravel streets and saloons.  My, what a difference 45 years makes. 

Today, we drove about 10-15 miles out of town to check out the Skinner Lake Recreational Area.  It definitely is a possible place we may want to stay in the future sometime.  There are three separate areas for RV parking with full hook-ups. 

Last night we went to a show at the Pechanga Casino called "The Original Stars From American Bandstand," featuring Fabian ("Turn Me Loose"), Bobby Vee ("Take Good Care of My Baby"), Brian Hyland ("Gypsy Woman"), the Chiffons ("She's So Fine"), and Chris Montez ("Let's Dance").  They were old, the audience was old, and we wondered what the heck we were doing there!  Just picture those great hits being sung by 60-70 year old voices.  You have to give it to them, though, they still had a lot of energy (especially Chris Montez who got a standing ovation).  Jerry loved it since it reminded him of the late '50s.  (He could almost taste the hamburger at Bob's Big Boy in Van Nuys.)

Pechanga RV Resort in Temecula, CA

We've had lots of events to attend over the past week, but now we are finally settled in here at the Pechanga RV Resort.  The Resort is really pretty dead.  

Out of 75 sites in this section, there are only 10 coaches.

(You can see the Pechanga Casino at the far end of the picture.)

We will be staying at this place for a month, until after Memorial Day weekend.  Our friends, John and Marijean, will be joining us next week.  They are closing escrow on a house here in Temecula on Monday.  John was here when we arrived on Monday, and he toured us through the hugh house (3,500 square foot on over 11,000 square foot lot).   This is what makes life so interesting.  John and Marijean (who are about our ages) started out together 45 years ago living on a very small boat.  They graduated to a larger boat in the marina before finally getting a house.  They are moving progressively into larger and larger places.  Jerry and I have pretty much lived in large houses most of our married life, and we downsized when we moved to Cambria.  Now, we have downsized even more to live full time in our RV.  They are moving in the opposite direction of us.  We are happy for them, but we don't want that responsibility any more.

Just a few words about the "events" of last week.  After leaving Pismo, I boarded the train in Santa Barbara to go to LA where I attended the funeral of my son-in-law's father. Meanwhile, Jerry went to our favorite spot along the ocean in Ventura.  As the train passed by him, I took a picture of him out of the window of the train with my new cell phone that I just picked up earlier that day.  (He also took a picture of the train as it passed by.)

I had just met Annie on the train (another RVer and a most interesting and adventurous person), and she, too, took a picture of Jerry with her iphone.  She has written a book entitled "Skiffsong" that I very much look forward to reading.

Lots of family get-togethers in LA!  Meanwhile, Jerry had an appointment in Ventura to get the refrigerator on our RV fixed.  It decided to stop working just as we started this new life.  After getting the computer board replaced in it, we are good to go again, though he had to throw out some food that didn't keep.

I'll let you know how much money I win at the Casino on the next blog!!!