Dad's Journal

Awake: 7:05am     Temp 59     sleep 6+34   rain with wind, off & on.      overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

Corinne called mid morning; we used our split cord to both hear & talk. She admits to a lot of snow (2 ft +) with more on the way. It's beginning to cramp her lifestyle we think. We spoke for (18) min & then she had other calls to make.

 

Another good day to stay mostly indoors here in San Diego, however, around mid afternoon, some of the clouds drifted away giving us periods of sunshine.

 

Late afternoon, K & I drove over to the Needle Craft Cottage where I twiddled my thumbs while Kathy talked with the owner about different aspects of needle pointing.  It sounded awfully complicated so I chose to listen to NPR on their cottage radio most of the time.  

 

From here, we drove less than a mile & attended the 5:30pm vigil Mass @ St. Bridget Catholic Church. We were delighted to listen to & sing with the choir group as they harmonized and echoed beautifully. They were accompanied by piano, guitars, and harmonica

After Mass, we drove to Ralph's Grocery store just a few blocks south & bought a few grapes & Matzos. Prices were somewhat higher @ Ralphs than we liked, so we stopped @ Von's a few blocks east & nearly finished our weekly grocery list.

 

Dinner: Clam chowder with oyster crackers, grapes & mandarin oranges.

 

Evening movie: "Fiddler on the Roof." We watch: 1/3^rd.

 

Lights out: 12:21am.

 

Awake: 7:30am     Temp 55     sleep 6+07     rain forecast     overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

Early afternoon, K & I checked out another grocery store not far from our campground; after a thorough investigation, she gave me (2) thumbs down & I approved of her message. Smart & Final was not what we are interested in.

Next, Kathy wished to peruse the Michael's store along the way; she's getting ideas for making needlepoint Christmas stockings for our grandsons. Our visit was short as she was simply looking things over & wasn't very favorably impressed.

 

Then we took a shortcut to Costco, which was extremely busy. Waiting in line for fuel for the Suzuki was not so bad but finding a parking spot anywhere was a challenge. On one occasion, we were creeping along looking ahead for a sign of someone pushing their cart back to their car....suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a half-full cart speeding down the slope heading right for our driver's door. Yikes! Full speed ahead & then full braking; glancing back, I saw the young lady running after her speeding cart....& she did catch it before it rolled over or hit the fence. Yes, Friday is not a day to shop @ Costco.

 

Around 6:30pm, a medium sized rainfall moved through the area, & later, a gentle rain.

 

Dinner: homemade crab cakes, with asparagus & rice.

 

Evening movie: "Five Easy Pieces" with Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Billy Green Bush, Fannie Flagg, Susan Anspach, Sally Struthers, etc. Brilliant character study of musician with great promise who gave up a career to work on an oil rig. 1970. Beware; definitely not a family movie.

 

Lights out: 12:31am.  

 

 

 

Awake: 7:43am      Temp 55      sleep 7+04       sunny      overnight @ San Diego, CA.

@ 9:30am, we drove over to Sallie & Larry's campsite, changed cars & rode with them to Pacific Beach & had a great breakfast @ "The Eggery Etc." Afterward, we strolled down the ocean side & then headed east & walked along the Sail Beach. That was about it for our walking this morning. Larry still has a sensitive toe that he is babying.

Next stop, the Needle Craft Cottage where Sallie & Kathy analyzed the patterns & yarns inside. Then to the Bank of America where we cashed a few small checks, & finally a stop @ Trader Joe's for a few groceries.

Back @ Larry & Sallie's campground, K & I visited briefly with Lee & Ken just across the street from L & S.

Back @ our motorhome, Katrina called & we both talked with her about her activities & adventures for a quick (55) min. She was on her way to meet a friend & they are going to a dinner theatre in Boulder to see, "Singing in the Rain."

Later, my sister Mary Jo called from Lodi; we chatted for (44) min covering both their kids & our kids & grandkids & other miscellaneous things.

Next K & I drove our Suzuki to downtown San Diego, found a parking spot & casually start walking around. For a Thursday night, there are people everywhere & many of the sidewalks are filled with outdoor dinning areas.

We arrived early just to do some looking around before meeting up with our ole Alaska friends. They are in town for a few days before they leave on a cruise, departing from San Diego. After walking around for (5 or 6) blocks, we are convinced that we need to visit downtown during the day & thoroughly do a walking tour of this place.

About 6:20pm, we entered Croce's Restaurant & before our eyes, all but (2) of our gang of (8) were just taking seats. Friends from Alaska & friends from our 2005 Asian Pacific Cruise + (2) more we haven't met yet. We had a lot of catching up & reminiscing to do which occurred during & after our wine time. Finally the (2) late comers arrived & our meals are on order.

K & I shared a filet mignon with two side orders + a Caesar salad. We were having so much fun just talking with each other during our wine time & meal time....that was, until the music started; then we could barely hear what was said by someone two seats away.

Once outside, we attempted to find a small café for coffee & enjoy some more gabbing. That wasn't easy as most of the café's we looked into, were crowded & also noisy. By chance we ended up on the 2nd floor of a Starbucks where we hung around & closed up the place. It really was a cozy little reunion & I must admit, we all looked pretty good for our senior ages. Left to right> Bruce & girlfriend Linda (Barbara's older sister); Barbara, wife of Joe (across the table); Linda & husband, Tim; Joe; Kathy & me. Remember, double click on the small photo to see the enlarged BIG photo.  

Lights out: 1:24am.

Awake: 7:20am    Temp 56     sleep 6+56     mostly sunny     overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

Our morning & part of the afternoon, was turning out just like a deja vu of Monday...until Kathy suddenly said: "Let's take a walk." I thought her legs might still be complaining from our Pacific Ocean walk; but obviously she remains the tough one.

 

We started by going out of the campground & around the Mission Bay area & then walking toward the Campground office. At this point, Kathy had an idea & I seconded the motion. "Let's talk with someone in the office to find out if there is anyway we can stay for (2) weeks longer after our month is up without paying the daily rate, (which is rather stiff," she suggested.

 

We probably spent a good (20..30) min talking about several ideas with the agent. All & all, I think we may have a deal...but we won't know for sure until next week.

 

We don't wish to start heading east too soon, or staying here too long.

 

Our interrupted walk was a good deal shorter than we planned as the pedometer recorded a mere (1.6) miles.

 

Dinner: leftover Italian sausage, spaghetti, filled pepper & salad.

 

Evening movie: "High Sierra" with Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie, etc. Bogey is Mad Dog Earle, killer with a soft heart on the lam from police, in rousing (if not exactly credible) gangster caper. Lupino as the moll and Leslie as the lame innocent whom Bogart befriends offer interesting contrast. 1941. Kathy tells me it was a typical old gangster movie. That's right on folks.

 

Lights out: 12:39am.   

Awake: 6:55am      Temp 51     sleep 7+13      mostly sunny      overnight @ San Diego.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning so..... (6) more weeks of winter.

We miss the Super Wal-mart stores that have many things that we use for lower prices. However around San Diego, Wal-Marts are not Super & are not geographically convenient.

We drove across town anyway; Kathy didn't come close to fulfilling her list but I did ok. We took a different route on the way back & drove thru the Ole Town of San Diego. During our visit in 2004, K & I did a little touring thru Ole Town but not very thorough... & this time, even though the day was perfect, I declined the opportunity. Kathy was a little disenchanted about that but I'll try & make it up by giving her a good haircut; we both desperately need a good trim anyway. Ok dear, could you smile for a picture? Gosh, this idea isn't going so well! Hey, just look @ that beautiful & happy girl now! Whew, that was a close one.   Dinner: salmon with maple syrup glaze, rice, & a mixed salad.

Evening movie: "Anatomy of a Murder" with James Steward, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant (Crosby), etc. Long exciting courtroom drama; daring when released, tamer now. Sterling cast: O'Connell as drunken lawyer inspired by Stewart, Scott as prosecuting attorney, Joseph Welch as judge (Welch was the famous Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer who later became a judge in real life). Stewart towers over all as witty, easygoing, but cagy defense lawyer.1959. Great story; Kathy insisted we...watch it all tonight!

Lights out: 1:24am.

Awake: 6:20am     Temp 49     sleep 6+54     sunny     overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

We declared this day to be a day of rest in lieu of Sunday. Therefore, it's book, magazine, & X-word puzzle + computer time off & on throughout the day. Kathy has no interest in walking outside this day.

 

Dinner: Italian sausage with spaghetti, mixed salad & mixed fruit.

 

Evening movie; we finished watching: "The Adventures of Mark Twain" with Fredric March, Alexis Smith, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, C. Aubrey Smith, etc. This Hollywoodized story of Samuel Clements' colorful life may not be great biography, but it's consistently entertaining ----despite some biopic clichés. 1944. K & I thoroughly enjoyed this story which didn't get the best review from the movie guide but, according to the information in Wikipedia, the story of Samuel Clements, (Mark Twain), the movie, appears to closely reflect his real life.

 

Lights out: 11:42pm. 

Awake: 8:00am    Temp 49    sleep 7+18     mostly sunny      overnight @ San Diego, CA.

Mid morning, my brother called from Tyler, TX. He & Josie have been visiting their son Craig, his wife Nanette & their kids for (10) days. He said it's been cold in Tyler but they walked nearly every day for exercise. We talked for a good (29) min about the kids, grandkids, home building, politics, summer plans, etc. My brother is keeping up-to-date on: what's happening with our USA.

Kathy made a hot breakfast of: eggs over easy, bacon, whole wheat bread + a fruit salad.

Since we talked the walk yesterday & didn't walk, we tried making up for that today by leaving our motorhome @ 1:45pm, & walking to Campland on the Bay where Larry & Sallie hang out most of the time. Their motorhome is parked @ their daughter's home today but tomorrow they will be back @ the Campland site.

In 2005, when I first met Larry & Sallie, we stayed @ Campland for (10) days. Their campsites were pretty narrow for our motorhome but once parked, it was fine. Campland has done some cleaning up & adding 50 amps to some of their sites, so we did some checking on that while we were here. Then we decided to continue walking west to the Pacific Beach & Ocean. I had my pedometer on my belt keeping track of our miles.

San Diego has some interesting trees to admire in the suburbs as we headed toward the ocean.                            Do you think this tree was grown in China? After walking south along the boardwalk watching the surfers & beach combers, we began walking east back to our motorhome taking a slightly different route than before. Still a lot of debris left over from the storms of two weeks ago.   (7) miles total & (4) hrs later, we were back @ our home on wheels ... & we are tired! Look closely @ the top right corner to see a green double circle...just below the golf course. We started from there, walked over to the BIG X (Campland on the Bay,& then followed the black line going left(west) to the Pacific Ocean & back home. 


Larry called, inviting us to join them for a movie at a movie theater, but we declined.

Dinner: leftover eggplant, fried rice & a spinach salad.

We Skyped with Nick for (52) min.

Evening movie: "The Adventures of Mark Twain." We watched 1/3rd.

Lights out: 11:26pm.

Awake: 7:40am     Temp 49     sleep 6+45     sunny     overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

@ 12:00 noon, K & I joined Sallie, Larry, Benji & Ross at Benji's house for a good lunch and lots of gab time. We had all planned on a walking tour of the neighborhood after lunch, but yesterday Larry banged his big toe while golfing & wants to do as little walking as possible for the time being. And Sallie did not feel well after coughing through the night & not getting much sleep. After a good (2) hrs, we thanked them for their hospitality + good food & returned to our motorhome.

 

Kathy wanted us to do our own walk for exercise today but I still had a bunch of unopened letters to go thru, so we agreed to do it tomorrow & get an earlier start.

 

A light dinner of leftover: stuffed pepper & eggplant with a spinach salad + bread.

 

Evening movie: "LA. Confidential" with Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Davie Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, etc. Vividly atmospheric tale of L.A. in the early 1950's, run by corrupt cops....one of whom (Spacey) works hand in hand with the publisher of a sleazy tabloid (DeVito). Self righteous Pearce, however, thinks he can rise above the muck in the department. 1997. Kathy's take on this flick: suspenseful, bloody, frightening if truthful, & definitely not for children.

 

Lights out: 12:42am.   

 

 

Awake: 7:20am      Temp 49     sleep 6+44     mostly sunny     overnight @ San Diego.

Mid morning, a young lady just across our street was attempting to open the front hood on her motorhome. I hesitated a little but then walked over & offered to help. She had what appeared to be a yellow drip coming out somewhere near the front of her engine.

Try as we might, that cowling or hood would not cooperate. Finally, another near neighbor offered his expertise. After what seemed like an hour, Rex pushed the lever hard enough that one side opened & that was the answer; use brute force.Before Rex came over, we hesitated in doing that as we didn't want to break anything. Later, I put some machine oil on those levers for easier opening on the next time.

Pat was concerned that she might have an anti-freeze leak; but after rubbing my fingers in the little puddle, that oily feeling wasn't there. I did make a 50/50 solution with my anti-freeze & brought her reservoir up to the required line though. Then I gave her a helping hand loading her motor scooter onto the back carrier unit. Pat is leaving this morning with a destination of Yuma, AZ.

Mid afternoon, K & I walked 2.2 miles along the Rose Creek river path for exercise. We've been having some gorgeous sun sets lately...but timing is still everything to get a good photo...which this is not! Dinner: leftover turkey fried rice, eggplant casserole & a spinach salad.

Evening movie: "The Last Angry Man" with Paul Muni, David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Luther Adler, Joby Baker, etc. Sentimental story of an old, dedicated family doctor in Brooklyn whose life is going to be portrayed on TV. 1959. Great story; add it to your list.

Lights out: 12:55am.

Awake: 7:02am     Temp 48     sleep 6+54     sunny     overnight @ San Diego, CA.

 

We got a call from the campground office; our forwarded mail has arrived. K & I walked over & brought back the big box of mail.

Most of the Christmas mail was included; many cards with letters summarizing the past year's activities of the sender. Reviewing these cards & the tax statements pretty well consumed our afternoon.

 

Larry called & invited us to have lunch with them tomorrow.

 

Dinner: Turkey fried rice with a spinach salad.

 

Evening movie: "The Swan" with Grace Kelly, Alec Guinness, Louis Jourdan, Agnes Moorehead, Jessie Royce, Landis, etc. Mild Molnar comedy of manners has attractive cast but not much sparkle. Jourdan good as Kelly's suitor, but she's promised to Prince Guinness. 1956. Entertaining with a good message, but a bit slow.

 

Lights out: 12:36am.