Trip to Southern California - Day Five

The big accomplishment today was getting Marilyn to the airport in time for her flight.  Actually not a big problem since we are flying in and out of Long Beach, a pleasant and short drive from Galen's house.  I spent the day hanging out at the house and getting prepared for the project at the Diocese of San Bernardino which begins bright early Thursday morning.

My eye was caught by a vase of flowers that Maggie brought back from Bolsa Chica Mesa on Saturday.  They looked like a bunch grass when she brought them home and put them in a vase with a little water.  Lo and behold they bloomed and brightened up the kitchen.

Marilyn's flights to JFK and then on to Rochester were uneventful and right on time.

Trip to Southern California - Day Four

Galen instructing

It is Monday and everyone is back to school; most as students but one as professor.  I went to campus with Galen to do some work and then sit in on his mechanics class.  This time the topic was starting position and final position with the impact of momentum and force...or something like that.  I was particularly impressed with his use of Angry Birds as an illustration.  His class was suitably impressed that he almost got all the structures down...missed the last one.  They gave him a round of applause.  He observed that understanding the earth's orbit around the sun is just Angry Birds in space.

While all this was taking place, I learned by text from Marilyn that Maggie was participating in a program on California at school.  We hustled back when Galen was through so we could catch Thomas in his program.  It was an interactive couple of hours focusing on California history.  It was presented by an energetic young woman who apparently goes from school to school presenting this program.  You can view a video of Thomas answering that important question below.

Once we got home and had some lunch, Galen took us to his paper supplier where Marilyn picked out some paper for the origami project that Galen will be giving to us for my birthday.  They spent a lot of time browsing through a wide variety of paper.  I checked on the location of the closest Starbucks but determined that it was just outside my range.  Thus I waited patiently, a behavior I learned accompanying my mother to fabric shops in my youth.  We then had to hustle back home to pick up Maggie from her after school tutoring.

Once we had taken short naps--Galen and I did anyway--we were off to In-n-Out Burger for dinner.  Henry and Robert did not come with us but we brought back plenty of food for them.  I enjoyed a dish of ice cream and we all watched a comedy show off Netflix while Galen installed the wireless printer that we had gotten them from Amazon and which had arrived that afternoon.

You can view the updated Picasa album here.

Trip to Southern California - Day Three

We went to Sunday mass at St. Bonaventure parish in Huntington Beach.  It has some dramatic stained glass windows.  I particularly like the one near the baptismal fount.  After Mass we walked the two plus miles back to the house.  It was warm and sunny with little traffic.  We even passed up a Starbuck's in order to get back by 11:00 when we were to head out to Bolsa Chica Preserve.  Laura has been involved there for many years and today was one of the monthly work days when volunteers worked to plant native plants which will eventually return the area to its original ecosystem.  Laura, Thomas, and Maggie had been working there all morning.  When we got home, we drove over to see their work and pick them up.

We got there just as they were finishing up.  It was a bit cooler along the coast but still lovely and warm.  We went back to the house and hooked up with Robert and Henry and then we all walked up to Bowl of Heaven for their very interesting concoctions.  As you can see, Grandma and Maggie were first in line and then just had to sit in the sunshine to enjoy what they finish of their dishes.  Marilyn saved about half of hers for breakfast Monday!

After a bit of a rest, Galen, Marilyn and I headed out to Seal Beach to see if the rip tide warnings and bigger surf would bring out some skilled surfers.  At first we disappointed because there were two surfers who weren't able to catch any of the waves.  Then a lone surfer appeared who was quite skillful.  You can view a slide show of a sequence of images I captured of him below.

When we got back, naps were in order and then out to dinner at a Himalayan Grill in Huntington Beach.  The food was delicious.  Maggie and Grandaddy especially enjoyed their meals.

You can view more photos on the constantly updated Picasaweb album for this trip.

Trip to Southern California - Day Two

It was nice lazy Southern California Saturday.  People slept in, even Marilyn.  I was up at 7:00...New York time which was 4:00 here.  I got the computer up and running and posted the first day of our trip and took care of some St. Mary's work.  After Galen and I finished our early morning conversation, he got going with his bread baking.  It resulted in a nice warm loaf of sour dough for lunch sandwiches and later for homemade pizza for dinner.  The adults gathered in the kitchen while this was going on where we see Marilyn in animated discussion with an attentive Galen.

Then it was time to get Marshmallow up to the groomer where he spent the afternoon relaxing in the spa.  Marshmallow is the family dog.  Robert finally got up, late night, don't you know.  Marilyn, Laura, and Maggie walked up to the paint pottery place in their neighborhood mall where Maggie got right into gear.  She worked on something for Grandma and it will be ready before Marilyn leaves on Tuesday.  Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that Maggie spent all morning at the newly instituted Saturday school.  With the infusion of money that California schools now have they can afford to hire teacher to provide Saturday classes for student to make up any absences.  Not that Maggie needs to get caught up in school but the school can claim increased reimbursements from the state based on attendance.  As Galen observed, "You have to spend money to make money."

While all that creative work was underway, Galen and I took Thomas on one of Grandaddy's traditional and favorite field trips:  BestBuy to look at the goods.  What to our surprise did appear at the BestBuy but MAX, Thomas's friend whom I met at his birthday party last June.  Those of you who read the blog about the trip to the water park will remember Max.  If you didn't, click this link to catch up. It was somehow predictable and surprising that Max was wearing a coon skin cap.

Marshmallow survived his day at the spa.  He looks a lot thinner to be sure.  Once home Grandma and Maggie watched a movie while dinner was baking.  We had some delicious pizza followed in my case by a little ice cream before I hit the sack.  Tomorrow holds promise for some big surf and lunch out and maybe even dinner.  The Tet celebration isn't till next weekend so we will miss that.  Oh, I almost forgot that Robert headed out to a birthday party before dinner.  Grandma was very impressed that he dressed up in a suit.  it struck her as very un-Calfornian but as you can see the result is quite striking.  He is handsome young man in every way!

You can see more photos in the updated Picasa Album.

Trip to Southern California 2013 - Day One

Marilyn gets some lunch before we board JetBlue
 from JFK to Long Beach

I am back on the road visiting family and doing other interesting stuff.  This time Marilyn--have I mentioned that she is retired?--is with me as we are visiting Galen and his family in Huntington Beach, CA.  We left Rochester with its 14 degrees and snow to arrive 12 hours later--five hour layover at JFK--in Long Beach with its 75 degrees and 32% humidity.  We will be spending four days with the kids before Marilyn returns Tuesday.  I will stay on and participate in an assessment project for the Diocese of San Bernardino.  More about that when the time comes.

Maggie shows off her medals from her first
soccer season; the team was undefeated.

Galen and Maggie picked us up at the airport.  We arrived home to be greeted by Laura and Thomas.  Later greeted Henry who is becoming quite the young man.  Robert was out and we went to bed before he got home so we are saving that for Saturday.

We are not sure of what the weekend will bring but there is Rip Tide Warning posted for Sunday which means big surf so I am sure we will get to some nice vantage point for some photos of the waves and the surfers.  Also Tet begins this weekend and we might get to experience that.

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