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I took the Metra to the Blue line to the airport. I was nervous about taking the train at 5:35 a.m. but there was a bunch of people waiting at the platform with me. The signals were malfunctioning. For 15 minutes before th train came the gates were down but no trains were comilng. Cars were getting ilmpatient and driving around the gates. When the train came it moved very slowly and continuously sounded its horn. Just s it approached the station, one car was getting ready to cross. We yelled and wavedand the driver stopped about 2 feet from the tracks. We left so I don't know how much longer the gates were down.
The take-off and landing of a plane is stll a thrill for me. Seth met me at the airport. His apartment is Laterclose to the airport and real cute with wooden floors and a balcony. It is decorated with paintings that lorena did. (I did not know she was an artiest>)
I met my grandson Luke. Seth, Luke and I walked to the post office. Luke is adorable but bigger and stronger than my impressions of him on Skype. He tends to pull at the leach. I worried he might pull
me over but I mastered walking him. The trick is to keep the leash short enough so that he is by your side but not so short he pees on your shoe.
Later I explored the neighborhood. I came to a deep ravine with houses perched on the edge. When I reported my findings to Seth, he explained that there were ravins like this throughout the city.
That night I took Luke to a dog park while Seth pracsticed Australian Rules foodball ("footie). Later, I watached the practice a met some of his teammates. My impression was that the entrance criterion was to be male model handsone. Seth and I ate at a Vietnamese restaruant. I ordered soup but the waiter was not certain that I would really like "stinky" soup that was made with fish sauce (anchovies). It ws delicious. We picked Lorena up from work and I saw her classsroom. It's very homey and learner friendly. We went to a wiine bar below for wine tasting. You buy a card that you insert into an Italinan device called an Enomatic. There was even a dump bowl to spit into but I swallowed mine.
"it never rains in Southern California". Lorena said that it hadn't rained for 6 months but it decided to rain the day I picked to go to the zoo. I waited for Seth to pick me up in a downpour but I found shelter under a broad leaf tree. The tree and my big sun hat kept me relatively dry. A the zoo I thought I witnessed two Galalpagos turtles mating. One turtle was on top of another and making loud groaning sounds. A zoo attendant corrected us. "He's stupid, dosen't know a male from a female" The Austrailian exhibit had about a dozen koala bears, each in its own tree. I overheard a docent tell a group of children that they sleep about 20 hours a dday, which is what they were all doing. Only once did one wake up and look around. Later, when I walked Luke, he domonstrated his bird dog skills. He stopped in his tracks and pointed to a crow crossing thte street.
Seth arranged to celebrate his anniversay wiith a dinner cruise. We met a couple from London who were going next to the Grand Canyon. We went under a bridge and saw great views of the city and naval base.
I used the San Diego YMCA to do my pool exercises. They allow 6 visits a year for members from other YMCAs. The water is much warmer than the PAV YMCA. I learned how to get there with one bus and a cute red trolley.
Friday, Lorena, Seth and I went to the San Diego Old Town where I found some fine cigars. Then we drove to Temecula for wine tasting. We met Seth's Romanian friend Kata and his girlfrind Arlen for dinner. Lorena drove back to San Diego because she worked the next day. The four of us stayed overnight.
On Saturday we drove to the Westrn Film Festival in Lone Pines. When Seth and Kata hiked the Pacific Trail last May, this is where they ended. There was a Karioke contest at the bar where we ate dinner but they would not let Seth enter. This was a real travesty because apparently, Seth had won many such contests. I went back to the motel for early bed but learned the next morning that I had missed a staged gun fight an an unstaged bar room brawl.
This area is very beautiful and interesting. It has the Alabama Hills, weird formations of rocks. Seth had planned for the four of us to hike three miles of Mount Whitney to a lake. I was a drag on the group. I had to stop and catch my breath every two minutes. We did not make it to the lake but saw breath taking scenery (no pun intended). Seth and Kata plan to continue the Pacifics Trail form here next spring.
We went to Pacific Beach where Seth showed me his old apartment. We watched the Chargers and ate fish tacos at Sandbar Restaurant.
I walked to Balboa Park but it was too far and I took a bus back. On the way I met a women walking her Shi Zu. His name was lion in Hebrew but I can't remember it. She introduced me to a rabbit named Cinnamon that was in a long cage in front of a pet store. The rabbit and dog touched noses through the fence whenever the dog was walked. She "just had to" tell me a weird story. One night at 7:00 her dog barked wildly to go out. He went directly to the rabbit which was trapped on top of the hutch and could not get down. The only escape would have been to the street. She rescued the rabbit but was amazed by the ability of the two animals to communicate from two block away. At Balboa Park I saw the Torture Museum and the Museum of Man. Both were very good. This place I need to return to because there are many more museums.
Seth and I and Kata and Arlene saw the Importance of Being Earnest at the Cygnet Theatre. (Lorena had to work). It was very funny, Aunt Agusta was partically good.
Seth took me to the Mission Presdio and to see sea lions. The seal beach was empty.
On Thursday, Seth, Lorena and I went to the Snooze Cafe. This is my first experience with water saving toilets. There are two flush Buttons. One for "little tinnkle" and the other for "big poo." Lorena took me to Coranado Island. We saw great views of the city and the Hotel del Coranado (The del) where all the rock stars stay.
Seth and I flew to L.A., then to Austin for the "footie" finals. We stayed at a Holiday Inn the first night. Behind the hotel was a trail along the Texas Colorado River (not to be confused with the other Colorado). I saw yellow lillies, swans, ducks, blackbirds and row boats. On Friday, we took a bus tour of Austin and went to the Omni Hotel where all the Australian football players were staying.
I think I have a rudimentary idea of how the game works. The field is oval and larger than a soccer field. The ball looks like a small football. At the two ends of the field are four goal posts. Six points are scored if the ball goes between the middle two and one point if it goes between the end two. A player carrying the ball can only run a few meters with it before he has to pass or kick it. He can also dribble it. This is tricky business, drippling a football shaped ball. Until I was told about the dribble by the coach's wife, I thought these guys were having a terrible time holding onto the ball. The game starts with a toss-up. If you catch the ball cleanly, the play stops and you get to kick it. This is how most of the points were scored. (This is probably all wrong, look it up on line.)
Saturday was Seth's birthday. I was planning to some how get a cake but did not have a car. I thought I could work something out at the restaurant but the BBQ place was not suitable. However, the coach took care of it.
Last day Seth and I toured the state capital. While we waited for our planes, Seth tried to help me register to be a couch suffering host. We'll see how that works. Had to come home to rest.
Seth and Lorena are excellent hosts!
