Just saw the cutest play

Some of the neighborhood kids had worked hard all week after being cast in the Missoula Children Theater’s travelling production.  I couldn’t believe how well they did.  There was 48 kids of all ages and every child had a part.  The production was not only a play but also a musical and they performed it tonight in front of a full audience after having only 4 days of practice.  Absolutely fun and fantastic.  If you should happen to have the opportunity to see one of these plays I would highly encourage it. 

Fourth of July

Having our first Fourth of July back in the USA, we decided to have a cook out and invite Larry's office mates. Only two families were able to join us but we did have a good time chatting, meeting everyone and just enjoying a leisurely evening. This also gave us an excuse to fire up the grill and do some real grilling.

To top the evening off, we went to the Community Center so we could see the San Pedro

fireworks from Cabrillo Beach. Everyone had commented from when we first arrived how we would have a spectacular view of the fireworks and that the show was really good; so we looked forward to this and one of the families was able to stay late enough to enjoy them too.

The viewing area was crowded but it

was a fabulous show and we enjoyed it very much. Of course, I will always be particularly fond of Rockford, IL's fireworks set to music (thank you 104.9 FM for spoiling me) but this was a pretty well done show in it's own right. We already have plans to see it again next year.

Local favorites

LD and I got a late start this morning but we enjoyed relaxing our morning away. When we did get up and moving out of the house, we drove down Pacific Avenue to see if we could see any of the filming that they had closed portions of the street for. After some exploration online we found out that the closure was for the Jonas Brothers to film their latest video. Although we were not able to see any of the filming itself (closures were actually pretty effective) we did hear some of the lingo "rolling" and "cut".

Our ultimate destination though was to try the Gaffey Street Diner. We'd driven by this place often enough and couldn't help but notice that they advertised being featured on the Food Network. Turns out they were featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives which has quickly become one of our favorite Food Network Programs (when we have the opportunity to watch TV). I've included the clip below.

We enjoyed our breakfasts of choice and the staff was friendly. While we were there someone ordered, and the waiter showed us the French Toast Supreme and we must admit that it looked bigger and better in person than it did on TV. Before we left we assured ourselves that we revisit in the very near future and, perhaps, share a French Toast Supreme.

No time for sight-seeing today. Today my friend returns to the Midwest. Bummer!! This was my first time driving to the LA Airport. I'll admit that I was originally nervous but it turned out okay and somehow I think I'll be making the trip to pick up visitors in the future. I'm hoping that ARP enjoyed her visit as I know I enjoyed having her here.

Local Plane Museum

Today we found ourselves at the Western Museum of Flight in Torrence, CA. This museum is just off the active runway for the Torrence Airport so care is needed as you get to their location but walkways for your safety are provided. For our $5 donation we got full exploration of this very full but wonderful hanger. As we entered, one of the gentlemen informed us that what we saw on display in the museum was only 25% of what the museum has and would like to display. The museum is currently waiting on City approval for the zoning and building of a larger museum to properly house most of their collection.

Outside was an F-14 as well as the prototype of the F-18.

From 2010-0421 Southwestern Air Museum

Inside we were treated to all kinds of aviation discovery inclusive of the ability to climb inside the cockpit of an F-5.

From 2010-0421 Southwestern Air Museum

While the museum was smaller than some of the others we had attended, we found ourselves excited about the prospect for growth here. We surely hoped that they will have the ability to continually grow.

Planes, good food, and more planes

We invigorated ourselves with our daily walk, cleaned up and headed out. Today's journey takes us to Chino, CA where we will be visiting thePlanes of Fame Museum.

The museum is part of the Chino Airport and so was easy enough to find. What we didn't expect was there being more than one museum at the airport. The "museum" signs directed us to take the right off the airport drive and we found ourselves at Yanks Air Museum. As we entered the building we had the feeling that the airport held more than one museum and we knew we would need to see the museum quickly so we could be sure to see the museum we had originally targeted for the day.

The Yanks Air Museum has three hangers full of all kinds of planes. The one thing in common for all their planes was they were all American Manufactured. Our $10 admission allowed us to explore all these hangers and the wonderful planes held within. There were quite a few planes on display that neither ARP or myself had seen outside of pictures before. We were also impressed to learn that almost all of the planes on display were fully functional; of which several are taken out regularly for flying. Of particular interest to me was the F-14 Tomcat that was, quite possibly, in the best condition I'd seen.

From 2010-0420 Yank Museum

Photos are allowed for personal use and we enjoyed viewing so many lovely finds.

When we finished with the Yanks Air Museum we found ourselves more than ready for lunch. Originally we were planning on getting In-n-Out again but we didn't see any in the local area. However, seated directly between the Yanks Air Museum and the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino Airport is Famous Flo's Airport Cafe. This place was bustling busy and we were lucky enough to find a table. It was clear that the Cafe has been there fore quite some time and enjoys a good business. We met with friendly service and WONDERFUL food at this place that felt welcoming and homey. We tried their Corn Chowder and knew we had found THE place to have lunch. ARP enjoyed a cheeseburger while I enjoyed the turkey club sandwich. There were several upon several desserts to choose from, however we settled on splitting a serving of strawberry shortcake which was delicious (the waitress was kind enough to split the serving in the back for us). We were delightfully full and the price was extremely reasonable.

We then followed the signs to the Planes of Fame Museum. Here for our $11 Admission we got to traipse through 7 hangers full of planes from every era of aviation. Once again we were thrilled to see planes that we don't often see.

From 2010-0420 Planes of Fame

Most of these planes are also fly-able and while we were there, we had the opportunity to watch one of the volunteers working to restore the engine of one of the planes. Not only are several of these planes fly-able but you can book a flight as a passenger in one of several select planes. Beyond the planes there were quite a few exhibits to show the history of aviation; everything from models to historical articles are on display. Inclusive of a wonderful exhibit showing a "downed plane in the jungle".

From 2010-0420 Planes of Fame

We left the museum feeling fully satiated with what we'd seen.

SS Lane Victory

Our original intent was to head to LA's Museum of Art but we were still recovering from our weekend and so we opted to stay close to home.

After lunch with LD, we headed to the Harbor Area of San Pedro to view the SS Lane Victory, a Liberty Class Ship. She was not as sizeable as the Midway but she was still quite the lovely piece of work. For our $3 donation we got to explore any part of the ship that was not blocked off . .which was quite a bit.

From 2010-0419 SS Lane Victory

Additionally, two of her holds were converted into museums and held quite a view displays.

From 2010-0419 SS Lane Victory

They even included a list of movies and television spots that were shot on the Lane Victory and we were amazed the number of times this ship has been featured.

From 2010-0419 SS Lane Victory

Between exploring every nook and cranny available to us and watching one of the barges unload across the harbor way we managed to fill our afternoon quite effectively.

From 2010-0419 SS Lane Victory

Leathernecks, birds, and pumas .. oh my!

We broke our fast at the local Burger King before heading out to the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Mirimar. As we approached the gate it became clear that there was more to the displays here then we expected.

The museum is free but donations are welcomed and encouraged as they hope to build a new, spectacular building to house all their exhibits. The current building holds some of their personalized exhibits such as exploring the roles of female marine aviators, marine aviators through all the World Wars and into Vietnam. There is quite a bit of history preserved in this museum and it is wonderfully displayed.

Having reviewed the inside of the museum, we wandered outside to the aviation displays themselves. The museum has tried to have one of each type of aircraft flown by Marine Aviators on display.

From 2010-0418 Leathernecks Museum

This was a wonderous display and we enjoyed having the opportunity to view the aircraft and remark at their wonderful condition. There were a couple of exhibits currently away for restoration but we didn't get the feel that we were missing anything. If you want to see all the planes on display, please feel free to click on the link above under the picture which will take you to my photo album.

As we departed we commented on how pleased we were to have the foresight to visit the museum first thing for the day as we may have missed this rare gem if we'd opted to go to the Zoo first and then try to catch this museum just before closing (3:30 PM).

With that wonder under our belt we headed to our next and final stop for the day - The San Diego Zoo. I'll admit that I've enjoyed Zoos before - The Brookfield Zoo, the Bristol Zoo (UK), etc.; however nothing prepared me for the size and scope of this zoo. We wandered every bit of this park for 5 hours or so and yet there are whole parts of this place that we didn't see. It amazed me at every turn the different animals to behold and the different ways to view them. LD was excited to see the new Polar Bear Plunge exhibit and I was looking forward to see the Panda Bears as I've not seen one since my pre-teen years at Busch Gardens in Florida. Neither exhibit disappointed. We got to the pandas just at feeding time and they ate peacefully and contentedly. The young polar bear was exploring as we arrived and the adult was waiting for some zoo-keeper attention so neither were taking advantage of the "plunge" but they were still visible and adorable. We watched leopards pace with the coming storm, birds primp and flitter about, feeding time at the pond, some of the tigers exploring their habitat, and a variety of other sights.

From 2010-0418 San Diego Zoo

We narrowly made it to the main gift shop before closing time so we could purchase our items before climbing into the car for the ride home. We were all thoroughly exhausted but felt satisfied with what we'd seen and the knowledge that we'd have to go back to several of the locations we'd visited to see the rest. When we got back to San Pedro we headed to Marie Callender's for a simple but filling dinner.

Unexpected view

We headed up to Cabrillo National Park to check out the monument mid-morning. What we hadn't planned on was the view of San Diego to be held from the point. The views were spectacular and it was so easy for us to get caught up in the view and loose track of time as well as the other things we had planned for the day.

From Cabrillo National Park

However the view wasn't the only thing up in the park to see. We also enjoyed the displays on Cabrillo's exploration and discovery; local geotechnical discoveries; and the monument itself.

From Cabrillo National Park

The park also features Old Point Loma Lighthouse which is open to the public for viewings. The light house is furnished as it would have been in the late 1800's to early 1900's and is really interesting to see. They also have quite a bit of history of this lighthouse as well as light keeping in general.

From Cabrillo National Park

Moving on, the point also was a communications point for the military and included coastal defence. You can view the hut where the military would have kept active watch as well as the gun emplacements (now empty).

From Cabrillo National Park

But wait .. there's more .. You can also enjoy hiking along the multiple trails through the park as well as enjoy multiple locations to watch the tidal pools. Needless to say, the hour or so we planned to view the park was not enough time and even when we left a couple of hours later we still felt as if we could easily spend some more time there. But alas, we had a full schedule and it was time to move onto the next thing.

Onward we went to visit the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot Museum. This was a small museum but was interesting as it showed the history of Marine Recruitment very concisely. The exhibits included the typical issued gear for WWI and WWII among other things. Being a civilian, I think I found the most interesting thing to be the schedule for basic training in the Marine Corps. The museum was smaller than anticipated but was interesting none-the-less.

From Marine Corps Recruitment

Last stop for the day was the USS Midway. This was the first time I had stepped foot on a naval vessel and for that first time to be a Carrier Class was a bit overwhelming. This ship/museum is in constant change as they find different veteran organizations and/or donations to restore different portions of the ship. There are quite a few planes on static display on the flight deck and the different "stories" available on the audio tour made the entire experience educational as well as entertaining.

From USS Midway

While I found the entire ship fascinating, I found the four restored pilot ready rooms to be enthralling.

From USS Midway

Of additional interest was the veterans on the flight deck serving as docents and walking their groups through a Carrier Launch or Night Landing and all sorts of other great information. The ship also offers a gift shop and a cafe. We ate at the cafe on the back deck and looking out in the harbor - wonderful experience. Although we had around 4 hours to spend at this location there were still areas of the ship that we did not have the opportunity to experience such as the control tower and the engine rooms. I'm highly encouraged to return.

As the day started to come to a close we decided to take a short drive over the bridge to Coronado Island for the view. Then we were off to our hotel to park the vehicle and walk Old Towne San Diego for dinner. LD, having visited San Diego before knew of a place that he had previously enjoyed eating and so we wove through some of the stores before ending for dinner.

From Old Towne San Diego

After dinner we were all exhausted and so we turned in early.

The Getty Museum

After a walk with K, K and Sammy we cleaned up and headed out to meet LD for lunch.

Then our travels took us to the Getty Museum. What can you say about the Getty except for WOW. This unique museum sits up on one of California's hillsides (or mountain depending on your perspective). It's unique white stone construction makes it stand out as a sight to behold as you pass it on the highway and the wonders continue as you take the tram up to the center itself. Admission to this wonder is free however parking will run about $15 per vehicle.

The Getty is several buildings and the unique architecture blends them together inside so it is possible to pass from one building to another quite easily without being aware that you've changed buildings at all. The architecture also seems to be modern and yet compliments the California landscape. If you think you are just going to see art when you go, be ready to be surprised for they have a couple of different gardens and fountains as well. The entire center seemed to make me feel at peace.

At the time of our visit (and continuing until June) was a wonderful exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci showing some of his more popular statuaries as well as several of his lesser known sketches. It was wonderful to see his study of the human and horse forms closely (for some of the sketches the museum provided magnifying glasses). Complimenting this exhibit was a gift store specializing in the area of da Vinci (most of which was available in the main gift store).

Additionally we were able to see several pieces of Medieval Illumination and they were running an exhibit on architecture in Medieval Illumination which was a very cool way to look at those beautifully tiny pieces of art.

I've always appreciated art and the skill and imagination it takes to produce it. This museum offers some very wonderful art that had me in awe for our entire visit. It became very clear to me very early on that I will need to visit again at some time to take a more in depth look. It may take several trips for me to have a full appreciation. And of course at some point I'll have to take a trip to the Getty Villa.

Back to the house to pack, dinner at the Sizzler and we settled into the car for the drive down to San Diego. We got a room at the Courtyard Marriott in Old Towne San Diego. Lovely hotel, comfortable room, and within walking distance of all the shopping and eateries to be had in Old Towne.

A day at the Museums

Today's agenda was to see some of the other museums close to the house. We enjoyed an exercising walk with K, K and Sammy and after we'd had a quick breakfast and grabbed a shower, we were out the door to see the sights.

First stop was the Drum Barracks Museum, however we had just missed the start of the last tour of the day. Not being discouraged, we decided we would just have to make a point of seeing it later in ARP's trip.

To make sure we got in on the next museum's tour, we headed straight over to the Banning Museum. The Banning is a house built in 1864 by Phineas Banning. Mr. Banning was quite influential in the LA area having been a driving force behind bringing the railroad out here; growing the Port of LA through creation of the breakwater, digging out the port area, among other accomplishments; as well as providing the land free to the Army for training (and instant security for all Mr. Banning's investments) which became known as the Drum Barracks. The tour of this home is excellent and the home is beautiful (photos not allowed inside). There is a lot of work happening on the grounds as they prepare to open a new exhibit in the basement (previously the ballroom) however the house itself is well furnished with several pieces of the Banning's original furniture and was quite the sight to behold. Below I have included pictures of the grounds including the beautiful garden which was quite relaxing and fragrant.

After this wonderful tour and our heads filled with 19th Century life in the West, we were feeling a bit peckish and so we headed to the local In-n-Out for quality fast food. This place has the simplest menu you will ever see. All they serve is burgers and fries (chips for my Brittish Friends). You may wonder how they survive but I can guarantee you this food is wonderful. The fries are made from fresh potatoes on site and the hamburger arrives fresh and is NEVER frozen. All food is made fresh from fresh ingredients here and nothing is EVER frozen (except for the milkshakes - which are wonderful as well).

Next stop - Los Angeles Maritime Museum. There were several things of interest in this museum. There were model ships of every kind and variation and they were all wonderfully done. There was a display on the Port of LA in Politics which showed the different American Presidents and other dignitaries that visited the area. ARP enjoyed watching the Port Authority's Tug Boats manoeuvre a large shipping barge into port so that it could be off-loaded and then re-loaded. I enjoyed learning how the Port of LA used to be the largest cannery in the West being home to both Chicken of the Sea as well as Starkist (both have since moved to areas where labor could be obtained for less money). Fishing was a big business out here . . but has since died down unfortunately.

Unfortunately the gift shop closed earlier than the museum and so we didn't get a chance to do the shopping - bummer!

We headed back home and enjoyed some down-time and time to take pictures off of cameras to be ready for the next day - The Getty!!!!

Having decided to scrap heading to Tattershall for class (we were both VERY sore and tired) we opted to head to Marie Callender's for some good food and great pie.

Fashion District or Bust

Today was our trip to LA's Fashion District. Both of us wondered if the prices were going to be the only differences between the fabric available down-town and the fabric we've always done some sewing with.

First stop was the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising as they were holding their annual display of the costumes from this past year's movies nominated for Oscar Awards. Unfortunately we were not able to take pictures inside but we were impressed with several of the exhibits. Of particular interest was the exhibit this year from the movie Young Victoria. I've not yet seen the film but, being an American Civil War Reenactor, the costumes are of particular interest to me. The designer was allowed to see and handle several of Queen Victoria's original dresses held in trust in England as she designed her own inspirations. The exhibit did not disappoint! They had 6 dresses from the film and all of them were wonderfully done. There was only one dress wherein we were doubtful of the fabric choice and we both adamantly admired (as in want to create for ourselves) the Riding Habit. Also on display they had costumes from Sherlock Holmes, Where the Wild Things Are, Watchmen, as well as several others. Unfortunately this weekend is the last for this particular exhibit this year so I'll have to keep an eye out for next year's exhibit.

After that we headed to Mood Fabrics. ARP had heard about this store while watching an episode of Project Runway and was interested in seeing their fabric selection. I must say the price was not the only difference. While some of the fabrics were more pricey than what we are used to (consider it LA inflation) their selection was not to be beat. We spent a little over an hour just browsing and I'm sure there are fabrics we did not see. I have no doubt that the next time I'm looking for an elusive fabric for a project I'll have no problems finding it here. they have quite the exhaustive notions center as well so we enjoyed browsing a variety of buttons and other sundries. Neither of us made any fabric purchases but we both kept the place in mind for future searches.

Next stop was F&S Fabrics which was more on scale for what we are used to seeing in the Chicago area. Still they had quite a selection but not nearly as impressive as the first store. Prices were a little more reasonable though and with the helpful staff it was easy to see why they had been there so long.

At this point we were well down-town and it was getting into rush hour traffic time so we opted to finish our day out at a store we were both comfortable with - JoAnn Fabrics. Once again, no purchases but we spent some time wandering and just enjoying the options for a more reasonable price.

All in all it was a very good day! I'm sure we didn't really see the actual "Fashion District" because I had heard that it wasn't in the best areas of down-town and I can't complain about the location of the two stores we stopped at as they seemed to be more upscale. I think I'll definitely have to get in on one of the other trips heading to the "Fashion District" to see what all the fuss is about sometime in the future. But for now I'm content that I know more than one location to get fabric and stuff in the LA area.

Last night my good and long-time friend, A, flew in for a visit. So today we spent a little bit of leisure in the morning to allow for jet-lag and then headed out for lunch with David and some necessity shopping (including petrol). Then we were back to San Pedro for some site seeing.

First stop, unintentionally, was the Korean Peace Shrine which overlooks the Pacific Ocean very near Fort Macarthur Museum.

Then, with revised directions, we headed to our next stop - Fort Macarthur Military Museum. This museum center is the bunkers and gun implacements put in place to protect the coastline during World War II. This place was not the easiest to find (well hidden) but excellent to see!! I think my favorite part was seeing pictures of Fort Macarthur taken in 1940's and then the same building pictured in 2002 - way cool!

That brought us directly near the Mammal Rescue Center and so we looked in on the seals and such.

Last stop - Point Ferman to get a better look at the coastline and take a look at the lighthouse. The lighthouse had already closed by the time we got there but we enjoyed the park and the outside views of the lighthouse.

At that point we figured we'd done quite a bit of walking and could take a break before meeting David for dinner. So back to the house we went. Tonight we head to Island's for dinner.

Due to requests

Upon popular request, I've taken today to take some pictures of the place for posting here. I hope you enjoy!

2010-0407 Officers Road

If you click on the above link you will see pictures of every area of the house.

This is our home in California. It is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath with dining room, living room, large entry and (a rarity in CA) with a basement. The house was built in 1918 and is on the National Historic Register. The home has always served as officer's family housing. The building itself is a duplex with a mirrored image of the house on the left side (as you face the house) but that portion is currently empty.

I'll admit the basement still needs some work so please don't look too closely there but I think the rest of the house has come together rather nicely.

After a trip to the doc today and then over for some x-rays, it's been confirmed . . the only thing permanently hurt by my fall was my pride. There is no fracture evident in the x-rays so it appears that the pain is just bruising of the muscle and bone. The doc says to ice it twice a day and keep taking ibuprofen every 6 hours for the next several days. I'm hopeful that it will do the trick and get me back to the semi-active lifestyle I was enjoying.

I just wrote K to see if she wouldn't mind a shorter and more leisurely walk tomorrow to see how it goes and get me out of the house. Besides, I don't believe in favoring injuries longer than necessary and now that I know I didn't actually break anything it's time to whip the muscles back into shape before they forget which direction they were heading. (laughing)

Off to Council meeting shortly . . I should probably gather my thoughts for my report. But I'll probably spend the last few minutes I have at home this evening working on the fabric shelves since I can see the light at the end of the tunnel in their organization (as well as what I have on hand) which is inspiring me to do some sewing this week. I didn't take a "before" picture but I may just post an "after" picture.

Happy Easter!!! He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!!

Today was a nice day. A little bit of relaxation mixed with just the right amount of stuff we needed to get done.

We started by going to the Club for Easter Brunch. It was really nice and we saw some of the people we know also enjoying the opportunity. On our walk back home we walked along the gate and looked down to the beaches nearby. The day was beautiful, sunny, warmish with a breeze to chill everything back down. When we arrived back home I rested by bum leg with some ice packs while David enjoyed some time gaming on the computer downstairs.

Around 3:30 pm, I had been dozing, when I felt something strange. When I opened my eyes I saw the blinds swaying slightly as well as the chandelier in the dining room swinging. I made the only assessment I could - I must have been experiencing an earthquake. Although there have been 3 or so since we moved here, somehow I've never felt them before this one so it was quite the experience. David didn't feel it because he was in the basement and evidently if you are below ground you don't notice things like earthquakes.

We put up the new shelving unit in the garage and did some reorganizing out there. We weren't able to get everything up off the floor and onto shelves but we certainly did clear a lot of floor space. David used the opportunity to swing a stick at the pell in the newly cleared space and now we have room for those drills that we're both promising we're going to be starting. Of course my leg has to get better before I do anything resembling a lunge. I think I'll be going to the doc for x-rays on Monday . . which reminds me I need to email K that I won't be able to walk tomorrow.

After garage organization we took some more downtime and then I worked some in the back room with the fabric. I've emptied almost all my fabric tubs onto the shelving units and David put the third up for me tonight. I've found that separating fabric by type on the shelves is a good idea but I'm going to have to do some rearranging of the shelves as some of the types are full and I just ran across a couple of tubs that contain a little bit of everything. Given that revelation I decided that I was done for the time being.

Dinner tonight is an exciting frozen pizza since we had decided not to do an Easter dinner since we were going to do the brunch thing and I totally forgot to plan anything for dinner by taking something out of the freezer.

So I'll leave this as I started it - HAPPY EASTER!

Organization, a twist, and some site-seeing

This past week I realized that this weekend was one of the few that we were going to have at home and asked my dear husband if we could go so some local site - anything - just as long as we "checked something to see off the list". Of course his response was the same as yours probably is, "You have plenty of time left in this location to see things." However I know how these things go . . we get busy with life and forget to do the site-seeing portion. (laughing)

With the knowledge that we were going to go see something this weekend, I spent yesterday working in the back storage room of the basement. I've gotten almost motivated to sew but all my fabric was in bins and it was impossible to see what I had and to find what I needed even if I could remember what I had. Sigh. To remedy this problem, we found some industrial shelves at the local Lowe's and so I set myself to putting together shelves and emptying bins. Before I could undertake this though, I had to move the stuff I had stored on top of the bins when the communications company was working in the basement out to the garage for storage (for lack of anywhere else to put it). Have I mentioned previously my propensity for being a clutz? On my second to the last trip out the door I misjudged the stair and fell. Somehow I didn't end up with a black eye from the box or a broken nose from the sidewalk. When I picked myself up I decided that my shins and knees were bruised and scraped and my ankle twinged but that seemed to be the worst of it. I decided I was done doing stairs for a bit and sat down with some ice on what I determined was the most painful of the bruising. After some time I did make it back to the basement to start working on those shelves and that fabric but I didn't get to far as I was limping everywhere I went.

We went out later for dinner and a movie and, while I was limping, it didn't seem the damage was too bad. This morning though my ankle twinged just right to make me think I might have done something more serious, but then after some time I got back to the favorment I was giving it yesterday and it seemed no worse than before. What was additionally clear to me this morning though was that I had pulled muscles in my shoulders and jambed my wrists as my arms had gone forward to catch me, successfully. After taking some ibuprofen, on we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then a short exploration of Redondo Beach Pier. We ducked into some shops and found me a hat made of sea-grass so I can avoid future California sunburns during my morning walks. We also played a game of Air Hockey (which I won - again - that's 2 game sets in a row which is a rarity).

When we'd made the circuit once we headed for home, stopping along the way at 2 Lowe's until we could find the one that had the shelving we needed for the garage in stock. The shelving itself weighs 200 pounds and so, while we were able to slide it from the cart into the car at the store we ended up opening the box and taking it out in parts when we got home. Of course the one corner where we want to put the shelves is where we've been putting everything else since we arrived so much re-arranging needs to be done before we can assemble this unit and hopefully put some order to our garage again. David joked when we opened the garage door to put the unit in for storage, "I thought the garage was half empty not a week ago or so". Which was true but now we've been actually deciding what needs to be stored out there and with the knowledge that the new shelving unit was coming eventually we've been more liberal in our storage decisions.

Once we got home I put my leg up and put the ice on it again. It's doing okay but I need it to recover quickly as Antina is due out for a visit very soon and I know we'll be doing a lot of site-seeing inclusive of walking.

Well, off to bed for now. Happy Easter everyone!!!!

Now that the house is mostly settled and we are mostly moved in (the only remaining boxes are in the basement and they are things that we need to "deal with" in one way or another), I've had the good fortune of realizing we are in a neighborhood of great people.

A couple of months ago, K (one of the neighbors) asked if I wanted to get some exercise and do some talking by walking with her one morning. Well, that first morning was great fun and she showed me the route that she took with some of the others that walk on Saturday mornings which went down by the Cabrillo Beach. Now, I'm not likely to go on the Saturday walk because it starts at 7 AM and I'm just not the kind of person that wants to get up that early on a Saturday to begin with, let alone be social (laughing). But during the week, K and I have been doing an 8 AM walk that works out pretty well for both of us. Now there have been the occasional day where we've needed to cancel due to rain - maintenance visits - other appointments - illness, etc. but it's been good for both of us health wise and it's been especially helpful in making me feel more acclimated to the neighborhood. I think this week will be the first week since we started that we won't miss a single day - fabulous. I mapped the walk out and we're walking 2.6 miles or so and we've noticed this week that we are doing it in a little shorter time than our previous hour. I can't say that I've lost any weight because of this extra exercise but I'm hopeful.

Since we arrived, I've gotten involved in the local "Spouses Club" and it's been interesting. We recently held an auction to raise funds to give away as scholarships and it was a huge success. David and I attended and bid on 4-5 items actually winning the 2 we REALLY wanted. We both had to agree that it was more fun than we had anticipated we would have. But then again I should have known better since the people around here are pretty fun and energetic. I don't know where some of them find the time and energy to do all that they do but I admire them for it.

David and I bought some solar lights to illuminate the path from the back door to the patio area we have. They look pretty good and we're debating some more. We have a lovely patio area here but it's not lighted at all. One of the neighbors put Christmas lights on the fence in her area to light it and I have to say that it worked pretty well. When I put away the Christmas decorations I kept some lights out to do just that and with the solar lights I think that we'll have an area that is illuminated subtly but beautifully. At this time there isn't any huge rush since we're not using the area at the moment .. but in a few weeks we're getting a grill and I think we'll enjoy spending some nights out there cooking on the grill and/or entertaining. I must say that I'm considering hosting one of the "Neighborhood Parties" but I think it must wait until there is guaranteed better weather because we'll need that outdoor seating (smile).

Since we moved in, we'd been slowly adding to a pile of stuff to give away in the garage. A week or so ago I scheduled the pick up and we have space in the garage to park a car again. . once we get done doing more rearranging. But theoretically we're going to be able to park a car in there and still have some stuff stored out there. I'm very excited about this possibility. We actually had a night home last night and went to the local hardware store to get the shelving that we figure we'll require - only to find they were out of stock of what we needed. Sigh. So we have to check back with them this weekend to see if they have it. Exciting weekend plans eh? Rearrange the garage and the camping stuff. I would say that I feel like spring cleaning except we're not really cleaning and we're not really clearing out anything additional . . so does that mean I'm feeling like Spring Organizing? Hmmm. . .

I'll admit that I've been holding off on pictures of this place until we have all these last items taken care of. Then again I suppose I shouldn't hold off too long or we may end up moving before I get pictures out to any of you to see what it actually looks like. I know several of you are convinced that we are still living in England since we've not felt any of the recent earthquakes and our house has not been buried in the mudslide but I guarantee you that there is more to California than those tragic items. Rest assured, we miss our friends and family in Iowa and Illinois and we miss our friends and the home we enjoyed in England.

The first of our visitors arrives really soon as A comes out from Rockford for a good visit. Speaking of which, I have a tentative schedule and a list of stuff she wants to do so I guess I'd better start looking at the planning of this wonderful time of fun and exploration.

In the recent weeks we've had the pleasure of attending several SCA events in the nearby areas. As we've driven to events I've seen the snow capped mountains on the horizon and was awed by their beauty. They almost seem surreal since the are the background to such an industrialized area. I commented to David just yesterday that they looked like a painting since they were so majestic and we couldn't quite see where they met the ground through all the industrialized city in the foreground. I keep meaning to take a picture of this kind of view so you can see what I mean.

We've also seen quite a bit of rain. There are some areas, luckily not ours, that are flooded or in danger of landslide and so have been evacuated. Additionally there were a couple of small tornadoes that touched down here or there in the LA county area doing some damage but luckily no one thus far has been hurt. With the great amount of rain we've had our SCA practices have been non-existent because they all take places in parks here and the parks are very swamp-like with this weather. We were lucky enough to avoid the rains tonight so we could have practice . . we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Catching up

It's been so long since I last wrote in this blog that I feel the need to convey everything that I've been up to. If you want to, read on and bear with me . . if not, I totally understand!

All the shipments have arrived and all of our stuff is successfully in one house for the first time. We're still going through and deciding what to keep and what to give away or throw away and I figure we will probably be still going through that for the next couple of years at the rate we get bored with it. (smile) I know some of you have asked what the house is like and also asked if we could post pictures . . I'm thinking that I should be able to be able to do that in the next month or so.

I think the coldest it has been here is 64F in the day and 51F at night. I feel guilty when I keep reading of all the snow, ice and cold weather that Illinois, Iowa, England, and Iceland are getting (although the weather is really just been uncommon for England). Everyone tells me that we will experience cold weather here but I still don't think I'll have any use for sweaters and turtlenecks . . so the debate comes, should they be some of what I dispose of? I've not needed such warm clothing since I left the bitter winters of Illinois behind and continuing to carry them around as they most assuredly go out of style seems silly so perhaps I should revisit this thought as I go through my closets again after having been here a full year to experience the full range of "weather".

Starting the beginning of December I made a variety of Christmas Cookies (as is my usual custom). The first batch was, of course, the chocolate covered cherry cookies. I enjoyed taking these to a cookie exchange party here in the neighborhood and all the girls seemed eager to try them. I also made a variety of other kinds and sent trays upon trays of cookies into the office with David so that I would have the pleasure of cooking them and tasting them but not over-tasting them.

Originally for Christmas Dinner we had anticipated having some of David's office-mates over (those who didn't have family in the area) but they all headed somewhere else (mostly home) for Christmas . . and who can blame them . . therefore Christmas Dinner was a quiet affair with David and myself and it was very nice. Although I must admit that I did miss my Heinrich Family Tradition of big meal with family, church, and then back for snack food and conversation. However, new location and therefore new traditions so we'll see what we can figure out.

David has been lucky enough to obtain from work some of the free game tickets sometimes available to the LA Kings Hockey Games at the Staples Center. We had both really enjoyed seeing the Ice Hogs play in Rockford when we lived there and neither of us had seen an NHL game live before so our first game was such fun! We were thrilled a week later when he was able to get another set. The Staples Center doesn't seem to have "bad seating" anywhere so even though we were at the top of the rows we could see quite well. Although the Kings didn't win the 2nd game we saw we still enjoyed being there and hope to have the opportunity to go again.

Today we got together with the Southern California 1st USSS Company C (American Civil War Berdan's Sharpshooters Reenactors) which is our new unit and had the annual meeting. We looked at the calendar and as a group picked 1 event a month to attend. Of course the weather out here means that you can attend events ALL year round so that was quite a concept. David and I were also impressed that there didn't seem to be a lot of months were the events were stacked back to back making it more difficult to find 1 to attend for that month . . they were all spread nice and even. We also though it was nice that this group gets together other times during the year outside of the reenacting hobby. They try to do a couple of live firing events, just the group at a target range. They have a pot luck picnic type of thing early in the season and a pool party or other get together in the middle. They even discussed doing some group meals for some of the events. I think we'll enjoy reenacting with them over the time we're here. We seem to be slowly building ourselves a reenacting home no matter where we travel, which makes us both smile.

We've been able to be active in the SCA quite a bit since we arrived here. There is a practice almost every night of the week in the local area, however we've narrowed ours down to the 2 within our Barony. We go to the College on Mondays to try to get more college kids involved and enjoying the hobby and then to the Baronial practice on Wednesdays. We have made it to 2 events so far. We attended Dreiburgen's Anniversary and enjoyed having the opportunity to fence some new people as well as getting our local authorizations out of the way. At Coronation we enjoyed visiting with Mary when she came over to visit from England at that event. Mary was kind enough to introduce us to other previous Drachenwalders now residing in the area which means that we'll know even more people in the area and have a common ground with them. Of course David has been out here before and so he knows some people already but I'm starting fresh and knowing someone AND having a common ground with them is a bonus! This past week I went and visited the local Tattershall Study Group and I know I'm going to have fun at their classes on Thursdays!

I guess that about sums up what's been going on here. I'll try to be better about writing more often in this blog. Funny, when I started this for family and friends in Illinois and Iowa it made sense and now I know that some of our friends in England check in on us here too which is lovely. More later . . Promise!