Had a great day Saturday as one of my cousins was in town for the first time in, well forever. Kathryn Davis of Houston and my cousin on my Mom’s side blew into So. Cal. for a little getaway and to attend a couple of Kenny Loggins shows here in the Southland. She had caught a red eye flight from Texas and arrived Friday evening which turned into Saturday morning with the rent a car and getting to her hotel and all. She set up camp in Hollywood and finally hit the sack in the wee hours.
I woke up as usual at about 4:30 Saturday morning, grabbed some coffee, checked emails and went right back to bed for a couple of hours. The morning malaise wore off about 7:15 or so but I decided not to ring her up until after 8 am or thereabouts. When I did make the call she was up and about and we made plans to hit the County Fair down in San Diego in the early afternoon. I haven’t done the exact math but it should be noted that I haven’t seen her in about 30+ years. Heck, I don’t remember how old I was when I last visited San Antonio. Let’s just say it was quite some time ago.
She hit the road on her way down to South County and immediately experienced the joy that is Southland traffic. Southland holiday traffic at that. The text messages started flying but once she hit a break things started to look a little better. When she finally got past the industrial district of LA it was smooth sailing and she was on my doorstep just a little after 11 am. Pleasantries were exchanged and she was afforded the guided tour of the digs despite my abode being in the “Spring Clean Shambles”. Kat seemed to like the neighborhood but as all of you presently residing here know it’s been unseasonably HOT the last few days. KD stated she didn’t remember California being this warm.
We we’re both a little hungry and decided on Schlotsky’s Deli for a sandwich and/or a salad. I pounded a Snapple there and had already made sure we had plenty of bottled water for the Fair. We went over logistics and since the Loggins concert didn’t start until later in the evening I decided to run her over to the Mikkelsen household where she could meet Mike and Paddy as well as the hounds. Paddy was away but Mike was home as were the mutts. Much to my surprise the dogs pounced on me instead of welcoming the newbie!! Kat really liked Mike’s neighborhood as do I. I’d kill for a single story in that tract. Love it. Unfortunately, the going rate over there for a single story dwelling is about 750K…
So we hung out with Mike for about an hour and Kath got to see all the kitchen remodeling as well as the pool replastering project. Felt like jumping in right then and there. Hot, Hot, Hot. It was approaching 1pm when we left Mike’s and headed for the freeway south. Traffic wasn’t all that bad even in the San Juan Cap. area where it usually backs up for a little bit. Nice scenic ride down the coast with a few landmarks that Katarina may or may not have remembered. She had been in the area of Camp Pendleton awhile back but nothing looked really familiar. No matter as we were headed to the Fair to goof off and catch up on one another.
Can’t recall exactly what time we arrived at the Del Mar Fairgrounds but I can tell you it was still hot. The good thing is that the grounds and racetrack are really close to the ocean so you get a little breeze blowing in onshore to cool things down a bit. It was still a little warm but pleasant for the most part. We did the parking thing and started the trek to the ticket booth. We were admitted in short order after a short search for weapons (my keychain box cutter was confiscated) and started cruising the grounds. An obligatory stop at the restrooms and then around to the arena where someone was messing around on a dirt bike. Reached the other side and lo and behold one of my favorite attractions. A BEER STAND… I slugged down two Heiny’s whilst Kat had a light beer and we sat there for about 45min. or so just talking about our lives and family. Great stuff. From there we wandered around some more checking out some of the exhibits and animals in the big halls.
We put a lot of miles on our sneakers that afternoon. Used the bridges to cross over the turf at the racetrack and into the infield area, which was set up as most carnival midways are. Rides and Food all over the place. We just missed a wine tasting session. Dang! We were getting somewhat hungry and spent another half hour or so just going from booth to booth in search of the perfect afternoon snack. We saw a ton of signs that looked like they might have something appetizing but the food didn’t look all that good for the cash most folks were demanding. We did end up finding a reasonable place that was whipping up Gyros. Very tasty and just filling enough to last us the rest of the evening. Saw a little bit of the demolition derby in the small arena but the most fun thing to watch was the Swifty Swine pig races. They had a little 4 lane starting gate and a small track set up with rails.
Then introduced the piglets one by one all with names like “Brad Pig” and “Snoop Hoggy Hogg”. You get the idea. It’s a one lap dash for the treat at the end. They had different categories as well. Pot Belly’s as well as the piglets and a half time show with the tiniest little piglet that dove into a water trough and swam from one end to the other. Pretty funny actually.
We wandered over to the Grandstand to check out the concert seating and found a bunch of art exhibits from schools in the local area. Some great stuff there. Kat’s seating checked out and she had an excellent sight line to the stage. There was some more stuff going on in the courtyard with some bluegrass musicians so we checked that out for a bit as well. Then it was show time. Kat hit the reserved seating (she’s a fan club member) and I headed upstairs to get a decent seat. We agreed to meet after the show at a predetermined area downstairs. I settled in upstairs and enjoyed the show. My only regret is that I couldn’t get on the rail upstairs and try to zoom in for a picture of her in her seat. Very enjoyable set and I must say for a guy that’s 58, he hasn’t lost a thing in the vocal department. His supporting musicians were outstanding as well. Good Times.
When the show let out we met up again and filed our way back to the main gate. It had been a long day and we had a little bit of a drive left to get back to the OC. Traffic heading back up north was non-existent and we pretty much breezed back into town. Made a brief detour through San Juan Cap and then over to Ortega for fuel (broken pump) and then dashed the rest of the way back home. Cuz came upstairs to check out the map one more time before heading up to Hollywood. She wanted to be certain that there was an exit off of the 101 for Hollywood Blvd. I should have put the day bed upstairs down for her but it made more sense for her to hit the hotel. She had a bunch of stuff to do the next morning in preparation for Sunday night’s show and squeezing in some sightseeing on the Boulevard. Plus she was staying at the Roosevelt, which is a little swankier than our place and infinitely more comfortable given the heat and our lack of AC. So I walked her to the car and we said our goodbyes all the while reiterating what a fun day we’d had and how nice it was to get reacquainted after all these years.
Kathryn and Yours TrulyThat’s how it went folks and I thoroughly enjoyed my day and her company…..
-Scott
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Got up bright and early Saturday morning and hit the road out of town. I had planned earlier in the week to visit my friend Denny Self who has recently relocated to the getaway destination of Salton City, California. For those unfamiliar with the area it’s a little south of Indio. Great big lake with a recreation area and miles of undeveloped desert lands. Pretty desolate but with little communities surrounding it. Sounded like a good opportunity to get out of the city for a day. That and the fact that Denny and his hound Junior are somewhat new to the area and are still getting acclimated. I figured he could stand a familiar face around the place for a day. Being the handy guy that he is he hooked up with a friend of one of his son’s who had a place out there that needed some work. Well, “some” is a relative term and being as the property is more of getaway residence than permanent. It’s in a stage of disrepair and neglect. Additionally since there are only a few permanent residents in the park and it butts up to the desert area, some folks have a tendency to borrow things from the site. The side door entrance to the mobile home for instance. He’s been there a couple of weeks now and has managed to clear almost all of the dead brush from the lot (3/4 acre or so) and has the home in livable condition. Once he gets his tools down there he can get crackin’ on the outside of the home and maybe even do a little landscaping. The lot is prime for a modular home. Salton Sea Beach has quite a few properties closer to the shore that are run down and even some that are burned out. I’m sure there’s a story surrounding that section of the park but I’ll let Denny figure it out through the local network and I’m sure he’ll tell me about another time. May have something to do with the “weekenders” that go out there to ride their bikes, quads and sandrails around the desert. Saw some really nice buggies out there Saturday. Quite a few parasail rigs further down by the boat launching area as well. I saw as many as 6 all up at one time. If that keeps up they’ll be needing and air traffic control center before long.
Truck ran great all the way to and from with no issues whatsoever. Part of the reason for my excursion was to deliver some supplies that had been gathered for Denny by Phyllis and Anton. They’re friends of ours from Lake Forest Lanes. Denny is going to be the live in handyman as it were for the next year or two while he’s whipping the place into shape and until all the utilities and such are up to snuff it’s going to be a somewhat bohemian existence. So Phyllis and Anton were kind enough the throw together a few staples and I ran them out there. Can’t thank them enough for this kind gesture. I’m pretty sure I arrived at about 8:30 or 9am and started unloading the truck. Denny greeted me and lugged the boxes inside. Just sat and chatted for a bit until I could coax him to start opening the boxes. I was probably more excited than him. Felt like Christmas morning to me and couldn’t wait to see his reaction(s) even though I had no clue at all what the contents were. I won’t go into detail as to the contents but will say that he was flabbergasted by Phyllis and Anton’s generosity. He should be set up for months to come.
We spent the morning at the Lion’s Den in the park. A little Bar & Grill that the locals run. Great burger and I polished one off along with a beer or two. Met the staff, Darren the day manager and Lindsay our server and just kinda took in the place. Interesting décor. From there we headed south on highway 86 and just cruised some of the more populated areas. Spotted another little pub down the way and decided to check it out as I spied a satellite dish on the roof. Good call as the USC game was on the big screen. I was afraid Denny was going to get shut out on seeing his Trojans. We stayed there for the second half and met some of the staff there as well. Most everyone in the area are pretty nice folks and very hospitable. 
Pulled the heat shield and the big tube that runs from the airbox to the intake as it was totally in the way and managed to back off the existing 2 bolts. Didn't pull 'em all the way off but loosened them just enough so I could thread the new ones in the unoccupied holes. I gotta tell you this took some doing as there is little if any space to work with between the fan and the pulley. I had no intention of pulling the radiator shroud and fan for this. Thank goodness I have little girly man hands. Bunch of other stuff in the way as well and with the tight quarters I had to actually use my left hand to start the bolts. I still don't know how I pulled that off. Anyway once they were all in place, (pulled the 2 old ones and replaced) I slapped some loctite on them and torqued them down. Let it set for about 30 min. and slapped the new belt on. Fired it up and everything kicked back in just fine. All my warning lights started behaving again and I didn't have to have Hulk Hogan arms to turn the thing. It was a hassle but 40 bucks in parts and my Saturday morning is nothing compared to what any shop would have dinged me for. Gotta love it.. Here's a shot of the engine compartment stripped of the air hoses and such, followed by the shiny new serp. belt and lastly the reassembled engine compartment.
So Mike calls me Saturday morning and says hey bud, we have an extra ticket and a table at the Stretch Run area at Del Mar and the ticket is going to waste if you don’t go. Paddy had an appointment in San Diego that morning and when things were wrapped up she would meet us down south. So after all this time in California I’m experiencing two firsts. An Amtrak ride on the train down to Solana Beach and a day at the races. Big fun was to be had. The train ride was surprisingly smooth. Great suspension set up on those cars. Only downside was that apparently a lot of folks ride the train down to Del Mar for the races and there was standing room only all the way down. You pretty much had to board up north say in Valencia if you wanted a shot at a seat. Interesting and fun none the less.
The first two races I bet a Trifecta boxed and both times only 2 of my 3 horses showed. Dang!!! No big deal, I was only betting a buck or two on each race. The Mikkelsens’ friend Judy George was also in attendance and she saw one fella put 200 bucks on a single horse to win in one race. I’d have put 10 bucks on that horse if I was in that line just to see what might have happened. I did hit one in the 4th race betting on a single horse to win. He was supposed to show according to the scouting reports but I bet “He’s a Trieher” to win. Started out in the middle of the pack but closed in the final turn. Looked like the front runner was going to hang on but my horse nosed him out in the last 20 yards or so. Very, very exciting. Would have been more exciting had I bet 10 bucks. The win paid 20.80 so by my math I would have walked away with $104.00 on that race. The crowd is pretty quiet and controlled when the gates open but when they make the turn for the stretch run the buzz in the stands builds to a fever pitch. It was great. We snacked lightly as Mike pretty much made it clear that we were heading down to Ocean Beach afterwards for dinner at Ortega’s. As usual I ate until I thought I would burst.
Excellent food there but you would die for sure if you had it every day. Rich, filling and tasty for sure. So anyway, what was supposed to be a laundry and belated spring clean Saturday turned into quite the adventure. And aside from the train ticket and dinner I broke even. I can see why people look forward to the season. Very enjoyable pastime if you don’t get too carried away. 
Well okay then… Mike and Paddy are off to Alaska for a cruise and mucho sightseeing and as such I’m hanging out at their place keeping the dogs entertained and making sure the house doesn’t burn down. Kinda nice actually as the house is air conditioned unlike my current residence and there’s a pool in the backyard which really helps things out given how humid it’s been lately. Their daybed is 10 times more comfortable than my queen at home so I think I’m going to be shopping a new mattress and such. I’ve been sleeping really good the last couple of days. Probably cuz I’ve bowled my butt off in league and been throwing on the side with Jared and Mary, Pat, Jason and Melissa. Pat and I knocked off the #1 team yesterday. Took 3 out of 4 and just might hang on to second place spot.
Additionally I’ve been taking full advantage of the pool
Took a few shots of the thing and the bubbles generated by the spa jets then wanted to try something different. Drug the clay piece over to the entry steps at the shallow end and inverted it. Took a few minutes fumbling around with the camera controls (hard to operate in the case without practice) and set it up for a 10 second delay. I pointed the camera toward the deep end and let the clay piece rest on the camera on or about the 2nd step. The case isn’t weighted and would just bob up and down in the water otherwise.
I’ll have to address this later. Worked out pretty well. Erik and I will have to try something at night and see how the flash works in the pool. I did get some backscatter on some of the images but nothing I couldn’t remedy in P-Shop or Elements. 
I was trying out a wetsuit to see how it's buoyancy effected my bottom time while breathholding. It was nearly impossble to stay on the bottom with air in your lungs so I think a weightbelt of somesort is in order. The same was true when just wearing boardshorts and my Rusty rash guard. (UV protection) 
I woke up as usual at about 4:30 Saturday morning, grabbed some coffee, checked emails and went right back to bed for a couple of hours. The morning malaise wore off about 7:15 or so but I decided not to ring her up until after 8 am or thereabouts. When I did make the call she was up and about and we made plans to hit the County Fair down in San Diego in the early afternoon. I haven’t done the exact math but it should be noted that I haven’t seen her in about 30+ years. Heck, I don’t remember how old I was when I last visited San Antonio. Let’s just say it was quite some time ago. 
We we’re both a little hungry and decided on Schlotsky’s Deli for a sandwich and/or a salad. I pounded a Snapple there and had already made sure we had plenty of bottled water for the Fair. We went over logistics and since the Loggins concert didn’t start until later in the evening I decided to run her over to the Mikkelsen household where she could meet Mike and Paddy as well as the hounds. Paddy was away but Mike was home as were the mutts. Much to my surprise the dogs pounced on me instead of welcoming the newbie!! Kat really liked Mike’s neighborhood as do I. I’d kill for a single story in that tract. Love it. Unfortunately, the going rate over there for a single story dwelling is about 750K…
Can’t recall exactly what time we arrived at the Del Mar Fairgrounds but I can tell you it was still hot. The good thing is that the grounds and racetrack are really close to the ocean so you get a little breeze blowing in onshore to cool things down a bit. It was still a little warm but pleasant for the most part. We did the parking thing and started the trek to the ticket booth. We were admitted in short order after a short search for weapons (my keychain box cutter was confiscated) and started cruising the grounds. An obligatory stop at the restrooms and then around to the arena where someone was messing around on a dirt bike. Reached the other side and lo and behold one of my favorite attractions. A BEER STAND… I slugged down two Heiny’s whilst Kat had a light beer and we sat there for about 45min. or so just talking about our lives and family. Great stuff. From there we wandered around some more checking out some of the exhibits and animals in the big halls.
We put a lot of miles on our sneakers that afternoon. Used the bridges to cross over the turf at the racetrack and into the infield area, which was set up as most carnival midways are. Rides and Food all over the place. We just missed a wine tasting session. Dang! We were getting somewhat hungry and spent another half hour or so just going from booth to booth in search of the perfect afternoon snack. We saw a ton of signs that looked like they might have something appetizing but the food didn’t look all that good for the cash most folks were demanding. We did end up finding a reasonable place that was whipping up Gyros. Very tasty and just filling enough to last us the rest of the evening. Saw a little bit of the demolition derby in the small arena but the most fun thing to watch was the Swifty Swine pig races. They had a little 4 lane starting gate and a small track set up with rails.
Then introduced the piglets one by one all with names like “Brad Pig” and “Snoop Hoggy Hogg”. You get the idea. It’s a one lap dash for the treat at the end. They had different categories as well. Pot Belly’s as well as the piglets and a half time show with the tiniest little piglet that dove into a water trough and swam from one end to the other. Pretty funny actually. 
JimBob made it to the “Bowl” just in time for league Sunday morning. I had practice all out of the way and was looking up and down the place the whole time wondering if he was going to show up. I had just begun to punch him in as absent when Pat came running down from the desk saying that he had just seen him pull into the parking lot. He laced ‘em up and proceeded to tell me the story of how he was out clubbin’ most of the night and was not really in any condition to do anything but sleep. Low and behold he bowled over his average in all of his league games. This was something akin to the time I was fighting that lousy lingering 2 week cold awhile back and couldn’t pick up a sock much less a bowling ball, but managed my high scratch series. I actually bettered that yesterday by tossing a 630 scratch series for the 3 game set. You do the math. Adding insult to injury we took 3 of 4 on the score sheet from the 1st place couple. The victory was bittersweet though as said couple was Jason and Melissa Woody who are very, very good friends of ours. Jason would hand me my butt 9 out of 10 games but I just got on a little hot streak which I attribute to being completely amped on 3 large cups of coffee.
