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Trip Report

May 23, 2016

Whenever I travelled on business, I had to write a trip report. I’m sitting in the departure lounge for Delta Airlines. Had lunch at Legal Sea Food. We both had a cup of clam chowder. So good. Had Sam Adams Summer Ale. Also, good. 

We visited our old friend Candee up the street from where we used to live. Drove by our old house  to see what they had done. Added a fence. Lawn needs mowing and weeding. Dogwood and Japanese maple in full bloom. 


We filled the tank on the rental car and headed for Logan. Turned in the car and got to terminal. Through security. Now time to wait. I’ll get one last DD coffee. 

Later,

Categories: Billerica, Massachusetts, Travel
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Lassen Volcanic National Park

May 5, 2016

 

EPSON MFP image

Harold (on right) joining the park service

Time for another dive into the box of old photos stored in Mary’s Storage Locker. We found this gem of Harold signing on to the Park Service.

Back in the early fifties, Paula’s Dad (Harold) started working as a park ranger at Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. Starting in 1952, on the day that school ended in June, Harold and Mary loaded up the 52 Ford, hooked up the trailer and headed north to Lassen.

They did this every summer until about 1972. Harold lived for the day that they would head north for the summer. He always told us that was what kept him sane. He would work at the park until Labor Day when they would head back to civilization.

Harold worked for twenty years at Lassen. After he retired, he received a small Social Security benefit for his time working for the US Park Service. Mary allowed him to put that fund into a separate bank account that he would use to fund all of his trips with the Shriners.

So where exactly is Lassen? Lassen is in Northern California about 75 miles northwest of Reno. Here’s a map to give you an idea where it’s located.

Lassen Map

In 1986, Paula, the boys and I had the chance to visit Lassen with Harold and Mary. We had rented a motor-home for the trip. By the time we made this trip to California, our boys were old pros at air travel.

We took three days to get to Lassen with stops in Bishop and Lake Tahoe. On our trip we drove north on route US-395 which winds north to the east of the Sierras.

When Harold did the trip he usually did it in two days which is a long haul. He would stop in Bakersfield on Saturday night, then he would drive on to Redding on Sunday. Grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon and then up into the park. He would start work on Monday morning.

This trip was our boys introduction to camping. The following year we bought a pop up trailer and a couple years later a full size travel trailer.

So we spent a few days camped at Manzanita Lake. We met up with our friends the Coils and our friend Andrea. We did some hiking and touring. Then we headed west to Eureka, then south to San Francisco. We actually found a campground in San Francisco. We road the cable cars, then flew home from SFO while Harold and Mary drove south to LA.

Categories: California, Travel
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San Diego

September 21, 2015

So, we just got back from San Diego. Paula had signed up to attend the Assistance League National conference at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego. I had a choice. Either I would stay at home and mind Mary K or I could go along and hang out while Miss Paula went to conference meetings all day. I chose the latter.

So we arranged for care givers for Mary from Wednesday until today. We hit the road for San Diego at about 11 am on Wednesday. Arrived by early afternoon and checked into the hotel. We got a room with a view of the Dole pineapple warehouse. The view out the other side of the bay was $20 more a night. Here’s a picture. The bridge in the background is the bridge to Coronado Island.

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View of the beautiful Dole warehouse.

So I brought all of my computing gear. Laptop, iPad and iPhone. We were invited to a cocktail party at a restaurant on Coronado serving snacks and wine. I was included in the festivities. I felt I could deal with that. We tool the ferry across the bay.

So on Thursday, I joined Paula for breakfast with the AL ladies. Nobody was checking tickets so I ate for free. I had a quiet day watching people wander by in the lobby. I eventually found the Starbucks and got myself suitably caffeinated.

Friday, more of the same. We had dinner at a restaurant on Coronado called the “Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill” I had an appetizer of Scallops. Very tasty. It went well with the two martinis.

On Saturday, I decided to upgrade my iPad and iPhone to iOS V9. I seemed to have a decent wi-fi connection. I had nothing better to do so why not? Not as fast as wi-fi at home but it would do. With that complete it was time for a nap. Eventually Paula returned from her day of drinking from the firehose.

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The Assistance League ladies from San Pedro-South Bay

She got to rest for a bit. Then off we went to the big closing banquet. My ticket was $125 Yikes!!! Was I the only one who thought the prices were outrageous. Food was good but not $125 good. Cash bar was pricey too. $12 for a mixed drink. The $12 got you just the generic “well” gin, nothing fancy.

So I had dinner. Eventually I got tired of sitting there. My hearing (or lack thereof) has gotten worse over the past few years. I have a lot of trouble hearing conversations in noisy environments even with hearing aids. So I excused myself and headed up stairs to our room.

So on Sunday we had planned on meeting our friends Ron & Thelma up in Del Mar Heights for brunch. Ron & Thelma’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren came to visit. Always ready to visit with the grand kids.

They asked me if I would play some kids tunes on their out of tune piano. I was happy to oblige. Actually, the tuning wasn’t that bad. It needed tuning  but I’ve played worse. So I got out my iPhone and did a bunch of kids tunes, like Old MacDonald, Itsy-Bitsy Spider. etc.

Once that was done, we headed on up the 5. It seems that no matter the time or day there will be heavy traffic.. Today was no different. Home by 3:30 pm.

It was a fun few days. We all had fun and a blessed respite from caring for Mary. Later.

TTFN

Joe

Categories: California, Travel
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Embassy Suites

September 14, 2015

We just got home from our trip up north to Vandenberg AFB with Mary. We were staying at the Embassy Suites in Lompoc. I will be writing a separate post on the ceremony. This post is about our stay at Embassy Suites. This is a decent hotel. The only meal we had here was this morning. The morning breakfast buffet was outstanding. First class. I’ve been to a lot of hotel buffets in my life. This one beats them all hands down.

The only issue I have is the size of the room and I don’t think there is much to be done about that. We had Mary sleeping on the sleeper sofa and Paula and I had the King size bed in the bedroom. Unfortunately there was only one small bathroom in the bedroom. That meant when Mary got up to use the bathroom at night guess where she went.

On Saturday night she was a bit confused and couldn’t find the bathroom. Often times we bring a night light. Forgot it this time. Oh well.

Of course, she was always cold. I am not turning off the AC. Not going to happen.

Travelling with Mary is getting very stressful. We can’t let down our guard for minute lest she trip and fall. She couldn’t quite figure out why it took so long to get to the restaurants we were going to.  The restaurants are ones that are favorites of Mike’s squadron and aren’t in Lompoc.  And VAFB is very isolated. Intentionally so.

All of the HP accessible locations all worked out very well. She never had to walk much more than 20 feet from car to building. The military folks were very attentive to her needs including getting her a special chair.

Mary, it seems these days, is having trouble making decisions. Paula would offer her a couple or three outfits that she could wear. She just floundered. I think this is probably the last trip she will ever go on. There is no event that I know of that she would know of or want to go to. Certainly not by air. That ship has sailed. At any rate we are glad to be home. Next trip next week to San Diego WITHOUT Mary.

Categories: Family, Mary, Travel
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The Grapevine

August 13, 2015

If you live in Southern California, you know about a stretch of road called the “Grapevine”. This post is more for my east coast friends who have never been west of the Mississippi. The section of road runs through the Angeles National Forest from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles to the acres of farmland in the California Central Valley. The road can be particularly nasty during winter months with ice and snow (but not so much of recent years). 

Often times we will stop at the town of Castaic for lunch. Castaic is the southern terminus of the Grapevine. Castaic is the last bit of civilization before we hit the Grapevine.

So we will be heading up through the Grapevine on our way to San Francisco for an OES reception on Saturday.

Here’s the map.

  
And while we’re on the subject here is in a blast from the past, Marvin Gaye singing “I Heard it though the Grapevine”

Listen and enjoy.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Music, Travel
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Trip Report

May 21, 2015

Back in the day when I would travel on business, I would be required to write a trip report. So continuing in that vein, here is my report from out trip to Boston.

First thing that I noticed was how green everything was. We get used to the drought of LA. Not only did I see the green with my eyes, I saw it with my nose. Not long after we had landed I started sniffling and sneezing from the tree pollen. We saw a coating of green on our car. Car rental was on Budget, which is the same as Avis. No problems with the rental. Filled with gas before we headed to Logan

Rental car was a KIA Sportage. Rental cars are a great way to try out cars before you buy. I won’t be buying a KIA anytime soon. Killed myself trying to get into the damn thing. I can safely cross that off my list, even though it really wasn’t on it to begin with.

Paula and I arrived last Wednesday at 0615 on the Red-eye from LAX. The last couple of years we have had to do the redeye because Paula had things she had to do on Tuesday and I had to be in Boston on Wednesday. So that meant taking the redeye. We’ve found that we can fly first class for not much more than flying coach. When one flys coach the airlines these days keep nickel and diming you such that for a little bit more you can fly first class and have bigger seats and be treated like human beings.

So we met up with the OES Hall Committee at the Cracker Barrel in Tewksbury for Breakfast. Once that was done we headed over to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium to start setting up. Once that was done, we headed up to the Wyndham in Andover to wait for our room to be ready. We got to our room by about 1230 which was pretty good considering that we might have had to wait until 1500. We got a few hours sleep and then got up for our first banquet.

On Thursday went to visit with our friend Candee in Billerica, then headed back up to Lowell for opening session of OES Grand Chapter. Drove by our house on Dyer Street. The front lawn still looks shitty. I guess the new owners haven’t gotten around to re-seeding the lawn.

Finished Grand Chapter on Sunday. Then went to visit our friends at First Congregational Church of Billerica. Then we headed down to Hingham to visit with my brother and his wife in Hingham. Had a lovely dinner with Rich and Mary, then back to Andover.

On Monday, we headed up to Nashua to visit with some friends from Chelmsford Pediatrics. Saw our friend Kathy and her daughter Audrey. Checked out of the Wyndham and headed to Boston. We decided to stay at the Airport Hilton on Monday night before our early flight on Tuesday. Dropped off out luggage then :I took the car back to the rental place. The Hilton shuttle picked me up right quick.

The Hilton was not cheap, but worth it seeing as our flight left BOS at 0800 on Tuesday. We had a fine dinner. I had a cup of Clam Chowder and a Lobster roll. I won’t be having any lobster for quite a while.

Got up at 0500. Showered and dressed and out the door at 0615, Checked in and through security in plenty of time. Didn’t have to take off my shoes or take my laptop out of the bag. TSA seems to be getting better at doing the security screen.

Outbound flight was on American Airlines which was okay. Return flight was on Delta. Major problem was Terminal 5 at LAX is still under construction. The place is a mess. Bathrooms are crowded and messy. Avoid Terminal 5 at all costs for the next year or three. LAX arrival seems to be always a zoo. We have to look at doing the trip from Long Beach next time.

Arrived in LA pretty much on time. We had to hire a limo service to take us back to San Pedro. Worked out okay but cost us a lot more than it would have if Theresa or Mike could have picked us up. Theresa would be free. Limo about $100.

Time to unpack and do laundry. Picked up BBQ chicken, potato salad and cole slaw from Haggens (nee Albertson’s) for dinner.

All done. Time to sleep.

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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

February 20, 2015
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Entrance to the library/museum

Yesterday, Paula and I visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. The trip was organized by San Pedro Assistance League. We had a bus full of people make the hour and a half trip. This is my report. Simi Valley is located about 50 miles north of Los Angeles.

I am no particular fan of Ronald Reagan. There are those that would have him considered for sainthood. Not me. That being said, I still found the museum interesting. The museum covers the high points. You won’t see much about Iran Contra for example.

Our group of 40 something seniors were divided up into four groups and each group was assigned to our individual docent. I had trouble at times hearing partly because she couldn’t seem to speak loud enough and partly due to background noise.

There is also an app you can down either for iOS or Android. The app is sort of a self guided tour. Unfortunately, it is not free. ($2,99 I think).

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Bust of Ronald Reagan

There are plenty of statues of the former president. Here is one of them. There were many more. The library tried to cover the high points of the presidency.

There is a section on the white house along with a replica of the oval office as it was during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

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The “HMS Resolute” Desk

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Fireplace with portrait of George Washington.

 

 

There is an entire section dedicated to presidential travel. There is are many limousines. Some of the limousines belonged to other heads of state including Saddam Hussein, FDR, Eisenhower, Eva Peron to name a few. I’m not sure why all of the limos are there. There is an Air Force One and a Marine One helicopter. We were allowed to enter both aircraft but not allowed to take pictures. The Air Force One of Reagan’s time was a modified C130 (military version of the Boeing 707). It was pretty cramped inside. It’s no wonder that current Air Force One’s are based on Boeing 747’s. N27000 was in service until 2001 when it was replaced by the Boeing 747.

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Marine One

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Air Force One

Here are some of the pictures of the limo’s.

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Popemobile

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Eva Peron’s Ride

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FDR’s Limo

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Presidential Limo (License Plate “GIPPER”)

There was a big section on the Berlin wall and the diplomacy initiatives with the Soviet Union. Lots of pictures of Gorbachev and other world leaders of the era. There were some artifacts of the wall as well as replicas.

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Wall segment as seen from the east.

 

There are also sections covering First Lady Nancy Reagan along with some of her gowns. There is a section covering the assassination attempt in 1981. Our final stop for the day was the Reagan Library Cafe. They had some excellent split pea soup. Paula and I also split a piece of chocolate torte. Very tasty. That’s enough for now. If you want more you can Google Ronald Reagan Library. There is tons of stuff available online.

Categories: California, Travel
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Travels with Mary

October 20, 2014

On Saturday Paula, Mary and I drove up to Visalia to attend the OES Grand Chapter Installation of our good friend Roger Nieder as Worthy Grand Patron. Visalia is about 200 miles north of San Pedro in California’s central valley. We usually do a rest stop about half way. This time we stopped for lunch in Gorman which is just about at the north end of the Grapevine.
 
 Normally we would have gone for the entire grand chapter session but that would have been too much for Mary to do. (Us too.) We have to be constantly watching her to keep her from falling. She has graduated from the walker to using a cane.
 
 So she moves oh so slowly. We try to have someone on her arm with the cane on the other arm. All it would take would be one bump from someone to knock her over. She has this idea in her head that she eventually will be able to ditch the cane. We tell her your PT person told you that you will always need a cane. She of course doesn’t remember any of this. She also thinks that someday she will be driving again. I don’t think so, Tim. Our constant answer is “We’ll see about that.”
 
 So we were staying in one room at a Holiday Inn (more on the hotel later) in Visalia. We would have loved to have the privacy of one room for us and one room for Mary, but we learned the lesson back in June that she needs to be closely supervised.
 
 It has been incredibly stressful for Paula and I to be constantly on guard with her especially in an unfamiliar environment and in crowds. The risk of a fall is ever present.
 
 So the installation started at about 7:30 PM. We had plenty of time to rest up for the event.


(l-r) Mary, Shawn Donahue (Sr Grand Deacon), and Paula
 
 


Roger Nieder, Worthy Grand Patron
 
 So we had a great time with no visits to any ER’s along the way. We arrived home on Sunday at about 3:00 PM after about a four hour ride.
 
 Now about the hotel. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Room was comfortable but there were so many little faults that made to stay less than acceptable.
 
 1. They tried to put us in a room that hadn’t been cleaned. That meant that Mary stayed with Paula while I went back to the front desk to get our room changed.
 
 2. Coffee maker didn’t work.
 
 3. WiFi credentials didn’t work. Not that it matters much. Usually my cell phone data is faster than hotel WiFi. Never seen hotel Wifi much faster than 1 Mbps.
 
 4. Desk chair was broken.
 
 On the plus side, they had a decent restaurant with a decent breakfast buffet. We ate there on Sunday morning before we left.
 
 The list goes on and on. I expect hotels (even budget hotels) to take care of the little things. There are plenty of other budget hotels to choose from that do take care of them. We won’t be staying there again.
 
 We are trying to get back to doing “Date Night” again. Next Thursday, we have tickets to see the play “The Trip to Bountiful” with Blair Underwood and Cicely Tyson up in Downtown LA. Just the two of us. Sometimes just going shopping together seems like a date together.
 
 – Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Categories: California, Family, Mary, Travel
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Two Years in California

August 22, 2014

Today is our two year anniversary of our arrival in the great state of California. On Aug 22, 2012 we arrived after our trip across the country. We had stopped in Delaware, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada.

Our trip across the country took about 21 days. We had initially planned to take a little longer with a stop in Chicago, but decided to skip Chicago because we felt Paula’s mother needed us to be there,

We had visited friends in North Carolina. We visited Paula’s family in Houma, LA. We stopped for a couple of days to visit Graceland and Memphis.

We visited our son Neil in Salt Lake City. Neil had requested that we buy a case of Sam Adams Beer in Evanston, WY, before we crossed over the Zion curtain. (Utah doesn’t sell full strength beer in either grocery stores or state liquor stores.)

Here are some pictures:

This was our POD. It contained all of the stuff we were bringing to LA plus a few odds and ends in the back of the Jeep. It was pretty full.

 

 

Mississippi rest stop had WiFi. There was a young man there keeping track of where people were from. He was amazed to hear that we were from Mass. It made his day.

 

 

Graceland on the 35th anniversary of Elvis’ death.

 

 

This is the Olympic Nordic training center in Park City, UT.

 

 

 

This was the hotel/casino we stayed on our last day on the road. What a dump. We’ve since learned of better places to stay on our way to visit Neil in UT.

 

 

Mojave desert. This was at a rest stop just after the NV-CA state line.

 

 

Categories: Travel

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Home

June 30, 2014

Well we made it home yesterday. We started the day with packing our stuff and heading out to the hospital to pick up Mary. First stop was to gas up the rent a car. $3.50 / gallon. So we got to the hospital at about 0930. Paula finished packing up Mary’s suitcase then I signed the final discharge paper work. We gave the nursing and PT staff a box of See’s Candies. The nurse wheeled Mary out to the car. We got her loaded into the car.

Mary says who’s car is this? Rental car we answer. It was a short drive up to SLC International. Nice quiet Sunday morning. Absolutely nothing like LAX. We pulled up to the drop off area for Delta. Nice skycap helped us with our luggage. Gave Mary a seat while we waited for the wheel chair to arrive.

I took off to return the car to the Avis rental return lot. and headed off to Terminal 2. I went through security with little problems. I got an iced coffee at the Starbucks inside the terminal. Then I met up with Paula and Mary at the gate. SLC is a lot smaller and quieter than LAX. The flight was full. These post 9-11 days I never see a flight that is not packed with every seat taken.

The gate agent called Mary’s name so that we could get pre-boarded. We all got on board and settled before the throng came along. One of the benefits of being in first class, is I get a drink as soon as I get seated. The nice stewardess brought me a nice cold gin and tonic. Man it tasted good.

We had an ontime departure and ontime arrival. Nice woman from LAX met us at the gate with another wheel chair. I waited for the walker to be retrieved from the stowed baggage. The woman was very patient waiting for Mary while she went to the Ladies’ room.

By the time we got to the baggage claim, our baggage has arrived. The wheel chair attendant patiently waited while we waited for Mike to arrive from the cell-phone lot.

And finally, a quiet ride home. It sure feels nice to be home.

So now we have to start up her out patient physical therapy and make appointments with her personal care doc and her local orthopedic doc. Meanwhile, I’m off to pick up the mail and do the grocery shopping.

Later…

Categories: Family, Los Angeles, Travel, Utah
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