Manila and Laguna

Manila and Laguna

Remember that we had to go to the Vancouver airport early to get a seat together, well that translated to luggage on first and off last. After going through the normal customs stuff, we exchanged some US money into Philippine Pesos at 42 to 1. It makes you feel wealthy when your wallet and purse are filled with 1000 peso bills. We were met at the airport by Nori’s sisters Clair and her daughters Glenice Manalang (GM) who is 18 and Gia Mae who’s just turning 12. Nori’s other sister Lilly whose age will not be reveled but I can tell you that all of Nori’s sisters are younger than her. Lilly’s granddaughter Dorothy who is 15 along with driver Roger was also part of the entourage. We took a hired air conditioned SUV to Laguna where Clair and her family lives. It’s a good thing that there was A/C because they were having a heat wave…..and it was 88 degrees or 31 Celsius for those who have a hard time with Fahrenheit. Gia gave up her A/C bedroom for Nori and I….and we surely needed it. Each day seemed hotter than the other and I have not even said anything about the humidity (sweltering). Believe it or not, I think that I was handling the heat better than her. Nori’s doctor told her to take aspirin if and when she gets overheated. She takes them every other day now. At the house we meet house maid Nora and Tin Tin who do all the cleaning and laundry and most of the cooking. When we all sat down for dinner, I realized that I was the only male amongst 8 ladies and I was not sure if that was a blessing or a curse. I’ll make an official announcement later on in the blog when I find out for sure. Clair’s husband Romulo is working in Saudi as an engineer and due back for vacation in June and that’s why I did not mention him….just in case you were wondering. Just after dinner we were greeted by the two sons of Nori’s sister Evelynn named Enon and TonTon along with Enon’s daughter Hershey who’s 2 and his friend Bob who all came to visit Nori and I. (Joy and Patsy, I know that you understand how that all works.)  

Now, all of you ATA members, please look closely at the white T shirt.

This is what we do with all the shirts that we win in the tennis tournaments.

As you see, they go to good use!

We finished the rest of the day with eating (in shifts), talking, and going on the internet (now that’s what I’m talking about) to check e-mails and Face Book (FB). That evening we watch Tagalog game shows and American Idol “in English”. I don’t know where everyone (13 folks) slept….but Nori and I had our tiny room secured.

Wednesday 25^th April:

Nori and I got up a little late (its called jetlag) and to our surprise….breakfast of hot buns, eggs, sausage, rice and coffee had been all prepared and laid out but no one ate till we came to the table. I made it really clear that just because I may look regal…that they were not to treat me like a king, so, his lordship only lasted through breakfast…then back to reality of making my own coffee (instant). Nori and I had some priorities to get completed before the weekend which included getting our RT tickets to China and a cell phone to use while in the PI.  Apparently there are these modern malls called SM all over the PI and they have a lot to offer. We booked our flight and Clair loaned us a phone, which we had to buy a SIM card and a load. The SIM card gives us a phone number for 750 pesos and a load for 500 pesos (you do the math) (42 to 1) worth of minutes.

Nori, Lilly and I took this tricycle back from SM.

 I’m now into the peso thing and will have difficulty going back and forth converting. Our tickets to Beijing will be the most expensive part of our stay besides the original RT to the PI from Vancouver, but hopefully worth it. SM mall even has a grocery store and now that there are extra mouths to feed, we went food shopping. This store looks normal in almost every way except the meat department. Meat is not packaged they way we normally see it….there are meat stations that have long bin tables filled with ice and piles of different parts of the chicken or pork. They also have similar tables for fish, crabs and other seafood. Each station has several meat specialists with cutting boards and sinks to assist you in any way.  It’s pretty cool how it’s all laid out.  In the SM department store, things are laid out just like back home.  There are so many employees, especially the shoe department that they can outnumber you 12 to 1 (trust me...I counted). It must be an Emelda thing??? Oh yes, I forgot to mention that each item (not groceries) like plastic glasses and shoes that you purchase are wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. You get no plastic bags to carry them in except the grocery store; they do put your overflow items in plastic bags that don’t fit into a cardboard box from their deliveries. GM has been our chauffeur to SM and makes 2 trips each way to accommodate all 7 of us to go to and from since her car is rather tiny. 

Left to right: Tin Tin, Dorothy, Gia and driver GM.

Thursday:  We woke up and came downstairs for coffee and breakfast and there was another woman in the house who turned out to be Enon’s girlfriend (Rowella) and mother of Hershey. She too came to visit Nori and I for the day but had to return to work that afternoon. I’m starting to get into a routine of get up, have coffee and daily hot buns, go on line, shower (water is not heated and really not needed), get dressed for another trip to SM. The house has no A/C except the bedrooms but the SM Mall is completely air conditioned, thus so many trips by lots of folks. We went back to pick up our RT tickets to China from the travel agency. Since Nori had a full pedicure and manicure with my sister Lynn in Canada, it was my turn. The ladies left me in good hands with a gal at the nail salon, who had been doing nail service for three years and it was one of the best that I ever had…..and I get pedicures often…..it’s for medicinal purposes you know. 

                        This is what I saw.

After my feet were pretty again, at a cost of only 9 dollars, we met up for lunch at the food court. I had been using GM’s computer because they use 220 voltage and not 110 like the US.  It was ok for a while but we are leaving for Lilly’s home in Olongapo on Saturday and I needed a way to use my laptop. I found an electronics store in SM Mall and bought a Mitsui transformer made for computers at a cost of $39 and well worth it. We will leave in with Clair when we go home so any visitors from the States can use it and it will be here when we return. 

There were these very cute self drive covered furry animals on the second floor that kids loved (me too) and was always busy….another great business venture potential (remember Smash Burger in my Sacramento blog).

My personal favorite!

 I did see another interesting business in the mall that had me do a double take. You decide if I was right about looking twice. If any of you need a second job… “Mr. Quickie” may be the answer.

                                             Can't touch this one!




Later that evening we said goodbye to Enon, Ton Ton, Hershey and Bob (he had a Marley hairdo). 

Friday: I was thinking that since our departing time to China is at 7:20 AM and you must be at the airport 2-3 hours prior for international flights and we are 1-2 hours drive to Manila that we should go a day early and spend the night in a hotel (just the 2 of us) so we don’t have to get up so early. Brilliant! We went back to the SM agency to see our agent Prissy again to make the arrangements. While there Claire, GM and Nori all went for facials. Not wanting to be left out, I went for a haircut and eyebrow trim. These barber shops are really professional! I got a scissor and straight razor cut (no electric clippers) like the good old days and you also get a shoulder message included for a mere $3 bucks. Three bucks is usually my tip to the barber back home. The three ladies having facials took longer than expected so I went with Lilly and Dorothy to get school shoes for Miss D. and we all met up later for Pizza. We went back to the house via GM’s car (Nori and I were the 2^nd group to go) to relax. More time was spent on my laptop trying to catch up on blog writing and other non essential stuff. Paying bills on-line doesn’t really take that much time. Nori and I have got things down to a science when my watch is on US California time and her timepiece is on local PI time. Just before dinner another relative named Migi and her daughter who’s 11 and son soon to turn 3 arrive. Migi is the 4^th daughter of Nori’s father’s youngest brother named Pedro Guay Junior (uncle) but we just say Junior for short. Migi and Nori and her sisters would therefore be cousins. She stayed for dinner and after I played miniature pool with the boy. We were supposed to hear back from the travel agency via e-mail but the reply never came. Things move at a much slower pace in this hot and humid country. If you remember your history…the Philippines was under Spanish rule for 300 years so I think that some of that may have rubbed off on the Filipino people.

Saturday: 28 April:

 This was the day to go with Lilly and Miss D. to their abode. Claire arranged for Roger the same driver used to pick us up from the airport to drive her SUV and take us there. Needless to say, GM and Gia wanted to go for the ride with their mother Claire, so our luggage went on the roof to make room for 8 including the driver. The trip took 3-4 hours including the lunch stop (most fast foods come with rice instead of fries….of course this is where they grow it) at one of those toll road eateries and refueling (57.80 pesos per liter) (again you do to math @42 to 1).  It’s very interesting that drivers naturally make 5 lanes out of 4 even though the lanes are clearly marked. There are so many types/kinds of transportation on the road (some homemade) that I took the liberty of taking a few photos of them.  

                                                           Tricycle Terminal next to SM Mall

There are special lanes for everybody
when driving in Manila.

What the!

                                                      Now we know how eggs are delivered from the farm!

Between Hawaii and PI

Thursday 19 April 2012

We got back to Vancouver at 6 AM and had to rest up before anything else. Later that day we went grocery shopping to restock. We chilled for the evening so Nori and I could get to the badminton courts for 9:30 AM Friday.

Friday: After a long 2.5 hours of badminton we went to a flower shop to place an order for thy mother whose birthday is on 2 May and my father’s whose on the 10^th. I have been sending a dozen long stem roses to her and a fruit basket to my dad for too many years to count and this one is her 85^th birthday and Nori and I are not there to celebrate. I think that I will be forgiven….maybe I will be with her for my birthday in March which in reality is her “Birth of Me Day”. Needless to say, it was time to do laundry before we head out to Nori’s homeland (Philippines) on the 22^ndwhich was a few days away. I checked out my e-ticked that I got on-line and called the issuing company for confirmation and their phone was disconnected. Not to panic, I then called China Airlines to verify our reservations and then I noticed that we did not have seats yet and so I’ll try to get them as well. Apparently, since we were in the LOW class of seats, it is a first come, first serve when your arrive at the check-in. Did not know that…lesson learned! My sister Lynn invited Nori to go at 5PM and get their nails done (all 8), remember we have two thumbs. That was very nice of you Lynn, thanks ….I take back all the solicitor jokes. After the trip to the salon and it was late and Nori was dolled-up……. I took her to Quiznos.

Saturday: We were scheduled to meet sister Lynn around 1PM and go lamp/chandler shopping for her new place…the one with a fantastic view (see photos from Canada blog). We went to a part of town that has lots of antique shops specializing in period items. After finding a great potential and took pictures we headed back to her place (the one with the, did I mention super view). The plan was to make homemade pizza and so we walked to the corner store (which also has a good view but not as grand as my sisters) to grab all the ingredients for 2 pizzas. After having appetizers, beer, a martini (my first), and then wine and pizza, it was time to watch the light show from city hall. By the way, this light show is best viewed from my sister’s place. OK, OK I’ll stop now with the fabulous view notations.

Sunday 22 April 2012 was the day for departure to the PI (Philippines Islands). There are 7107 islands that make up the Philippines….so it would take a person almost 19.5 years to visit every one of them every day. It’s a good thing that I’m retired…I’m going to need it if I want to see them all…..Na, I’ll just visit Nori’s and maybe Joys (our tennis friend). We did some last minute shopping for anticipated medicines that we may need, then showered and packed.

Mama duck up-date: Nori noticed the mother duck sitting in the nest after we returned from Hawaii. It’s nice that we witnessed all the egg laying and are sure that all will turn out well for the ducklings.

The ticketing/check-in would open 4 hours prior to the flight so if we wanted to sit together on a 13 hour (1^st leg) trip, we had to leave the house by 9:30 PM for a 2 AM flight to be first in line. It all paid off…we were 3^rd in line and got seats together. After 3 movies, 2 meals, playing Tetras for hours, watching 6 documentaries about different cities in China, and trying to sleep in a seat not made for a 6’ 1” old man….we finally arrived in Taipei and that was only the 1^st leg of 2. Thank goodness, leg 2 was only a 1.75 hour flight and we got to recover for a couple of hours before we left for Manila. There are no pictures for this blog….SORRY!  

Hawaii (Bellows AFS cottages)

Saturday: 14 April, 2012: We arrived at Bellows a little early but still in time to eat lunch at the Turtle Cove Café.  We were given cottage #239A which is about 50 yards to the water and a clear ocean view from our living room window and front door. 

We all met Suzie who was our housekeeper during our stay.  Daily, she would give us fresh towels and empty our trash.  This was a great service. We had to shop for groceries needed to cook in our bungalow for the next couple of days. Fruits, fruits and more fruits! I’m so glad that I have my personnel chef with me when we travel….Nori….you’re the best. Before we left Vancouver, I discovered that I failed to get one of my prescriptions extra filled for vacation to get me through the 3 months that we will be in the Philippines. We drove to Kailua and went to Longs Drugs to get my prescription transferred from Wal-Mart to Longs in order to get a vacation refill. They were very helpful. After a 30 minute wait, the pharmacy said that they could not get through because Wal-Mart was closed and that they will call me when ready. We noticed a Salvation Army store and were thinking that it may be cheaper to buy folding beach chairs there instead of renting them at $2 each per day.  Unfortunately they only had one and its leg was broken but we did find a retractable cane for my mother for $5 since she forgotten hers.

Sunday: Got up early to catch the sunrise and it was very nice.  Every day we are welcomed by beautiful colorful Hawaiian birds.

 After going to the reception lobby and using their free computer (30 minutes per session) Nori notices an Ethernet plug for computers close to the TV. Wow!  I just happen to carry one of those 3ft cables with me and we now have internet in our bungalow, how cool is that. I get the call that my prescription is ready and arrange to do the pick-up Monday. Later we just hung out at the beach, went to the small town Waimanalo to get meat and fruits and bought sweet corn from a local street corner vender. Can you believe that Nori can actually read and pronounce these Hawaiian street and city names.  She is just one talented gal and a keeper!  After Nori’s delicious dinner we planned the events for the next day and met out bungalow neighbors. Tammy along with her adult sons Nick and Nate from North Dakota were vacationing while Nick was attending Army sniper school.

Monday: We took our time with breakfast and got ready to go pick-up my prescription in Kailua. We noticed a Safeway close by and put in our memory bank. While we were in Kailua, we stopped at a ukulele shop, ate lunch and had some of Dave’s Ice Cream.

                           Nori his having an ube (purple yam) flavor ice cream.

 Nori and I took my folks back to the cottage and we returned to Safeway to get more groceries and goodies.   When we got back, we all headed down to the beach with our rented chairs to enjoy the view. There were warnings about a strong current posted so we decided just to wade in to our knees. It was another beautiful day in paradise.

   

Tuesday: I wanted to try a Hawaiian breakfast and this was the day. We got eggs any style, rice, spam and toast with coffee at the Turtle Cove Café.  Being that this was our last non travel day, we decided to relax with the great weather and later go out for dinner thus no kitchen clean-up. California Pizza Kitchen was great and our first time visit.

On the beach at Bellows.

Wednesday: 18 April, 2012: Our day of departure started with breakfast, showers, packing and lastly cabin cleaning. “De Plane” did not leave till 20:20 (that’s 8:20 PM for non military and non Europeans). After an 11AM check-out we headed to the city for lunch and a drive to the northwest side of Oahu. Since there is no Taco Bells in Canada, my folks wanted to stop there to eat and by the way, have you tried their new mango slush….man is that good! We managed to finish up the day with sightseeing and got the rental turned in and made it to the airport. We arrive home 6 AM Thursday. I’m writing this to you from Starbuck’s parking lot in Richmond, BC on Friday before Nori and I continue our travels to the Philippines on Sunday. We have just too much to do and we want to spend Saturday with my sister Lynn and her family. Our next blog from will be from the PI.

                 This may look like a sunset....it is actually a sunrise using the clouds and tree to give the effect.

Hawaii Waikiki

 Hawaii (Hale Koa Hotel)

Tuesday: 10 April 2012: We arrived at Honolulu 1.5 hours late (airlines fault) and picked up our rental car from Hertz. Now, I am in no way promoting this car rental company, on the contrary. It was dark when we arrived and if Nori had not noticed the two large dents on the trunk, we may have gotten charged. These should have already been noted by Hertz personnel before we rented it. We were staying at the Hale Koa Hotel (Fort DeRussy). I had requested joining rooms when I made the reservation back in May 2011. They put us up on the 14^th floor and there was no other floor above us. The view both day and night was fabulous!

You decide as to which view is more "Fabulous"




Picture 1

                        OR


                          Picture 2



We had dinner in one of the restaurants, unpacked a little and then we called it a night.

Wednesday: After brunch and a walk on the beach, I made an appointment for the ladies to have their nails done. While the girls were getting pretty, us guys did a little computer work so we could get the Canucks hockey score from the night before and post the blog from Canada. We checked out the rest of the premises and got ready for dinner at KoKo Café. My folks went to their room and we went to the Ala Mona Mall for a look see. Wow…. prices were too high so we did very well as window shoppers.

Thursday: Up for breakfast and we tried the senior buffet which was the same as the regular…but cheaper because old folks usually eat less. We decided to make a dry run out to Bellows AFS to see what we may need to purchase to bring to the beach cottages that had been reserved for us on Saturday. Nori and I had stayed there back in 1991 and 21 years later it sure has changed for the better. We had plenty time to make it back to Waikiki Beach to get cleaned and dressed up for the Luau. Nori and I had ordered two flower lei’s for the ladies to wear to the Big Luau and I picked them up just before the event.

We sat at table #80 which seated 10 people. Everyone that stays at the Hale Koa Hotel or goes to their Luau has some tie to the military or DOD. At our table was a disabled army vet, Carl, his wife Judy, daughter Janet and niece Robin. Is this a small world or what…it turns out that Carl was born and raised in Alamogordo…shut-up! At the end of the table sat the son of a deceased Vietnamese DOD civilian who taught at the military language school in Vietnam. The son’s name eludes me at the moment but anyway he was with his elderly mother who worked as a secretary at the same school as his dad. The show was super as usual and the Mi Tie’s were flowing.

Friday: We got up early to eat breakfast and be ready to catch our tour bus at 7:20 AM. We loaded up with 19 other old farts from other hotels of which, half were Canadian and a newlywed couple to go to the USS Arizona, Chinatown, Punchbowl Cemetery, Capital building and business district.

To sum up the highlight of the sightseeing tour was a visit to the Pacific National Monument at the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. It gave everyone including myself an opportunity to reflect upon an event to use President Roosevelt’s own words “a date which will live in infamy” (Sunday December 7^th 1941). 
















Since there was no lunch break on that tour we went straight to lunch at KoKo’s upon our return. We rested up … well … ….ok, I rested up while Nori watched TV and fed the local pigeons on our balcony. While my mother rested, Tom (my father) and I checked e-mails and FB and Nori bought gifts to bring back to Canada/USA. Later that evening, Nori and I took a walk on the beach sidewalk and grabbed a hot dog at Happy Sandals. We could not figure out why there were so many folks out and just sitting on the beach like they were waiting for something and then something came “Fireworks”. That was an unexpected pleasant surprise. The next day we found out that my folks had the best view from their balcony 14 stories high.

                                                               This was taken under a banyan  tree.

Canada

 Trip to Canada

Since we got a late start (11:30 AM) Friday we drove till 8:30 PM through the rain. It felt like a car wash at times but at least the car was clean and we made it as far as Roseburg, Oregon. We got up early to beat the storm that was to hit later that day. After declaring one six pack of Roswell Alien beer and several bags of pistachios from Tim McGinn’s farm the Canadian Immigration welcomed me back to Canada….well I was impressed. Now, do you think that I will receive the same warm welcome when I return to the good old US of A.  Wait for it, I’ll let you know when we go back in late July.

We arrived at my folks place in Richmond, BC located just before the bridge to cross into Vancouver while there was still daylight. It was not raining, so we took advantage of both daylight and dry clouds to unload our Honda Odyssey which was packed for a 6 month stay. I think that we made seven unloading trips and still left the portal potty in the car.

Sunday: April Fool’s day and (rain day) it was a day of rest, recap of trip was told to my folks since they have no access to a computer/internet nor knowledge on how it works.

Monday: (rain day) was used to work on my parents US income taxes, grocery shopping at a new grocery store (Chinese Style) close to their apartment. The vegetable and fruit section was incredible and so were the high prices. In fact, everything price wise was high and my mother told us not to look at the price….just buy it if you need it. There is a section in that store that you can buy almost any and everything by weight even peanut butter and jam (that’s different)J. Nori noticed that a female duck was coming to the back every morning between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM. It would land on the grass, strut around for a few minutes then fly up to a hanging basket  on the patio across the back lawn. On occasion a male Mallard would arrive with her and sort of stand guard as we suspect that she lays an egg. Nori, besides her cooking ability is an old duck raiser when she was young.     

                                                            

Tuesday: (slight rain) we had the signing ceremony for the Form 1040 and when across the street to a shopping mall where we were able to copy and mail the tax forms back to the US. While at the mall we did the usual window shopping, haircut for my dad, picked up a few groceries and a quick lunch at the food court.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Wednesday: Since the spare room that Nori and I slept in only had 2 single beds, my MOM said that she would pay for a new bed of our liking but we had to find one, get it delivered and have the old beds removed. We found a bed at that mall where we mailed the tax forms and thought that we would check out more places. We had planned a trip to Ikea to get some Swedish Lingon berries and dark chocolates and while there we should take a peek at the bed section. It turned out to be our lucky day! We came across a sofa bed with mattress and cover for only $279 and it converts from sofa to bed by just lifting the front till you hear it click. It will allow my folks to place things on it for storage and or convert it to a bed only when needed. Delivery day is Saturday.

                                                                                                                                                                

Thursday: We had made an appointment with Orange-O carpet cleaning (British Columbia only) a few days before and today was cleaning day. Nori and I moved small furniture items into the spare room that we were staying in since it was the only room not being cleaned. My dad vacuumed all the rooms, Nori and I did the edging and dusting. After the service guy arrived, I took the ladies to the mall to shop while my dad (Tom) and I stayed and assisted when we could. The man turned out to be a French Canadian and that when well with my mother. I got along well with him and we exchanged phone numbers so we could get together again in the future. After all was done, I picked up the ladies and we went out for dinner while the carpet dried.

                                                                                                                   

Friday: We all went out for breakfast (I-Hop) FYI: servers make $9 an hour plus tips. That afternoon Nori and I went to a local badminton club that accepted drop-ins. We met and played with a lady called Dollar and two teen girls named Tiffany and Alice. There were 15 courts and most of the players were Chinese but we still won against the teens.

                                                                                                     

Saturday:  Our new bed from Ikea arrived and Nori and I hurriedly put it all together in anticipation of breaking it in (maybe that was JUST my anticipation) (I’m just a little naughty). The landlord (Hal) for the apartment that my folks live in came over with his wife to check out an electrical problem they were having with the kitchen light. We had met Hal and his wife before and they are a very nice and helpful couple who treat my parents like they were their own grandparents. Hal even offered to take us to the airport when we go to Hawaii.

                                    

Easter Sunday: Back to I-Hop for feast…..there are just not too many non-Chinese choices in Richmond. We did laundry so we would have clean clothing to pack for our Hawaii trip on Tuesday.  My sister Lynn called to let us know that she was back from Phoenix and we arranged to go to her new place Monday afternoon. We finished most of the packing and made a Hawaii check list.                                                

Monday: After breakfast, I called a few charity places to see if one of them would take two single metal beds and mattress. I had tried the Friday before but it seems that most places did not take furniture or they did not pick-up. Fortunately for both parties, the SPCA would accept the beds if we delivered and we just had to get rid of those or off to the dump at a cost. Nori was a real trooper and helped me load and take them to the pound….sorry no animals were harmed in the delivery of these items.


Later that day we went to my sister Lynn and husband Bob and their son Nelson’s new high rise home. The view was stunning.



We got the grand tour sat and talked while Bob and I each drank one of those Roswell Alien beer that I brought for Nelson (you snooze—you lose). The apartment was super and modern.





We walked to a nearby water taxi and took it across the inlet to Grandville Island Public Market.








 Nori and I love to go to this foodie kind of market that has entertainment on weekends and holidays. Check out the dog in the sidecar photo.

We got a table and I found some Swiss Grenyer (completely misspelled) cheese and coffee to share.  We went back to Lynn and Bob’s place and Nelson who was sleeping when we arrived earlier (due to shift work) was up and we got to talk about his life as a casino dealer. He had a lot of interesting stories to tell.

                           

Tuesday: This was the big day to be ready for the taxi coming at 11:00 AM. The four of us, Nori and I and my folks ate, got cleaned up, packed, verified check list and were ready to get laid…..oops, their I go again. I mean get an Hawaiian lei when we arrive, if they still do that anymore.  We make it to the airport, get past customs and down to our gate just to find out that the flight was going to be one and a half hours later than we thought….oh well….it happens. So now, we have watched a movie, ate and are 4 hours into our 5.5 hour flight and I’m finishing this up so I can post it when we get to the Hale Koa Hotel on Wikii Beach. 

Lakeport

LAKEPORT:    26-30 March 2012

We arrived at my cousin Ginette and her husband Lonne’s home mid afternoon who by the way had won the best yard for November in Lakeport and it was very colorful.  We hung out for the rest of the day catching up on family and travel info and getting to know the family dog, Tia. Even though it was raining the next day we went to a casino and since we were new…they had us sign up and gave us $5 free play. Nori was the lucky one to turn the 5 dollars into $42 bucks….so guess who paid for lunch….you’re wrong….it was me.

Wednesday….more rain and so we got the grand tour of Lakeport along with a trip to a couple of local thrift stores. We stopped at Lonne’s mother’s (Arda) home just to find out that she was on her way to line dancing, so our visit was cut short. On our way home, we stopped at Lonne’s upholstery shop and grocery store.

Back at home Ginette got out her photo family album and I picked out 31 photos to get duplicated to add to my family photo collection. Lonne took Thursday off and we went to Napa Valley to Beringer’s famous winery.
 It was founded in 1876 and was very impressive inside and out. We were supposed to go to Ft Bragg and some place where the residents only spoke Phylo but due to flooding and landslides, that trip will be in the future.

Nori was supposed to make another smoked salmon Alfredo on linguine for the four of us and Ginette’s son Harley and his girlfriend but they were too ill to come. The ladies decided to exchange recipes and let the guys take them out for diner….an offer we could not refuse or else! The next day was Friday, the day of departure and a storm was on its way. After getting duplicates of the chosen photos we headed north.

Sacramento

Nori and I left the bay area on Saturday, April 24^th   for California’s capital (Sacramento), for those of you who forgot or did not give a hoot. We arrived at Anna’s home (eldest daughter of Floria, Nori’s sister whom we visited in Tehachapi). We were greeted by Anna’s husband Joel and three sons, Xavier, Gabriel and Daniel. We needed to get an oil change and Joel came with me to Jiffy Lube and took care of it before the place closed. Later, we got caught up with family stories and planned for the next day. Joel wanted to take Nori and I and the family out to eat and we had to choose. I quickly turned to the fussiest eater of the boys for advice and Gabriel came up with Smash Burger.

What a good choice….they have fantastic beef and chicken burgers and great shakes as well. If you ever find a Smash Burger place….go by all means. If I wasn’t retired, I’d consider buying a franchise and put one in Alamogordo. Now, if one of you who reads this blog beats me to it, at least let me eat there for free for life.

One of the boys had a big school project to turn in on Monday which he had not started and there was a food request from Joel. It was decided that Sunday would be a mom help child, Nori cooks, Pat blogs and Joel babysits kind of day. After breakfast, we shopped at a craft store where Anna saw a mother and classmate of Xavier doing the same last minute supply buying. We stopped at a grocery store to get all the ingredients for etoufee, lumpia and a plate of Philadelphia cream cheese dripping with a raspberry chipotle sauce on the way home.  The project got finished and we ate well. What a dinner!!! Nothing was left. Anna now has Nori’s etoufee recipe and Joel is a happy camper.

After dinner, Joel’s parents who had been on vacation came by to visit their son and grandsons. Nori and I enjoyed meeting them both and his dad, Del Fino and I toasted with a cerveza and great cheese from Mexico. We left Monday morning on the 26^th of March.