We are off to Phoenix for Carol’s 4PM flight but we have one more mission before she heads back to PA. We are checking out Class B motorhomes at LaMesa. They have a bunch of them. We traipse in and out of probably a dozen. Carol learns lots more about what she wants and what is out there but none are “just right”. We send her on her way with more looking in her future.
The drive takes us past Mittry lake. The huge agriculture area surrounding it confirms they have about wrapped up truck farming/vegetable farming for the season and moved on to wheat and alfalfa. We see only a few pickers in the last broccoli fields.
Our destination; the Center of the World in Felicity CA. We just had to take Carol to see it! We wandered and read a few more of the granite tablets and even met Felica, the town namesake. Carol rang the Liberty Bell replica, yikes that was loud!
It is lunch time and we find Las Herraduras Mexican restaurant in downtown Yuma. Cheese crisp with green chilis, burritos, chimichanga…everything is delicious.
This is Johnna’s first trip to Vegas so that is the destination for day I. We stroll the casinos, the kids do some modest gambling, we watch the Bellagio fountains and the cheesy statue show at Caesar’s. Along the strip there are MANY showgirl photo ops for the guys and even a few chances for pics with some of the showguys. No one partakes…except Johnna with a quick pic with Elvis.
We lunch in Paris with delicious food and a great sidewalk table for people watching and resting our weary feet. There is a bit more walking and sampling of street fare like Gordon Ramsey Fish and Chip chips and Ben and Jerrys ice cream.
Now it is time for the show: Cirque so Del Mystere. Kent gets to be part of the preshow entertainment and some popcorn antics….he loved that of course. The rest of us certainly did. The next 90 minutes are filled with fantastic acrobatics of every imaginable kind. Some are graceful and fluid like dancers in the air. Some are feats of brute strength still others of unbelievable flexibility and uncanny balance. It was pretty amazing.
We catch the monorail back to the car but we can’t be done yet. One more stop, the Fremont Experience in old downtown. It is chilly and spitting rain and we have walked about 7 miles already but we just have to check it out. The overhead light display is pretty cool. There are three live stages within the two blocks creating a nearly overwhelming cacophony near the center.
We stroll through The Golden Nugget where we are greeted by the clatter of real coin slots and a bit thicker smell of smoke in the air. We have dinner at their Claim Jumper restaurant to round out the experience.
We roll back into camp well after 1AM; way past our pumpkin hour but it has been a great day.
It is 7:05 AM and we are anxiously awaiting Brian and Johnna at baggage claim. The flight is right on time, even with the Boeing 737 Max8 groundings…..
We head to Homies for some much-acclaimed cinnamon rolls and we are not disappointed. They are fresh, hot and delicious. We have eggs and bacon and great hash browns but the rolls are the stars of the show. Home for the week is at Willow Beach Campground on the Colorado river so we gather up, break camp, and head on down the road. We set up camp and spend a quiet evening before early to bed; it has been a long day for everyone
By mid-day we are settled into Kings Row Trailer Park. We ARE in Vegas; the trailer park has a neon sign. The place is about as classy as it sounds but it is safe, clean, has a laundry and is close to grocery shopping so just about perfect for our prep day before Brain and Johnna join us.
We grab dinner at Tommy’s, a Burger chain that is spilling over from California. The Caliente burger certainly lived up to its name. I have heartburn before I swallow the last bite. It is delicious though.
We meet up with Mike, Tracy, Willa and Katrina in Claremont where they have some business to attend to. Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden is highly recommended and within easy walking distance. Willa joins us to check it out while Mom and Dad are busy at work. It is a natural setting with zones that include pretty much every desert plant you might expect to find in the US. A special exhibit of large origami sculptures makes for great accents among the plant life. Unfortunately, our timing is off and very little is blooming; add a few dark menacing clouds that bring a chilly rain and our visit is cut short.
We move to an Airbnb in Hollywood/Little Armenia that is perfectly located for the kids’ business meetings and a great place to stroll. Kent and I check out Barnesdale Park and tour Hollyhock House, a Frank Lloyd Wright house that has been preserved by the city of LA. It has an architectural motif that looks very Aztec-like to me and appears everywhere both inside and outside the house. As it turns out, it is Wright’s geometric interpretation of Mrs. Barnsdale’s favorite flower, the Hollyhock. The poured concrete entryway and door are a bit tomb-like and the motif almost overwhelming. Great for a visit but probably a bit much for everyday living. They continue to fight with reoccurring roof leaks – our docent says that is a frequent issue with FLW houses – guess he is too focused on the creative and unique to worry about mundane stuff like roof leaks? The docent is great with lots of stories to tell and pictures on her ipad to show various remodels and a look at original construction.
Our neighborhood strolls take us past (well not always past) a great Armenian bakery with a huge assortment of sweets and shelves loaded with loaves of crunchy outside chewy inside bread. The pastries never make it all the way home but everyone seemed to enjoy the bread.
Lunch at a street vendor includes chicken marsala and a spinach dish over excellent spiced veggie rice (delicious) all accompanied by cucumber lemonade (refreshing).
This one is a hike not a stroll
Kent and I head to Griffith Park and the top of observatory hill. The sandy trail up the Ferndell side is all steep switchbacks but it is a clear cool day so a wonderful hike. The view is fantastic: LA and the ocean beyond, snowcapped mountains to the east and Hollywood just below us. I stop to take in an observatory talk about the life of stars with a reminder of exactly how amazing it is that this one place called earth ever even came to be and how many things had to come together just right for humans to even come into existence. There are lots more displays and some great sounding shows in the theatre and planetarium. Those will wait until another visit.
Meals make for perfect family time – Everybody out for great Thai food in the neighborhood and a simple spaghetti dinner at home.
Check it out: Willa on a star. We strolled the walk of fame and posed on the red carpet – never mind that it is plastic covered! This is Oscar’s weekend so things are all set up around the Dolby theatre.
We meet up with Tracy and Katrina at a coffee shop. There is outdoor seating with a fountain and as it happens, a shop called “I love pie”. Who could skip that? We enjoy an assortment of mini single serving pies; cherry, mixed berry, chocolate brownie and vegan apple. They have savory pot pies too …
The kids and Willa head to la Brea tar pits and Santa Monica beach with a stop on the way home at a vegan sandwich shop. They brought us sandwiches that were amazing. Typically, if I go vegan, I avoid the meat substitutes and just enjoy the savory vegetable dishes, but these were full on meat substitute meals and they were not missing a thing. Kent’s BBQ brisket burger was spot on flavor wise and the texture pretty darn close. The BBQ sauce cinched it…just plain delicious. I had grilled chicken. Both flavor and texture were so close I would not have known it was vegan if they hadn’t said so. We all hike- Mike, Tracy, Katrina, Willa, Kent and I plus friends from the girl’s earlier years all meet up at Griffith Park for a great afternoon hike before we all must head out. LA haze veils the view from the summit, but it is still a nice way to close out our visit. Back down at the trailhead the kids grab a Lyft for LAX while we gather up to head out of town for a bit more desert time.
She babbles a lot but despite lots of coaching still nothing that sounds like Nana.
Willa will be standing up on her own and crawling anytime now – she is sooo close.
We will take every minute of it, any time. Brian and Johnna, Mike and Tracy: we are wonderfully blessed. Granddaughter Willa you are a bonus blessing.
One more travel leg for Brian, Johnna, Kent and I as we head back to Houston. The flight is uneventful and all is well at our respective homes. We will hang out here a few more days and find a couple excuses to get together with the kids before we set out on our 2019 travels.
One more celebration. Thanks a million for family that lets us crash with them. All the kids and Willa at Carol’s and Kent and I with Bob and Lou Ann. We eat well as always. Food ranges from vegan enchiladas and mushroom polenta to chili and traditional pork and kraut. Molly hosts as we try a Yankee Swap for the gift exchange this year. We have several interpretations of how it is exactly supposed to work; but, in the end it is fun for all. There is a surprise announcement, the family will be one larger next year. I leave that for the Mom-to-be to reveal to the public. The whole family is together at Bob and Lou Ann’s to toast in the New Year. That is my very favorite kind of New Years party!
