alexandriacardinals

The day of pretty pictures . . .

[January 10.  After two days in the desert we were anxious to get back to the water.  Rita was feeling much better – probably just needed two days of rest, free from her annoying relatives.  Here The Biddies frolic on the jetty at South Carlsbad State Beach, a/k/a/, Ponto Beach.]

[Shooting back at the Pacific Coast Highway, and a light rail train.]

[The supervisor works on her foot work.  Reetz hangs back displaying a reasonable caution.]

[Proto-typical Midwestern tourist.]

[Someone shouted, “Surf’s up!”  So he looked at the sky?]

[Couldn’t miss an opportunity to display his beautiful smile.]

[The plight of the lonesome surfer.]

[Beach volleyball . . . well, it is California.]

[Having once been caught in one, I now appreciate oceans from afar.]

[Practicing the avocation of mature women everywhere . . . shelling!  😉  ]

[Beautiful Lake Darling?]

[Goofy-footer waves?]

[Here’s where we practiced our Midwestern charm.  Beach access, with views, are at a premium.  We turned in here for some photo ops only to discover it was a “pay for the day” kinda place.  We schmoozed the nice lady ticket-taker into letting us park there for 20 minutes to run and take some pictures.]

[Hi, Reetz!]

[The Biddies just love beaching.]

[House with a view.  Or maybe a resort?]

[Can’t tell?]

[A nice spot to catch some surfing.]

[Wet suits are a necessary in the cool Pacific.]

[Beach walking is an addiction.]

[We have numbers . . . mid-week, morning?]

[I count 15 in this shot.]

[24?]

[Surfer Dude?]

[Then it was on to Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla.]

[The Biddies and I had lunch here in 2009.]

[A public course that hosts many PGA events.]

[In fact, they were putting up stands for the PGA tournament that would be there in two weeks.]

[Pro shop and putting green.]

[Best displayed with a male model.]

[I suggested dining here again, for old times sake.  The Biddies would have none of it!]

[So we were on the road again, and this is across the street from the U of C San Diego campus where Reetz’s daughter Beth professes.]

[It’s the Torrey Pines Gliderport, which I believe is part of the university.]

[It was nice to re-visit here again, too.  I believe there is a clothing optional beach down there some where, but, again, I didn’t feel like trying to find out.  😉 ]

[The way down?]

[Venturing to the edge, outside the roped bounds.]

[Nice view, and about as close I was going to venture to the edge.]

[I suggested dining here.  Shot down again by The Biddies!]

[The “Gliderport” was closed while we were there – no hang gliders taking off.  😦   ]

[OK, not great food but an unmatched view!  The Biddies are such gourmets!]

[So, we say adios to the Gliderport.]

[And on to downtown La Jolla (pronounced: lah-jaw-lah (OK, the same as Georgetown University’s nickname).  A classic “woodie!”  (Sometimes “woody,” the symbol of California beaches.)    ]

[Driving around La Jolla looking for an eatery to satisfy The Biddies’ exquisite tastes.  I believe at the base of the park below is Children’s Beach, which has been taken over by sea lions, much to the consternation of the locals who don’t know what to do about it?]

[OK, I called this one.  We all liked the location, outside with view, but they would have preferred the Italian restaurant above us.]

[We can get Italian anywhere – this was Thai, and I was aching to have my mouth set on fire.  I remember I had “naked salmon” (memorable name) and it was fire engine hot.  I don’t usually care for REALLY hot, but I want a good tingle.  An extinguisher would have been nice when I finished – and I did – and loved every minute of it. The Biddies each dipped their fork tines in my sauce and proclaimed it inedible!  🙂  ]

[La Jolla-ish.]

[Parking is always at a premium – you just drive around and hope.]

[Oy!]

[Where we are in relation to where we’ve been.]

[The U of C San Diego campus.]

[Where we are in relation to where we’ve been.]

[I got a little excited when I first saw this . . . ]

[Later research indicated this is a space rental company.]

[Don’t know where the “Alexandria” came from?]

[Where we are in relation to where we were.]

[“The 5” paralleling the Pacific Coast Highway.]

[We’re heading north and back “home” to San Marcos.]

[Once home, we thought a good night to catch the sunset from Double Peak Park.  I guess what is a usual crowd for this daily event was gathering.]

[Bit of a haze this evening, but we’re looking at the ocean.]

[Two hot air balloons!]

[A closer-upper view.]

[And a solo.]

[San Marcos]

[Any event such as this is just an excuse to pack food and beverage.  Nobody does that better than The Biddies!  🙂  ]

 [Where’s the cream cheese?]

[Tom, are you going to open the wine?]

[Coming down.]

[I believe that’s called the moon?]

[The Backlit Biddies!  😉  ]

[Reetz soaking up some vitamin D . . .]

[And squeezing the last bit of it out of the sun.]

[The Backlit Supervisor.]

[The Biddies, contemplating life on the grandest scale.]

[I think there really is a Macy’s.]

[Snapping the supervisor snapping.]

[And as the sun sinks slowly in the West . . . ]

[The supervisor reaches for one last shot . . . ]

[For who knows when such will happen again?]

[Going . . . .]

[Going . . .]

[Gone!]

Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speech by something outside himself – like, for instance, he can’t find any clean socks.  ~  Jean Kerr

[January 9, our second day in the desert, awoke that morning and went out onto Beryl and Don’s backyard.  They have a view that’s not bad!]

[They have tall palm trees . . . ]

[Overlooking a golf course . . . ]

[Don wanders out to make sure my code of conduct is up to community standards . . . ]

[The backyard is artificial turf – NO MOWING!]

[The putting green is a nice touch (Beryl, you’re going to have to give me strokes!)]

[Don in his heyday?  Fore!!!!]

[My shadow’s in the lap pool.  Hope it can swim!]

[Plotting the day’s strategy over Beryl’s wonderful B&B breakfast.]

[They may be in Palm Desert now, but their hearts are still at Lake L’Homme Dieu!]

[And the Twin Cities!]

[Despite warning lights and chairs blocking the exit, I still stumbled on the step coming out of the sunken living room and almost had a head-on collision with a rather sizeable mirror.]

[Of course, I was planning to say this was just the sitting room off our bedroom . . .]

[Which is right here (sweet suite).]

[We had initially thought a trip to Borrego Springs for lunch, but it’s a long trip and we went there on our last visit.  So, Beryl thought a day in Palm Springs would be fun – and we agreed, because we had never really spent any time there before.]

[So, first we had to get up close and personal with Ms. Monroe.]

[A woman to whom you only come up to shin level is intimidating.]

[But I didn’t mind.]

[OK, I’m overplaying my hand here . . .]

[But . . .]

[BTW, Beryl, to her everlasting credit, thought I should have stood between Marilyn’s legs and looked straight up for a photo op! 😉  ]

[Lucy!]

[Yes, I’m probably getting a little too familiar here.]

[Beautiful downtown Palm Springs.  Once home to the rich and famous, now a little more avant-garde.]

[It is a spectacular setting.]

[The supervisor and Beryl check the theatre billboard . . . ]

[It’s the last year for the Plaza Theatre. All the performers, including on this poster, are our age – including Susan Anton! 🙂  ]

[The barker gave us the hard sell but we just didn’t have the time.]

[Sonny Bono, once mayor here.]

[At the tourist info center with the mountains in the background.]

[Lookin’ good, ladies! ]

[The mountains seem to be in the city’s backyard.]

[Heading into Beryl’s favorite Palm Springs restaurant for lunch . . .  ]

[Terrazza!]

[A driving tour took us here, at the edge of town . . . ]

[Home to Melvyn’s Restaurant . . .]

[Hidden away a bit from the teeming masses . . .]

[It’s where the famous entertainers escaped for dinner.  We were under surveillance as we drove through.  😉  ]

[Melvyn’s flora.]

[Bob Hope’s!]

[Yup, the real Bob Hope!]

[OK, had to make sure I got a good shot.] [We actually did drive around a bit to find the right angles.]

[It was time to leave the desert and go back to the beach. ]

[Adios, Palm Desert.]

[I have no idea who Roy Wilson is, but I thought I’d make him famous.]

[Instead of going back on the interstates, we went over the mountains.  Palm Desert in Coachella Valley below.]

[The road switchbacks all the way up.]

[If you miss your turn???]

[Not a good idea to be texting on this highway.]

[I wanna take you higher . . .  ]

[Welcome to the surface of Mars.]

[Where most of these photos were shot in the run, we obviously (based on my shadow) stopped at an overlook here.]

[The whole of Coachella Valley.]

[Just about to the top.]

[Now heading down the mountain on the ocean side, while still arid, wet enough for trees.]

[Neat, huh?]

[Hiyo, Silver!]

[And whatta way to . . . ]

[End this chapter!]

Old age is having a choice of two temptations and choosing the one that will get you home earlier.

January 6

The Biddies and I were obviously pooped from the previous day’s safari as this was really a low photo day:

[“Our” pontoon was still there in the morning . . . ]

[The big plan for the day was to go to “my” burger place.]

[Started by a guy named Nick.  Now run by his three sons, Peter, Perry, and George.  So obviously it was named “Tom’s”?]

[Though a burger joint, Tom’s signature sandwich is the pastrami.  So I had to get it.  A really good choice!!  🙂  ]

January 7

[Road trip day to the desert.  To see some friends from the Minnesota.  If you’re away from Minnesotans too long, you stop swallowing your “o’s.”]

[Rita wasn’t feeling well that day, probably some sort of jungle fever hangover from the safari, so the supervisor and I headed out on “The 15” alone.]

[While she drove, I took photos of hilltop houses that will eventually come down in a mudslide or earthquake.  I scares me just looking at them!]

[Ahh, there’s a reminder of the ole home state ahead!]

[Ski-U-Mah!!]

[We were driving from San Marcos east to Palm Desert.  A rather scenic topographical adventure.  As you will recall regarding the First Amendment, George Carlin once noted you are totally free to yell “TOPOGRAPHY” in a crowded theater.  But if you yell “FIRE,” and there isn’t one, you will be arrested.]

[A vista (well, I had to say something).]

[It’s a good thing they don’t have to worry about ice and snow here.]

[We have driven north on “The 15” to Riverside (population 350,000, another huge southern California suburb) and then turned east on 60 to Palm Desert.]

[Through the mountains to the desert . . . ]

[And we have arrived in Palm Springs . . . but not with incidents.  We were very late.  A late start to make sure Rita had everything she needed while we were gone.  We came to a dead stop on “The 15” just outside Riverside where we sat on the interstate for 45 minutes while they cleared a semi that had jackknifed and caught on fire (it happened again at almost the identical spot while we were out there?).  And then our Tom-Tom died (our GPS guidance system) – we had no directions and in our rush to leave had forgotten the maps.  We limped into Palm Springs, stopped at an information center, and called our Palm Desert hosts, Beryl and Don Waldeland, for directions.]

[Oh, and this is Marilyn Monroe . . . ]

[Shot while driving by – they were having an international film festival in Palm Springs.  We recently heard that Marilyn was dismembered and returned to her “home” in New Brunswick, New Jersey.]

[Since nothing comes easy, we drove all over Palm Desert and had to call the Waldelands two more times to figure out how to get to their place.  Every road is named for a famous entertainer and we obviously found that confusing . . . “turn left on Bob Hope, right on Dinah Shore . . . “]

[Nope, not there yet but at least kept running into photo ops!]

[Well, we eventually made it, and Beryl and Don had the rest of the day all planned out for us.  First, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, in one of the driest and hottest spots in the country, Desert Hot Springs, just a little further into the desert from Palm Desert.]

[You can read all about it below.]

[Now you know.]

[If you take pictures of the signs, you don’t have to explain anything.  🙂  ]

[The requisite photo op at the totem pole – Beryl, Don, and the supervisor.]

[Don’s a big guy if you’re looking for perspective.  😉 ]

[Two Gals and a Guy!]

[Now, looking for a place to picnic.]

[Not a lot of rain here.  Even the dust has dust.]

[Beryl thoughtfully packed a picnic lunch.  Whatta gal!]

[In the summer, I hesitate to think what the temperature would be here.  Oy!]

[I heard they go for your chips and salsa!]

[Where we are.]

[We are here.]

[A retired teacher led us on a tour of the house, built by Cabot all by his lonesome.  An excellent presentation, but no photos were allowed inside.]

[Quite a place, but a bit claustrophobic inside.]

[And then it was on to Joshua Tree National Park.  I was glad we did this because the last time we were in the area, we decided we didn’t have enough time to do so.]

[Ladies and gentlemen: The Joshua Tree.]

[A very unique landscape that I found more fascinating than I thought I would . . . if that makes any sense?]

[I think I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves.  It was getting late in the day, so we didn’t have time to stop much so a lot of these shots are out the car window as we’re driving.]

[A climber at the top.]

[I believe that’s Abe Lincoln . . . or Richard Nixon, I forget?]

[A Henry Moore sculpture?]

[Oy, the infamous “jumping” cholla cactus.  They’ll “attack” you if you try to walk by them.]

[Though our trip through was rushed, I’m glad we were here at this time of day.  Dawn or dusk provide beautiful lighting for photo ops in the desert.]

[Love the lighting contrast.]

[The end of a cowboy movie?]

[We exited the park toward the Little San Bernardino Mountains, I think?]

[Don and Beryl display what would have been Rita’s room.]

[Fortunately, we were able to make use of the wine that was left on the bed for her.]

[That evening we were all invited for dinner at Sara and Jim Sevey’s in La Quinta.]

[Wow, I love that!]

[Alexandrians in the desert!]

No one can be so welcome a guest that he will not annoy his host after three days. ~   Plautus

The first day a guest; the second, a burden; the third, a pest. ~   Edouard R. Laboulaye

March 27, Matt & Julie Velline at SAWA

[Julie caught Facebooking the evening’s festivities.]

Our Thursday night home away from home!  [p.s. Ruthie woke up this morning and said she feels like she’s living Groundhog Day.  Every day a “winter storm warning is in effect.”]

I’ve been asked by her East Coast fan club to comment on whether Lisa is back in Minnesota to stay.  Dunno, but at least for the short term.  I think, however, she will continue to be California Dreamin’, so in the long term?

March 30, Anthony Miltich at Carlos Creek Winery

Over 50 degrees today – first time that’s happened here since 1938! People were sitting outside at winery! Photo of Ruthie at the winery we took for Rita!   We don’t know who the sisters are but they volunteered to pose for the picture when we told them we liked their shirts.  The two women at the end are from the Cities, and we e-mailed them a copy of the photo.

April 5, Anthony Miltich at Carlos Creek Winery

Another afternoon with Anthony Miltich at the winery yesterday. And a chance to show the “state of the ceiling.” The framework is in for the soundproofing panels to be hung to improve the acoustics – and mood lighting with chandeliers! May be ready by next weekend? Anyway, Anthony had the full repertoire there yesterday – the 6-string, the 8-string, and the 12-string guitars. He’s next there May 3, hopefully outside then. Are you listening, Martha Williams?

April 6, Yardwork Begins

NOW I REMEMBER WHY I LIKE WINTER! I rediscovered how the supervisor got her name! It was sunny, in the 50’s today, most of the snow is gone, that means . . . . arrgggghhhhh, yardwork. She had me out there at the crack of noon cutting off tree limbs (you can hear their screams!) and otherwise picking up winter’s debris around the yard. And she was going around to our each corner evergreen shrubs de-limbing those sunburned to death. Then it was all piled for the eventual conflagration in the burn pit. And if you didn’t read James Lileks in the Strib today, it’s road maintenance season: “Interstate 94 (between St. Cloud and the North Dakota border [i.e., us]): Road will be removed and replaced with something that’s absolutely straight. Single lane for both directions. Expect delays, weeping, fistfights, gunplay.”

Up next:  Softball Thursday?