Sunny California

I'm in the Los Angeles area right now, Anaheim to be precise. It's going up to 80 degrees today so eat your heart out(you northerners). The drive down the California coast was well, totally spectacular. I was stopping very 10 or 20 miles to view the magnificent coast lines and to take pictures. I had to keep telling myself to stop as I would never reach my destinations. I love the ocean.

Am I tired of driving? Well, like I said, not having someone to share the sights with is kinda tough, but I'm used to that. The only problem is with my GPS lady. I often tell her to shut up when I make a wrong turn or if I'm speeding(she often says:"turn back, turn back," repeatedly if I miss a turn, or "slow down, you're over the speed limit"...a real nag at times). I guess I should appreciate the live "voice" and be more pleasant with her. But sometimes she scares me as I'm not expecting it. I'm chuckling as I write this..another entry for my blog.

Ok, in order: Nov. 16-17, Santa Cruz. Stayed with Jonna and Rich, an absolutely delightful couple who have a gorgeous house near the beach. I could hear the surf(the sound of the waves ) from my room. It was a real pleasure to stay here. I went kayaking with Jonna along the bay in Santa Cruz. We went near this big pier where 100s of seals and sea lions were resting or squatting. You could hear their grunts from 1/4 mile away. Very special to be so close to these creatures. Rich is a drummer in a band and my last night, I listened to them as they were getting ready for a gig. A nice group of musicians.

Nov. 18-19-20 Monterey: a very pretty town, with a lot of touristy things to do. The first two nights I stayed with Nancy, a member of the armed forces who is learning the Arab language. I cooked some salmon for dinner and we chatted over a bottle of wine. A very pleasant young woman and we had a good conversation about current issues ie war in Iraq, and politics.
I also stayed with Candace and I was her first couchsurfer. She had her boyfriend stay over I suspect for extra security...hahaha. After dinner, we went for a very nice walk downtown by the marina.

Then I drove down the coast and went hiking up a mountain at Big Sur. The view was not as spectacular as I would have liked but it got me out of the car and doing something physical. I think I've put on a few pounds since I've left as I'm not doing much activity and eating a lot.

I'm now staying with Ron in Ahaheim. A real nice easy going guy. He was bit by a poisonous spider a while back and it caused a lot of physical damage to his legs and his eyes. He's had to have surgery and has trouble seeing. He lives close to Disneyworld and last night we watched the fireworks from his living room window. Ok, gotta go and cruise LA. Another note: there are a lot of Mexican-Americans here, a lot more than I thought. I went to do laundry this morning and most of the clients there were mexicans. A lot of the signage is in spanish. I attendede a Ducks and Calgary Flames game tonight. Ducks won 3-2 in a shootout.
I want to add that Ron made my day when he took me to a Korean BBQ restaurant. One of the best meals I've had on the trip. Thanks a lot for that Ron.

Then, it was off to Long Beach and a new hostess, Debbie. We had a lot of fun: going to a movie about a 60's & 70's civil rights lawyer, playing tennis in the hot sun, preparing salads and an apple galette for Thanksgiving dinner. I got to go kayaking again at Seal Beach. It was another wonderful day on the ocean; I called my brother Roger while on the big waters to find out when he'd come to ride with me.

I had a special time when Debbie invited me to attend Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She has a wonderful family who welcomed me and it reminded me very much of my own family and the fun that we have. We ate turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes etc...and a yummy apple galette prepared by Debbie andd a pumpkin chesse cake made by her mom and that was great too.