Classy vs Tacky!

Can you believe it has been nearly 1 1/2 years since we pulled up deep roots and moved to sunny S. Cali?! Crazy!  Well in those 18 months I haven't been very far from the San Diego area. So when my friend Julie asked me if I wanted to go visit her daughter in downtown Los Angeles I jumped at the chance. After we picked up the 3 young ladies at the loft apartment we headed out to see the sights.

First stop was Santa Monica which is very nice.  This is the shopping promenade- the people watching was great too. 

My companions trying to decide on a lunch venue.

For you Anthropology fans- this was the biggest one I have ever been in. 2 stories.

The entrance

You know you are in California when you see this…. wonder where he bought his pink/yellow pants? Paired with the lime green high tops it was a prize outfit!

Jillian and her mama- pretty ladies

Santa Monica Pier

The pier is mostly restaurants and a very clean and compact amusement park.  We decided to go on the ferris wheel.

Jillian, Crystal and Brin 

The view from the top

Julie and I

Julie seems to think I should be in some of the photos.

  After that classy place we went to Venice Beach. Oh my what a place! The promenade along the beach is very interesting….. And the people are even more interesting!

This man was holding up a sign that read WEED?? I wasn't sure if he was selling it or begging for it.

Sleeping quarters. The homeless population really saddens me.  So many destitute and most likely mentally ill people. And  in a warm climate there is a large population. If I was homeless in a cold climate I would head somewhere warm pretty quickly!

Many talents

Fascinating…. there was a young man in green scrubs standing on the sidewalk with a sign that said "The doctor is in"  What a crock! And what a waste of a medical education! There was a line going into the bright green waiting room.

Many stores like these. 

This guy was selling "bum signs". Hand lettered cardboard signs. Really???!!!

This was cute! And yes I did put $1 in her swimsuit so I could take a photo!

Father's Day and Misc

  I have spent a fair amount of time on yard work since returning from WI.  It is a vicious cycle- fertilize, water, prune! This is our butterfly bush- well over my head after being pruned to below waist level in March.  And how fitting to see a butterfly on the butterfly bush!

This tree had beautiful pink blooms this month. The leaves look like a maple and it shed it's leaves in the spring! Can anyone identify it for me?

This geranium is 4 ft tall and 6 ft wide! Crazy fast growing out here!

I was pruning this lavender and look what I found!  No wonder there was a bird complaining the whole time I was pruning.  Now there are 3 hungry little birds in the nest.

Another question- what is this gorgeous tree called???

Julie and I decided to mix it up a little in our walking location. So we trekked for miles on the beach in Carlsbad. When we arrived there was a marine layer which is perfect for walking. Then the sun popped out and we enjoyed our lunch on the beach and a little sunbathing. 

The contrast in the water color is amazing once the sun comes out from it's hiding place.

Our fruit salad tree had over 100 fruit on it- not bad for it's first year in the ground!

Now it has much fewer- had to thin them out so the remaining fruit will develop and so the branches won't break.  Now this same tree has foil strips all over it to keep the birds away.

   On Father's Day we were invited to some of our friends for a potluck. Very nice to have something to do on those days when we should be with our kids. We had to bring our men's favorite foods. Dave requested the fresh strawberry pies. It was a delicious feast and a day full of fellowship.

Our lovely hostess Jeanette and her look a like DIL Christina

The Dads.

I've been everywhere- Part 2

I really must finish this blog because I have so much else to blog about! Dave returned to CA and Tristan returned to MN to start his new job.  I stayed for 1 more week to help the kids paint the entire interior of their new home.  We worked hard but had fun anyway! 

The house

I've been everywhere….

       Where to begin???  PART 1: This trip started out as a trip to WI for a memorial for my brother Keith who died from a massive stroke on Feb 5th.  It grew into a moving/painting marathon.  Tristan accepted a new job so a move was necessary from Manhattan,KS to Minneapolis, MN.  He was quite excited over the prospect of big city living and not having to move all the time.  This is the child that claims we that after the first year of college we gave him the Sequioia and made him move by himself!  So I changed my ticket from Milwaukee to Kansas City, MO and left 4 days sooner.  I enjoyed some quality time with Tristan while we packed up his stuff, cleaned his apartment, and drove to MN and on to WI.

Me and my boy!

The apartment looked fine BEFORE we started to pack!

Cleaning

My fee for helping was food. Yummy sushi one evening.

All packed up and ready to roll.  The rest of his possessions are in a POD being stored until he finds a house to purchase.

The green and blue of Missouri

A perfect latte somewhere in Minneapolis.  We drove 9 hours to Minneapolis and spent  14 hours there, slept and unpacked before driving 5 hours to WI.  Tristan has a small apartment in one of our friends ( new friends to us) homes.  They graciously welcomed him in as a temporary boarder.  Yet another wonderful blessing we have because of our faith.

Ahh…. Wisconsin in the spring- greenness, Harleys and orange cones!

Yes, my heart did a little pitter patter when we saw this sign.    I am a woman with 2 countries so to speak.  Wisconsin and California.

We met up with Dave and my brother Kevin ( drove from Florida) at some of our dear friend's home.  This was the view from our bedroom window.

Our host and hostess- Robert and Ruth.

Me and my bro.

We spent the next night at Randy and Cathy's home. This is my Aunt Doris who is the last remaining sibling from my mom's family. And her son Randy.
The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend was when we had our private memorial service for our brother who left us suddenly at age 63.  He was living in Florida with Kevin at the time of his death so we had him cremated.  My sister, Karen, graciously hosted lunch for  all of us at her home.  We shared memories of Keith and viewed a slide show of photo from over the years.  The baby photos with the bead bracelet (talk about a choking hazard) and a caricature form one of Keith's computer gaming jobs.

Very exciting news was announced via Mikayla's shirt.  My sister is going to be a grandma again in December.  The circle of life continues- one dies and another is born.

My parent's 5 grandchildren lined up in order of age- Kyle being the oldest.  They were all born within a 5 1/2 year span! Left to right: Kyle, Kaylyn, Shane, Kasen, and Tristan

Us siblings.

The whole crew.

Anyone who knew Keith knows why the slideshow was entitled " Basically."  He rarely said a sentence that didn't contain that word!
Part 2:  Home demo and painting. Shane and Nikelle purchased their first home in Berlin, WI.  Berlin is a small town in rural Wisconsin and right near Shane's workplaces. It is an older home ( 1964) with good "bones" but in need of upgrades.  The guys got right to work with a jack hammer!  many layers of flooring were ripped out also.

A dirty job as evidenced by Nikelle's face.

Soooooo tired!

Memorial Day found us viewing the Berlin parade from their penthouse roof top patio.

The beauty of spring blooming flowers

We spent the rest of the day at our good friends/relatives- Jamie and Meredith .  As per the norm in WI- Memorial Day was cool and cloudy.

A man and his best friend

Some wild times playing "grab the pen"

Our boys who look quite grown up now.

The whole family

 TO BE CONTINUED…...