Home Again

We got all caught up in the visit with family in Ventura and then the reunion and the three day drivefest back home. Thus, I have to play catchup with this blog.

We had a great time in Ventura! Dann and Jodi Plum were such great hosts ... freeloaded at their place ... and the visits with Roger, a brother-in-law, were special. I noted the high gas prices in California and was advised, by a native Californian at that, that it was "better" gas and that's why it was so high. Is that true? I had forgotten how cool it can get in Ventura and, of course, we didn't bring any sweaters or jackets. A trip to Target took care of that!. Deeds, AKA Micah, who is the Plum's grandson, was his usual adorable self. Lots of laughs and tales of family stuff ... all in all it was worth the three day drive.

There is a story going around that I had brushed my teeth with shampoo ... sadly, it is true. My beloved had filled a bottle of Crest Mouth Wash with shampoo for unknown reasons ... I ran out of toothpaste and thought (erroneously) a bottle containing Crest somethingorother would suffice until I could get some TP. The soapy taste didn't last too long; only a day or so. The good side is: now my teeth have lots of body and luster.

We motored down to Irvine via the 101 and 405 and found that Californians were sooo friendly. While screaming down the freeway at 55 mph, they waved, honked their horns and even flashed their lights in greeting. It was really something!

The 14th reunion of the Flying Jennies, 815 Troop Carrier Squadron, from Ashiya, Japan in the 50's was such a great success. There were 36 folks there ... squadron mates, their spouses and some kids and their spouses. We told all of the old stories ... maybe embellished a bit ... caught up on our families and their circumstances ... visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Knott's Berry Farm ... all in all, it was a really wonderful time. It looks like the next one will be in Colorado Springs in 2013.

We were able to get away early on Sunday so we retraced out trip via Tucson, Fort Stockton and home. Actually, we stayed in the same motels.

Our daughter, Jean, and her son Trip, took care of the dogs while we were gone. They did such a great job; we can't thank them enough.

Ventura, CA

Left Tucson bright and early this morning ... beautiful weather almost all of the way ... wasn't there a song to the effect that is never rains in Southern California? OK ... it was just ONE shower ... nothing spectacular occured along the way. California speed limits need some work ... truck limit of 55 mph on the interstate is ridiculous with cars at 70. One moves from 80 in West Texas to 75 till you hit California and the quality of the road seems the same.

We arrived in Ventura about 4:30 ... went to dinner with our niece and brother-in-law ... and we are winding down and getting ready for bed.

Tucson, Arizona

Got away early from Fort Stockton ... very nice hot breakfast at the motel ... and "on the road" again ... lots of beautiful scenery on the way ... lots of shades of brown .... reflects the lack of rain although the folks in Tucson say they have had lots (?) of rain. The Penske racing team and their three BIG 18 wheelers passed us like a shot at 75mph ... very impressive looking set of wheels; ran into them at a rest stop and they are all decked out in matching duds ... very professional looking. Took a picture of them at the stop and also a very beautiful parrot with his equally attractive "pet". Maybe I'll figure out how to get some of these pics into the blog. Enroute we were entertained by the Lions beating the "Boys" (heh heh heh) and later we found out our team, the magnificant and spectacular, Houston Texans, had won. Obviously, they are well on their way to the Super Bowl.

We called an old friend, Vi King, who was in the phone book. Hadn't talked to her in a while; last saw her in '59 while her husband and Gene was in Squadron Officer's School at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. Herk was an old "Jenny" flying C-119's in Japan in '55 - 58; he passed away a number of years ago. Vi has three girls and 10 grandchildren. It was so good to talk to her and hopefully we can do a better job of keeping touch.

The Riverpark Inn in Tucson is very nice, clean, reasonable, has cable and WiFi and a complimentary breakfast. It is almost downtown ON the interstate! Bennigan's restaurant on site is closed on the weekends so we ordered carryout ... had a cold one and watched a little TV. Ventura is 575 miles away and we hope for another early start.

Fort Stockton, Texas

Left home about 8:30 this morning .... beautiful weather all of the way ... the only excitement was the crash of a lovely boat on I-10 north of New Braunfels - it must have been the result of the boat leaving its trailer for some unknown reason and spreading debris all over the place. It didn't look like anyone was hurt; but, I'm sure the owner is just sick! We bought gas near Comfort - yikes, it was $.30 higher than at home! I'm sure that will only get worse as we head west. We arrived about 5 pm and are staying at the Swiss Clock Inn ... not too fancy ...clean ... has a complementary breakfast in the morning... lots of TV channels and, of course, free WiFi. We had dinner at K-Bob's Steakhouse nearby ... our next stop is Tucson, about 550 miles west of here.