GOODBYE CALIFORNIA.

My son Ken, in the bright blue t-shirt, hosted a goodbye California party for family, friends and neighbors Saturday. It has been nice having he and Laurie in Calaveras County, but his job required him to move to Reno, Nevada.

What are the odds that when Ken bought the house on Vista Del Lago three years ago, he would find this man, Lynn Breitzman a neighbor on the same street. He, and his wife Sandy went to High School with Ken in Fremont. Lynn’s sister, Dawn, was a close chum of my oldest daughter Kristanne, as well.

This couple, Jeff and Debbie Machado also live on Vista Del Lago. Debbie is Sandy Breitzman’s sister, who attended high school  in Fremont with Ken, Doug and Kristanne.

Debbie and Sandie with Laurie, kind of enjoying my bewildered looks at the connections.

But, wait, there’s more. Jeff, it turns out, used to be a member of  Laurie’s brother’s band. Mike didn’t know Jeff lived in the neighborhood until they ran into  each other at Laurie and Ken’s.

Mike and his wife Ramona, live in Lodi where he, Laurie, and her sisters went to High School.

Ken’s buddy Dave Pinkett,  attended High School in Fremont with those mentioned but he remain a Fremont resident.  Daughter Kristanne was Dave’s date for his  High School Senior Ball.

We had the biggest driveway in the neighborhood and kids with paper routes folded papers on our driveway.  Doug, didn’t smoke and he policed the driveway and forbade anyone to sneak a cig. None of the paper-boys were allowed to smoke at home, either.

George and I were the first of my family to move to Calaveras County in 1978. Followed by Clark who settled near Camanche in Burson.

Followed by Brother Bill, who lives about a mile from Ken and Laurie in Rancho Calaveras.

My grandson, Stewart, missed all the coincidental tales and laughter since he is involved with his girlfriend Aly. They met on the job where they both work as writing tutors for college students. He won’t be making many trips to Calaveras County now that his parents will move. Boo, hoo, for me. I will really miss them all.

  Laurie’s sister Michelle…

…and her husband, Wayne, live about 4 miles down Highway 26 from Vista Del Lago.

Laurie, too, has lifelong high school friends. This is Diane and Randy Cantoulupis

Two sister’s-in-law, Ramona and Theresa.

I don’t know all of their neighbors and friends.

It was a fun day, as people spread out into the yard.

I talked to this woman about her impending move to Oregon. I know Laurie told me everyone’s name, I may even have marked names down-somewhere.

I have an excuse. I’m still a bit disoriented. Out of my sling for hours each day since June 2nd.

The food from a local Mexican restaurant-a standout. Laurie and Ken may be saying goodbye to California, but moving means you end up with a new crop of friends and neighbors. And, by chance, you might meet people you knew in a former life. Could it happen again?

 

ANOTHER LAZY DAY

Look at that grumpy guy. I interrupted his reading. We were supposed to meet Jim’s friend, Bill Dob, but that fell through so we again enjoyed the weather and the park. I walked the two miles in 30 minutes at the recreation center with the Leslie Sansone video. I like it. It also gives some upper body movements that are beneficial and definitely gets your heart pumping.

This park is really beautiful with so many palm trees. Painting them will be a challenge but I took 40 pictures of palm trees yesterday with that idea in mind.

And this morning, I’m blogging on my new system 7 computer. I spent several hours learning the difference between the old one and the new one. This computer has programs that came free with the computer, some interesting stuff that I explored as well.

The palms have such individual character when you really look at them.

My friend Pam says you have to think of them as living beings, which they are.

..

 

Today is laundry day, and packing to return to Murphys. We move to within range of the airport at Ontario tomorrow. Hope we have a signal.

 

 

FAMILY TIME AND MOVING.

Continuing my family saga out of Las Vegas, Mason graduated on Thursday. My son and his family have a garage full of boxes, no beds to sleep on, minimal cooking utensils, chairs, a table, a couch and television set in their house. They are preparing to move back to California,  32 miles from me,  and still host a graduation party on Saturday. A bit  of bedlam with house guests, moving and a party. Ken and the boys spend Friday cleaning, hosing down the patio, pruning dead palm fronds, etc.

The heat is intense and when the outside work is done, the guys cool off in the pool.

 

Virginia and Cedric, and the boys arrived from California and take respite in the air conditioning with another 113 degree day.

The dogs are excited and nervous because they detect something different is going on about them and change for them is always stressful.

Laurie and I prepare gobs of potato salad, coleslaw and party stuff . It is too hot to barbecue so the chicken and pulled pork are catered by Dave’s Famous Barbecue. Dave claims other sauces are just Ketchup. Kris comes in after work and we all enjoy some family time in the pool.

Kris, Laurie and Austin.

Theo likes the waterfall and diving for pool torpedoes.

In California, there will be no pool, but in Las Vegas, if you can afford it, a pool is almost as important as the house. Virginia is diving for torpedoes with the kids.

 

Saturday, the party doesn’t begin until 4:00 p.m. Kris is also moving, not out of Las Vegas, but to a bigger place. She just got the keys to her new digs, so we all troop over to see it.

Her current backyard is hot and narrow. She has two dogs, a lab and a shepherd. The dogs share with those she fosters for a dog rescue program. The need is great  and she fosters dogs all the time.

She is currently caring for a minpin, (miniature pincer) who had a leg broken in three places and the owners couldn’t afford the $1000 to mend the leg. She also has a pit bull in foster care right now. They all get exercised in the cool part of the morning, starting at 4:30 a.m. before she goes to work.

I’ve been accused of being a collectiholic, and Kris collects shoes. This one is just pretty, but she does very creative things with shoes.

Laurie collects anything elephant, and both use their collections as part of the house decor. Laurie has an elephant print on her phone. I love it.

And I love Kris’s big, bold style of decorating, as in this over-sized clock, the width of a twin bed,  in her guest room. I spent the night there.

Her new back yard is 1600 square feet.

It has a pool. With Ken’s pool unavailable, (they live close to each other), she was anxious to have that option.

I didn’t make it up the stairs, but I like the different planes and mix of colors in a visible space from wall to wall that is popular.  Virginia and Theo  peek down from above. Tomorrow, the party and Girls Day Out.