Author: alohawild

We were up at 6ish, as Deborah’s conference starts in full force today (and Wednesday). Breakfast was provided for Deborah, so I had a bowl of cereal in the room and made coffee for both of us before Deborah headed out to the hotel ballrooms. I bought a ticket to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Air Force One. I had checked the driving time, which, to my surprise, had now expanded to over two hours each way. Yikes! But it was the plan, and I really wanted to see the Cold War Air Force One plane from the 70s-80s.

Reagan, I remember, unkindly, as the mad man who nearly made Nuclear War real with a joke and shut down aid to colleges in his early years, making my choices narrow when I graduated high school. Feel free, dear readers, to love Reagan and his image, but I remember cuts and giveaways to the military-industrial complex. I lived in DC during the 80s and 90s and watched it. I wanted to see the plane and some of the documents of the Cold War and the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. I saw it fly over DC, and I remember Reagan traveling all the time.

I also remember that when President Bush took over for Reagan after running a slander campaign, he banned broccoli from the plane. The same lawyers who got Bush elected (but failed on the second term) found that the DC area had no good BBQ and created Hot Red & Blue BBQ, which Barb C used to cater her wedding in Laurel, Michigan. So many memories came back as I walked through the library.

But first, I spent two hours driving there. About half of it at low speeds in the cement canyons of LA and areas North and West. Boring, but not frustrating. I unwound the same track I’d taken to enter LA, but then turned West onto hills and parched, rugged, beautiful areas. The presidents lined the roads on a banner, in order to FDR, then went back down the hill until Biden. I tried to recall details about each one. Some I have forgotten, but most I remembered a fact or two.

I parked the car, and a Tesla Truck parked across from me, and I used that to find the car later. I called up my ticket, which was scanned in and then handed off to an army of docents. There was someone, friendly and nicely turned out in dark colors and, if male, with a red-striped tie museum tie. I had worn a dress shirt, a dark sweater vest, and dark gray pants, which seemed to earn me a friendly welcome, and I was even mistaken for staff once.

I skipped most of the displays, as I felt there was some revisionist history going on, that I had lived through much of it, but I did enjoy some of the late Presidents’ speeches and learned from the docent on Air Force One that the “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” in 1987 statement was written on the plane on the actual typewriter given to the museum from the writer (on the plane in it orginal place). The story was that the words were dropped but were reinstated by the writer and Reagan.

I was overwhelmed by the plane and its place in history, a true relic of the Cold War, and it could have been the instrument of Nuclear War. The nuclear “football” case was on the plane, the one used when he was President. It went to China with Nixon. It was often in the Soviet Union. Wow! I was allowed to walk through it.

President Reagan wrote a goodbye letter when it was announced he suffered from Alzheimer’s, and I did cry a little when I heard him read it while I read the handwritten version. It is the last thing in the museum before they cover his funeral. I did visit his and Nancy’s grave.

Again, I found the revisionist history and Reagan’s speeches need to be taken with a dose of skepticism. I cannot recommend it except for the plane, the stealth fighter, and the helicopter (which was not open when I was there). I also liked seeing the signed treaties themselves, as I remember the signings. The food: I had a great rueban sandwich; while not cheap, it was good.

They had documents and artifacts from the county’s founding to celebrate its 250th anniversary, along with some historical items. I have seen better displays in Boston. The documents were interesting, but few had the text shared, and I struggled to read anything in the dim light, the old pen writing, and the unique spellings. No book of the items with text was in the store. The items were from private collections, and that may explain the strange items (Lincoln’s gloves, which he wore on his last night alive) and the lack of texts.

I left before 1, having started at 10:10. Six miles away in the wrong direction (later costing 2%), I found a 350kW and discovered that some were Tesla, but found what I needed. It was a whopping $45 to add 75% to reach 100%. The highest I have ever paid. EVgo will be avoided from now on. I read and nodded off for 45 minutes waiting for the charge.

Another two hours and fifteen minutes’ trip, with Navigation giving up on the highways for part of the way, and I drove through Pasadena’s back roads. It was a great drive, and I admired the homes there. Back into the cement canyons, and finally back to Disney. I drove by and reached the hotel.

Deborah was resting in the room for an hour, but then had an event. I headed to the bar and watched the last minutes of Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq that ruined Iraq’s chances in the World Cup. I ordered ginger ale and some meatballs from the Happy Hour menu. Getting out of the bar for just over $23 with tip.

The Church Council meeting started at 6:30, and Deborah soon fell asleep after returning from her event. She was running hard and fast for the conference, and the time difference makes it even harder. So no hanging out tonight.

I finished the meeting (leaving early), wrote postcards, and wrote this blog. Tomorrow I will do laundry at a local coin laundry. We will meet for lunch, and then Deborah has a dinner event. I will find dinner on my own.

Thanks for reading. It was a good day, but a lot of LA driving.

Deborah is reading in the bedroom in our suite here in Orange County, in another Hyatt hotel. Unlike the Long Beach one, this one is near nothing of interest. Shuttles to Disneyland or OC buses get you somewhere, but this time we have Evie to help us. I started writing after reading for a few hours and recovering from severe nausea likely caused by a cold brew coffee. Too much caffeine for me on an empty stomach, which I did not improve with a local beer, followed by a heavy lunch. Oops. I did have the heaves and was happy not to re-experience my Beef Wellington (I have always wanted to try it) in reverse (though this was a deconstructed version, it was still great and I think it counts). Deborah, unaffected by the caffeine issue, had a pork roast over potatoes and veggies. Wonderful. She was excited that she could order as-is.

I managed to start recovering with just a few bad heaves around 6ish, after being down for the afternoon. I headed to the bar, got a ginger ale, and then a bowl of minestrone soup while watching Iran vs. New Zealand tie their game in the first half for the World Cup. Deborah registered for her conference; I am the plus-one, and she attended the start-up. Later, she reheated her lunch leftovers. It was great the second time.

We slept in today and did not get started until 8ish, and did not get going until 10ish. We had cereal for breakfast and discovered that the in-room fridge is set to North Pole conditions, which froze our milk to slush and turned our strawberries into ice cubes. I adjusted it down. I made coffee, and we brought extra (we also grabbed extra at the previous Hyatt and have lots of water).

We decided on San Juan Capistrano, home to the oldest buildings in California, and traveled about 35 minutes in an Air VW the Gray during mid-morning between-games traffic. We usually check things, but we just sort of did the ad hoc and headed there. We discovered that the mission and museums were closed on Monday (as they are in nearly everywhere else), but after a bit of wandering in the EV on tiny streets, we found free four-hour parking in a park and walked to the Los Rios Historic District. It was wonderful, and we would have likely missed it had we been focused on the nearby Mission. We had coffee (where I overdid it) at Hidden House Coffee (I bought a bag to grind at home), and we walked the area built in the 1700s to the early 1800s. Wow! It was relaxing and fun. Amtrak runs through the area, and we learned of the Pacific Surfliner Train as we watched it stop and add/subtract passengers. Something to do on one of these trips!

(the original well)

An amazing (and expensive) but nearly perfect meal at Trevor’s at the Tracks followed. This is the repurposed and rebuilt rail station. Our meal was perfect, and I watched Egypt nearly beat Belgium (they tied 1-1, with Belgium scoring late).

We will be back to Capistrano, as we loved the place and could imagine living there and hopping on Amtrak to get to LA. Not likely we will see everything and buy a tiny place there, but it was excellent nonetheless. If we can fit a return in, time is always starting to run out, and find the mission worth a visit, I would then recommend it. More to come, I hope.

Deborah has a Disney Character Brunch for us on Friday. Her conference gets busy after today, and I plan to find the Regan Presidential Library, wash some clothing, and check out a few other local items TBD.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

I woke with it already late after we must have slept through our alarms or something. I got up and dressed, only to discover it was now 5:30, which was a bit early for an 8:45 breakfast. Oops. I misread the clock and panicked.

Deborah rose too early, too, as I had started us too early. I made coffee for us, and we went slow, packed, and did all the things we usually rush. We were ready, and Jeanne joined us at 8:30 for an earlier breakfast.  The hotel credited us $80 to use on-site when our TV was not working properly, and we spent it on breakfast for three. It was a buffet, but still rather basic, with no omelet station. We miss breakfast in Iceland (Hotel Reykjavík Centrum), and I miss the ones in Europe (like Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Center) and Morocco (Casa Blanca, Mövenpick Hotel). Still, it was nice to sit down and have some eggs and pastries.

With that done, I arranged for a cart and staff to get the bags and haul them down to the entrance. There, after the bellman replaced a torn bag for us with a paper Nike bag, we stacked the bags, food, and luggage into Air VW the Gray, leaving plenty of room for Deborah and Jeanne’s stuff. Deborah checked us out of the hotel.

Soon, we were following the navigation to John Wayne Airport after getting the last few bags in the cargo hold. I missed a few turns, and we were on an odyssey through the less interesting areas of container processing, even though Long Beach is the largest US Port by volume. We found our way onto the highways and, about 30 minutes later, we were at John Wayne Airport, saying goodbye to Jeanne. Her flight was delayed by a few minutes (Due to Thunderstorms in Detroit), but she got home safely, only a few minutes late.

Deborah and I found we were headed to the wrong Hyatt, corrected that, and soon were at the Orange County one. This is the hotel with a nothing-is-free-in-OC bus to Disneyland. Deborah was offered a suite upgrade and a room now, it was not even noon! We reversed the process, and Debroah took the bags and food to our room (with a new bag full of water that Hyatt kept giving us. Jeanne reminded me previously that free water always tastes better.

With Deborah resting in the room, I followed the EV’s supplied Nav to a 350kW charging station and soon topped off my 40% to 80%. There was a note on the charging terminal that 85% maxium was enforced due to congestion issues. Hmmm. I followed the law and stopped at 80%. Twenty minutes later and $24 and I was headed back with 80% (79%) by the time I returned to the hotel.

Deborah thought Downtown Disney would be great for lunch. We did wait about five minutes to clear security. They are ensuring everyone is safe. There is a dog sniffing too.

We went to the same Italian place as last time, Naples Ristorante e Bar. It seems cooler when in the shade with a light breeze and the atmosphere is pleasant, even friendly. Dakota, our waiter, was ever helpful, and we had entrees as we were hungry. Deborah, the usual salmon was perfectly prepared, and we had some thin-sliced eggplant done parmigiana, but not fried, but cooked in sauce. The spaghetti on the side was painted in sauce and perfectly al dente, to my surprise. While not cheap, it was an excellent meal, and I have a new way to think about making eggplant.

We were hungry and ate our lunch. Dakota offered to-go iced coffee for Deborah (made by pouring the coffee over the ice, as iced coffee is not on the menu) and me iced tea. We then went shopping while sipping our cold drinks. It was getting hot, and the place was beginning to fill up.

I got some postcards and some sour candy. At the candy store, you had to get a number to check out and wait for your number to be called. Wow, that was weird. We walked out of Downtown Disney and into the Disneyland hotels to see if we could land a character meal, after enjoying “Breakfast with Goofy” last time. We learned that “Story Time meal”  is good too.

We then walked back into the now-hot parking lot and returned to the hotel after paying $10 for parking (with validation at the restaurant). We found the safe parking for our hotel, then returned to our room. I had to go back to the car and get my red gym bag with my laptop, as I had spaced that I took it with me while charging.

A nap and rest followed. Deborah likes Outback Steakhouse, and we enjoyed a dinner there. The food was good, but the usual for the chain. With dinner in us, we returned to our room and spent the evening together.

Deborah went to bed early while I wrote this.

Thanks for reading!

Today is our last full day together. We slept in until 8ish and ate cereal, stuff I brought to avoid the time and cost of breakfast out. We then got into Air VW, the Gray, and headed to Huntington Beach via the Pacific Highway, which runs along the coast for most of the way. We enjoyed the drive through all the beaches and the homes near them. I missed that there was no exit, and we ended up looping on a lovely peninsula. I have to admit, with all the wonderful things to look at, I might have missed a stop sign, and one light was not yellow, but it was a low speed, and nothing bad happened.

We reached Huntington Beach, paid $20 for parking, walked along the beach to the pier, and found a group of local folks selling goods. Jeanne was able to find gifts for most of her family. I found some cards to mail to folks near the pier.

We walked the pier and did not see anything in the water, and, as always, the sign “No Fishing for White Sharks” on the pier was fun to see just above the surfers. There were dozens of surfers, with waves five or more feet tall roaring towards the beach. Often carry, sometimes only for a moment, a surfer forward. Many nice, large waves, to us, were ignored by the surfers to our confusion, but we noticed that those that broke early and turned the sea into foam, which is unlikely to be a positive experience for a surfer. Later, we would see a lifeguard clearing the area of swimmers after an announcement of a dangerous rip current near the piers. Surfers were left alone on the other side of the pier. We could see the foam of the waves flowing backward. Yikes!

Jeanne and I had a deep-fried festival for an early lunch (Jeanne had fish and chips, and I had a pile of industrial clam strips), and Deborah had a moderate-to-poor New England-style clam chowder. This was at Broad Street Oyster Company at the end of the pier.

While on the pier, a salesperson from Herzog-Meijer Volkswagen called to ask about my intentions for Air VW the Gray. I had been, maybe surprised was too kind a word to describe their option of having me get a new car via email, “Turn in your current Volkswagen ID.4 and upgrade to a safer and more reliable vehicle.” I learned that, from the basic valuation, the EV is worth $16,000, plus/minus. I suspect that a low-ball bid.

I also checked their website for a replacement car, and they are offering to let me pay $8,000 in cash and a $ 500+ per month lease for a new ID.4, which is twice what I paid and twice my lease. I have six more months to decide. But I am leaning towards buying it or buying another used EV at a slightly lower price point. Double my costs and outlay, indeed!

But I was nice and told the sales agent that I was unprepared to have the discussion while enjoying the beach in California. He agreed I should focus on the beach, and I recorded his phone number, as we will talk again. No regrets with Evie.

We shopped some more, and I got coffee while more shopping, as my feet were getting sore and my legs were tired. We walked back to the car, which seemed further than our walk towards the beach. I always remember how long it seemed to take to get to the beach at Cape Cod and back to the car when I was small, with Mom and Dad Wild, plus my little sister Linda.

Somewhere in the morning, I slammed my arm into the bathroom door handles, which, while blunt, did tear my skin, and I am sporting a Band-Aid now. Deborah and Jeanne would also tell you that I am sunburned on my head. It has been a glorious week in the sun!

We left the beach and found a used bookstore in the area, Once Read Books, and soon we acquired more used books. The owner, an older man, slightly grumpy, seemed to be the usual fixture of a disheveled used-book store (with boxes of books and yellowing magazines stacked here and there, generally fitting the area or not. Often there is a cat, but not this one. I found a National Archives supplement listing all the logbooks available for Naval ships 1801-1947 for a few bucks. Jeanne and Deborah found some treasured books, too.

Next, we passed Planet Books, and I turned around, and we went there too. Deborah was impressed with their light fixtures and furniture in their fine books section. I found a mystery book for a few bucks, Deborah found a children’s book, which, after promising not to “cut it up,” she purchased from yet-another-old-guy book seller. Jeanne found some more books. There was a sidewalk sale of crafters, but we passed; the folks at the tables, I heard, were surprised by the light turnout (we were not with the town full of World Cup traffic) and seemed desperate to sell us something.

We parked the car at the nearby boardwalk, after some searching for a parking spot (instead of walking for 20 minutes from the hotel in 80+ temperatures). There, we searched for the lock we had left behind. We had engraved our initials in the lock and put it on their railing last March. It has been buried under other locks, and we never found it, but we were happy to return to the spot and believe it was there somewhere.

Our dinner, running about 5:30, was at Parkers’ Lighthouse. We got a table with a view of the Queen Mary and an excellent waiter, Gib, who knew the food, wine, and menu and gave us good advice. It was an expensive meal, but I have paid as much for food that was not as good. The sea bass that Deborah ordered, the daily catch, was fresh and the best we have ever tasted (we shared our fish). Jeanne had the garlic bread burger (we had that on our previous visit, when they were running happy hour) and loved it. We saw a sea lion playing in the water.

After a little more shopping, Jeanne found her last item, and we took the EV on the couple-minute trip to the hotel. There, we returned to our room, found the TV still not connected, and watched the movie Hail Mary in Jeanne’s room. I did some church paperwork while the movie played (I had seen it twice). The hotel gave Deborah $80 credit for our inconvenience, which changed our plans to have breakfast at the hotel instead of cerial (which also meant we could pack everything tonight — which we did).

Tired and now cold from the AC (we figured out how to adjust it on our last night), I went to bed without finishing this blog. I slept until 5:15, thinking it was 6:15, and got going. I slept with dreams about work and having to get some unspecified task done. My usual dreams on a travel (or hotel change) day.

Thanks for reading. It was a marvelous day!

We had two plans for the day. Both had some minor issues. First, we had whale watching at noon. Second, we had drinks and jazz music on the Queen Mary at 7. But before this, we went to Creme De La Crepe for a late breakfast, brunch, if you like.

Creme De La Crepe is a French-style restaurant I found last time I was in Long Beach, but it is a long walk. We took the Air VW the Gray. I have a huge bag of coins for laundry and meters on this trip. I put quarters in the meter after parking in sight of the crepe place. Deborah and Jeanne had a table outside (it was hot inside) and comfortable outside. I had coffee with an egg Benedict and a side of cheese and sliced potatoes in a square. Deborah and Jeanne tried crepe items, and we shared a sweet crepe with chocolate, strawberries, and bananas. While not inexpensive, it was excellent food (though service can be slow).

After this, I dropped off Jeanne with Deborah to get the whale-watching tickets (they had already been purchased online, but they were physical tickets). I parked the car back at the hotel and walked there. While there and not seeing Deborah or Jeanne, I heard twice on the broadcast that boarding for whale watching was at 11:30. They had gone shopping, and it is a long walk there and back. Sadly, I was wrong, and they rushed back for no reason. I meant them halfway. At least we got good seats on the front (bow) of the boat.

One whale and lots of dolphins were our find in a lovely ride in the Pacific with gentle rolling seas. Before we had lots of whales and even orcas. Still, it was a great trip.

Next, Deborah had done some work, I finished my American Civil War book, and Jeanne rested. Deborah and I got some food from the hotel, and Jeanne reheated the leftovers from our last dinner. We ate that together in our room. We have an Executive Suite. It was a nice, quiet dinner together.

We next got back into the EV and parked at the Queen Mary. We headed to the Observation Bar, grabbed a table, and got some overpriced drinks while we listened to live music of 30-40-50 songs. I skipped up to the bridge, while it was still open, and took some photographs. Deborah joined Jeanne at the shop, but found nothing to take home.

With the first set over and our charcuterie board finished, we walked the decks from one end to the other, then went inside and walked the stateroom areas, which always feel haunted and out of time and space. Like a Steven King book or movie. With that done and having learned that the Engine Room space was closed for the night (I missed it again), we headed back, soon found the car, and let Evie take us home. We did have to pay $15 for parking, as our validation only covered part of it.

We returned to the hotel, and I parked the car. And then showered, put on my PJs, while Deborah read. I wrote the blog in the dark while Deborah slept.

Saturday is our last full day together and our last night in this hotel. We are headed to the beaches in the morning. Maybe Huntington.

Thanks for reading!