One January Birthday Celebrated

Inspired by a visit from one from the west (who actually thought it was cold here- how soon they forget!) we had a gathering of the clan to celebrate the birthdate of the patriarch. It was a come and go dinner. Lots of food, presents and a span of over 80 years between the youngest and the oldest.
Some gifts included apparel and odds 'n ends for the drives on the Florida golf cart. Note the fingerless gloves! The walkie talkies were the biggest hit. Now if only the range stretched from here to Florida.
The man of the hour had lots of help opening presents. The young man's true colours came through. He must have his grandfather's genes, as he cleaned up and discarded wrapping almost instantaneously.
Happy birthday Poppa! I wonder if the fellow turning 18 at the end of this week wants the same kind of celebration? I think he'll pass on the fingerless gloves, but he might like the restaurant gift certificates!

'Tis the Season

Seeing as everyone else in the family has updated blogs, I had better do the same.
Christmas arrived early this year, with a gathering of the maternal clan a couple of days before the big man arrived. It was a lovely, relaxing dinner (at least for the guests. I am sure the hosts were a bit more frazzled!)
Then we were off down east to visit some people we had not seen in too long (6 months). Most of the time they were our granddaughters, but some of the time they were either lions or zebras. (This followed the "zoo" theme, a result of younger of the two wanting a "hippypotamus" from Santa. He happened to leave it under our tree, so we had to transport it to her house.)

Older granddaughter wanted to go outside, and following her cousin's lead, she tried to fit into Grandpa's shoes. Sorry, not yet. Keep growing!

As it was much milder where these two live than where we normally live, we were able to play outside, and to make sure the slide and swing still work. See later on for a short video of outside play.
This "little" dollhouse was one of the gifts the girls found on Christmas Day. It was bigger than they were! Aunties had sent little dolls for the house, not imagining how big it really was. Grandpa loved putting on all those teeny tiny shoes!
Everyne read to everyone else. Grandma read (she looks a little the worse for wear here)...
Grandpa read...
and Big Sister read to Little Sister.
The girls had a great game called "Don't Wake Up Daddy!". "Daddy" bolts upright in bed at unexpected moments. Older granddaughter loved it, but younger granddaughter wasn't quite so sure!
And now, two short videos. One is, as promised, the girls playing outside on their deck. After that, we present for your viewing pleasure, the singers and dancers of St. T.

Grandma and Poppa get some help!

#1 Grandson came for a sleepover while his mom and dad went to a wedding (baby sister got to go to the wedding). Since he already has his tree, we decided to take advantage of his expertise, and get him to pick ours. First challenge was getting the right shoes on the right feet, or in his case...foot.
This boy is our kind of shopper! We were in and out in about 30 seconds, as he liked the first tree he saw (and the candy cane the tree man gave him).
Grandma and the boy watched from the comfort of Grandma's car, as Poppa and the tree man put the tree on top of Poppa's car. We watched carefully all the way home, to make sure the tree didn't fall off.
In the morning, after the tree warmed up, it was time for lights and decorations. As you can see in these two pictures, the boy was a great deal of help. Do you think he could have been any closer to his Grandpa?
Thanks for your help, young man! We couldn't have done it without you!

As promised - sun, sand and surf

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We Say Good Bye

It is with great sorrow that I inform you that Great Grandpa has passed away. The sorrow, of course, is for us. He was in pain the last few weeks, and on December 5th his body just wore out. He died very peacefully, surrounded by family.

No words can express how much we will miss him. He was the life of the party at every event, and loved every minute of being with family. In his own words, he was a lucky man, blessed with a loving family, opportunities to travel, and good health almost to the end.

Funeral service will be on December 9th at Cropo Funeral Chapel at 1:30 p.m. Please join us to celebrate a life well lived, if you are able to do so.

California Dreamin' Part 2

The weather held beautifully - hot and sunny all week. On American Thanksgiving Day (can't believe what a big holiday that is iin the States) we walked and sat on Newport Beach for about 5 hours. It was glorious, and great fun watching the young'uns try to get up on boards.

This picture is at a different beach, and doesn't show how high up we were! We were definitely not taking a step back!
At La Jolla, we saw these sea lions(?)/seals(?) - I think sea lions. No, they are not dead, just enjoying a rest in a quiet cove, safe from the waves which were crashing just outside the sea wall.
Same sea lions, different view.
We met up with a former player/assistant coach/teammate(?) and his girlfriend. He has been posted in Carlsbad for the past two years, and did a great job of showing us the sights. We would have had to make extensive use of the GPS to find the same sights. We got there just in time as he is returning home shortly as the result of a job transfer. He's really excited about coming back just in time for winter!
These shots are in no particular order. This is one of the hot tubs at the hotel. This one seemed to be the best temperature for us.
This pool was not the right temperature! It was very large (this shows only about 1/3) and as far as I could tell, not heated at all. Only my toe went in.
You may have gathered that we loved the area! I guess I retired just a bit too soon, or I would have been able to put a down payment on a cute little summer place on the ocean (not!)
Christmas begins the minute Thanksgiving is over, with Black Friday, supposedly the best shopping day of the year. Santa in one mall here comes complete with a carousel ride and a train ride. Like everything else down here, though, nothing is free, not even the picture of the Big Man himself. Actually, I never did see Santa, as his "house" was completely enclosed, so you had to stand in line to get a glimpse of him.
Volleyball was mentioned before as being popular on the beach, but yes, there were dream courts as well. This one in Laguna Beach is just steps from the ocean. Another we saw on Newport Beach was part of a school playground. I can't imagine having to get kids to come in from recess, when recess means being on courts and playground structures right on the beach!
Now, after Australia, I love lorikeets. In Australia (Cairns and Port Douglas specifically), the lorikeets were known as nature's alarm clocks, because they gathered and flew and made lots of noise at sunrise and sunset. However, I do not like them enough to have them sit on my arms, back, head etc. People at the Wild Animal Park paid for nectar to hold, so that the birds would use them as sitting posts. Not my idea of fun, but I did like to watch.
Very strange to see Thanksgiving decorations on the beach. Pumpkins were very popular. In the heat, maybe they made themselves into pies!
Just one of the many beach pictures. Those of you who know me, know how much I like sand and surf and heat. I was in heaven. The next entry will be just a Smilebox of beach scenes, similar to the one of mountains, so you can skip it if you don't like scenery!

A couple of videos. The first is of flamingoes at the zoo - and I thought my grandchildren were noisy! The second is of one poor little guy who couldn't find mom, and was probably in the wrong place because he didn't look like anyone else on the beach! The others were definitely giving him the cold shoulder.

California Dreamin' (Part 1)

California dreamin'...on such a winter's day! Here we are out for a stroll on Laguna Beach - just kidding! Seriously, I hope we will still be walking the beach hand in hand when we are the age of these folks.
Thanks to our relatives who have a time share, we are staying in a lovely Hyatt. While it's not beach front, it is very close (we could walk if we chose to do so). Since the whole coastline is beach around here, the problem becomes which beach to choose. This is our room from outside, and yes, it is warm enough to have the door open!

Just had to take one photo of the bird of paradise. This seems to be the most common plant around here. How expensive are they at home?
We spent Monday at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park and saw many exotic animals.

This fellow seemed quite content to pose continually.
View of the range where most of the animals are, from the condor enclosure. As far as zoos go, this seems to be one of the better ones, as the animals have lots of room. I have to think that the African animals here are happier than ones in other parts of the country. We saw two giraffes who had arrived recently from Minnesota, and they looked relieved to be here!

Once again, I find it odd to be in a warm place in November and December. Also, with American Thanksgiving the day after tomorrow, it feels strange indeed. One cartoon here talks about "Thanksweenmas", implying that all three holidays blend into each other. This sign in Laguna Beach was one of many which blended a few thoughts.
Today's lunch location. A glass of wine, a plate of shrimp and chips, by the ocean with the sun on my face - it doesn't get any better than this.
More of Laguna Beach. And yes, the water is cold (but not too cold for some brave souls).

Haven't shown you yet the pictures of Balboa Island, a great little (and very trendy) area within walking distance, but that will be in California Dreamin' Part 2, along with whatever else we see in the next 3 days. Stay tuned!