Back to Encinitas

We had a pretty good time in LA. While we were there we ran into some celebrities at the dinner party.

We left LA mid-morning and are now back to our (rented) townhouse in Encinitas. A big storm is heading our way and it's already starting to rain. It's also very windy, 20-30 mph, and quite cool. The predicted highs for the next week are 60 or lower. We'll probably end up heading straight back without doing any camping. Hopefully we can still go through Denver to see Rick and Di.

NAF Convention / Venice Beach

Yesterday we drove to Los Angeles to attend the National Ataxia Foundation's annual meeting at the Airport Hilton Hotel. We've been having a very good time meeting people and promoting and selling Dave's memoir. (see www.bright-side-books.com) There are a lot of very nice people here. Most of them either have a form of Ataxia or are related to someone who has it, but we've met a number of individuals who are here to help, either in a medical profession or just because they care. It's a really good group.
I took some time this morning for a bike ride from the hotel to Venice Beach. The traffic really wasn't too bad and a lot of the ride was along the ocean and around Marina del Ray on a very nice boardwalk. Venice Beach is quite an interesting place. It's very funky and hippie-ish. Two stores next to each other: Botox on the Beach and a medical marijuana place. Lots of souvenir shops, head shops, food stands, and strange people. While Mission Beach in San Diego was kind of upscale, Venice Beach is not.
After the afternoon sessions at the conference, I took Lyn to see Venice Beach. We drove over and parked the car near the beach. Then we took a short walk so she could get the feel of the place. Afterwards, we had dinner at Tony P's Dock Grill at Marina del Ray. We had a window seat overlooking the boats in the harbor. Good food and atmosphere.

Too Busy to Post

Well, we had a great time with Joanie, Diane, and Rick. A lot of just hanging out together, but we also had some outings. Check out the visitor on the wine bottle at our dinner one night! We all went to San Diego on Sunday and took the trolley tour around the city. It's a good way to see things and get a feel for what's there. Followed it up with dinner at the Harbor House in Seaport Village. We also went out to Point Loma with Joanie on Monday and then dropped her at her convention function at the Hyatt. Lyn and I went out to Coronado for the sunset and dinner at Brigantine Seafood. Everyone is gone now, but we really had a great time with them. Hopefully we'll be able to stop to see Rick and Di in Denver on our way home.

Today we went to visit our friends Dick and Judy in Oceanside. Dick and I worked together for many years and we still get out biking together in the summer. They've been coming to CA in the winter for about 10 years now. They showed us around North Coast Village where they are staying and we had a late fish and chips lunch down by the harbor. It was really nice to catch up with what they've been doing. Their first grandchild, Jake, was born in early Feb. and they can't wait to get back to MN to see him again.

Girls, girls, girls! and Tsunami Watch

Yesterday we picked up Diane and Rick at the airport. They took us out to lunch at the Carlsbad Beach Grill for fish tacos, drinks, and yummy desserts! Joanie arrived by car just in time to see the sunset. We had a great evening catching up on family news and just joking around. It's good to be back together again. It's just too bad Johann couldn't come, but we'll Skype him later.

This morning we woke up to the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The tsunami was headed for California, but it would not be very big here in San Diego. We went to the top of the stairs to join the other people looking for something to happen. There were surfers out in the ocean looking for the waves, too. Later in the day, the girls found some surfers on the beach to call their own. They looove his tattoos....

Harbor Tour

Today was one of the warmest days since we've been here (mid-70s) so we decided to do the San Diego Bay harbor tour. This was a two-hour tour and was quite interesting. I didn't know there were so many Navy ships stationed here. It was pretty cool seeing all the different types, but there were no aircraft carriers except the Midway, which is a museum.

We saw lots of sea lions in one place where they unload bait fish, I think. There must have been about a hundred of them lounging on some floating docks. I guess that keeps them off of people's boats, which is a problem in some places in California.

After the tour we walked around the harbor a bit. Here is Lyn looking just like the figurehead on HMS Surprise, which was used in the making of "Master and Commander" starring Russell Crowe. (You have to imagine the sword in her hand.)

We ended the day with a very nice sunset viewing near the beach.

The Saga Continues

Yesterday was kind of a gloomy day with clouds and drizzle, temps in the low 50s. We did some errands in the morning and our friends Janey and Ade, who live in San Diego, came to visit in the afternoon. We had some nice conversation and showed them around our place. We went out to dinner with them in the evening at the Carlsbad Beach Grill. Really good fish tacos!

Today we started out as usual. Lyn went for a long beach walk and I went for a long bike ride. Boy, it's nice to be able to get out and do those things.

In the afternoon we decided to go for a drive north to Dana Point. We visited the marina there; wow, what a lot of boats! Must be a couple thousand. We continued our drive up to Laguna Beach, where Lyn's sister Diane and her husband Rick used to live back in the 80s. Got back home right around sunset. Another nice day...

Lazy Sunday

This morning Lyn went for a walk on the beach and I went for a bike ride to San Marcos. After that we went to the farmers market to get one of those great sandwiches for our lunch. The rest of the day was reading and relaxing. Ahhhhh....