Since Matt's wedding, we've had quite the time.
After leaving MA, we drove to Albany to spend a few days with my son, Mike and his lady Kari. Had a great, if too short, visit with them. We saw the new Star Trek movie in IMAX 3D, and went to dinner at the City Beer Hall. It's a neat place. If you order at least a pint of beer, you get a ticket for a free personal pizza. So...if you have 3 pints...no way you leave hungry!
When we left Albany, we stopped for an overnight visit in Gloversville to see our friend Carol. Carol lost her long time companion, Peter, last year and now she's ill herself. In spite of her illness, she was a great hostess and cooked us a great dinner and a great breakfast the next morning. Hope you get well real soon, Carol!
Then it was a mad dash all the way across the country to California. Coast to coast in 5 days! Whew!
Crossing through "tornado alley," we dodged storms all the way. We left Lincoln, Nebraska hours ahead of a severe storm that spawned several tornadoes. We did get some rain and wind, but it could have been a lot worse.
The changes in temperature we experienced along the way were profound. Cold, wind a rain in the plains, snow in the mountains, and searing heat in the Sacramento Valley in California. Today, it's over 100 here, and expected to be near 112 tomorrow! At least it cools off at night. We drove across the Continental Divide, Donner's Pass and right past the Bonneville Salt Flats. We would have liked to stop, but we were on a schedule. We needed to get to CA in time for Chandra's graduation.
We've spent a good bit of our time here visiting with my daughter, Jennifer and granddaughter, Chandra. This past Tuesday, Chandra graduated from high school. Of 289 students in her graduating class, only about 8 got the silver tassel (for really GOOD grades) and she was one. And on top of that, she's got 3 - count 'em THREE - black belts in martial arts! At 4'11" and 90 pounds soaking wet, she's still not someone you want to mess with. College boys - watch out!
Yesterday, Bev, Chandra and I drove down to San Francisco. We visited a great little tea room in Chinatown, and spent the afternoon at Fishermen's Wharf. We saw the tall ships being restored there, an old steam tugboat and an old steam ferry boat. I also picked up my lifetime "Senior Pass" for the national parks. What a deal. Free admission for life at all national parks, $10! If you're over 62, it's hard to find a better bargain than that.
Tomorrow, we'll be leaving the heat behind and driving to Eureka, CA. We've booked the KOA there and hope to do some hiking and sight seeing among the redwoods. After that, it's Yosemite for a few days, then the Grand Canyon. When all that's done, we'll be making a stop in San Diego to see Bev's son Ben, Sarah and baby Daniel.
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