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June 08 Our China AdventurePreface to Our China Adventure.
We took over 500 pictures so obviously not all of them are included here but I did try to hit the highlights. I've tried to arrange them in the order in which I've written the blog. The trip far exceeded our expectations and was worth every penny and then some. It was a fantastic adventure. We drove to Toronto and spent the night, flying out the next day to San Fransisco. We spent the night there and flew to Shanghai the next day leaving at 1 PM local time. We arrived about 5:30 PM local time, the next day, - a 13 hour flight. Going through Chinese customs was painless. There was one incident.
We were in a lineup of about 100 people when a rather stern-looking, young Chinese man in uniform gestured for us to come with him. Oh, oh. Turned out he was taking us to the Assistance required/Senior's line. We didn't know whether we should be happy to have gone, more or less, to the front of the line or annoyed because he thought we looked old enough to warrant being given special attention.
We were met at the airport by a tour representative (holding up a sign with our name on it). He had transportation for us to the hotel - a 5-star Westin. We were introduced to our tour director who would be with us for the whole tour in China. He got us checked in and saw that we were escorted to our room. We were to meet him the next day after breakfast for a get-aquainted talk and overview of the tour. Tired, but excited, we went to bed, slept well, and the next day, and for the next 10 days, we were on our adventure.
Due to some camera problems there will be some pictures that are somewhat blurry but I thought they should be included anyway. We'll be getting a new camera for our next adventure - whatever and wherever it may be.
DAY 1
The day started with breakfast. But not just any breakfast. There was just about anything you could imagine. Eggs in just about any style you wanted, at least a dozen Dim Sum choices, breads, oatmmeal, fruit - on and on and on.
Our first stop was the Bund - Shanghai's riverfront boulevard. There is (obviously) two sides to the Yellow River; there's the old side and the new side. I've included a picture of a typical tourist. There's also lots of river traffic. On the new side you'll see a closeup of a blue, teardrop-shaped building. That's an aquarium. We didn't get to see it. You'll also see a building the top of which resembles a bottle opener. In fact, that's what the locals call it - the world's largest bottle opener. It's just an office building and the shape has no significance. Old Shanghai has more colonial style buildings. In the background the tall builing with the flower-shaped top is our hotel. Of interest is that in new Shanghai the buildings don't fly the national flag whereas in old Shanghai they do. The reason - old Shanghai buildings are mainly government owned. The newer buildings are joint ventures with companies from other countries. Next stop - the silk factory.
Each silkworm cocoon consists of one signal strand about 800 metres long. They are soaked in water then the end of the strand is found. For at least 6 cocoons these strands are connected to a device similar to a bobbin on a sewing machine and as it spins around the silk thread unwinds around it. When full the bobbins go off for dying, drying, and processessing.
Sometimes two larvae are so close together they create one large cocoon. These can't be used like the single ones as the threads are too intertwined. In that case the cocoon is opened by hand, the larvae removed and then, after soaking in water are placed over a "U"-shaped frame. Eventually they're moved to a larger frame and when there are 7 layers of cocoon they're removed, dried and stretched over another frame (looks more like a matress than a frame) and are used to create silk duvets. They're sold by weight.
The dyed silk threads are woven into the most beautiful wall hangings, rugs, etc. All by hand, some taking up to a year to complete.
Next was the Yuan Gardens - a typical Chinese garden located in old Chinatown. Now why, you may wonder, would China have an old Chinatown? Because - the architecture of most modern Chinese cities is no different than that found in any westernized city. To preserve the old style a section of, in this case Shanghai, has been set aside as a new-construction-free zone. As you will see in one picture, even in old Chinatown there's something new though. There's not much to say about it, just enjoy the pictures.
We also visited a Children's Palace. We'd call it a kindergarten. We didn't expect to see much. Surprise, surprise. The children are taught dance, music, some martial arts skills and while we were there put on a show. Only one picture turned out well enough and it's one young girl performing a dance as part of a troupe. Anyone who shows exceptional skill at dance, music etc are given advanced training as they get older. We met some teens who played a variety of old Chinese insturments. All in all it was very entertaining.
And speaking of entertaining. After a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant we went to a theatre for a show featuring Chinese acrobats. Since I was trying to capture movement with a still camera there are only a few photos. Take my word for it - it was spectacular.
And so ended Day 1. What a day!
DAY 2
Day 2 was a relatively short day as far as sight seeing went. We had a bus trip through Shanghai but it looked like any other big city - except for the thousands of cars and hundreds of bike riders. No pictures. The Shanghai museum contained jade works, furniture and pottery hundreds, or in some cases a thousand, years old. There are a few pictures. Outide the museum, which was built on a former British race track, are several carved stone statues.
We had a long bus ride to our river boat. It was much larger than I thought it would be. Throughout the cruise the food, service and enterainment were wonderful. There was an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam project, the largest in the world, to supply electricity to China's growing need for power. I've included only one shot of the dam and one shot of the model. More than that would get pretty boring. What was left of the day was boat orientation, meals and resting up for the four days ahead. We sailed shortly after supper. We also went to bed not long after that. Tomorrow, some pictures as we sail through the gorges, kite flying and more.
DAY 3
Today was just sailing and eating. While I took lots of pictures of the Gorges these give the best example. It was, of course, more spectauclar being there than in the photos. The last of the Gorge pictures is called the Goddess Peak. You can see what looks like a person standing between two outcroppings. This is the Goddess. If you can zoom in you'll get a better view.
September 12 Home safelyHome safe and sound. And tired. It was a long trip back though exciting and filled with wonderful sights. We couldn't update the blog as there was trouble with the Internet connection at the last places we stayed.
We took the car in and I'm afraid it's road trip days are over. Too expensive to repair. We'll use it as a backup for around town trips but nothing out of the city. Fortunately Judith made enough money to buy an new car when she worked in Connecticut so we're not transportation-less. That volkswagen was a good little car. It got us to Mexico and back, California and back., Connecticut and back several times and trips to the Maritimes.
The unpacking and putting away is taking forever but it's nice to be home and sleeping in our own bed. No more trips now until January when we're off to Mexico again - this time for three months. But we're flying.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We had a real good time. This retirement stuff is great!
Bye for now. September 07 Over the RockiesArrived safely in Nebraska. The car will need a tune-up when we get back. I have to check all the fluid levels every morning and top up as required. Nothing to worry about I don't think although we did have a bit of a concern as we crested the Rockies.
As we climbed we started losing power and eventually were hard pressed to keep up even with the slow, slow truckers. It took a while but we finally realized that hill climbing with an older diesel car at sea level is not a problem. At just over ten thousand feet it doesn't do well at all. At least we think that's the reason. Something else to check out when we get home.
Off again tomorrow for another 800 Km drive. Long days but we'll be home soon.
September 06 Leaving Las VegasWell, we left Las Vegas with a small fortune. Too bad - we went there with a large fortune.
Actually, they didn't make much off us and there is a rather interesting story here.
The two other tours we took picked us up at our motel but we had to meet the night tour at Bally's. It was about a 10 minute walk so Sunday we walked up there to see where the pickup door was and to have a look around. Judith was very interested in the Crap table but knew nothing about playing. A casino guy gave her a booklet explaing all the games played at Bally's. She studied it but Craps can be a little confusing. I managed to understand some of the basic bets.
The day of the night tour Judith's hip was acting up and she was unable to walk to Bally's. Even if we had taken a cab she wouldn't have been able to walk through the casinos on the tour. Cancellations the day of the tour, and in our case an hour before, meant we would still be charged for it. Not much to be done there.
After a couple hours of rest she was able to walk a little better, not enough to have done the tour though, so we went to the casino. Remember this was a Super 8/Casino. It was a short walk. We played five cent Video Poker for about an hour then got bored and went looking for some more action. Up to this point our losses over two days came to about $15. Last of the big time gamblers. We ended up at the Craps table. Minimum bet $5. Judith bought four chips for $20. Talk about beginners luck. Twenty minutes later she was up $60. She cashed in her chips and we went back to our room. Now she has Craps in her blood and I have to deal with a Crap-shooting, tattooed senior who tames wild animals on her days off.
It's estimated that about three quarters of those living in Las Vegas gamble. This has given rise to two types of casinos. The so-called "high rollers" - Caesar's Palace, MGM Grand, Bellagio, etc. - and casinos for "low rollers". In the latter casinos the slots are looser (pay out more frequently) and the minimum bets are smaller. At Bally's the minimum Craps bet is $10. It's only $5 at the low rollers. And the food is much, much cheaper. Our casino was a low roller. We talked to a couple on one of the tours who had dinner at Caesar's Palace. For a small, very small, green salad they paid $7. Where we stayed I had a steak and eggs breakfast with hash browns, toast and coffee and Judith had the French toast (super size French toast breakfast) and coffee. With tip - $10. For dinner one night I had Shrimp Scampi with rice and a soup and soft drink, Judith had the sirloin steak, loaded baked potato, veggies and a beer. With tip - $15. A glass of draft by the way is a dollar. Given the Craps profit, the tour we didn't take only cost us $30. As for the other $15 that went into the slots - a big, big tip for the restaurant.
So, here we are in Colorado. We drove through the southern part of Utah, through the San Rafael Desert. It was amazing. The mountains are multi-coloured and wind sculpted. All along the highway are bluffs that look like statues, or faces or abstract art. There were also numerous canyons that looked like mini Grand Canyons. And considering the size of that, mini is a relative term. Sorry, no pictures.
Off again tomorrow for another 800 kilometre drive. Home in 4 days. Next update from Nebraska.
September 05 Hoover DamHoover Dam is all it's cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the cost in human life was tremendous. Working conditions were poor and safety measures were all but non-existant. It did however put lots of money in the pockets of the group of companies who built it. Almost 100 people died between 1931 and 1935 when it was completed. Hundreds more died over the years after from work related illnesses. No compensation ever given. What a tragedy. There is a monument to those killed on the job.
A new road is being built as a result of 9/11. There are now security agents that inspect all vehicles going over the dam as it was built so that two lanes of traffic would drive over the top. These new security measures impede the flow of traffic. So, build a new road to bypass the dam and you don't have to worry about terrorists. Power lines have to be relocated and all the supporting towers have to be anchored on the surrounding mountainsides. Expensive.
To see the generators we went down 52 stories and through a blasted-out tunnel. Quite impressive, really. Throughout the generating plant there's inlaid art based on traditional Indian art. We only got to take a picture of one.
The dam does not lend itself well to being photographed from the river side so there are individual pictures from the ground up, so to speak.
And I know where the term "hot damn" comes from. 104 F in the shade. Hotter in direct sunlight. And when the dam was being built, it was just as hot. Incredible.
Another bus tour tonight - Las Vegas at night. Should look just like a scene from CSI. Hope to get some good pictures. Leave tomorrow. Will update when we get to our next stop on the way home. Grand CanyonThere are three things about the Grand Canyon. First, no matter how many pictures you may have seen on TV, in movies, or wherever, you will not be prepared for how big it really is. It truly is a Grand Canyon. Second, some views offer this amazing 3-D effect. Not like how we see things in 3-D naturally but more like how they would look in one of those old Viewmasters with the discs. And third, there's a bit of an optical illusion. Some views appear to be quite close when in fact they they're very far away. There's a feeling you could hit something with a well thrown rock but you probably wouldn't get one hundreth of the way there.
You can hike to the bottom of the Canyon but you have to remember that every metre down mean a metre coming up. You can ride a mule. There's a couple of shots of mule trains. They were quite far away but you should be able to make them out.
It was a long day. We took a bus tour and it was a 300 mile trip - one way. Still we didn't have to drive and it was worth it.
Enjoy the pictures. Next trip - Hoover Dam. September 02 Viva Las VegasWe were a little late getting away so we didn't get to Las Vegas until around 8:30. Fortunately we had Mapquest directions so trying to find our motel at night in downtown Las Vegas was not as difficult as it sounds. We're staying in a Super 8 but this being Las Vegas it's the Super 8 Motel and Casino.
The room is pretty bare bones. There's a small fridge but no microwave and very little in the way of horizontal space. With the laptop in place about the only flat surface available is the sink counter. We'll eat out a lot as it's pretty difficult to make sandwiches and no way to heat something up. Still, it's pet friendly and our choices are limited with Tinkerbelle.
Since we drove in at night you get to see the most amazing thing. On the right, away from the city, it was dark, dark, dark. On the left where the city is, but unseen behind the mountain, there's such a glow of lights that even the clouds are illuminated. And then, out of nowhere it seems, are city lights as far as the eye can see. Fantastic.
We're off to Bally's later. It's cool there and we can get something to eat. The temperature here is currently 42 celcius. It's expected to cool down to 37 during the night. How do people live here?
Tours start tomorrow. Pictures to follow. August 31 So long San DiegoOur last full day in California. We're half packed and anxious to be on our way. Judith just has tonight to work then it's done. She'll have a little nap tomorrow and we'll leave around noon. Should be there by 5. We've nothing planned for Sunday, maybe try our hand at a casino, then Hoover Dam Monday, Grand Canyon Tuesday, night tour of Las Vegas Wednesday, head out Thursday. We expect to be home afternoon of the 10th.
Despite ongoing problems with the apartment it's been a wonderful three months. We took in a lot of the sights, sounds and eateries. We've met some very nice people and taken advantage of all the amenities offered here. Still, there's no place like home and we'll be happy to be back among our friends.
I plan on updating the blog on our way home and hope to have some fantastic pictures from our tours while in Vegas. I'll be unplugging the computer tomorrow morning and won't be setting up again until we're in Vegas. We'll check our emails then.
On to Las Vegas. August 17 A day at the beachToday we went to a place called Pacific Beach. Guess what? It's a beach on the Pacific. We had a nice lunch at a place called The Firehouse then walked along the beach and soaked our feet in the ocean. Now we've wet our feet in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
The beach was quite busy as can be seen in the album called "The Beach". There's also one other picture of Judith with the Pacific in the background. Somewhere behind her, over the horizon, is Hawaii. We'll get there some day then I'll take a picture looking back.
Other than that there's nothing new. Judith is back to work tomorrow night. I guess I'll just swim and play tennis. I could get used to this being kept. August 13 The ParkOn Saturday we went once again to Balboa Park. We spent a lot of time in the botanical gardens (see album Flowers). We experimented with the camera doing close-ups, zooms, zoom close-ups, so a lot of the pictures weren't very good. The best of them are in the album. The lilly pond is located right outside the main entrance to the gardens. The view is looking away from the building.
Despite my best efforts to avoid it, we also went to one of the museums that was featuring a jewellry display. Mostly early 1900's from places like Africa, China, Mexico, Afghanistan. Lots of silver, some gold and a fair amount of turquoise. Big heavy stuff. Fortunately it was all from pirvate collections and there was nothing for sale. It was all encased so no good pictures.
We had lunch at a Japanese garden. The food was really good. We ate it on a patio under a big umbrella with a gentle, cooling breeze and soft Japanese music playing in the backgroung. Very pleasant. The garden itself is a work-in-progress; interesting but will be better probably by next year.
There was a free concert (there is every Sunday from 2 to 4) on the world's largest outdoor pipe organ. We listened to only some of it as there's no shade in the concert area and it was, as usual, sunny and hot for that time of day. Amazing sound.
On the way back we stopped off at a place called "The Chicken Pie Shop" and picked up supper. With the exception of our friend Nancy Fazackerly, they were the best chicken pies we've ever tasted.
Then we vegged for the rest of the day.
Judith starts work again tonight so we'll just take it easy today and hopefully she'll get a little nap in later.
That's all for now.
August 01 The beginning of the endOnly 30 days left. The time has gone quickly and we sure haven't wasted the opportunity. We've seen a lot of the sights, gone to some really nice restaurants and generally had a good time.
Now that we're planning the return trip there's a certain, not anxiousness more anticipation, of returning home. We'll spend about 5 days in Los Vegas taking side trips to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon and checking out some of the more famous casinos. We expect the drive home to take another 5 days.
Judith has one more weekend off and we haven't yet decided what we'll do with it. There are a few more single days off and we'll probably go to Balboa Park again. There's really so much to do here that it's impossible to see it all even in three months. And we need a day off once in a while to just sit and put our feet up otherwise it's always go, go, go. Pretty tiring.
And we're off again in January to spend three months in Mexico. I said it before but it bears repeating - this retirement thing is really great!
Perhaps one or more entries before we leave. We'll certainly let you know if we manage to break the Vegas bank.
July 29 The New SheenaFor information contained in the new album "Judith Ann - Jungle Senior", or on how you too can become a wild animal tamer, please contact: judith.boudreau@alumni.uottawa.ca July 18 The WalkI mentioned in a previous entry that there's a dirt path that circles the complex. Monday to Friday I walk the path as well as what I call "up the mountain" and down the hill. There's some interesting things to be seen. These are in the accompanying album "The Walk"
The complex sits atop a small mountain but not the very top. There's still a little bit left. I leave the path, walk just a little way down the hill and up the mountain. You can't fully appreciate how steep it is from the pictures but you will get an idea. The "As seen from the hill" is looking up at the path from about halfway down the hill. When I come down the mountain I walk down the hill, back up and get back on the path to finish the walk.
Almost daily there are three crows that sit on the lamppost. They watch me come up the hill and seem to be offering a running commentary. I think they're either throwing insults or discussing who gets what juicy bits should I have the big one right then and there and not make it up the hill. In the picture "Two crows" the third one didn't show up so these two just milled about waiting for him. He never did show.
In another previous entry there was a picture taken from the highway looking up at the apartment complex. There was also a zoom showing the apartment name. The "View from the top" is taken from the path at a spot right where the name is, looking down on where I took the first one from. Just at this spot is also the sign that keeps me alert on my walk.
There are plenty of little lizard creatures to be seen scurrying about. There are baby ones as well. To get an idea of just how small the babies are, in the close-up, compare the tread marks of the running shoes against the size of the baby. The little dot you see on the sidewalk in "Lizard" is an adult. There's also a close-up. The adult is about as big around as your thumb and stretches, tail included, from about the tip of your middle finger to just maybe half an inch past your wrist.
The spider web pictures are of this huge web between two palms. How big? Make a circle with your arms in front of you, fingertips touching. That big. I was pretty sure I didn't want to meet the spider that made it. I did see it once only. It was sitting in the dead centre of the web. It's abdomen was about as big as your thumbnail. Then there was the head and legs, so it covered a fair distance. Not as big as I had imagined but certainly not small either. I didn't have my camera with me and haven't seen it since so no pictures.
I also see hummingbirds and lots of butterflies. As you can imagine it's somewhat difficult to get a picture of them. There are also rabbits but as the mornings are cool and good for walking lately, there's more people out and about so by the time I get to where they usually hang out, they're gone.
Lastly, I've included a picture of the elevator. Why? Let me tell you, by the time I've gone up the mountain, down the mountain, down the hill, up the hill and around the path - that's a most welcoming sight and something without which it's doubtful I'd ever make it up to the apartment.
July 15 A day at the aquariumIt may be small but the Birch Aquarium is really interesting. There's also a great view of the Pacific Ocean. I've included some pictures in a new album called Aquarium.
Notes on the new album:
Interesting greeting isn't it?
There a couple of beach shots taken from an observation point at the rear of the aquarium as well as some surfers. The little dots on the water in the shots "Surfers" are indeed surfers. Surfing must not have been good as about an hour later they were gone.
I had never heard of a Dragonfish before today. It really does look like a dragon and seems to be growing leaves but they're a combination of fins and camouflage. The one called Dragonfish 2 is indeed 2 dragonfish. Neat, huh?
The "Lion Fish" is also venomous. There should be no inference made from the fact that it's now the background for Judith's desktop on her computer. It's just a nice picture.
On the way back we had a big, big lunch at a place called Souplantation. All you can eat soup and salad. About 6 different soups , 4 different breads, and a salad bar about 30 feet long. All for just under $8 each. Right now we're just sitting around, pants undone, doing a bit of moaning. It was very easy to overeat.
Back to work and exercising tomorrow. Too bad. But it was a nice weekend off. Next day off is back to Balboa Park and one of the museums. Every Tuesday two or three of the museums have free admission then the next Tuesday a different two or three. Same for the third and fourth. If there's a fifth Tuesday in the month then nothing is free. There are several all-the-time-free exhibits as well. It's a great place to visit.
More later from our next adventure. July 13 Another weekend offTomorrow marks the start of another weekend. It will be a bit toned down. We plan on eating out a lot, there's an all you can eat Indian restaurant near us. Also, we're planning on going to the Birch aquarium. It's fairly close (what isn't) and small so it will be a short trip but no doubt interesting. We're leaving the Wild Animal Kingdom for a cooler day. We've been hit with a real heat wave - up to 28 or 29 C some days. Fortunately it's a dry heat so once we hit a shady spot the temperature drops by about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
I'm taking tennis lessons now. They're free. I bought myself a Wal-Mart special (actually it's a Wilson racquet so pretty good quality for $20) and do two hours, 6-8 pm, Wednesdays and 1 hour Saturday morning, 11-noon.
I purchased some Spanish lesson CD's online so I'll be practicing that soon. It's not as easy to practice here as everyone speaks English. Not like Mexico where we had to speak Spanish a lot of the time. Or what we called Spanish.
I've also tried my hand at fruit carving. My first effort is in the album called Apple Swan. It's just the one picture.
For Judith Ann, work is sometimes very busy and other times fairly quiet. Even though her patients are quite sick there's nothing she can't handle so the job is "relatively" uneventful.
There's a short blurb called "Stargazer" on the educational channel here. It gives information on celestial events that can be seen without a telescope. It tells where to look for it and what time to get the best view. About a week ago we saw the convergence of Venus and Saturn. On Monday there's a quadruple; Venus, Saturn, the star Regulus, and a quarter moon all together in one part of the sky just after the sun sets. Surprisingly there's little ambient light here, we're pretty high up, so we get a good view of the sky.
That's all the news that is news. Pretty boring stuff to read but great fun doing. July 08 BodiesYesterday we went to see Bodies -The Exhibition. If you don't know what that is you can take this link: http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/bodies.html. It was without a doubt the most amazing thing we have ever seen. It's impossible to describe - I just don't have the words.
Our next adventure is the Wild Animal Park. It's associated with the San Diego Zoo and contains more of the larger animals than the zoo does. We were going to the aquarium but it apparently is small so we'll be making that a day off trip.
We've been here a month and a bit now and it hasn't rained yet. With the exception of a brief heat wave the temperature has remained constant in the 21C range. The downside of that is the brush and forest fire index is extremely high.
This is just a brief entry but wanted to let everyone know we're alive and well and still doing things. More after our next adventure. July 03 More adventuresWe've received emails wondering what's happened to us as there have been no recent updates. Well, we've been busy and at the end of the day there doesn't seem to be any time left. Today we make a special effort to get caught up.
One of the places we visited was Balboa Park. You can take this link: www.balboapark.org/ to read all about it. It has 15 museums and several other attractions. Our first visit was to the Museum of Natural History. On Judith's single days off we plan to go there and see all the museums and other attractions. Every Sunday, rain or shine, there's a free concert on the world's largest outdoor pipe organ. That too is on the list of things to do.
On the weekends off, every other weekend, we plan on going to major attractions. Our most recent was SeaWorld. We'd been to the one in Florida but that was 30 years ago so we'd thought we'd see what San Diego had to offer. You know, it really not that different than what we remember. Except the price. If you're older than 9, it's $57 for a single day pass - each. Mind you, that includes all exhibits, I don't know about rides, but still, I'd hate to be a family of 4. Meals come out to about $10 a head. And then of course there's souvenirs. We bought a few postcards.
One of the patients had a cold so now Judith has it. Lots of coughing, not so much sneezing and no fever. Hopefully it won't last long.
There's a dirt path that runs around the property. I think it's about a mile (1.6 kilometres), mostly level but there are some hilly bits, up or down depending on whether you go clockwise or counter clockwise. We see the occasional rabbit and lots of little lizard critters. I call them geckos but that may be the result of watching too many Geico commercials.
Tinkerbelle sits up on the balcony mostly surveying what I'm sure she thinks of as her domain. Every so often she peers intently at a spot on the ground near some bushes. I think she sees these geckos skittering in and out. Of course we're three stories up so there's not much she can do about it except watch.
Yesterday we took the trolley into downtown looking for a restaurant we'd read a review about. Unfortunately it was closed for an extended holiday - 1st to the 4th of July inclusive. We'll go back another time. We ended up having lunch at what was purported to be the oldest waterfront tavern in San Diego. We sat outside on the patio in the shade and had a nice meal. Typical tavern food, plain, lots of it and really good.
The trolley ride was quiet, quick and air conditioned. We get a seniors rate - $2 round trip. It's worth it not only because we don't have to drive downtown but we're told the parking rate is extortionate. It looks like we can get to almost anywhere we want to go from the trolley stop in about a 15 minute walk at most.
The weather continues to be marvelous. And even the most simplest of things seems more exotic when there's lots of sunshine and blue sky and you're surrounded by palm trees - even going to a McDonald's drive-through.
I'm not sure where our next major trip will be. May the Scripps aquarium. Wherever it is, it'll be fantastic.
I think that pretty much brings everyone up to date. News as it happens.
June 24 Pictures - The SpaJust a few shots of an early morning soak in the hot tub and what happens when you get out and sit in the sun. The perfect ending for a night shift. June 23 The Oasis PoolThese are pictures of the main pool. The pictures are labelled pool1, pool2 and pool3 but that's just different angles - they're all the same pool. There are patio areas when you can sit and have a non-alcoholic drink or snack. At one point you could have a hard drink by the pool but it apparently got a little too rowdy on occasion so that's been banned. Toward the back of "BBQ" you should be able to see the two gas BBQ's available by reservation. In the afternoon this pool is surrounded by "California girls" and a few "California guys" working on their tans.
I had a picture of Judith having an early morning soak in the hot tub but it was out of focus. I guess I'll quit trying to experiment and go with what I know. I'll retake it in a day or two. June 21 The ZooWe had our first weekend off and went to the San Diego Zoo. There are a few pictures in a new album called, appropriately enough, "The Zoo". We went first thing in the morning just as it opened, 9 AM, and it was busy even then. Of course it got a lot busier during the day.
It's obvious from most pictures just what's what, but there are a couple that need explaining. The prairie dog-like critters are meerkats from Africa. There's a show on Animal Planet channel called "Meerkat Manor" about a tribe of them. Quite interesting. The aerial pictures are from what's called Skyfari. It's one of those cable car things that goes from one end of the zoo to another. I think next weekend off will be the aquarium.
Work continues to be uneventful. Busy some nights, no so busy others. We both keep busy at the gym, soaking in the spa, floating in the pool. Today I hope to get some pictures of the apartment complex. It's a nice, sunny day and will get up to 26C. That's unusually warm compared to previous temperatures. We have a good air conditioner though.
We finally got the toilet and sink problems fixed. There's a state law requiring all toilets to be low-flow flush. Unfortunately they're also low-effective flush. Sometimes it takes several flushes to clear the bowl. Sort of defeats the purpose. Anyway, there's not much to be done about that.
As for the sink, it took a talk with the maintenance supervisor personally to get any action. And that involved an outside plumber who eventually cut a hole in the kitchen wall to drain the sink. Now, next Friday, Judith's next day off, a plasterer will be coming in to fix that. Otherwise, things seem to have settled down.
So, that's all the news that is news for now. With luck, more pictures tomorrow. |
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