The Sojourn Begins

Yes, we were gone for awhile . . . and here's what we did!

On April 13th, Howard, Anne, and I landed at LAX around noon,

picked up Alida and her husband Josh at their apartment in Los Angeles,

and off we went to Oceanside,

somewhere down there in the Golden State, near San Diego.

My grasp of California geography is pretty sketchy.

In Oceanside, there's a gorgeous beach, and a long fishing pier,

 the most delicious Thai food I ever tasted, and - 

-- best of all -- there is Josh's family.

The last time we all saw one another was at

Josh and Alida's wedding, back in June 2011.  

(Longtime followers of That Old House are now screaming,

"No! No! Not another wedding post!")

Josh's Mom keeps backyard chickens, beautiful Rhode Island Reds,

and now I find myself Googling "keeping backyard chickens"

when I am at the computer.  My Mom kept chickens; it's in my DNA.

Josh's Mom, and his Aunt Sue who once owned a cafe,

put together a beautiful brunch for us on Sunday morning.

 Coffee, champagne, fruit, yogurt, breads and pastries, cheeses, even my favorite
California breakfast: Chilaquiles, made by Alida. 

Confession: This is a picture of my breakfast last year at Cha Cha Cha in Los Angeles' Silverlake neighborhood,
just blocks from Josh and Alida's apartment.  Cha Cha Cha is where I fell in love with this Mexican dish.
I forgot to get a picture of Alida's version.  Too busy eating and chatting.

How adorable and creative is this?

And the scones?  Incredible.  What diet?

I also learned a valuable life lesson:

that Spicy V8 juice makes an excellent Bloody Mary.  

We had a grand time visiting with our daughter's in-laws.

Of all the people Alida might have ended up marrying, she married a

great guy from a wonderful family, and we could not be happier.

That we truly like his parents is a fabulous bonus.

Anne, Billie, Elizabeth & Zech, Josh & Alida, and Howard.
Mocha and Bella in front.

Thank you, Billie and Greg, for your hospitality, and the charming company of Mocha and Bella;

we didn't miss our own dogs as much with yours to play with.  

Billie, your Green Thumb and what you have done with your gardens has inspired me!

I hope it won't be another two years before we see one another again.

******************************

So on Monday morning, it was goodbye to Oceanside,

and hello to Las Vegas.

Yes, folks . . . the innocents from New Jersey were let loose in Sin City.

Our adventures with high stakes gambling

and glamorous showgirls in tomorrow's blog post.

Loose women and high livin'.   -- Cass