(no subject)
Been a long time, but all is OK. I’ve been faithfully flying to the Bay Area every 5 weeks or so to deal with parental issues and try as best I can to keep things running as smooth as possible without any major hiccups.
I can’t believe summer is almost over. It’s been uneventful, but I’m at a point in my life when I appreciate that. Ha! I’ve continued to work out regularly and really enjoying it. I was bummed that they closed Runyon Canyon (our local hiking park) for most of the summer to do some work on the fire trails. I spent an afternoon up there right before it closed, I actually walked there from the gym, then spent about 3 hour hiking up to the top and all around, then walked all the way home (probably about 10 miles total) and that was after a full workout. I was exhausted. LOL It just reopened, so I need to get up there. Took this pick looking foward downtown last time.
I met up with DkonFrost and mblj a few weeks ago . . . . somewhere inland. (They'll understand this - LOL). Actually, it was in Sierra Madre out near Pasadena, and I really enjoyed both the company and the conversation. We met at an ice cream shop called Mother Moo’s Creamery which is one of those all natural places, mblj was kind enough to treat us, and I had Indonesian Cinnamon flavor which was really good. The little downtown there is very cool. Streets of little shops that look like they were built in the 50's. sitting on the edge of some mountains. We sat at a picnic table in this little park and ended up talking for hours while families and kids around us played pokemon. If it hadn’t gotten dark on us, we probably could have talked for another few hours. I found a picture of the little park here.
An elderly neighbor who I adored passed away from a sudden heart atack last week. He was 87 and the first person I met when I moved here. He was like the neighborhood greeter. There are huge planter boxes with cement walls about the height of a bench on each side of the entry and when I first came to look at this place about 2.5 years ago and was waiting for the real estate agent out front, he was sitting on one of them with his old dog and was the first person I talked to. After moving in, I learned that he sat out there daily with the dog, everyone coming or going would stop to talk to him including all the locals in the neighborhood who walked by every day with their dogs, and he always had a pocket full treats for them. There was something comforting about him being out there and I’d stop and talk to him every time I saw him.
I didn’t know he was Jewish, but the family posted a notice in the elevator with a list of all the Shiva sittings being held and inviting anyone who wanted to attend. Unfamiliar with what that was, I looked it up. It’s basically like a wake where everyone goes over to the house of one of the relatives after a funeral, but they have several over the course of a “week or mourning.” Tow of his four of his sons live locallyand they had a listing with the dates and addresses and I went to the one on Thursday night. It was my first Shiva, so it was a new cultural experience for me. He and his wife had been married 68 years. Wow.
Things just won’t be the same without him. I saw a fire engine out front and was worried that it was for his wife. She has a lot of severe health issues, he took care of her, and this wouldn’t have been the first time he’d had to call 911 for her. I never expected it to be him. Just walking out of the building seems lonely now knowing I’ll never see him or his sweet old dog out there again.
Went down to the beach Saturday for a quick dip at Sunset. What a beautiful night.
I’m off to NYC next Thursday morning for Labor Day weekend - and my birthday. At one point I used to go 6 to 8 times a year, but I haven’t been there many, many years and I have a slew of hotel points I needed to use or lose, so I decided to make the most of them and go where hotels are the most expensive. LOL. And since I’m using airline miles to get there, it’s entirely free - except for food and whatever I decide to do. From there, I’ll fly directly to the Bay Area for a few days to check in on my parents, so I need to figure out how to pack my carry-on for about 10 days away with everything I need for both places. That should be interesting.
I can’t believe summer is almost over. It’s been uneventful, but I’m at a point in my life when I appreciate that. Ha! I’ve continued to work out regularly and really enjoying it. I was bummed that they closed Runyon Canyon (our local hiking park) for most of the summer to do some work on the fire trails. I spent an afternoon up there right before it closed, I actually walked there from the gym, then spent about 3 hour hiking up to the top and all around, then walked all the way home (probably about 10 miles total) and that was after a full workout. I was exhausted. LOL It just reopened, so I need to get up there. Took this pick looking foward downtown last time.
I met up with DkonFrost and mblj a few weeks ago . . . . somewhere inland. (They'll understand this - LOL). Actually, it was in Sierra Madre out near Pasadena, and I really enjoyed both the company and the conversation. We met at an ice cream shop called Mother Moo’s Creamery which is one of those all natural places, mblj was kind enough to treat us, and I had Indonesian Cinnamon flavor which was really good. The little downtown there is very cool. Streets of little shops that look like they were built in the 50's. sitting on the edge of some mountains. We sat at a picnic table in this little park and ended up talking for hours while families and kids around us played pokemon. If it hadn’t gotten dark on us, we probably could have talked for another few hours. I found a picture of the little park here.
An elderly neighbor who I adored passed away from a sudden heart atack last week. He was 87 and the first person I met when I moved here. He was like the neighborhood greeter. There are huge planter boxes with cement walls about the height of a bench on each side of the entry and when I first came to look at this place about 2.5 years ago and was waiting for the real estate agent out front, he was sitting on one of them with his old dog and was the first person I talked to. After moving in, I learned that he sat out there daily with the dog, everyone coming or going would stop to talk to him including all the locals in the neighborhood who walked by every day with their dogs, and he always had a pocket full treats for them. There was something comforting about him being out there and I’d stop and talk to him every time I saw him.
I didn’t know he was Jewish, but the family posted a notice in the elevator with a list of all the Shiva sittings being held and inviting anyone who wanted to attend. Unfamiliar with what that was, I looked it up. It’s basically like a wake where everyone goes over to the house of one of the relatives after a funeral, but they have several over the course of a “week or mourning.” Tow of his four of his sons live locallyand they had a listing with the dates and addresses and I went to the one on Thursday night. It was my first Shiva, so it was a new cultural experience for me. He and his wife had been married 68 years. Wow.
Things just won’t be the same without him. I saw a fire engine out front and was worried that it was for his wife. She has a lot of severe health issues, he took care of her, and this wouldn’t have been the first time he’d had to call 911 for her. I never expected it to be him. Just walking out of the building seems lonely now knowing I’ll never see him or his sweet old dog out there again.
Went down to the beach Saturday for a quick dip at Sunset. What a beautiful night.
I’m off to NYC next Thursday morning for Labor Day weekend - and my birthday. At one point I used to go 6 to 8 times a year, but I haven’t been there many, many years and I have a slew of hotel points I needed to use or lose, so I decided to make the most of them and go where hotels are the most expensive. LOL. And since I’m using airline miles to get there, it’s entirely free - except for food and whatever I decide to do. From there, I’ll fly directly to the Bay Area for a few days to check in on my parents, so I need to figure out how to pack my carry-on for about 10 days away with everything I need for both places. That should be interesting.