Wild Animal Park

Saturday August 29, 1992

We're up and off with Dee (Steve had to go to work) to Wild Animal Park. We arrive about 11 a.m. It's a hard uphill walk from the parking lot. I'm relieved when we reach the entrance. Once inside we hike up the hill to see the Dinosaur exhibit. It's tough and I sweat alot though the weather is in the 70s. It's a great exhibit.

Later we stand in line 45 minutes to ride the monorail, a 50-minute ride around the park. We see lots of animals. We have lunch, then wander around, see the bird show, the butterfly exhibit, the gorillas, etc.

We had a great day and are home tired at 5:30. We rest, eat and leave for the Padres/Pirates baseball game. It was great fun, but the Padres lost 2-3. After the game there was a great fireworks show. I felt great and did fine!

Whew! What a day! Just hearing about her day makes me exhausted, and I don't have cancer. I am amazed that Mom still has so much energy. I have been to San Diego Zoo a couple of times, but have never been to Wild Animal Park. Now that we have flights from Sonoma County Airport to San Diego, it sounds like we'll have to plan a trip there soon.

Lunch In La Jolla

Friday August 28, 1992

We sleep til 8 a.m., have a leisurely morning and go pick up Steve and we all go to lunch in La Jolla, a quaint little sidewalk cafe. The food is excellent. We take a short drive along the shore, then return Steve to his office. Dee and Frank and I stroll the mall buying some special coffee and Jellie Bellies, then back to the house.

About 4:30 we pick up Steve. He takes us to see a couple of remodels he has done. They are very lovely as are the people who live there.

At 6 p.m. we arrive at the Italian restaurant in Del Mar where we meet Steve's folks, Bob and Yoli. We eat outside with a lovely view of the sea. We have a nice dinner then stroll the mall there.

Bob and Yoli have decided to go on the cruise to the Mediterranean September 28.

While looking for photos of La Jolla on-line I absolutely fell in love with this town. No wonder Frank's daughter Dolores (also called Dee to prevent confusion when Mom and Dolores are together) and her husband Steve ended up buying a house there to raise their family. It looks a bit like Hawaii but without the geographic isolation. The weather is warm all year round and the beaches are stunning. I love this photo of La Jolla cove. Only downside is that is is very expensive to buy a house there, just like Hawaii.

It must have given Steve quite a feeling of satisfaction to see the houses he designed come to completion. It sounds like he had some happy owners that were pleased to show off their newly remodeled homes to Mom and Frank. Steve must have made friends with many of his clients. It sounds like a very good career choice for him.

It sounds like Mom and Frank made quite an impression on Steve's parents for them to suddenly decide to book a cruise with them just a month away. So now they will have gone on a cruise with both Dolores' in-laws and Paul's in-laws. I haven't heard her talk about Philip's in-laws so far. Maybe they are deceased or out-of-state.

Chris & Ric Visit Her Dad

Sunday December 22, 1991

I'm up at 8 a.m. but very tired. We fix a big breakfast for Steve & Dee, then the rest as they slowly arrive from bed. Steve & Dee and Mom head home about 10:30. Mom goes only to Pasadena and will go home tomorrow.

Chris, Ric & Justin leave for Bob's house about 12:30. Frank and I go into high gear cleaning house and changing all linens on beds and baths and washing clothes. Big job.

At 5 p.m. we are finally cleaned up and ready to go to Turner's open house. We go but stay only an hour. At home later we fix left-over dinner for Chris, Ric and Justin. We all watch TV til 11:15.

No wonder Mom is tired after staying up past 1 a.m. the night before. Thank goodness she had a break from company for most of the afternoon, although it wasn't the least bit relaxing. Thank goodness Frank was right alongside her cleaning, vacuuming, making beds. He was a big help to Mom.

Ric, Justin and I went to visit my dad in Granada Hills for Christmas this day, as we did every year until they moved to the Colorado River near Parker, AZ after the Northridge earthquake in 1994. My mom and dad were married until 1972. They divorced when I was 19 and my brother Gary was 16. Dad (Bob) is pictured above with his mother Alda and two brothers George, on the left, and Clyde, on the right. It was Grandma Alda's 75th birthday party in July 1985 when this was taken.

Grandma Helen is still very independent in 1991. She drives her pick-up truck from Desert Hot Springs to Pasadena to stay with her son Gene Thomas and daughter-in-law Cathy Thomas, then drives the rest of the way to Mom's house in Simi Valley. She does the same routine going home. She was very blessed to have good health and outlive her daughter. She lived to the ripe old age of 89. Up until the last few years when she lived in an assisted living home, she was able to live independently.

Off To San Diego

Saturday November 9, 1991

Best night this week. Only 4 hot flashes last night. I feel really good this morning. I'm awake at 6:45 and ready to rise and shine. By 9 a.m. we're packed and ready to go to San Diego. The traffic around Los Angeles is "stop and go". Awful! But we finally do arrive about 2 p.m. We stopped for a nice lunch at Marie Callendar's in Capistrano.

The kids are glad to see us. We get the grand tour of their new house. It's really a neat little house. We will sleep in the trundle bed in what will be the baby's room someday.

We go to Old Town for dinner but all the restaurants have long waits. We end up at Acapulco where the kids don't care for their dinners. Steve buys dinner.

At home we eat the key lime pie we brought from Marie Callendar's. I call and talk to Yvonne but it's hard. She's doing customers' nails while we talk.

Wow, 5 hours to travel 160 miles from Simi Valley to San Diego, and this is on a Saturday, when traffic should be much lighter! Several years ago, when our two teenage boys were very young, we took them to Legoland which is in Carlsbad, north of San Diego, and I remember the traffic coming north to Simi Valley through the Los Angeles basin, including the Long Beach area. It was 8 lanes of traffic on Interstate 5, all crawling along at 5 mph. We have not been back since. The horrendous traffic is one of the many reasons I left Southern California after graduating from college in 1974.

I remember mom talking about how small Dolores and Steve's house was in San Diego, where prices were so expensive for housing. Dolores is Frank's daughter, who went to college at San Diego State, met her husband there, and stayed in the area after graduating with a teaching degree.

I am so touched that Mom called Yvonne who lived in San Diego (and perhaps still does?) Yvonne was my brother's girlfriend 35 years ago. That's one thing I admire about mom. Once a friend, always a friend.