Open House at Guy & Lisa's

Sunday December 15, 1991

Crazy dream upsets me and wakes me at 6 a.m. Can't get back to sleep. Get up at 7 a.m. to get ready to leave at 9 a.m. for square dancing at the Police Academy to raise money for the Midnite Mission. Marty and Kathy meet us there. Not a great turn-out (6 squares) but we have a good time. There are 3 callers. Frank and I get a Purple Heart for dancing in a square with 3 callers. We run into Carol and Ray.

After the dance at 12:30 we go to Lawry's for lunch. They are closing Lawry's January 3. We have a good lunch.

We arrive at Guy's Open House at 2:30. They put us to work. They have a good turn-out and lots of food. We see Gene & Cathy, Perry & Cathy. Lynne is in New Zealand.

We arrive home at 7:00 tired.

I wonder why Mom doesn't mention what her dream was about. Maybe that's her way of not giving it power over her.

I did a little research and found that there are hundred of fun badges that square dancers can earn. The Purple Heart is earned by dancing with 3 callers.

Guy Thomas is Mom's nephew. I'm so happy that Mom held a family reunion a few months before this journal entry and took a photo of the extended family, shown above. In the top row on the left is her husband Frank Reina. Next to Frank is her nephew Guy holding his daughter Allison and son Patrick. Next to Guy is Mom's mother, Grandma Helen Richardson. Next to Grandma Helen is Mom at the center. Next to Mom are me and my husband Ric, then Mom's nephew Perry and his wife Cathy, both of whom are mentioned at the Open House. In front of Frank in the second row is Lisa, Guy's wife. Next to Lisa is my Aunt Cathy Thomas holding Perry's two girls Lindsay and Brittany. Next to Aunt Cathy is my cousin Lynne and then Uncle Gene, Mom's brother. So my Uncle Gene and Aunt Cathy had 3 children, first Perry, then Guy, then Lynne. My brother Gary and his wife are in the center of the front row, and left of them are their 2 boys Joe & Gabriel with my son Justin Reyes between those two.

Los Angeles Jazz Festival

Saturday August 31, 1991

We're up early and off to the L.A.X. Jazz Festival of Dixieland music to celebrate Frank's birthday weekend. We arrive in time to attend the first performance at 10:30.

At 3 p.m. we meet Carol and Ray at the pool at the Marriott hotel. We are staying next door at the Hilton. Our room isn't ready til 4 p.m. When we finally get the key, someone is in that room. The clerk gives us a free breakfast chit for all our trouble. The room we finally get is large and lovely.

We have a great fried chicken dinner at the Marriott. We had breakfast out in Simi.

All the musical groups are great fun. We dance and hang out with Carol and Ray and go to bed about 10:30.

The annual Labor Day weekend Jazz Festival is still held at the Marriott Hotel near the Los Angeles Airport. It is called the Sweet & Hot Music Festival since 1996. Their website claims that it is considered to be the finest combination Jazz Party/Jazz Festival in the USA with over 50 of the best all-star artists performing the music of the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. Mom and Frank met Mom's friend Carol and her friend Ray at the festival. Carol and Mom were friends since kindergarten. They got together at jazz festivals in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Monterey every year. Carol also loved square dancing as Mom and Frank did. In fact Frank is now married to mom's childhood friend Carol.