California Dreamin' With A Little Mad Max Just To Make It Interesting

It was a week ago that we returned from a two week family and friends visit to Southern California, bringing our flu bugs to a new climate and time zone. I hope they enjoyed their stay.

We had just enough time and stamina to bring in the groceries we picked up at Santa Fe's Trader Joe's and store the perishables before we took to our bed, fever dreams and all.

My best fever dream was a dusty, post apocalyptic Mad Maxian video game scenario. When I coughed, mud huts blew up.

When I wasn't having bizarre dreams, I looked at this photo.

That's Newport Beach on a weekday in January, uncommonly warm for a California winter, with a few people lazing on the sand, a killer view of Catalina Island on the horizon. It was a "best time" among the good times we had during our visit. That's MBB going out for a polar bear swim on the right.

Here in Northern New Mexico, it's warmer than usual, too, and the flu bug has flown, leaving us with a nasty cough and weak constitutions.  Ms. Pearl and I may go on a little walkabout today to check out the ranch and breathe some fresh air.

Oh, yeah. I think I will empty the Trader Joe's bags still there on the kitchen floor, too.

Missing Summertime

This table under the ramada looks lonely,  like it longs for happy summertime dinners with family and friends.

So do I.

Country Mice Go To The Big City

We just returned from a two week trip to Southern California, in particularly Orange County (OC) and Riverside County, part of what is called the Inland Empire (IE).  That's where I grew up (OC) and where we've spent the past 40 years (OC and IE).

The family is still there in OC and our teeth needed cleaning. Yes, we are having a hard time separating from dentist Pat Brown and hygienist Melissa. Son Z is there, too, as is Tom's fam. Plus we needed to take the rest of the stuff from my parents' place and more stuff gleaned from our old house back to New Mexico. That's where we live now, the northern part, since we moved here a little over a year ago.

Ms Pearl has increasingly become a Nervous Nellie in the car, standing and panting the whole way to California, so we gave her what she calls "Ruthies," a little something to relax her. We only gave her half a pill, so she panted quietly and stared a lot at I don't know what.

Partay in the back seat with Ms. P!

Visiting with Tom's mom, dad, sister and her kids and their progeny is always an adventure, a happy, circus-like atmosphere with kids and their parents running around, lots of chat, and good food to make it even better. We were lucky to see all the nieces and nephews in this branch of the family, some who flew in from Seattle and San Francisco. Christmas in July is now its official name.

We had a beach day. This is Newport Pier beach on a Monday, not too crowded, really. We had time to visit with friends and I got in a little shopping. One thing I noticed when we were visiting were the many places to go and things to do and people to see in the OC and IE. Gee, you could make a song out of that last sentence!

We missed home, though, and are glad to be back here at the Nickel and Dime.

Even though Mignon, that devil, did it again, reached through the growing dome's vents for the last broccoli plant, some cucumber plants, and a bite of bell pepper! Time to fence the dome.