Paul & Sue's Daily Diary

Out And About

What a day… We had breakfast, checked our email and got ready for a whirlwind day.   We began by having a delightful meal at Royal Khyber near the  South Coast Shopping Center.  We have gone to that restaurant for thirty years and it remains one of our favorites!

The vegetarian appetizers with hot chutney sauce were delicious!

Time for dessert. In most Indian restaurants dessert is not exciting! Royal Khyber does it right! Not only was it delicious, it was also beautiful!

An Indian dessert… Ice Cream with silver foil!

When we departed the restaurant at 1:27 it was like an oven outside!  So we leave  the restaurant where it was 70 degrees, walk in 101 degree temperature to get to the car, attempt to cool the car down for the 2 minute trip to the theater, head to the theater where it is again  70 degrees!

We consulted our phone and indeed, it was 101!

We went inside immediately and had some cold iced tea before sitting through this three hour long production!

Paul remembers all of this political activity well…  He was a Goldwater guy!

After a wonderful meal and a good glass of wine we drove over the South Coast Repertory and saw “All The Way”.  It’s 1963. Lyndon B. Johnson has been catapulted into the most powerful job on earth. No stranger to back room deals, Johnson takes us with him—flattering, backslapping, placating and bullying as he maneuvers to pass the groundbreaking Civil Rights Act. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to George Wallace, some of America’s most dynamic leaders stand beside him—or against him—during this tumultuous time, captured vividly in the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit.

We called Jan Mongell to see if she was going to Catal with us this evening.  Alas, she had the kids around so we just drove directly to Downtown Disney and visited our Catal friends.

Brian and Jan joined us for dinner and we had a great time!  With Brian around, who needs a menu.  He just needs the promise of a good burger!

Did someone say hamburger?

Paul went for the halibut and it was so good!  Like eating butter!

Paul normally does salmon but tonight we tried the halibut

Then…. Right on time… We went to the veranda overlooking the Uva Bar and watched the fireworks.  The couple next to us were celebrating their 5th anniversary so we procured a bottle of Schramsberg Champagne and shared with them…. Any excuse for champagne.

…and the skies lit up!

We were all like little kids watching the skies explode in front of us!

Brian is fascinated by the fireworks

Jan was the “DD” tonight… Designated Driver so she had coffee.

Jan just enjoys the company

Sue was happy… Glass of wine… Glass of champagne… and fireworks…  What else could a girl want?

Happy to be at Disneyland

Everybody was busy watching the fireworks so Paul did a selfie…  Dang near broke the camera!

Come on guys… It’s a “selfie”

It’s now 11:00 PM so we head for home and watch a little of Star Trek before crashing!

Work And Play… That’s OK

Paul started the day with a hour long plus walk around” the hood”.  You can see the September Walking Activity at our website.  Just silly pictures but it keeps Paul busy… Not out of trouble,  just busy!

Seventy minutes is a good walk for an old man!

After getting home Paul worked on the Starlighter’s website and Sue stuffed the Topper’s newsletter into their envelops and got them ready to go!  By the time afternoon got around we needed to cure the cabin fever!

We went to Old Ranch for a drink before heading to the Persian restaurant called Caspian.  We met up with Santiago Rose  and his bride Myra  We have known Santi for almost thirteen years as he is our bartender at Catal in Downtown Disney!  The restaurant was in Irvine.

The restaurant was very nice and featured vegetarian dishes!

We are a handsome group!  We had such a nice meal and time to talk and giggle all evening!

Simply great friends! Myra and Santi are special people!

We had met Myra a couple of times at Catal but she usually had the kids with her and Santi was working.  It was nice just to sit and visit and share.

We had a table in the bar area away from the live (and loud) music

Our tummies were full and it was 9:00 PM when we departed so we did not drop by the Garden Grove  Elks as we had planned.  Instead, we went directly home and then aided Captain Janeway is avoiding the Borg once more!

The Borg are a fictional alien race that appear as recurring antagonists in the Star Trek franchise. The Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning as drones in a hive mind called “the Collective” or “the Hive”. The Borg use a process called to force other species into the Collective by injecting microscopic machines called nanoprobes, as well as with surgically adding cybernetic parts.  Getting assimilated is not a good thing!

Work! That’s A Four Letter Word!

Paul worked around the house for about five hours doing little clean-ups, fixing things, washing the Avalon, etc.  The “to do list” is now back under control!  We worked on the Topper’s Newsletter so we can mail it out Monday.

We were getting a little bit of cabin fever so we decided to head to Newport Center and visit Cucina Enoteca, one of our favorite dining locations.  Tucky was behind the bar and he fixed Paul a special drink.  Tucky is a professional mixologist and is well known in the bartending arena.

He came out with a hunk of ice from the kitchen and it was without air bubbles.  He put down a wooden board and went to work on the ice making sure it would fit in the Manhattan glass.

Tucky carved Paul his own ice cube

Tucky knows Paul likes special drinks but also likes to order two different drinks  so  he adjusts the content so there is smaller amounts of alcohol as we want to drive safely.  We pay for his performance and don’t mind a smaller drink!

He rubbed the rim of the glass with orange citrus oil and he set it on fire. (Note the lighter in his hand)

The drink was a form of a Manhattan with Tucky twists.   The drink was aromatic and with the large ice cube, it took Paul 40 minutes to finish it!. Rule #1 – You can’t get another drink until the first glass is empty!

We ordered a couple of appetizers before heading north to the Fullerton Elks for a dinner dance with the gang!

At the Elks, the bar/dining area was fairly full and Gene Duval was already set up and going.

Our contingent made up about half of the attendees

Our gang had a long table but the only chairs available to us were against the wall requiring a lot of squirming to get in and out.  We opted for a table for six where Marianne and Craig plus Donna and Bob Z joined us.

The meals were great and inexpensive!  After the appetizers, Paul had a bowl of soup and shared some french fries with Sue

We sat with two other couples at a separate table

The sound treatment made the room significantly quieter than most Elks venues.  The band played loud but the sound that would have bounced against the ceiling and walls was attenuated by the sound panels.

The sound management techniques were outstanding in the room

We visited the purple pig on the way home.  Elks drop their loose change into the purple pig and it is used for children’s charities and medical advancements.  If every Elk dropped a dine a day into the pig, we would have $3.5 million a year.  We feed the pig on a regular basis.

Leon pets the “Purple Pig” and gives him loose change

OK, it is now 10:30 and time to head for home!  Captain Janeway may be on her own tonight!

Repeat Of Yesterday With Dancing Later On

It is with great sadness that we found out Frank, Luisa’s dad, suffered a pretty traumatic stroke and is not responding well. Frank joined our family get togethers and was always fun to be around.  He loved the Himalayan Grill and Pumpkin Carving.

Our prayers are with Frank and his family!

Paul is off for the morning walk.  Join the fun.

Love seeing special signs!

An hour and a quarter gets the ‘ol body warmed up and juices flowing.  Paul also meets several people who are out and about!

Paul really enjoys the walks

Remember: “I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. ~G.M. Trevelyan”

Ain’t it the truth!!

After the walk, Sue made a great lunch and we got ready for the afternoon golf game.  Nine holes seems to be just about right these days.  We get to visit the wildlife and enjoy the great out of doors.  Sue always feeds Lilly the Swan on the 9th hole.

Lilly the Swan recognizes Grandma Sue and swims to the bank to say hello and get her afternoon treats

To the Phoenix Club where we are i the test tonight as they are readying the ballroom for Octoberfest.

It was a little cool being outside but once we started dancing, it was fine!

The band was raring to go and they sounded wonderful in the large open area!  They kept the tempo up so we could stay warm.

The band kept us moving on this chilly evening

We were in the tent as they are readying for Octoberfest in the ballroom

Three hours later Paul does another 2+ miles on the course

After the walk Sue fixed lunch and we got ready to head for the golf course for nine holes.

Walking, Golf, Star Trek!

Paul went walking this morning and it was a good hour plus adventure. Today we had over four miles.  Join the walk!

First of the Halloween season decoration begin to appear

We keep track of the walking time whether it is neighborhood or golf.

Walking the neighborhood

There is some waiting with golf but it also has hills which add to the required effort!

Three hours later Paul does another 2+ miles on the course

After the round, Paul was famished! Paul had a veggie burger (which are very good). Our T-time was 2:46 so we did not finish until almost 5:00 PM.

Mighty Mouse takes a swing

We must stop on the 9th and feed Lilly the Swan!

Lilly gets her afternoon snack!

We headed home and watched Cheers on TV and Star Trek on the computer.

What A Day… Eat, Eat and Eat… Golf Tomorrow

We began the day by getting ready to go to “The Old Guy’s Lunch” at Taco Surf in Sunset Beach.  It was a small group today but that was OK.  We meet every other month and see what the latest in retirement activities are plus catch up on the Boeing rumor mill!

PCH was a few feet away! (Yes, that is Don The Beachcomber’s Seafood across the highway)

After lunch, we called Colleen who was waiting for us and we met across the street at “That’s Amore” Italian restaurant.  Colleen and Calhan ate while Sue and Paul downed a glass of wine!

Calhan was full of wee wee and vinegar so Great Grandpa Paul took Calhan for a run around Peter’s Landing.  They were both worn out when they came back.  Cathan and Paul stopped to play in the water at the fountain. Calhan learned a new game called get Great Grandpa wet!

The water made for a great game! Splashing Great Grandpa Paul

With sadness in our heart, we said goodbye to them until next time!  However, we talk on the phone and text on a regular basis so we are never too far away.

We went home to rest for a bit and then went to Patty’s Place to visit the regular’s.  Paul Rusnock and his bride of eight years dropped in to celebrate their anniversary.  Paul secretly organized the singing of “Happy Anniversary” to the Rusnock’s and we all had a great time.  Paul dined on giant prawns which were fantastic.

We then headed for home to do the treadmill and watch some more of Cheers before getting the intergalactic message from Captain Janeway!  We finally crashed at 11:30 PM.

Lazy Day – Walking And Happy Hour

Paul walked this morning and took many picture of “stuff” around the neighborhood.  Please join the walk

The trees are beginning to turn

After returning home from the walk, we went to the market.  Ralph’s is remodeling and it is always a chore to find out where everything is now!

We put away the groceries and  got cleaned up  so we could head to Malarkey’s to meet with Greg, Irene, and the Finch’s.  We all used this opportunity to say good bye to Colleen and Calhan as they are heading back to the east coast Tuesday evening.  Join the fun!

Great fun with family and friends

Calhan really likes Great Grandma’s game

We stayed until about 8:00 PM laughing and giggling before going home and doing the treadmill.  Then we watched Star Trek until 12:30 AM.  Captain Janeway needed a lot of assistance this evening!

Roy Rogers And Jam Session

Saddle up for a high-spirited, action-packed Western show with the Grammy-winning group Riders in the Sky, called one of “the most significant acts in the history of American music” by Billboard. The ensemble pays tribute to the movies, music, and memory of Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys.”

We had front row center seats and they guys were fantastic.  We laughed so hard just watching their facial expressions!  They were having as much fun as us!

They had us in stitches all afternoon

Paul was “King Of The Cowboys” on Comey Avenue in the late 1940’s!  Paul’s Mom and Dad could not get him out of the Cowboy outfit!  Yes, liberal friends, Paul had two six shooters complete with several rounds of caps AND a toy rifle!  The bad guys never had a chance!

Paul needed a sidekick!

Right after the show, we skedaddled for the Santa Ana Elks Lodge to go dancing for several hours!  Fortunately Cerritos Performing Arts Center and the Santa Ana Elks and just a half a block off the Freeway so we made it in about twelve minutes flat!

Jan and Sue chatted all evening

We headed home to just in time to get the intergalactic message to turn on the computer and watch Star Trek as we are often needed to assist Captain Janeway with her spaceship management chores!

Birthdays And Starlighters

We celebrated Lisa’s, Pete’s, Zack’s, and Nick’s birthday at Old Ranch.  Please join us!

Join the fun… Watch out for Lisa’s candle

We then rested for a while and headed to Starlighter’s at Mile Square Park.

Fun with the Starlighters

Just Us

Walking, Lunch With Colleen, And Toppers

Paul walked for an hour, visited the neighbors and took pictures.  Join the walk!

Beauty is everywhere… All you have to do is look!

We departed for the Yucatan Grill where we met up with Colleen and Calhan and dined on spicy foods from Mexico.  Calhan is quite the hot sauce hound!

We returned home and got ready for Topper’s.  We departed a little early and stopped by Old Ranch for a drink.  We had a load of fun at Topper’s and danced until 10:00 PM.  Join the fun!

Great fun with our many friends

We had a nice turnout and enjoyed the entire evening!

Just us! Dancing the night away

Leroy is going in for knee replacement on Wednesday and we wish him a speedy recovery.  God bless!

Best wishes to a great friend!

We headed home and arrived just in time to be called by Captain Janeway.  That pesky Borg has been messing with Discovery again and the three of us had to chase them away!

Bad Day And Then We Danced

Sue woke up not feeling well so we stayed close to home.  Paul when on an hour walk.  Join the walk.

Amy would love this place…

We decided to try the Phoenix Club just to get out of the house,  Colleen is in her new place and beginning to relax.

To The Movies And A Change In Plans

We went to the market and then got ready to go to the movies.  We called Greg and he joined us there.  We saw “Sully”.  Wow, what a great movie but what else could we expect from Clint Eastwood?

We went to sushi with Greg after the show at Kobe Steakhouse across from Old Ranch.  Our sushi chef was Manny (the only Mexican Sushi Chef we know).  He is a great guy and really handy with the Japanese knifes.  We ate sushi until it came out our ears!

We got a call from Colleen and she needed some time with us so Sue decided to drop the treadmill for today and visit Colleen.  Calhan and Colleen came to Old Ranch and we had dinner (again).

Great Grandma Sue is about to play peek-a-boo with Calhan

We had a great evening and stayed around until almost 9:30 before heading for home!

Looks like a game of peek-a-boo is underway

Great Grandma Sue is a shoe thief (with a lot of help from Calhan)

We headed home at 9:30 PM and watched two hours of Star Trek before crashing.  We think Colleen is going to leave where she is staying and come to our local hotel!

We Played Real Golf! Taco Tuesday!

Paul was able to walk without losing his breath for the first time in almost two months. The Pneumonia appears to have been eliminated! Join the walk!

The weather was perfect for a game og golf

Colleen was out for a visit from New Hampshire and she brought Great Grandson Calhan with her.  He is such a happy little boy!

Lilly and Calhan meet

They really hit it off!

Young budding artists at work!

It’s Taco Tuesday and we stuff ourselves.  Zack showed Calhan and Lilly  a “new game” New?  We have all played it with our parents at this age.  It is so funny to watch them be surprised and giggle.

Amazing what a napkin can do!

“Hey Calhan… There is a Swan named Lilly that lives on the lakes!”

Are you sure?

Just having fun!

Lilly gots the giggles

Aunt Robin gets a kick out of watching the babies share new adventures.

Great Aunt Robin watches on!

Calhan wants to know what all that fuzz is on his second cousins face.

“You’re a wooly guy Uncle Zack!”

As we exit, the moon is coming up.  Great fun to visit with family!

A beautiful evening

We went home and Sue headed for the treadmill until Captain Janeway called and requested assistance with the Borg attack!

Temecula Run With Khoury’s For Dessert

We did Temecula

Dined at Falkner

Check the sign carefully

Paul had the Octopus

Brussel Sprouts!

We made it to Khoury’s just in time!

No Plans Until Dinner Dance Time

Paul kept working in the garden and worked in the front yard trimming the pumpkins and spreading straw.  We got dressed and headed to Old Ranch for the dinner dance and celebration of Bernie’s birthday! Join the fun!

We will never forget

We picked up the cake and got to ORCC early so it was time for a drink and visit others.

Bernie and Del

We had a great evening and came home to assist Captain Janeway keep 7 of 9 from rejoining the Borg!

Too Much Work!

We did not have any big plans for the day so we hit the garden pretty hard.  The corn is now gone, the asparagus is tied up, and we had a visitor. The corn was just about gone so out it went!  We have the last six ears for lunch as dessert.  Next year, we will be ready for more corn and will have our new tricks in hand!

The garden be scalped!

When the corn was removed, we saw the asparagus in the light of day… No shading from the neighboring corn.  It is a beautiful and dainty plant!  When the green turns brown, we will chop off the plant at the ground level, cover it in munch and await spring!  We can hardly wait… Asparagus from the garden just tastes so much better!

The asparagus can now see the light of day

The elaborate raised beds are easy to see without the corn plants.  The pumpkin is going wild in the third bed over.  We “root” for them every morning to produce pumpkins by Halloween.

We dug in new amendments

Our friend and Master Gardner, Seekhan, brought us a Dragon Fruit and two Pacay pods. Inga feuillei (named after Louis Feuillée), commonly known as pacay or ice-cream bean tree, is a tree in the Fabaceae family native to Andean valleys of northwestern South America. Pacay trees, as is the case with other trees in genus Inga, also produce pods that contain an edible white pulp and have nitrogen-fixing roots.

The Pacay pod is about to be opened up

In English they have been called “ice-cream beans” due to the sweet flavor and smooth texture of the pulp. These trees are easy to establish, spread their shade quickly, and provide fruit for years. The fruits of the trees are quite edible and are often consumed by people of regions where this fruit grows. In Mexico, coffee-plantation workers can double their annual salary by selling the pods from the Inga trees used to shade the coffee plants. In Central America, the seeds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. In Mexico, the seeds are roasted and sold outside theaters to moviegoers.

Seekean brought us some seeds

The white fibre is delicious and does taste like cotton-candy albeit a little moist.

Delicious!

Take a look at the video for a better description

We stopped by Old Ranch to kill a few minutes before going to Patty’s Place for dinner with Brian and Jan.  Brian had a Patty Burger which made him a happy guy!  We went home to did the treadmill before assisting Captain Janeway.

Halloween And Dancing With The Rondeliers

We stayed around the house in the morning and Paul did some garden work filling the trash containers with the last of the summer tomatoes!  They are gone now!

So what to do before dancing? How about Roger’s Gardens to see the Halloween display? Visit the fun!

Halloween is right around the corner

We went back home and had only 30 minutes to transform from “grubbies” to gowns and tuxedos.  We were off to the Altadena Country Club for an evening with the Rondeliers!

Like butterflies we are transformed

We are the photographers and web guys are the club so we have a lot of fun taking pictures.  Come join the “Rondelier’s Meet Jack Frost” dance!

Fun with friends at the Altadena Country Club

It’s was near midnight and we were off for home!  It was an hour from our place to Altadena but only 40 minutes home…  Got to love that rush hour traffic!

Captain Janeway was on her own toight… We crashed!

D & D (Doctor And Dancing)

We did chores until about 3:00 PM at which time we went to to see Paul’s doctor.  He confirmed that Paul had had “walking pneumonia! or Atypical pneumonia.

The term was introduced in the 1930’s and was contrasted with the bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, at that time the best known and most commonly occurring form of pneumonia.

Good news…. Almost cured!  Golf next week again!

Tomatoes Are All Gone… Time To Go To Disneyland

Yup!  It’s been a couple of weeks so we invited Brian and Jan to join us at Catal for dinner.  We got to Disneyland about 3:00 PM and went to Soaring Around The World!  Wow!  The graphics were amazing!

We soared around the world!

The new scenes include a flight over Switzerland’s Matterhorn, the Arctic Ocean with a leaping whale, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle, a herd of African elephants, the Great Wall of China, Egyptian pyramids, India’s Taj Mahal, hot air balloons in Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border, outrigger boats off Fiji, the Iguazu waterfalls on the Argentina-Brazil border and France’s Eiffel Tower. The Chinese version of the movie concludes with nighttime fireworks over Shanghai’s skyline, but the California version ends at Disneyland.

Gone are the artificial scents of lemon blossom, evergreen and sagebrush that used to simulate a hang-gliding flight over California. The new international scent effects include grass over Africa, an ocean breeze over the South Pacific and roses over India.
A new soundtrack performed by the London Studio Orchestra is based on the original Soarin’ score. Patrick Warburton, best known as Elaine’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Puddy on “Seinfeld,” returns as chief flight attendant and the host of Soarin’.

Over the wall we go!

We had a great dinner at Catal with Paul trying the “Brick Chicken”… Why brink you ask, a brick (or sanitary substitute) is put in the chicken while it cooks!

Brian got his first of the trip burger

What did we do next you might ask?  We assisted 7 of 9 stay human in spite of a Borg device attempting to rejoin her into the collective…. It is tough work but someone has to do it!

An Easy Day

We did chores around the house and went to the market and then by mid  afternoon it was time to think about dinner with Jeanette and Connor.   We decided to leave early for Irvine Spectrum so we could see the movie “The Secret Life Of Pets”.   It was pretty funny but a little corny at the same time.

Our Hero

We went to Paul Martins “American Grill” and enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner with Jeanette and Connor.  Paul did the veggie burger and it was excellent! After dinner, we headed for home and again assisted Captain Janeway!

Another Lazy Day!

We didn’t leave the house until about 4:30 PM to go to Malarkey’s for the Monday Night Happy Hour.  Paul was a little hungry and tried the cioppino at Malarkey’s and it was fantastic!  Mondays are special times to share and meet new friends while watching the sun set into the ocean!

Watching the world go by!

There it goes making its journey around the world only to come back up tomorrow morning.

The sun be setting!

Jennifer brought her baby in and of course, she is so cute she is an instant “Grandma Magnet”!  Irene and she played for several minutes!

Ladies, watch your children… Grandma is on the loose!

OK, picture time.  First we get “the serious look” and then we tease her so she will show her beautiful smile!

Kelsea gets her picture taken!

A beautiful young lady is hidden behind the “serious look”.  Since Jennifer was promoted to Bartender, Kelsea drew the short straw and gets us on Monday evenings!

Love that smile!

We are not sure we convinced Kelsea about the smile.  What is that old saying?

Whatever!

So what next?  Sue and Paul headed home so Sue could do the treadmill and we watched old reruns of Cheers.  About 10 PM, we got a sub-space communication from Captain Janeway that we are needed on Voyager to clear up a crew problem.

We watched “Drone” is the 96th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the second episode of the fifth season.It is an important episode for the character “Seven”, as she showed that she is determined to stay with Voyager as opposed to rejoining the Borg Collective. The Doctor’s mobile emitter is damaged while beaming back from an away mission, merging with Seven of Nine’s Borg nanoprobes and the DNA of a male Ensign to create a 29th century Borg.

We also watched “Extreme Risk” which is the 97th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the third episode of the fifth season.B’Elanna purposely puts herself into increasingly more dangerous situations. Meanwhile the crew decides to build a new shuttlecraft, the Delta Flyer.

Last Of Summer Party

Come join the Last Of Summer Party at the home of the Robert’s was indeed a hoot! The time together is always wonderful! We are blessed with great friends and family.

Great fun with friends (and family)

We headed home about 9:30 PM ro watch Star Trek Voyager.  We are on Season Five now.  It was produced for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2001, and is the first Star Trek TV series with a female captain, Kathryn Janeway (played by Kate Mulgrew), as the lead character.

Lazy Day… Not So Lazy Afternoon!

We stuck close to the house today with Sue doing some cooking and Paul diddling in the back yard removing the last vestiges of this years tomato plants.  We got cleaned up and headed to Patty’s Place for a while before going to Shaun’s birthday!

Just a couple of snaps from a great party

Sue loves doggies and of course Cody comes over and spent quite a while with her!

Sue’s new friend Cody

Back home we go to assist Captain Janeway!  We crashed at 11:30!

Over The Bounding Main

We  planed an adventure at sea for Friday.  We do the water taxe several times a year as it is fun and let’s us escape to new dining experiences.

“I am hungry”

Brian and Jan, Greg, Irene, Nancy and Benjamin plus us departed at noon on Friday risking our lives far out at sea to reach the magical restaurant knows as George’s Greek Cafe.  Please join the fun!

You can simply watch the four minute movie if you like.

Hours of laughing and giggling!

After getting back to Alamitos Bay, we stopped at Malarkey’s and had a small drink!  Benjamin enjoyed a drink and he and Nancy scarfed a huge dessert!

Being gluttons for punishment, the Finch’s and us went to GG Elks and danced until after 10 PM.  We must say that at the end of the evening Paul and Brian were looking a little worse for the wear.

Celebrating the Branders birthdays with a glass of wine!

The cake was indeed chocolate!

Celebrating the Branders birthdays

Happy birthday to two wonderful friends! May you have many many more!

Celebrating the Branders birthdays

We went home and continued our conscripted service to Star Trek Discovery whizzing our way through the Delta Quadrant!

Another Try At Doctor’s Day… We Hope!

We did the doctors today. First a blood test in Long Beach (it’s OK, Paul practiced for several days and passed the test with flying colors) and then back to Los Alamitos to see the heart doctor (who cancelled out on us Tuesday).

We think we are onto something finally!  The Doc said “double pneumonia”  which is the term used by lay people, to denote pneumonia affecting both lungs. Duh, took a CT scan to undercover the problem. Paul is now on two antibiotics.

We went home happy about the diagnosis!

Paul took a few pictures in the garden since it is now September.

We have eaten, or given away about 60 ears of corn from the June  planting.  Paul pulled all but about six yesterday!  He must now wait as it is fairly strenuous to “clean the plot”.

Last of the “June Corn”

The late June planting, which we made from seed, still stands and has a load of corn it it! More cooking, eating, and sending it to friends.  Note the asparagus plants against the wall!  We have had asparagus for months this summer!

We still have 60+ stalks remaining

We planted three sunflowers.  Two in the front yard for Vicky’s grandsons and one in the back yard for us!  The plant is about ten feet tall and is smiling up a storm!

Mr. Sunflower watches over the garden

We departed the house after lunch and went to Old Ranch to pass some time.  We met up with James and Bunnaford and did some Happy Hour!  From there we doubled back to CVS Pharmacy to get the antibiotics for Paul.

There were about 30 while pelicans in the lake dining on fresh fish!

As normal on a Thursday, we went to the Phoenix Club.

It is so nice to have our great neighbors because they all know what we are doing and they keep and eye on the house for us while we are gone.  The sheriff across the street can watch TV and see our place all evening.

About three weeks ago, a fellow from the OC Register came and took a lot of pictures and he just wrote up an article about The Phoenix Club.  We are now “stars”.

Ali and Nancy joined us this evening!  It was fun to see them dance with some of the regulars!

We (The Phoenix Club) are in the OC Register

We departed about 10:30 and headed for home to add our expertise in flying Discovery and helping Captain Janeway navigate the “Delta Quadrant”

Golf, Birthday And Dinner At The Last Of Patty’s

Paul always checks the garden and volia’, the Sunflower was just waking up this morning!

Paul was up and about about 5am and captured the Sunflower just waking up!

We played golf today but Paul did only seven holes as the breathing was not great.  We sat outside for a while and celebrated Dave O’s 64th birthday.  Great fun!

Happy Hour & Birthday time

It was bright out but if you sit in the exact proper place, the shadows negate the need for sunglasses!

Shaun laid down his glasses

While minding his own business, Paul noticed images in the glasses… A photo-op if there ever was one!

Paul took a shot

We departed the party and went to the next party… The last day Patty owns Patty’s Place.  We hope NOTHING CHANGES as it is a perfect place to go to unwind.  Paul had a SMALL Patty Burger and ordered lamp chops to go!

We went home and watched Cheers and then we further assisted Janeway to get home.  She does not know we have seen the future episodes!

Today Is “Odd & Ends” Day… Market, Doctor, Garden…

An opening thought for the day:

So Paul asks Sue “What is an instruction manual?”

Let the day begin…

We went to the Market and waited around to go to the doctors appointment and then he called and cancelled.  An emergence in the emergency room! We see him Thursday instead!

So…  We had lunch and dined on macaroni and cheese a’ la’ Sue (plenty of hot peppers), corn chowder a’ la’ Sue (corn, potatoes, bell pepper, shallots and peppers right from the garden), and fresh corn on the cob picked ten minutes before eating! (one must let the corn cool off after being in the microwave)! Yeah Baby…. Eating high on the hog!

We then decided to go to Old Ranch and meet up with the “other gang”.  We sat with Randy and MaryJo discussing the latest restaurants.  They dined at Seasons 52 in Phildelphia two days ago!  It was the same chain as ours in Costa Mesa!

We then headed across the street to the Japanese Steakhouse called Kobe.  Sue had a glass of wine while Paul attacked the sushi bar with a vengeance

One must wash the sushi down with something! Note the appropriate attire… Crabs!

Sue assisted in the selections as she likes to see interesting items even though she cannot dine on them!

Snow Crab never looked so good

Then Paul tried the octopus… He had his hands full!

Octopus carpaccio looked so delicious

Did You Know? Carpaccio  is a dish of raw meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna), thinly sliced or pounded thin and served mainly as an appetizer. It was invented and popularized by Giuseppe Cipriani from Harry’s Bar in Venice during the second half of the twentieth century.

It was named after Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio. The beef was served with lemon, olive oil, and white truffle or Parmesan cheese. Later, the term was extended to dishes containing other raw meats or fish, thinly sliced and served with lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt and ground pepper.

Really a beautiful presentation!

We wondered how the sushi is so fresh and then it occurred to us… There were three of these when we came in!

we finally figured out why the sushi is so fresh!

Yellowtail with a jalapeno pepper!

The sushi chef was Mexican and his name is Manny.  He started in the kitchen thirteen years ago and is now a fully certified sushi chef… We love to hear stories about people working hard and moving forward in life.  Here is to Manny!

We Went To See Money Bags!

Twice a year we visit our Financial Advisor and today is one of those days.  We headed to Laguna for an hour meeting.  After hearing good news (we are not broke YET),  we went to one of our favorite restaurants called Cucina Enoteca in Newport Center for a lazy lunch!  The vegetable root soup was out of this world good!  We asked for the receipt but alas, we walked out without it!  The Hero Sandwich was also outstanding!

Great dining and excellent infusions!

The soup of the day was root vegetable and potato!  Paul had a cup and Sue had a bowl of the delicious concoction!

Approved by the boss!

We went home for a while and then headed to Malarkey’s for the Monday afternoon Happy Hour with Greg and the Finch’s.  Irene was “out of commission” this evening… We really missed her!

Kibitzing At Malarkey’s

We watched the sun set into the sea before going home.

A magnificent display of Mother Natures Wonders!

Sue told the group of one of her secrets in life… She is very wise!

Ain’t it the truth

We went home to do the treadmill and to further assist Captain Janeway to avoid the Borg!

Lazy Daze!

We just “relaxed” around the house today! We puttered here and puttered there. In the afternoon after paying bills, folding clothes, and working a little bit in the garden we went to That’s Amore to show the guys the pictures. We had a drink and met some new locals who frequent That’s Amore quite often. We dropped by Old Ranch and got home before 8:00 PM so Sue could hit the treadmill!

How to get into serious trouble!

After the treadmill, we again assisted Captain Janeway to pilot the Discovery back to Quadrant “A” of our galaxy.

Saturday And Tequila Time

We went to the local Italian restaurant called “That’s Amore” for lunch followed by tequila tasting… No, really!  They have a nice menu and food is so fresh you have to slap it on occasion!   Lunch was great so please join us!

Dining in Italy was never better

Simply wonderful food!

After a delicious meal, our friend and bartender Mark took over and did an amazing presentation of tequilas! He told us about the varous tequila’s, where they were from and a load of interesting facts!  Please join the fun!

He he he!

We had an amazing time… Tequila will never be the same!

One tequila… Two Tequila, Three Tequila… Floor

SERIOUS NOTE: While we all did tequila tasting it was about an ounce of alcohol total as the tastes were very small so we could try many different flavors!  Our group does not “drink” and drive and we did have designated drivers at the ready!

Afterwards, we headed home to freshen up and headed to the Garden Grove Elks for an evening of dancing and visiting!

Doctors And Then Fun!

We headed to Paul’s doctor to get a scan of his legs looking for clots… All normal (and the technician said he gad great looking legs!).

Upon coming home, Sue hit the kitchen with a vengeance cooking up two of Paul’s requests.  Corn Chowder from the fresh corn in the garden and macaroni and cheese with habanero peppers!  Great groceries.  Paul and Sue worked together in the kitchen for quite a while.  Paul continued the garden cleanup getting ready for the winter garden.

In the afternoon late we went to Old Ranch for HApphy Hour and ended up stayiong until almost 8:– because of visiting with JR and Karen!  We finally made it to GG Elks where we danced for a while before going home.

A great series to enjoy!

Golf And Bob’s Birthday

We played nine holes with Bunnaford and James.  On the 9th hole, we stop to visit Lilly The Swan.  She gets vitamin fortified fowl food for her afternoon snack!  The water in the lake is low so we have to be creative about how to feed her!

Lilly dines on high class foodies

The girls keep her company while she dines.  Lilly asked for some red wine but she is not old enough!

Bunnaford and Sue visit Lilly while she dines

After the nine holes, Linda came over.  First time really out after the back surgery!  We were happy to see her.

Just cold not resist this one!

We then headed to the Phoenix Club so we could visit with Bob (who turned 70 today) and Brenda (whose age we will not reveal).  We partied and had cake with the gang!  Great fun!  Join the fun!

Selfie at the Phoenix Club

Time For Lunch!

We wanted to get away so we went to LA Farmers Market for lunch!  We dined at our favorite place there which happens to be French.

Monsieur Marcel’s has wonderful food!

They had corn soup which was fantastic!  We also had a small glass of wine with our meal.

They always have veggie treats

Paul opted for the escargots (or, snails) and the lobster risotto… It was also excellent!

Paul… Always happy because he is with Sue

The risotto was simply outstanding!

Lobster risotto!

Sue added the fried eggs for protein and the asparagus were perfect!

Fried egg with asparagus

We both had soup… It was great!  Made from vegetable stock and the corn was indeed fresh!

Corn soup!

We were planning to go to the zoo but it got to be late.  Funny how that goes when you are enjoying life with yor best friend.  We headed home to avoid the traffic and make two stops…  We needed to see the GG  Elks because Paul forgot his credit car there Saturday night.  We then did a flyby at Old Ranch after we called Bunnaford and she was also heading home after shopping.  We visited for a half-a-drink and went home!

Catching up with Bunnaford!

Upon getting home we decided it was time for fireworks!  Downtown Disney, here we come!

Santiago is our favorite Disneyland bartender!

The two young folks were next to us at Catal and we struck up a conversation!  They are from Ontario and it was their first time at Catal!

We met two new friends who just got passes to Disneyland

It’s 9:30 and that means…. Fireworks!  We went outside on the upstairs patio where we could see the fireworks and it was again not disappointing!

The show is underway and we have the best seat in the house

After the show stopped, the clouds of smoke lingered for several minutes while the wind cleared it out.

The smoke is clearing

We went back inside and visited with the staff for another 45 minutes before going home.  We enjoy the visit and we enjoy the parking lot being cleared even more!

We helped clean up…

Once home we helped Captain Janeway get Discovery closer to Quadrant “A” of the galaxy!

Busy Day… Golf And Taco Tuesday!

Paul hit the garden early and got rid of three more tomato plants that had “bit the dust”.  While out in the garden he captures some ears of corn which we had for desert!

The corn is so heavy with fruit is falls over… Paul to the rescue!

We brought the ears inside and cleaned them up.  The microwave does three ears in three minutes and they are sooooooo sweet!

Who needs chocolate when you have fresh corn?

The corn is “slathered” with butter (really “You Can’t Tell Its Not Butter”) and get devoured instantly!

Nummy nummy nummy

Working In The Garden!

It’s Monday and we have to “rest”.  Paul worked in the garden while Sue hit the books (i.e. paid the bills).  Today is Brenda’s birthday… Big shout out!

Happy Birthday Brenda!

We had seen damage to the leaves on the sunflower but had no ideas  about what was causing it until we spotted them!  Green breasted birdies and just nibbled away like it was a hamburger!

We scared them off… They were cute but apparently really hungry!

We got cleaned up and headed to Malarkey’s for our Monday ritual.

Jennifer and Irene laughing it up!

Paul tried a selfie… It seemed to work!

A delightful evening with friends

The sunset was beautiful as we departed Malarkey’s and headed towards home to do the treadmill and watch Star Trek!

Goodbye Sun… See you tomorrow!

Sunday Was A Full Day!

We got up bright and early and met Amy and Joe at Old Ranch for a trip to Trump National for the annual Beer & Wine Festival!  We arrived about 9:45 am which was perfect for Joe to checkout the sushi table.  We arranged our table so Joe would not get tired getting his sushi!  Please join the fun!

The day started well with bottomless champagne glasses and a fantastic brunch!

We then went to the VIP area followed by the larger tasting event

After brunch, we tasted wine for a couple of hours and then departed for Old Ranch.  We spent another hour with Amy and Joe… They are our kids but they are so very nice to be around… Always pleasant and  never anything bad to say about anyone! Just delights!

After our visit, we headed to the Santa Ana Elks for the monthly Jam Session and we danced until almost 9:00 PM when Paul pooped out.  We headed for home and watched Star Trek Discovery!  We are getting to know 7 of 9!

Party Time At Michele’s Plus Dancing!

It’s summer time and that means parties!  Michele invited us, the Duda’s and the Chartier’s over for an afternoon of fun and family.  Please join the fun!

We played games and enjoyed all the super effort Michele put into a wonderful lunch.  The piece de resistance was the chocolate cake… It was out of this world.  Of course, we never saw the boys as Theo and Nick were off and  running!

Fun with family!

After the party, we returned home with the Duda’s as they rode over with us.  We took them into the back yard where we picked corn. They headed back home about 6:00 PM

We got refreshed, put on our dancing shoes and headed to the Garden Grove Elks.  The band was a pooper (they were called  “Listen”) but the company was fantastic.  We stayed until 9:30 before returning home for the evening.

Doctors Day And Dancing

We were planning for a CT scan at 11:00 am but got notified that “insurance” turned us down.  Paul headed for the garden and Sue prepared a tomato salad for tomorrow.  While Sue was working in the kitchen, she kept calling the doctors office to see what was going on.  We decided that if insurance did NOT pay for the scan, we were going to do it anyway to see why the shortness of breath!

Paul was pretty dirty already when we got a call from the scan center.  We decided to do the scan anyway so Paul did a quick shower and we were off to Sue’s hair parlor and then the scan center!

We arrived at the scan center, checked in and met with the administrator.  She was VERY helpful and said we could just do the co-pay and the “insurance dance” would be completed later!  She was quite correct…  They got $100 co-pay and Paul got the scan!  Later in the evening, we got the call from the doctors office saying insurance was authorized!

The administrator we met with had beautiful flowers on her desk!

We had to stay after the scan was completed for about 20 minutes to make sure the images were quickly read and that there was no obvious blockages.  The answer cam in about 20 minutes later… No blockages.  We will get the detailed results on Wednesday!

Back home and in the garden.  Paul worked until about 3:30 removing the old tomato plants and being exhausted, he napped for two hours before getting ready for the Garden Grove Elks!

Off to Garden Grove for dancing and visiting with the gang!  Paul was looking for Jerry Benton’s announcement about retiring and we got a “friend request” from Cinda… Our bartender from Malarkeys.  She is apparently back in California!

Cinda found us!

Most of “The Gang” was there and Vicky was telling a great story. You can tell, her eyes light up!

Vicky tells a story

Our table started with ten and kept growing.  We missed Iris and Will but they were at Santa Ana entertaining a new member.

The gang sat around until 10:30 dancing and chatting

We laughed and giggled for hours and made arrangements for the next meetings such as: GG Elks tomorrow, Trump Beer & Wine Sunday, and the Jam Session on Sunday!

Leon was capturing all the chit-chat

Donna and Sue always get together to exchange the latest.

Donna and Sue

After departing the Elks, we went home to watch two more episodes of Star Trek Voyager…. We are at Season 3 number 27!  We hit the sack around 12:30.

Golf Day & The Phoenix Club

We had noticed that the sunflower leaves were being “attacked” by something but we knew not what!  While at the frig, Paul heard some fussing in the garden and low-and-behold there were little birds eating the sunflower leaves!

Caught in the act!

After doing battle with the birds, we saddled up and headed to Old Ranch to do some golf!  Sue, of course, ran into Lilly and gave Lilly and gave her an afternoon snack!

Lilly loves her afternoon snack

We did some Happy Hour at Old Ranch before running home to change and take off for the Phoenix Club to dance!

Golf Day

Paul is back to walking again after several weeks off due to shortness of breath.  The only change is he stays much closer to home doing multiple laps!

Paul started back walking again! Calories must go!

The crepe myrtle (check it out) trees are beautiful this time of year.

Summer brings out the colors

The reds seem to be very deep.

40 minutes around our block twice is a good way to begin

After the walk and lunch, Paul checked on the corn and we have loads of it.  The corn is about ready to eat so tomorrow we will try it!

We played seven holes with some new-to-us folks.  The weather was a bit warm but the breeze made it pleasant!

We stopped at “That’s Amore” and visited the Owner and the Bartender.  Our purpose was to arrange the details of our Tequila Tasting event which is coming up soon.  When they mentioned the special, lamb chops, Paul “had” to order it but Sue, the wise one, suggested eating one here and taking the other three home!  It was a deal!

The bar was polished marble and we could read their sign above the bar in the bar top!

The moon was full this evening.  Later that evening we could see shadows on things in our back yard it was so bright!

On our way home

We crashed!  We did find this little sign and hoped that Connor might see it.

We thought of Connor

Pageant of the Masters

We stayed around the house most of the day leaving for a short trip to the grocery store.

We departed for Laguna Canyon at 2:45 to meet up with Bob and Donna at 4:00. We wanted to do some wine tasting at the Laguna Canyon Winery before dinner. After dinner we are off to see Pageant Of The Masters whose theme this year is “Partners”.  Please join us!

Special thanks to Del and Vicky Kuhn who arranged for the tickets to this performance.

First stop… The winery!

Tasting at Laguna Canyon Winery

We picked up a case of vino from the winery as we are club members and had some money saved up.

Just us!

The Lumberyard has excellent food and nice selection of wine.  Sue did the Rombauer Chardonny… She deserves it as she has to put up with Paul!

Dining at The Lumberyard in Laguna

To the theater which is about a three block walk from the Lumberyard.   The moon soon came up and it was bright!

The moon was bright this evening

No camera allowed in the theater but we did find a couple of pictures on-line!

Simply amazing!

Bob’s idea worked

After the performance we sat in our seats letting those in a hurry clear out.  Good move… We ambled out, easy walk to an empty parking lot, and an easy drive to the freeway! The drive home was easier than expected but it was almost midnight so we did NOT watch Star Trek… We crashed!

The performance was the best we had seen perhaps ever.  The mix of art, live performance, parades and surprises (the pirate) kept us on the edge of our seats.

Sunday Was Fairly Slow

If Sunday is a day of rest, we accomplished that!Paul worked on the Nightlighter’s dance taking about six hours while Sue did some cooking and paid the bills.  We headed to Old Ranch for our monthly dinner dance with the gang!  It was fun and we got to visit with many people!  Tomorrow is “Doctor’s Day”.

Some pictures just cannot be passed up!

The Good And The Bad

We went to Seasons 52 for lunch and then across the street to OC Performing Arts Center to see Cabaret.  Lunch was, as expected, excellent.  The trout is always delicious!

We departed for the theater at 1:30 and Paul dropped Sue off at the front door.  The performance began…  It was not as we expected. At half-time we looked at each other and decided we had had enough… We went home! It just seemed like a bad production?

We got freshened up, put on our formal wear and headed to Redondo Beach for the Nightlighters Dinner Dance with a Theme of “A Midsummer Night Dream”.  Great fun.  Join us! or Please enjoy the short  two minute movie!

At 10:30 we headed south to get a good nights rest!

Friday And We Relaxed All Day

We kind of relaxed today!  Sue did some cooking while Paul removed some of the old tomato plants from the garden.  We also examined the corn and picked an ear but we are about three weeks early.  The cantaloupes are doing well and onions are coming on strong.  We have ghost chilies so it is almost time for Sue’s magic macaroni and cheese with sauteed peppers!

The corn is doing wonderful! Three weeks to corn! We tried one ear but is was not ready yet!  (Click the picture for full sized image)

We went to Happy Hour about 4:00 PM and then off to the Garden Grove Elks to visit friends and dance the night away!  We had a table full at Garden Grove and we gave Michael his “marbles” back.  Long story but he enjoyed the joke.

We had Irene, Mike and Bridgette, the Branders, Bob and Donna, Will and Iris, and little old us!  We laughed and giggled all night!  We departed about 10:00 as tomorrow is another big day!

Golf With The Girls! Then We Dance!

It’s Thursday and that means… golf!  We showed up with plans to play with Bunnaford and Mrs. Golf decided to join us.  Charlotte always makes the round special!

Bam! Womp! Sue strikes a mighty blow to the poor little ball!

We played seven holes as Charlotte already played eighteen and Paul was running out of breath!

A mighty stroke… No luck needed! (Click the picture to see the captions)

Bunny drew her club, walked slowly to the ball, and with one mighty stroke placed it up in a tree…. Near the green… All is not lost, just the ball!

Oops! (Click the picture to see the captions)

We went to the clubhouse after the seven holes and enjoyed some happy hour.  Paul had iced tea to quench his thirst…  Why thirsty? We were laughing for seven holes straight!  We departed happy hour and went to the Phoenix Club to go dancing.

We were in the back room but that was OK

After returning home, we watched some more Star Trek before crashing!

Another Doctor Day! Turned Out Fine!

We went to Dr. Vannatta and then to the hand therapy session.  The doctor decided to do some additional testing on Friday so we will see him again on Monday!

We went to hand therapy at 2:45 WITHOUT having lunch!  We then decided, as it was almost 4:00, that we needed food!

The closest place was Gourmet Pie Company and we liked it the last time we were there.  We arrived at 4:00 and poof, they did NOT serve breakfast after 3:00.  Our favorites were not available.

We had a glass of wine and Paul ate a happy hour hot dog as we felt guilty about occupying a booth and not ordering anything!

We then headed to Maderas Steakhouse!  We knew it had vegetarian meals!  Yes!  They have a full vegetarian menu and it is pretty good! Yeah Baby!

40 ounces of prime rib! Let me at it! We are awaiting for Brian and Jan to return to the USA so we can go back and order a Tomahawk!

Paul looked at Sue and saw the tomahawk… So, Paul ordered the bone-in pork chop!  It was wonderful!  He ate half of it and the rest went home.

OK, time to get serious!  We went to Old Ranch and joined the Olympic Drinking Team headed by “The Bunmeister”!

Bunny was there with some of “the gang” and she was on her third glass of water! We tease her about wine but she can nurse a glass of wine for hours and hours!

Captain, USA Drinking Team! (Not Really)

The back-up captain is Miss Charlotte who is out of work for the next couple of months!  No dancing… NO little kids… Only golf!  Yeah!

Olympic champagne splits!

Soon thereafter Dr. Dave, commonly knows as “Dave Oh”, joined us!  This made for a delightful group!

“Dr. Dave” or “Dave Oh” joins the fun!

We need two more people…. Volia, Shaun and Teri show up, as if on queue!  The team is ready to compete!

Shaun and Teri… Heavyweights add strength to the team!

Where is “the management”?  We be here!  Providing “Adult Supervision” of the Happy Hour Activities!

The Management Team at work!

We departed Old Ranch and ran by home to “freshen up” before going to the Phoenix Club to dance the night away!  Great fun all day!

Golf Day!

We did chores before heading to Old Ranch for a round of golf (for us it is nine holes).  The grand kids came over for Taco Tuesday and of course, Great Granddaughter Lilly was with them!   After a pretty good meal, we headed to the golf course to visit the other “Lilly”… That would be “Lilly the Swan”

Lilly says hello to Lilly

John told us we could take “the bus” so we did!

Becca and Zachary loved being chauffeured!

After the ride and visit we went back to the clubhouse where Lilly had another taco.  That girl can put it away and she eats like an adult!  Amazing!

Laughs and giggles are continuous!

We sat around and talked for two hours.  We love seeing the grandkids and of course, Miss Lilly…. Not the Swan.

We decided Lilly will be a knockout because just look at her Mommy!  Rebecca is not only beautiful she is a level headed responsible young lady!  Zachary is a lucky man!

A Beautiful Lady!

Lunch With Rene

We did some gardening… Mostly watering as the corn goes nuts during this phase of its growth cycle. We have 120 plants in various stages of producing! Now it is watch and wait!

Corn as tall as the elephants eye (and Paul’s also)

We went to Royal Khyber with Rene and his fiancee.  We had a great meal and talked for two+ hours!

First time visit for the kids… They seemed to have enjoyed it!

Afterwords, we went home for a few minutes and then headed to Malarkey’s to for our Monday afternoon Happy Hour.  We relived Saturday with Irene and Greg.

We watched the sun set into the sea and headed home

Upon getting home Sue did the treadmill and we watched an old movie.  We did some Star Trek before crashing at 12:30

Recovery From The Wine Train Adventure

Paul and Sue worked around the house in the morning.  When Paul checked the from garden, our next door neighbors grandson was out assisting Paul by watering everything.  We are growing two pumpkins for the kids!  We also planted two sun flowers for the boys and they are already almost as tall as the boys!

Helping Uncle Paul take care of the garden

We stayed pretty close to home only going to Old Ranch for Happy Hour for a while.  We returned so Sue could do the treadmill and we watched an old movie.

Love the good old fashioned movies

We then watched some more Star Trek.

All Day On The Vino Train! Yeah!

We went on our annual adventure via train to Santa Barbara via the Vino Train.  Please join the fun!

Robin and “Gang” made it a special event!

Lookout Santa Barbara… Robin is on her way!

We have loads of pictures and a story to share so please visit the site.

Great fun was had by all!

After geeting back at 8:00, we headed to the Garden Grove Elks to dance for a while before heading to home to crash!  We hit the sack around 11:30… We had a full day!

Doctor’s Day And Birthday’s At The Phoenix Club

First thing in the morning we walk the garden meaning we look for weeds and any activity. Son of a gun if we did not see “corn being born”. The silks are out and are awaiting the biys (the tassels( to rain down and get the job gone.

Corn Being Born

We played golf today and did fairly well.  Sue likes to get to the lake area so she can visit Lilly The Swan and feed her the vitamin fortified food from the feed store.

Lilly swims over to Sue when Sue comes by the lake

It’s Thursday so we are off to the Phoenix Club and this evening we brought a cake to celebrate Donna and Irene’s birthdays!

Lucky to be a girl and celebrate all month long!

Turns out there were several August birthdays!

What happened in November?

We had a great time with the celebrations!

Romantic devils!

Please enjoy the sort summary movie…

Cucina Enoteca And Starlighter’s Board Meeting

Golf, Happy Hour And Treadmill

We did chores around the house.  Paul was inside the grapefruit tree cleaning out the dead branches.  It was a stretch (pardon the pun) but he filled up half a barrel with twings, branches, and some older grapefruit.  The tree is looking pretty good now.  The tangerine tree may be next!

We played nine holes at 2:30 and it was pretty fast.  Sue ran into Lilly The Swan and treated her to our special food we get from the feed store.  We buy vitamin fortified duck food complete with corn kernels.

Sue goes to the edge of the lake and puts food on the bank for Lilly

When she saw Sue, she paddled all the way across the lake to visit her.  She must have excellent vision!

Lilly is a big girl!

The day was beautiful.  It was in the 80’s but Old Ranch gets the ocean breeze in the afternoon keeping the course playable!

Over the river and through the woods…

Today was Donna’s birthday so we texted her and got an immediate response!

Bob and Donna were out to dinner

We did some Happy Hour at Old Ranch and then went across the street to Kobe Steakhouse where Paul did some sushi.  He had octopus carpaccio followed by eel sashimi!  The sushi/sashimi are low in calories so that is a good thing!  Depending on the type of fish, one piece of nigiri sushi ranges from 40 calories (squid, scallop) to 50 (salmon, yellowtail) or 65 calories (eel, sea urchin).

We then headed for home where Sue hit the treadmill while we watched a movie and then we did three episodes of Star Trek.  We crashed at midnight.

Irene Celebrates Her Birthday!

It’s August 1st and the year is moving so very fast!  We worked around the house for a while and decided, due to Cabin Fever, we would go out before Happy Hour.  We went to the local Brewery and enjoyed a glass of wine and Paul had some mussels.  We sat outside under the tent and had a great view of the Long Beach Harbor.

Lounging at the Brewery

At 4:30 PM we headed to Malarkey’s to meet up with Irene.  Greg is in the desert with his dad enjoying a few days away from LA.  It is Irene’s birthday on the 3rd so we decided to celebrate a little earlier!

Happy Birthday Irene

We love to shop for Irene… We look for interesting (and edible) stuff.  Edible so it does not have to be stored for very long!

Opening the presents

A dessert showed up unannounced and we found out who was behind it… Jennifer is a very thoughtful young lady!  Malarkey’s is lucky to have such a great employee!

Jennifer gave Irene a surprise!

We headed for home afterwords to watch a movie (that means, Sue did the treadmill).  We then watched three more episodes of Star Trek.  We decided sometimes the episodes get a “little goofy”.  We laughed and turned in at 12:30 AM.  Tomorrow is a gold day!

…An Easy Sunday

We did some chores and then decided to go out for a while.  We went to “That’s Amore” in Sunset Beach and had a small meal and visited with folks.  The owner/chef was there so we talked a bit.  We then headed for home and watched more Star Trek reruns.  We are into the third season.

Great food and service!

Star Trek: Voyager ran for seven seasons, airing from January 16, 1995, to May 23, 2001, launching a new Paramount-owned television network UPN. It features Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway,[64] the first female commanding officer in a leading role of a Star Trek series, and Commander Chakotay, played by Robert Beltran.

Too bad she is another Hollywood Flaming Liberal

Voyager takes place at about the same time period as Deep Space Nine and the years following that show’s end (2371–2378). The premiere episode has the USS Voyager and its crew pursue a Maquis (Federation rebels) ship. Both ships become stranded in the Delta Quadrant about 70,000 light-years from Earth.[65] Faced with a 75-year voyage to Earth, the crew must learn to work together to overcome challenges on their long and perilous journey home while also seeking ways to shorten the voyage.

Love watching the reruns! We were too bust working during those years

It’s Only Fair!

We departed for the OC Fair at 9:00 AM so we could get through the gates in a hurry.  We planned to meet the Duda’s there as it is our tradition during the fair.   We met with them about 10:30 AM and spend the rest of the day walking around seeing the sights.  Please join us!

Fun Fun Fun

After the fair, we returned to Garden Grove to dance until almost 10:00 PM.  We returned home to watch Star Trek until we crashed.

Easy Day…

We did some gardening and other chores around the house before going to the Himalayan Grille for lunch.  We were going to go to a movie but decided it would be better to rest up before we went ot the Garden Grove Elks to dance.

Golf Day & Phoenix Club

It is Colleen’s birthday so we called her and texted her a few “reminders”… Can’t believe she is forty-four already and a grandma!

Happy Birthday Elderly One

We played nine holes in the afternoon and then joined the gang for some Happy Hour before going to the Phoenix Club for dancing.  Ila joined us for a session of dancing.  She is a neighbor who shares an interest in gardening.

Today Was Different… Work, Doctors, & Fun!

Paul began the day by cleaning the garage which translates to moving storage boxes from the garage to the shed in the back yard.  Sue, after Paul went harvesting, prepared lunch.  We got cleaned up and then headed for the dermatologist.  Dr. Newman is a kick in the pants… He is in his 70’s and going like a bat out of hell.

Just plain funny

From there we dropped by Old Ranch to kill an hour before going to the hand therapy session.  Paul had a nice nap in their waiting room… For some reason, the internet does not work in that office?

We did a couple of errands and ended up at Patty’s Place for a drink before going home.  We met up with Chuck and met some of our neighbors that we had NOT met before.  We had fun exchanging memories of Rossmoor in days gone bye!

After arriving at home, Sue did the treadmill and then we watched some more Star Trek from the 2001-2006 series.

Golf Day! But Something Was Fishy!

Paul  walked this morning and he was gone about 30 minutes before returning home.  It was delightful to be walking again!

Love our patriotic neighborhood

We headed for Old Ranch about 1:00 PM to play nine holes and we teed off at 2:22 finishing about two hours later.  It was a good stretch!  We visited Lilly the Swan and several ducks.

Another day another two miles!

Happy Hour was not far behind.  We met up with the Mizer’s, Dave “O” and friend, Bunnaford, and others for an hour.  Iced tea really tasted excellent after walking the hot course.

Bunnaford was heading for home and we did a “Shanghai Maneuver” and did some post happy hour at Kobe Steak House.  She had never sat at a sushi bar before (she had been there several times but for a sit-down dinner).  Paul had the chef make some special and most interesting things!

Right across from Old Ranch

The octopus was excellent and from there we went on to a specially made roll  containing shrimp!  We finished with a strawberry dessert that Sue could share with us.  We laughed and giggled for quite a while.  No sake tonight… Paul was the designated driver.

Perhaps some octopus??

Off to the market before going home… We were in need of some groceries.  We finally got home about 8:15 PM and watched Star Trek until about 12:30 AM when we crashed!