Paul & Sue's Daily Diary

Working In The Garden

There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace. ~Aldo Leopold

We stayed at home and worked…  Weeds, trimming, planting, harvesting…. Loads of work but fun!  Sue worked in the herb garden…

She grows lots of herbs

Meanwhile in the back yard the real work gets underway…

The tomatoes are starting to grow

The sunflowers will reach ten feet tall in a month

Blueberries are providing us berries every morning

This is a beet believe it or not!

Flower watched out the window and we wore her out…. Had to take a nappy!

Flower was tired from watching us work

We did some chores, went to the market and then headed for the Phoenix Club to do some dancing to work out the kinks!

Friends

Donna teaches Ed a new step

Everybody is learning

The band was great!

Golf & A Birthday Celebration

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. – Voltaire

James was tied up today so we played golf by ourselves and had a load of fun!  On the back nine there were two groups who were extremely slow.  Normally we would have gone around them but Sue had a better idea. Sue decided we should stop at fifteen and play eighteen and have a drink before going home to change and get ready to celebrate at Disneyland.  Sue is always so thoughtful about things… Makes for a special life with her in it!

We did a single-glass-of-wine happy hour… Shocked the bartender (sort of).  We went home, freshened up, and headed to Downtown Disney to dine at Catal with Joe’s family and Amy’s parents!  We arrive about fifteen minutes ahead of time so we visit with Santi and the gang!  Paul got a new mojito made from hibiscus flowers and rum…

Joe and the family arrived so please join the fun!

Celebrating with family!

We headed for home after a very nice evening and watch our normal serials… NCIS, etc.  Tomorrow is garden day unless we decide to play golf?

It’s Tuesday And Time For Golf

I’ll shoot my age if I have to live to be 105. ~Bob Hope

We ate from the garden this morning adding fresh green beans to our fixed up pasta from the Toppers Dance Club!  We also ate a bowl full of fresh picked blueberries and strawberries!  Yummy does not describe the berries.  Thank goodness for refrigeration as we can save the goodies!  We headed to Old Ranch to play with James.  On the second hole, Paul ran across Mr. Turtle.  He posed for several pictures but finally jumped into the lake and took off swimming,

“Hey don’t look, I am sunbathing and I am not wearing a swim suit”

He gets a frame of his own!

We stayed for Happy Hour and Taco Tuesday before going home to hit the treadmill while watching a movie.

Monday Was Simply Quiet

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.  ~Will Rogers, Autobiography, 1949

Sometimes we do it also!

We stayed close to home today doing chores and working in the garden!  Sue did the treadmill but by 5:00 we were getting “cabin fever” so we headed to our Monday night haunt, The Boathouse On The Bay” where were had some drinks, ate some sushi, and danced to Hugo, the one man band!

The patio is great but we stay inside where it is warm!

We returned home and watch an old Doris Day movie before crashing!

Easter Sunday With Family & Friends

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend. ~Plautus

It’s Easter Sunday so we are off to Disneyland and Catal for a great afternoon with family and friends.

The Uva Bar…. Our first stop

We were happy to have the Billquists and Jettes join us for Easter Dinner, our friends from Montana!  Bob & Donna and Bob & Robin (and Nick) joined us!  Please join us for Easter in general and Easter Sunday Dinner Specifically

What a great Easter Celebration with friends and family

We headed home and watche a little TV before crashing!

Easter Egg Day…. And Other Things

On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.  ~Douglas Horton

We did some chores before dressing up and heading to the Himalayan Grill for a pre-Easter-egg coloring party at our home.  Please join the Easter fun or specifically Egg Coloring!

Great day with family and friends

After the party we headed to Bob Fiedler’s daughters home to catch up with the “surprise” 80th birthday party… We were late but we did get some pictures. Join the fun!

We were going to go dancing but we all ran out of gas and headed for home instead!

It’s A Chores Day

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.” – Erma Bombeck quotes

No golf today… James was busy and our tasks are stacking up!  We had breakfast with Little Lisa and friends at Old Ranch.

We then headed to the Toyota dealer to pick up the Avalon which was getting the third set of tires after 125,000 miles!  We returned home to drop off the van before going to the Newport Harbor Elks and getting our yearly associate membership renewed.  It was a quick drive to Mama D’s where we got a gift certificate for Bob’s 80th birthday!

Then to home to do the treadmill and work in the garden before getting gussied up to go dancing with the Toppers! Join the fun!

Fun with friends

Golf And Dancing

Retirement means no pressure, no stress, no heartache… unless you play golf. ~Gene Perret

Off to golf!

Golf And Dancing

Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected. ~Source Unknown

We played eighteen with James and it was an OK day… It did get a little cool towards the end of the game.  Sue found her geese on hole number ten and visited with them for a few minutes.  They recognize Sue and walked right up to her!

Did You Know? While many people only hear the trademark “honk” when geese make noise, there is evidence that Canada geese can communicate with different sounds. Scientists believe that there are as many as 13 different Canadian goose calls for things like greetings, warnings and contentment.  (Sue knows at least five of them and is practicing talking back!)

Canadian geese may be one of the most talkative animals after humans. Goslings, or baby geese, begin communicating with their parents while still in the egg! Once hatched, there is also evidence that they respond differently to different calls and noises from their parents, indicating a sophisticated level of communication.

Leading the Bunny Hop complete with ears

After a Happy Hour, we headed for the Phoenix Club to dance.  So Paul asked for the Bunny Hop and of course had to lead it.  Many of the people in the line had never done it before.  Than goodness it was easy to do!

Did You Know? The bunny hop is a novelty dance that was created at Balboa High School in San Francisco in 1952.[1] It is a social mixer dance, sometimes also referred to as a “party” or “dance party” dance.

The gooses get their afternoon snack!

We thought the leader should look like a rabbit so naturally he needed ears!  It was fun!

Leading the Bunny Hop

We headed for home around 10:30 and checked our email before crashing!  This weekend is going to be busy!

Great Friends…. Makes For A Great Day

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save. ~Will Rogers, Autobiography, 1949

We went to the doctors office about 10:00 and afterwords went to Old Ranch for a pre-lunch drink!  At noon we headed to Patty’s Place in Seal Beach for a fantastic lunch!  James and Linda joined us with Bunnaford so we could celebrate Bunny’s birthday and a bon voyage for her trip to China!  James and Linda left a little early so we sat with Bunnaford for another 45 minutes and sipped wine and giggled!

A “Selfie”

Paul has a jalapeno pastrami (pictured below) and Sue ordered the same but substituted scrambled eggs for the pastrami!  Wonderful lunch!

A fantastic sandwich

We went home for a few minutes and met up with our house guests from Australia… Tracy and ____.  We then headed to the Toyota dealer to get the car serviced!  After that a short stop at Babies R Us to go shopping for three ladies who are having little ones.

Back to home and an evening with the treadmill and visiting with the Kuhns and the Aussies!

Simply Golf…

The number of shots taken by an opponent who is out of sight is equal to the square root of the sum of the number of curses heard plus the number of swishes. ~Michael Green, The Art of Coarse Golf, 1975

We played eighteen with James today.  Playing with a cold and tinnitus is not easy! We did see some baby ducks today.

The babies were cute

After golf we met up with Robin who joined us for Taco Tuesday.  Rocky and Wayne (Bullwinkle) joined us for Happy Hour.  We sat around with Robin until about 7:30 before heading for home.  Great fun!

Don’t ask.. We won’t tell… Bullwinkle had a device!

We watched a movie and did the treadmill before crashing!

Huntington & Boathouse

Gardening requires lots of water — most of it in the form of perspiration. ~Lou Erickson

Diane and Pat’s kids were back to work and school so we had the day together.  We all love gardens so we decided to go to the Huntington for the afternoon!  We had tea in the Rose Room and then walked the gardens and visited the art galleries!  We had a fantastic afternoon!  Join the fun!

In the Chinese Gardens

We headed for home and Sue & Paul went to the Boathouse to meet up with John and Louise Quinn for cocktails and a lite dinner.   We then headed to home to do the treadmill and watch a movie called “The Long Long Trailer” with Ricky and Lucy Ricardo.

We watch some of the eclipse before crashing!

Busy Day With Groucho & Dancing

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

Diane and Pat were in town but they were visiting their kids so we headed out!

Arrival at Cerritos Performing Arts Center

We went to Cerritos to see “An Afternoon With Groucho”.  The performance has had great reviews:  “Ferrante’s Groucho is a tour de force.” – Variety.  Dubbed by The New York Times as “America’s most gifted funny man,” Academy Award winner Groucho Marx is considered the father of modern comedy. As Marx, Frank Ferrante is “eerily good!” hails USA Today. In an afternoon packed with songs, stories, and audience interaction, Ferrante delivers a re-creation that The London Times calls “accurate and rooted in character.”

Laughed ourselves silly!

Afterwords we went to Old Ranch for our monthly dinner-dance with the gang!  Loads of fun!

Mama Mia & Starlighters!

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it – Mark Twain

We did some chores and then headed to Seasons 52 lor a GREAT lunch. Across the street to the OC Performing Arts Center to see Mama Mia. Great musical but sad story! The daughter had to invite three men to see which one was her father?

We then headed to LAX for an evening with the Nightlighters at a formal dance called “All Aboard”.

Sick Day… Sort Of

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.  ~Doug Larson

Paul has picked up a dose of the crud and we decided to stay home today.  We rested all day until late in the afternoon when we went to the market to stock up for Diane and family.  We then headed to Old Ranch to say goodbye to some friends who are spending 17 days in Hawaii!  Not to be a weenie, Paul decided to go to the Phoenix Club where we danced for a few hours!

Sue took excellent care of Paul

We crashed after getting home and hope for the best for tomorrow!

Bruce & Marsha Dopler Joined Us

True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable. ~Dave Tyson Gentry

We did our golf lessons and then off to Old Ranch for lunch with James, Robin, and the Doplers.  We have known Bruce and Marsha for years and years…. At least since 1985.  He is now retired (again) and moved back to California from Colorado to enjoy the weather.

Go get’um Bruce

At Happy Hour

After a Happy Hour we decided to go to Downtown Disney and have dinner at Catal, which we did.  We were supposed to meet Joe and Amy there to celebrate Joe’s 43rd birthday but the kids were not feeling well and they decided to cancel out.  Joe felt bad but I reminded him it happen to us when he was a little guy!  Life goes on!  We will make another date!  Amy kept us posted via text-messages during the evening!

Heading toward Disneyland

The Katella trees bordering Disneyland were pretty

Dining at Catal

We returned home and did some TV watching before crashing!

Tuesday Is Golf Day

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

We played eighteen holes with James and had a little Happy Hour!

Horrible seeing a grown man begging for iced tea!

We made a great decision:

Monday Was Easy… And Restful!

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.  ~Lily Tomlin

We got up and decided to have an easy day!   The baby had spa day and the truck needed to be smogged (what a racket). We went to a new local pizza joint called Spin while Flower was doing her spa day. It was OK but nowhere near California Pizza Kitchen!   When we were done with lunch we picked up the baby and returned home.

Diane is coming down so we turned on the pool heater bringing it up to a nice 85 degrees.  Sue swam and Paul worked around the house planting new tomatoes, watering,  weeding, and other such nonsense.

After 30 minutes in the hot tub, we changed and headed for The Boathouse On The Bay to have a drink and listen to Hugo…Yes, and dance!  Loads of fun!

We came home so Sue could do the treadmill and we watched Stuart Little which we had not seen in quite a while.

Yeah Sunday… Time For A Great Steak!

Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair. ~William Cowper

We stayed around the house today doing some gardening and watching “The Lone Ranger” while doing the treadmill.  We did some chores and to the market. We then headed for Old Ranch for a drink before going out to dinner.

After a glass of wine at Old Ranch, we had dinner with JR and Karen at Patty’s Place… Wow!  Great steaks and fantastic company!  Life is good!  The owner, Patty, was simply delightful making for a special evening!

Wow! Talk about great steaks! Fantastic!!!

We returned home and watched some TV before crashing.

Chores & Fun… An Excellent Mix

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

We worked around the house all morning preparing for the influx of visitors starting next week! Having family and friends will be fun but we had loads of things to go get done. Sue prepared an amazing breakfast. Paul worked in the garden and brought in peas and small potatoes and through her magic we had a delicious breakfast! Potatoes are amazing when they are cooked a few hours old!

We then watched a movie and did some treadmill before going to dinner and the theater. We met up with the Zaitz and Roberts at dinner and then headed across the street. Vicky and Del were supposed to join us but they didn’t…. They called Amy & Joe and surprised us! Darn near fell over. We had a great evening of Doo Wop…. Join the Fun

Vicky was at it again…. Could have knocked us over with a feather when we saw Amy & Joe

The Liles, Roberts, Zaitz, and Liles… They were surrounded

We returned home and watched “Blue Bloods” before hitting the sack!

Golf, Happy Hours & The Elks

Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course — the distance between your ears. ~Bobby Jones

We went to Old Ranch for breakfast with James and then hit the links with Charlotte at 10:52.  The weather was pretty good today even with the wind factor.

Beats most places in the nation!

The game was another story…. Golf is goofy!  One day your on top and the next day you can’t hit the ball!

Look carefully… The little brown things are not rocks

Mommy with the babies

Our first sighting this year!

After a small Happy Hour we headed to the Elks to dance to Street Corner Symphony!  Big decision, never again will we go to a dance where they are playing!  The volume was so loud Paul still has ringing in his ears the next morning!

Golf & Dancing… A Nice Combination

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.  ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

We played eighteen at Old Ranch with James!  Beautiful day and small breeze.  The geese  were happy to see Grandma Sue!  The game was pretty good after the first two holes!  After the game, I checked the pedometer and we covered 5.5 miles. That means this week we will have covered 14 miles (two and a half games).

Sue’s goose swam over and came out of the water to “meet and greet”

The geese know Sue and can spot her 300 yards away and begin their flight to be fed honking the whole way.

Coming in on a wing and a prayer

An amazing front-on shot of the geese making a landing.  They look very odd in the picture but they are transferring from normal horizontal flight to Vertical Take Off and Landing Mode.

Snack is served!

We then headed to the Phoenix Club where we danced until 10:30!  Fun fun fun! After reading our email, we crashed!  Tomorrow is another big day!

Cool And Windy Day For Golf

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.  ~John Ruskin

We ate lunch at home before going to Old Ranch. We played only nine holes as the wind was making it difficult. We did some happy hour with James before going home to the treadmill!

Windy dya!

After the treadmill, we headed for Santa Ana and attended our Starlighters Dance Club Board Meeting.

Cool and windy….

Out of sight at my age is about 100 yards!

After getting home we watched  two NCIS series before crashing!

Work! Eek!

Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.
Charles M. Schulz

Today we “cleaned house” in preparation for the arrival of friends from Australia!  Well, our friends met Vicky, our next-door neighbor, and have visited several times.  This time Vicky’s house is full and we invited them to stay with us!

After a day of work around the house, we decided to go to the Boathouse and try some sushi and wine!

Great food; Great view; Great service; Great music

We came home to the treadmill and movies

Great News!

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.  ~Ben Hecht

We had great news.  Our cancer doctor said you can wait a year to see me next!  We were so happy we decided to go to Preveza and have lunch to celebrate!!

We finished the summer garden planting… Well, 95% of it! Checkout the garden!

Having some time before the tax appointment, we went to the Lexus dealer and looked around.  Nice cars but not worth $35,000 more that the Avalon!  Toyota, here we come!  Love to new Avalon.

We drove the beach back to Long Beach and met with our tax lady of nearly thirty years!  We get the bad news in a week!

From there we headed home to visit the baby before going to the Boathouse for a little dinner and a cocktail with James and Linda!

We snapped a couple of pictures on the way home as it was supposed to rain overnight… It didn’t, duh!

Looking north, the sky was clear

On the way home the sunset was spectacular when we crossed the bridge

Wish we could have climbed the tree and watched the sun go down

Time To Relax! Newport Harbor Her We Come!

The lemons have gone wild

The artichokes are getting ready to be picked

We are going to have a lot of apples if the neighbors stay away

The avacado tree is also looking better

We had a new visitor at Old Ranch

Kerstin and Hans joined us for the dance at Newport Harbor

Chores. Work and Frankie Valli (Tribute Band)

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler

We began the day  with some chores, a trip to the barber, and finished up the winter garden.  All 36 different kinds of tomatoes are planted now…

We have 34 different tomatoes planted this year!

These little sun flowers will soon be 10 feet tall!

Grapes are forming on all the grape vines!

We are already harvesting blue berries and will for anothe two months

The side yard is coming along just fine

After resting for a bit, we went to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center to go to the Frankie Valli Tribute. The award-winning cast of Lets’s Hang On! brings to life the timeless repertoire of the legendary Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, with classic songs such as Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man. All proceeds from this concert will benefit arts education programs for kindergarten through 12th grade students.

We were in the second row  and the performance was OUTSTANDING!  We were bee-bopping the entire evening!

We were reliving the 1970′s great music!!

In The Garden! Then To Dancing

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  ~Voltaire

What? No golf?  Yes, no golf! We stayed at home and worked!  Work! Eek!  Paul worked outside in the garden completing most of the summer planting… We are still missing some tomatoes but the garden it ready for them.

Meanwhile Sue worked magic in the kitchen with the freshly pulled cauliflower and other veggies Paul found in the garden.  She made cauliflower steaks and put some of our homemade tomato sauce on them!  Wow!  GREAT way to start a day!

The starting point begins with raw cauliflower

The cauliflower is now browned in the pan creating a great “steak”.

Brown the “steaks” and watch them caramelize

The steaks go into a pan for additional work

Ready to eat after some additional ingredients

Some of the steaks we eat directly and some Sue “doctors up” with great sauces… Yummy!  Healthy!!

Sue added tomato sauce with olives and parsely!

We met James and Linda at Old Ranch at 4:00 for some serious Happy Hour and then headed to Garden Grove Elks for dancing with Dave Ambrose!

The quake struck at approximately 9:09 p.m. Friday night, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was centered 1 mile east of La Habra at a depth of 4.6 miles.The earthquake resulted in isolated power outages and damages that included ruptured water mains.  Some homes in Fullerton sustained structural damages, including one that was visibly blocked off by caution tape and deemed to be “uninhabitable” as of Saturday morning.

The temblor was preceded by two fore-shocks, the largest of which was a 3.6-magnitude earthquake at 8:03 p.m., according to the USGS.  Nearly 30 aftershocks were reported in the hour following the quake, according to the Southern California Seismic Network.

We had some excitement…. the La Habra quake hit! 5.3 felt large

Our DJ was un-phased. In fact, he kept singing and decided to sing “Shake, Rattle, and Roll”…  After a few calls to friends, we went back to dancing!

A Little Golf… A Little Dancing

You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart.  ~Author Unknown

It was a cool day and a bit windy but we played eighteen holes anyway!

We played golf even though it was cool and windy!

Grandma feeds the babies with “Premium Vitamin Fortified Scratch” every day.  The just waddle right up, quack, and dine like they own the place!

This ‘ol boy is getting a bit fat but he still flies all around!

We calls him fat boy!

After Happy Hour, we headed to the Phoenix Club with Lorraine.  We danced until we closed the place down!

Franks was back with the Phoenix Club this evening

Golf & The Theater

“All the world’s a stage.” ? William Shakespeare, As You Like I

It was supposed to rain today but as usual, the weatherman was WRONG.  We decided to play even though it said 30% chance.  No rain but we got a big dose of wind!  We played the first nine and then decided a drink would be a better bet!

One windy day…. We quit after nine!

Notice James’ hair…. Usually not a hair out of place but today we all looked like an explosion in a hay stack!

James joined us for a glass of wine!

We went home and picked up Greg for a trip to South Coast Repertory to see “Reunion”.

While having our pre-play wine, the flags were horizontal

Interesting!

They revert to their childhood names—Maxie, Petie, Mitchie—these three buddies, who haven’t seen each other since their high school graduation party 25 years ago. It’s time to get wasted and relive the fun—the sunlit days of autumn leaves, moon pies and girls in lambs wool sweaters. But it’s dangerous, trying to get in touch with—maybe even understand—their past selves. Memories aren’t always reliable, hurt runs deep and apologies come hard in this bare-knuckle look at high school reunions and the complex nature of male friendship.

We made it home in time to watch NCIS LA before crashing!

Trees & Disneyland!

A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.  ~Welsh Proverb

We called Treeco to come and remove two trees, replant two trees, and thin out and help save our avacado!  They did a great job!

A new plum tree takes root!

We then headed for Disneyland to continue to celebrate the anniversary weekend…. Retirement and Wedding!  We plan to meet up with the Finch’s this evening for dinner before they return to the UK.

An exciting day at the park

After going to Disneyland for 58 years, Paul finally was on a ride that was shut down mid-ride.  We stopped inside Thunder Mountain we were assisted out and walked down through the mountain to get to the front of the ride!

We had a great dinner at Catal before heading for home and doing the treadmill!

Avalon… Here We Come

Plans made swiftly and intuitively are likely to have flaws. Plans made carefully and comprehensively are sure to. – Robert Grudin

Today is our wedding anniversary and we decided to mix pleasure with “business”  We went to Catalina to set up arrangements for the Avalon Ball this year.  We have 30+ people joining us so making arrangements ahead of time is essential!

After a hard day of planning!

Time to go home!

On our way home, we stopped by the Boathouse to have our Monday Evening Cocktail!

More fun before going home. Hugo was there so we did some dancing!

When we got home we tried to watch a movie but we were both crashed.  We hit the sack about 10:30!

Old Friends, Magic, “New Friends”

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.  ~Arnold H. Glasgow

We went to a favorite restaurant in Seal Beach to meet up with the De Lara’s!  We have been friends since the mid 1970′s from North American Aviation and Rockwell! We retired seven years ago and they are getting to that point!  Yeah!

Fantastic food for over 25 years that we know about!!! (Click to visit their homepage)

Paul tried the weekend special – pulled port! It was outstanding

We then headed to Cerritos to see a magic show. The longest running magic show in the country brings an all new production of six legendary magical performers in an exciting show for the entire family. Chuck Jones & Company, Les Arnold & Dazzle, Jason Andrews, Tom Ogden, Joel Ward, and Mat Plendl will be featured.

We were in the third row and still could not figure them out!

When the show was over we headed to Old Ranch for a short Happy Hour with whoever was there….  Always a surprise!

Great Day; Dining Out, Theater, And The Elks

The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.  ~Abe Lemons

We worked around the house before going to Seasons 52 for a great lunch before the play!  At OC Performing Arts Center we saw “I Love Lucy”.

It’s 1952 and you are a member of the studio audience awaiting the filming of two hilarious and oh-so-familiar I LOVE LUCY® episodes. Imagine stepping back in time onto the Desilu Playhouse soundstage where a charming host entertains and enlightens you to the behind-the-scenes filming process, the 1950s hi-fidelity technology and this brand-new thing called “television.” The episodes begin and you witness, firsthand, the side-splitting antics of that crazy redhead in the Ricardo’s New York apartment and thrill to the Cuban sounds of “The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra” at the famed Tropicana Nightclub. In-between scenes, The Crystaltone Singers perform live advertising jingles of the show’s newest sponsors in perfect 50s style harmony. Can you say “Brylcreem?!”

Simply delightful!!!

Alert Alert!  Git text from Amy that Charlie hit a home run at the baseball game.  His name is now “Slugger”

Good bye ball! It’s home run time!

We returned home and them headed to the Garden Grove Elks for an evening of dancing with friends.  The music was pretty good and we dance until about 10:30!  The Branders, Roberts, Kuhns, Finches, and Zaits were at our table!

Always time for fun!

Flower waited up for us! She wanted us to check her email account!

We went home and crashed after reading our email….

Golf And Toppers Kept Us Busy From 8:00am Until 11:00pm

Dancing: the vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalized by music.  ~George Bernard Shaw

Great news… Grandson Nick was at an USAF ROTC activity.  Dang, he looks so old!

14 going on 21

We had breakfast at Old Ranch without James… That’s new!  He had appointments with contractors all day today!  We played eighteen with Miss Charlotte before our mini-happy hour.

The flowers are beginning to be born and they are beautiful

Slugger Sue up to bat!

The Finch’s stopped at our house at 5:00 and we headed for Toppers in Long Beach.  Join the fun!

We had a great evening with friends

We got home about 11:00 and checked our email before crashing!  Big weekend coming up!

Golf And Dancing… Keep The Exercising Going!

If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all.  ~Joey Adams

It happened at 9:57 this morning! Yeah!

We played golf again today so it is looking like another “25 mile week” considering the fact the game is about 5.5 miles every day.  I know, that is more exactly 22.5 but one has to consider the walking to/from the parking lot, practice, and walking/wobbling  to the bar and back!

Sue carries on a conversation with her geese and then gives them a little snack!

The weather was mid-70′s and the sky was beautiful…. Great day to be outdoors!

We went to the Phoenix Club and closed the place down!  We did some email and then crashed for tomorrow brings on another busy day!

An Easy Afternoon

Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning. – Thomas Jefferson

We had our golf lesson and then headed to Old Ranch for lunch with James!  We played eighteen holes and did some happy hour.  On the way home, we stopped twice to capture the sun!  How amazing it really is!  Warmed us to the mid 70′s from 90,000,000 miles away!  Wow!

From the driving range

Looking down the street on our way home!

We watched a movie and caught up on the latest serials!  Getgting ready for tomorrow…

Golf On A Beautiful Southern California Afternoon

Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad. ~A.A. Milne

We played eighteen holes with James this fine day… The weather was simply magnificent. The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions. It has become common in summer even inside the Arctic circle along the Norwegian coast.

Hiding in the bushes waiting for a passing fish

We saw Mother Goose!

Someone is getting lunch served

“Hey Mom… Don’t put the food in the grass, please!”

We did some happy hour and then headed to home for an evening of treadmill and TV movies!

St Patricks Day! Yeah!

St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time – a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.  ~Adrienne Cook

We worked around the house today and did some errands before having Carri and Greg over for dinner… A tradition!  Please join us!

Greg and Carri

Just us

Fantastic dinner

We watched Finnegan’s Rainbow this evening and finished up by watching NCIS before crashing!

Garden And Jam Session

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Author Unknown

We spread the straw, planted potatoes, and pulled some weeds before cleaning up and getting ready to go to the Jam Session!  Sue did the treadmill and Paul watched a movie with her.  We met Cyndy at Old Ranch an hour ahead of time and introduced her to “The Pit People” before leaving for Santa Ana.

Will brought some Maple and Bacon Liqueur

Sue ‘splains the tasting procedure to Irene

Bob, Donna, and Cyndy

Bob, Donna, and Cyndy doing the monkey thing!

Brian and Hans get to do a quick visit as  is Brian is only back for ten days!

Hello there… We are green!

The music was excellent

We got home in time to watch a movie before crashing!

Gardening & Dancing

 You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart. 

We headed for H&H to get straw bales plus additional veggies to plant. We worked in the garden all day planting more tomatoes and greens beans and peas.  We then headed for Alta Vista Country Club for a great dance with the Starlighters.  Join the fun!

Fun with friends

Golf And Dancing At The Rondeliers

 There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.  ~Edwin Denby

We had breakfast with James and then played eighteen holes!  Linda joined us for happy hour before we had to leave to get ready for Rondeliers.

The Hawthorne plants were magnificent

The ducks enjoyed the fountain this afternoon

Sue feed the geese

Spring is absolutely here…. A week ahead of time!

Off to the Rondeliers for a great dance…  We are “Swinging Into Spring”. Join the fun!

Swinging Into Spring!

Gardening, Dinner, And Dancing!

Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration. ~Lou Erickson

Sue did chores and cleaned out some drawers & shelves while Paul hit the garden again!  Seven straight hours of hard work but it will pay off!  We are trying some black paper munch this year and the straw on the top keeps the paper from blowing away.  The tomato cages look empty but just wait… Another month or so and they will be full!  We also emptied one of our compost bins and spread it ot over about 250 square feet.  That’s a lot of shoveling.

Doesn’t look like much but wait a month! We have thirteen tomatoes planted in addition of broccoli and cauliflower

We have already eaten most of the winter garden… This is all that remains

After resting and cleaning up, we headed for the Corean Kalbi Restaurant in Costa Mesa adjacent to the John Wayne Airport. Great Korean dining and the owner/manager is outstanding.  He speaks perfect English and is very attentive to his customers.  It is a delightful place to dine! !  We met up with Hannah and Thomas there.  The Korean Short Ribs in spicy sauce and kimchi rice was simply outstanding!

Hannah and Thomas join us for dinner

Kimchi rice was excellent

Kimchi, also spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as “spicy” or “sour”. In traditional preparation kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time.

It is Korea’s national dish, with hundreds of varieties made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient . Kimchi is also the basis for many derivative dishes such as kimchi stew, kimchi pancake, kimchi soup, and kimchi fried rice.

Then, off to the Phoenix Club to dance until the wee hours (10:30).

It was a full-moon this evening and we could see our shadows in the dark!

We crashed after saying goodnight to Flower!

Golf And A Breeze

Weather is a great metaphor for life — sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Terri Guillemets

We played nine holes with James and the back nine was just us!  We had some wind and it got into the 80′s today!  We think about poor Jon and Sarah, our grandkids from back east, where the high was 33!  It was another 5.5 miles of walking today!

Make it low or the wind will carry it back to you!

Mr. Hawk has been close to the sand for a week now…. Must be meals available to him!

The hawk is having a field day after the sand was unloaded in this area.  Several burrowing critters seems to be coming dinner for our feathered friend.

On 18 Sue had to pound the ball to get it onto the green!

Notice the fountain in the background…  The wind was not quite howling but it was indeed a challenge.  We did some happy hour before heading home to movies an the treadmill.

A Relaxing Day Of Golf…

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.  ~J.G. Holland

We played golf with James and Charlotte had just come off playing 18 holes and decided to join us for another nine!

Charlotte watches Sue deliver the afternoon “Meals On Wheels” to the geese

After the game we did Happy Hour before heading to the treadmill!  We finally, after four months, stopped at Chic-Fil-A.  Paul was disappointed.  The chicken was excellent  and spiciness was outstanding but the bun was soggy.  We were hoping for more! We watched a couple of movies before crashing for the evening!

Doctors Take A Lot OF Time

I wondher why ye can always read a doctor’s bill an’ ye niver can read his purscription. ~Finley Peter Dunne

We did our obligatory visit to the doctors today… Being old is OK but being wise about the visit is essential!  When we got home we did some gardening before heading to The Boathouse for a drink and a solar observation (seeing the sunset).

The winds were blowing…

It was cool outside and the heaters were working quite well!

We finished the evening by catching up on two of our favorite serials… The Mentalist and Elementary.

Gardening And A Dinner Dance At Old Ranch

Go out in the world and work like money doesn’t matter, Sing as if no one is listening, Love as if you have never been hurt, and Dance as if no one is watching – Victor Hugo

We worked around the house and in the garden most of the day.  At 3:00 we decided it was time to rest and get cleaned up for this evenings dinner-dance at Old Ranch!

Fun with friends

The sunset was spectacular

Reds, blues, and pinks lit up the horizon

We sang happy birthday to Ghisleane

The polka is always a necessity

We left right at 8:30 to go home and get ready for the doctors tomorrow.  We watched the end of the movie “Guarding Tess” before crashing!

Putting In The Summer Garden & Fun With Friends

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.  ~H. Fred Dale

We spent most of the early part of the day in the garden beginning at 6:30am!  The blueberries are moved, the side yard is 80% planted, and we are ready for serious roto-tilling of the back yard garden!  At 12:30 we quit and got cleaned up so we could head to Cerritos to see West Side Story.  It was a great production.  We went with James and Linda, Tom and Bunny,  Kathy and Ed, and Vicky and Del.  We had dinner afterwords and then headed to Garden Grove and joined Leon and Marcia to dance to Jusstuss until about 10:30!

We are ready to see the play!

West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.

Golf, Geese, And Dancing

One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring. – Aldo Leopold

Sue’s geese recognize her and run right up for some special snacks

When they see her from across the lake, the paddle like made and jump up on the bank to be fed

The trust Sue as the male gets to eat and not “stand guard”

After some happy hour we headed for Santa Ana Elks to dance to Sam Conte!  The music was fantastic and we danced until almost 11:00.  We were with the Zaitz and Roberts as the Kuhns and BRanders were in Palm Springs this evening

They had cookies ta the bar so we all had to try them!

Work! Dancing!

Q: How do you fix a sliced tomato? A: Use tomato paste.

We worked around the house and then headed to Rogers’ Gardens to visit Tomato- Mania!  The Rogers folks have a private company come by with 150 different types of tomatoes.  We only got twenty-six this trip as that will take a few days to plant.   We stopped by Panda Palace and had a drink or two before going home and two hours of roto-tilling!   That means we have to go to the dance tonight to loosen up!

Making her selections

150 different kinds of tomatoes

It’s Tomatomania time!

After getting home, we headed to Thursday Evening dancing! The Zaitz, Roberts, Kuhns, Lebovitz’s, and others joined us for the evening!

Al and Margie kicking up their heals!

We headed for home about 11:00 just in time to cras and get ready for tomorrow!

Q. How do you get rid of unproductive tomatoes?
A. Can them.

Q: Does Santa like to grow tomatoes?
A: YES — he gets to hoe, hoe, hoe!

Q: What is red and goes up and down?
A: A tomato in an elevator.

Animals Everywhere

Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to. – Alfred A. Montapert

We played golf with Miss Charlotte and the day was quite amazing.  We were surrounded by animals including a surprise visit by a turtle and pelicans.  Join the fun!

Fun to play… Fun to watch

After golf and happy hour, we headed for home to watch movies while Sue does the treadmill!  Tomorrow is a gardening day! Must rest!

Relaxation: Golf, Happy Hour, Movies

The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course. – Billy Graham

We did eighteen holes with James and Bunnaford and Charlotte joined us on the back nine.  We had a great time  attempting to hit the little white ball!  We ended the afternoon with Happy Hour!

We played in less than four hours! Half the time with a five-some!

“James! You are standing on my lunch!”

We know all sorts of folks at Old Ranch. Big and Allison are teasing each other!

We headed for home and watched a movie and caught back with NCIS!

Friends and Fun! It Was A Great Day!

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust

We have been dancing with Al and Margie for years but usually we only get to visit at the dance… and they can be noisy! We decided to go to Cafe Santorini in Old Town Pasadena and share and afternoon! The food and ambiance was outstanding!  Please join the fun!

Great fun! Great friends! Great food!

When we got home, Flower wanted to know where the “To Go Bag” was?  We had to break the news that we ate everything!  We made her a little snack to make up for it!

Flower the Wonder Dog always keeps an eye on the house when we are gone

We decided go to the Boathouse and have some wine and listen so some music before settling in for the evening!  The sunset was amazing!  We thought at first the sunset would be grey but all of a sudden the oranges and reds burst forth and lit up the inside of the restaurant!

Fantastic sunset!

The sunset changed every 30 seconds!

We had our own one-man band! We danced to his great music!

After getting home, Sue hit the treadmill and Paul operated the remote control!  We are now almost caught up with our various series!  Tomorrow if golf!  Yeah!

Wine Tasting Sunday & Old Ranch

Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. – Benjamin Franklin

We had a great day starting out with wine tasting at the Garden Grove Elks. Join the fun!

OMG… It Is March

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. – Gilbert K. Chesterton

The rain was off and on today so we decided to do some chores around the house, catch some more earthworms and then take care of business. Sue had her hair cut and then we headed to our favorite restaurant… The Himalayan Grill at Peter’s Landing.  We tried some new dishes plus our regular ones and brough three more meals home in a bag.  Great food.

Great food! We could eat this every day!

After lunch, we did a few more chores before hitting the treadmill and then going out to dance at Garden Grove with Jerry Benton!  Wonderful music… We danced until we were pooped out… We headed home at 10:30.  This evening we were by ourselves.  The Roberts and Kuhns stayed home, the Zaitz went to a movie, the Branders are fighting a cold, and Iris & Will were no place to be seen!

After we got home we finished off this afternoon movie before hitting the sack!

The Year Is Moving Quickly… It’s Almost March

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. – Mark Twain

For us today was a day of rest!  The rain would come and go so we stayed home until heading out for the evenings activities.

Most of the morning was filled with doing the invitations and newsletters for the Starlighters and Topper’s dance clubs.  Print, stuff, label, stamp, fold, and seal about 120 letters.

Paul went to the curb and caught several hundred earth worms that were about to go down the drain.  They got transferred to you garden!  Yeah!  Sue did the treadmill and we watched two movies.

Our first stop today was at Old Ranch to meet some new members.  We stayed there for a while before going to our bartender’s birthday party at the Phoenix Club.  We stayed there an hour and met up with Jim and Jan Mongell.

The Mongells gots the giggles!

We then decided to go to Garden Grove Elks and we danced until about 11:00 to the sounds of Street Corner Symphony.  Music was good but the sound was way too loud.  Several of our friends left the lodge as it was hurting their ears.

The Course Was “Cart Path Only” So We Visited The Aquarium

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. – Dolly Parton

We headed to the Aquarium of the Pacific and enjoyed a super afternoon!  Golf was an option but “cart paths only” is a pain!   We did the “behind the scenes” tour of the aquarium and that was quite amazing. We then had a drink at Bubba Gumps before going on a 45  minute tour of the Long Beach Harbor which was interesting.  Join the fun!

A fun afternoon

After the cruise, we went to Joe’s Crab Shack for a drink  before heading for home and then out again to the Phoenix Club.

Amazing… We Played Golf In Great Weather

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. – John Ruskin

We did lunch with James, Zack, and Robin today and it was cold and grey… Looked like rain! Zack and Robin discussed schooling using on-line techniques. We went to play and it was almost like God said, “Oh… OK” because the clouds went away, the temperature went up, and the day was great. No windbreaker until the 16th hole!

We thought we were rained out during breakfast

Someone flipped on the “Golf Switch” and the skies turned blue

Bunnaford joined us for a full eighteen today.  We played in three hours and forty minutes.

James brought three coats

Sue’s goose was not allowing other geese near her… Head down

Hi babies… Ready for foodies?

They were ready and put on quite a show for us!  Honk Honk!

We hit the pit for some libation

The wine ambulance saved us… We then went to the grocery store before coming home to catch up on all of our recorded NCIS and other series.  Tomorrow is suppoed to be a rainy day!

A Sad Day

Dying is easy, it’s living that scares me to death. – Annie Lennox

We stayed at home and did some “pre-storm preparedness” before going to Old Ranch for a Celebration Of Life for Clara Cathey.  James was also an only child and we understand when he said he felt alone after his mother’s passing.  The celebration was quite nice and we did a little happy hour afterwords with James and his family plus the Burns.

To The Top Of The World

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. – John Muir

It’s time for our annual snow trip but alas, no snow this year.  We celebrated Carr’s and Greg’s birthday and took Hans and Kerstin along.  It was a day of laughing and giggling!  Join the fun!

On top of the world!

We visited Monica at the local casino before going home to do some treadmill and watch a movie.