Fact: In 2013, Google sent a lone employee to map the abandoned Hashima Island in Japan, which was once the most densely populated place on Earth.
Yes, children, it is that time of the year that all dancers must return to the happy dancing ground called the Avalon Ball. This trip was our 14th year of going to the Avalon Ball, but it was a little different this time. The Ball was not held in 2020 or 2020 because of the Covid virus. Mary had gone over for years, so it was a slight adjustment to go with each other. With the help of Bob and Donna, we managed pretty well. We went over with the Zahn’s, and later in the day, the Ashes joined us.
Memories from previous dances are often fun. One morning, years ago, after Bob and I had had perhaps a little drinky poo too much we woke up covered in dark red paint and left on an island. We had been marooned.
I did promise!
We arrived in Long Beach at about 12:30 PM and waited for the ship to arrive. We got on the boat at 1:30 PM, and Donna and Mary ran upstairs and saved us a table. We had a lot of snacks to go through and John Brado 5 pounds of jumbo shrimp. We were stuffed before we got off the boat.
Donna, Bob, and John
Mary kept reaching into her little blue bag, pulling out more and more food. We had salad, strawberries, blueberries, just oodles of stuff. We could’ve got stuck at sea and not gone starving for at least a week.
Allyson, Mary nad Moi
Our stewardess on the boat was very, very nice and took pictures of it and laughed because we teased her the entire time.
What did the stewardess say to the vulture when he boarded the ship with two bags? Only one Carrion is permitted on this flight.
Jumbo shrimp, wine, veggies, oh my!
Tonight is the first time we have stayed at the Pavilion Hotel, which is right in the heart of Front Street. The nice thing about it is it’s next to Luau Larry’s, which means it’s crawling distance back to the room.
It had a nice view of the Wrigley Mansion.
We headed to the patio to make sure we got Howard up with a glass of wine. Unfortunately, Bob’s red glass of wine took a dump; it was our waitress who accidentally hit it with her arm. The wine spilled all over the table, and it was terrible seeing a grown man cry.
Oops! Spilled the wine!
Bob learned how to save the day. You could hear the sucking sound for two blocks, but he got all the wine except for three drops that hit the floor. We grabbed him before he got his hands and knees and tried to get the last drops.
Bob to the rescue!
Welcome, Jon and Allison; they were neighbors of mine over in Los Alamitos. John is a pool contractor, and Allison just retired from being a dentist, so now they are having fun.
John and Allyson’s first time over to the Avalon Ball.
We went to dinner at Steve’s Steakhouse, and it was an exciting experience. The wine was flowing; martinis were flowing, and everything was flowing. Now I think about it; I was also flowing! We had great steaks and managed to go down the stairs and make it to Luau Larry’s for a short visit.
When the red lights flashed, we stepped to the side, and the kind officers came over to welcome us to the island. We weren’t in trouble, nor were we inebriated; we’re just an honest, friendly group.
They asked if we needed an escort to our hotel (which was 8 feet away(
We hit the sack around 11 PM because we needed to rest for tomorrow’s golf and the dance.
