We love our morning coffee!
We were up early, looked at each other, and were amazed that our calendar was not full of things to do! We quickly walked through the garden and ate grapes directly off the vines. These grapes are seedless and are pretty tasty.
There are more than 8,000 grape varieties from about 60 species. The main types are American and European. One cup of grapes, with about 100 calories, provides more than a quarter of the daily recommended values of vitamins K and C. Grape seeds, which are edible, are chock-full of antioxidants.
We mosied into the garden and discovered more grapes.
We were missing some Halloween pillow covers, which we needed to finish decorating. After looking in both attics, I finally looked inside a large Rubbermaid closet on the side of the house and hit paydirt—we found five containers of Halloween decorations that we had forgotten about.
This means we can finish decorating for the holiday on Monday!
Mary fixed a lovely brunch, and we sat and talked for an hour. We did call Colleen since we haven’t spoken to her in a week because of our activities with Dianne.
At 1:00 p.m., we started getting ready for our visit to Irene’s new home. I think we had a housewarming dinner.
Bay Towers At Bixby Knolls
We drove up at the same time as Vicky and Jim and took the elevator to the 11th floor.
We popped open a bottle of champagne and made a toast! The apartment was lovely, and Irene was excited about all the activities. Her car has its own numbered space in the secure basement adjacent to the elevators!
We had some appetizers, and then the Greek food came out of the kitchen and filled the entire table!
We dined with Irene, Vicky, and Jim.
The lamb chops were to die for. We also had spanakopita, domales, and pita bread with three interesting dipping sauces.
Did I mention desserts? Vicky promptly grabbed the plate and demanded to know where our plates were. When it comes to desserts, all manners go out the window!
Mine, mine, mine,……., mine!
Have you heard of Signal Hill?
Did You Know? Signal Hill’s first owner of record was Manuel Nieto, who received the land in 1784 as a grant from King Carlos III of Spain. Nieto later divided the land into six cattle and horse ranchos, two of which encompassed Signal Hill: Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos. Later purchased by New Englanders, the ranchos were primarily used for grazing and agriculture in the 1800s. A harsh winter in 1862, drought, and other financial hardships resulted in the sale of the ranchos to the Bixby clan, who used the land to raise sheep.
By the turn of the 20th Century, stately mansions dotted the hilltop as the value of the panoramic view became evident. However, by 1917, the prospect of striking oil on the hilltop surpassed the value of the view, and the Union Oil Company drilled the first oil well in the area. The well failed to produce any oil, and it was abandoned.
Further exploration was suspended until the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company resumed exploration and hit pay dirt on June 23, 1921. That first “gusher,” at Alamitos Well Number 1, marked a turning point in Signal Hill’s history and put the city on the map. Ultimately, it was one of the richest oil fields in the world, and it produced over 1 billion barrels of oil by 1984. The field is still active and produced over 1.6 million barrels of oil in 1994 alone.
Signal Hill, completely surrounded by the City of Long Beach, is located in unincorporated Los Angeles County. In 1924, to avoid Long Beach’s per-barrel oil tax, Signal Hill’s founding fathers voted for incorporation. Right from the beginning, Signal Hill proved to be a progressive city, electing Mrs. Jessie Nelson as the City’s first mayor.
Oil production continued to be Signal Hill’s mainstay until declining oil prices reduced output in the 1970s. In 1974, the Signal Hill Redevelopment Agency was formed, and the city focused on economic development and diversity from oil. Today, Signal Hill is a well-balanced, financially sound, and economically diverse community of over 11,400 people.
The 11th floor provides a fantastic view.
The view below is of downtown Long Beach, which has many high-rise buildings along the shore.
All of Long Beach is at our doorstep!
Did You Know? Long Beach is 50 square miles in area and is home to more than 460,000 people, making it the 7th largest city in the state of California. Long Beach was originally named “Wilmore City,” but because of its long, wide beaches it was renamed “Long Beach” in 1888.
The first homes and school were built by developer William Wilmore in the 1880s, who named the area Wilmore City. Soon after, the growing population voted to incorporate the city and rename it the City of Long Beach.
We stuffed ourselves, and the five of us laughed ourselves silly.
Just us!
As we finished the desserts, the Moon decided to come up and say hello!
The moon provided a Halloween-like image.
We said our goodbyes and departed for our 40-minute ride home. Before going home, we decided to stop at Aces for a glass of wine. The bar is usually not busy on Sunday evenings, so we got to visit with friends and the bartenders.
We departed around 8:30 pm and headed to Aces.
The day was fantastic, and we were so happy to learn that Irene was in a safe place and was having a lot of fun with the others living there.
Thank you so much for sharing all you both do. Love you so much and stay well.
Love, Jan