Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Mary was first up, again!
We had a busy day planned, so we got ready and headed to Mary’s physical therapist at 9:30 am. While Mary was inside, I got the fateful call. While I was attempting to read my book, Mary asked if I could go home and get a package for the doctor. Fory-five minutes later, I returned to the parking lot and carried in the package. Traffic was terrible!
After she returned from the doctor’s office, we decided we wanted to visit our dear friend Irene, who had not been feeling well lately. To brighten her day, we called Irene and she placed her lunch order with us. We headed (we thought) to George’s Greek Cafe on 2nd Street in Belmont Shores, but the GPS was taking us to Pine Street in Long Beach!
Thank goodness we did not order it to go, because the usual 40-minute trip ended by hours and some change.
Mary dialed in George’s on her Batphone, and off we went happily, when about 40 minutes later, I knew something was wrong.
I forgot to tell Mary that Georges was in Belmont Shores, NOT Long Beach. We spend 25 minutes attempting to navigate Long Beach with its tiny streets.
I first went there in the mid-1990s.
We asked for Nicky, but she was home for the weekend. She now owned the only George’s Greek Cafe remaining. She is a lovely lady!
She is charming, funny, and a shrewd businesswoman!
George and Rodoula Loizides came to the United States almost penniless more than 40 years ago — bringing with them nothing but dreams and three young children.
They built George’s Greek Cafe from scratch, which soon became a legend on Pine Avenue in Long Beach. They and their children — Jimmy, Euripides (known by all as Rip), and Nicky — added two more restaurants in Belmont Shore and Lakewood. As the years advanced, they built an extended family of customers, employees, and friends.
But the longtime marriage of George and Mama Rodou, as she was known, ended in 2019 when the couple died within six days of each other.
Mary and I needed a drink after the harrowing experience navigating the backwaters of Long Beach. We celebrated with a saganaki!
Look out, here comes the alcohol!!!
OPA!!!
We heard the fire department coming this way!!
We finished off our wine before heading to Irene’s home over on Atlantic.
Saganaki and Chardonnay, what a way to live!
We picked up our order, and it was in two bags; we overachieved.
Slurp, gurgle, belch… we are on our way!
We got to Irene’s around 1:30 pm and had a nice lunch with her. She was not doing well, and her daughter is coming down tomorrow to be with her for a few days, hopefully taking her to the doctor.
Irene’s apartment is on the 11th floor overlooking Long Beach and the surrounding areas. Palos Verdes is quite visible in the background.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula, situated south of Los Angeles, is renowned for its breathtaking coastal scenery, affluent communities, and rich history. Trivia about the area includes the fact that it was once home to a Nike Missile base, an honor farm (prison), and is known for its wild peafowl population. The peninsula is also home to the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, a critically endangered species.
We saw a glimpse of Catalina Island, which is 26 miles away!
We didn’t stay too long, as Irene needed to rest.
On the way home, we got the bright idea to call Charlotte and perhaps stop by the club. Charlotte was on the course, and the timing was perfect.
We stopped, and within a few minutes, Charlotte turned the corner onto the 18th hole.
We sat by the window so we could see the golfers at work!
Charlotte joined us soon after we arrived and had pre-ordered her drink of choice, champagne with grapefruit juice.
Always a smile!
We shared medical conditions. Wayne and I are having very similar cardiac issues, and we agreed to continue sharing in the future to see how the men are doing.
Good friends enjoy visiting.
We finally arrived home around 5:00 pm, at which time I decided to take a well-deserved nap. I didn’t wake up until after 10:00 pm. I joined Mary in the kitchen where she was needlepointing. We finally crashed at 12:30 pm. We had a full day!
