The Weak Beginith! We Are Ready!

Posted on Monday, January 5, 2026 by Paul

It’s Moanday, and this we know because the work GYM (a most frightening word at our age) showed up on the “what do we do today” list!   After our five-mile bike ride and getting beaten up by professionals, we will be moaning!

Immediately after the beating, we hobbled out of the gym and decided to…

If elected, I promise MORE BREAKS!!!

Our break consisted of going to”The Original Pancake House” for a bite to eat.

Chomp chomp gurgle burp!!  Done!

Today we go back to work.  Mary is perspiring over the sewing desk while I am in the garage fixing things and attempting to find the top of the workbench before Joe comes over and does his normal inspection.  It is fantastic, the counter is free of clutter, and everything “works”.

We had a great dinner before settling in to watch some TV.  I got the XUMO Box to work, and now we have the complete Spectrum Cable channel lineup!

We crashed at 10:30 pm as tomorrow is a busy day, duh!

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The Battle Continues; So Far, Christmas Three, Mary & Paul One

Posted on Sunday, January 4, 2026 by Paul

We were up at the crack of dawn, we put on our clothes, and were eager to take back the house from Christmas.  However, one look at the work to be done made us both pass out in sheer fear of this becoming an all-day affair.  We should note that we kept the Christmas Spirits (and plan to reduce the quantity year-round!!)

Well, it did!  We finished at 5:05 pm, with a few minutes in between, during which Mary made a bucket of beans and some cornbread for dinner.  I took 30 minutes out to watch the rest of “Transformers”!  I had to see what the outcome of the battle would be!  We won!!  Humanity 1, Aliens 0.

She is indeed an angel!

I used the two-wheeled cart to roll all the packed boxes to the garage, and Mary fixed dinner.  We tried to watch Arari (John Wayne in Africa) on the TV, but by 9:00 pm it was a lost cause.  The sound of our eyes snapping shut sounded like a herd of crickets.

Joe called and said he and the boys would put Christmas away in the garage attic later on in the week!

Good night, all!

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Goodby Christmas, See You Next Year!

Posted on Saturday, January 3, 2026 by Paul

Mary always has a good point!!

Oh my!  The big job began this morning: packing up Christmas decorations and getting them ready for storage.  The question is, how do we get 100 pounds of %#$&# into a 50-pound bag??

We had a load of fun decorating, as evidenced by the decorating website.

(Early December) Before we started, we looked around one last time, remembering the great Christmas 2025 we enjoyed with family and friends!

We really got underway around 11:00 am and worked most of the day, but at 7:00 pm we gave up the ghost and went to the TV Room.  We called Colleen, but she was already counting sheep.  When we called Robin, she was out with the girls because Bob had a gig this evening.

I do not remember what we started watching, but I immediately began checking for light leaks.

Around 11:00 pm, I woke up and saw Mary sawing logs.  Sawdust was flying everywhere.   The neighborhood cats and dogs were in hiding from all the racket!   On exhale, the wall-mounted TV vibrated!

The TV had just started the movie “Transformers,” which I enjoyed and watched until midnight.

Transformers is a series of science fiction action films based on the Transformers franchise. Michael Bay directed the first five live-action films: Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and The Last Knight, and has served as a producer for subsequent films.

(Early January) We set up a dining table, so we didn’t have to bend down as much!

We had room to sit and watch TV, but that was about all!  A few boxes got wet inside their plastic containers, which were stored outside (we still haven’t figured out how that happened).  So we lit off the fireplace and stacked those damp boxes near the front to get rid of the moisture; it worked.

The Living/TV Room was almost clear before we crashed.

It took us about 30 seconds to fall asleep!  Mary is MY SUPERWOMAN!

We will dream of tomorrow when the garage will look like this, and the boys will come over and put everything up in the garage attic.

Ready to go upstairs for the next eleven months!

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Happy Tooth Of January 2026

Posted on Friday, January 2, 2026 by Paul

Today, we turned the speed knob back to a mere 60 MPH after a month on the go!

Our first activity was to sit in the rain on bleachers and watch two soccer games starring the Liles’ Brothers.

Alex starred in the first game and excelled, hitting home runs and throwing three touchdowns before making the winning basket!

Joe operated the camera and stayed dry, unlike the drowned rats!

Joe and Canon stayed bone dry!

We were invited to High Tea with the Adams.  The Duchess of Bedford popularized afternoon tea; all authentic tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant; the Irish drank more tea than the English; and there was a difference between working-class “high tea” (a substantial meal) and aristocratic “afternoon tea” (light snacks).  A Chinese Emperor discovered tea, tea bags were an accidental invention, and Darjeeling is the “Champagne of teas. 

Michele (my adopted step-daughter) worked hard to create such delightful snacks.

Yummy!

We got to work.  We made Shirnky Dinks!

Shrinky Dinks are a popular craft material made of polystyrene sheets that shrink and harden when baked, transforming drawings or printed designs into small, durable plastic trinkets like charms, keychains, and jewelry.  The process involves coloring or tracing on the plastic, cutting it out, and baking it in an oven, where the piece curls up and then flattens, becoming about nine times thicker and a third of its original size.  Available as clear or frosted sheets, they’re a classic craft for all ages, allowing customization for unique keepsakes, pins, and ornaments.

The Shrinky Dinks are now in the oven, being carefully watched by the Shrinky Dink Chefs!

The results were quite impressive; this could become another artistic outlet for Mary!

Baked to perfection!

We sat and talked for quite a while, enjoying stories of yesteryear and catching up on all our mutual acquaintances!  It was fun to get together before the holidays are over, and we have to go back to work!

Michele, Paul, Mary, Theo, and Franklin.

We got home after dark and settled in the TV room to watch Avatar!

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Sailing Sailing

Posted on Thursday, January 1, 2026 by Paul

Robin had a great idea, let’s see Newport Harbor by boat!

The “Newport Pavilion Bar and Grill” likely refers to the historic Pavilion Restaurant (now often called just Pavilion) in the iconic Balboa Pavilion building at 690 Newport Center Drive, known for its classic ambiance, waterfront views (from other parts of the building), and popular bar/happy hour, offering steak, seafood, and an extensive wine list, though it’s a distinct spot from the Harborside restaurant in the same landmark building.

Please see our website for the details.

Onward and upward!

The Moon was out, so the night was quite delightful.

Almost home!

We went to the Silver Trumpet for dinner and had a fantastic time visiting and telling old stories over and over again!

We all love family!!

We headed home and crashed!  It was a long but exciting day!

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Happy New Years Eve 2025!

Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2025 by Paul

We are just hours away!

For whatever reason, we decided to go to the gym on New Year’s Eve, DUH!!  On the bright side, we will be flexible for this evening.  We specifically asked to have the legs stretched so we could dance the entire evening.  They did, and we will!

Look out, 2026, here we come!

Mary was flying around the house getting everything ready for Robin, Bob, and herself.   While she was busy, I folded the dried clothes, cleaned out the backseat of the car, and got everything ready to go.  Tuxedos require a lot of setup time!

Please visit ourwebsite for the details!

Robin and Bob came over around 4:30 pm, and we had a champagne to begin the evening.  Then we departed for the Lodge, which is about a 14-minute drive down the 55 Freeway!  And yes, it was raining.

One glass of champagne and they go wild!

We checked the weather ahead of time.

We arrived on time and departed later than expected.  The music was outstanding, and the dinner was fabulous!

The Motley Crew is ready to celebrate!

We danced and visited all evening long!

Our sequined outfits made a real hit!

Iris celebrated her 99th birthday!

Born in 1927; amazing!

We had a load of fun and stayed well past our planned departure date.  Finally, around 10:30, we headed for the cars without rain!

We are done, well done!

From New Hampshire, we have three grandkids and four great-grandkids!

Colleen and family sent an image of their New Year’s Eve

We cannot forget the Desert Rats!

Son Joe and two additional grandkids!

We walked in the door and crashed immediately!  Happy New Year to all!

 

 

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Driving To Camarillo For A Visit

Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 by Paul

A driving we will go!!

We jumped out of bed, showered, dressed, and headed out the door to Camirillo to visit Mary’s grandkids and another friend of Mary’s.  We drove about 200 miles this fine day, sometimes in a very light rain.

Mary dressed for the occasion!

We’re off like a herd of turtles.

We first stopped at Mary’s daughter-in-law’s home.  She was working today, so the “kids” wanted to go with us to lunch.

Steve, Diane, and Megan

Diane is also a doctor and is quite busy!  Steven and Megan were home when we arrived.  We talked for a while and then off we went.  Steven drove separately as he had an appointment at 2:00 pm.   We went to “The Lure,” which is a great seafood restaurant just off Highway 101 in Camarillo.

Lure Fish House is a family-owned restaurant featuring the freshest, sustainably caught seafood from trusted sources.  They always strive to serve locally caught seafood, organically grown local produce, and wines from local vineyards whenever possible.

I went for their cioppino!

After lunch, Steven took off to meet with his Dad, and we took Megan home.  We stopped by the house and then headed to Bonnie’s, just a few miles away!

Bonnie is the daughter of Mary’s college roommate, and they have become excellent friends.

We visited for a couple of hours.  Bonnie has four little ones; the teenager, Joanna, was happy to join in the conversation.

Their home is in a private, gated community where their 1 1/2 acres are teeming with barnyard critters, including 26 chickens!

We departed Bommie’s at 4:00 pm and spent the next two and a half hours fighting the freeway traffic, arriving home around 6:30 pm.  The first thing we did was get into our jammies, grab a glass of wine, and head for the TV room, where we watched a weird series about post-apocalyptic America.

I checked my iPhone before leaving and got a message from our son Joe.  He and the family went to the desert for a few days.  The boys had just been on a safari with Dad, attempting to keep up with them!

The family creates wonderful memories in the desert!

I checked the computer for emails before going to bed and got a message from Brother Zaitz.  He pointed out that he and Mary were on the back cover of the Elkhorn, the monthly magazine of the Santa Ana Elks.

“Yes Mam, Captain, Mam!”

We crashed almost immediately.  Four and a half hours driving in traffic wore us out!

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Today We “Rest”

Posted on Monday, December 29, 2025 by Paul

We did get up early and resume the workout routine we put on hold last week.  We were so busy we couldn’t squeeze in time to exercise.  Najla fixed me up today, and when I was done, I was done!

We returned home soon after, with a quick stop at Starbucks for Mary and Del Taco for me.   We walked into the house, took one look at the place, and decided to sit in the TV room and read.  I had to step outside for a moment because the wind chimes were going crazy in the breeze.  The chimes could have woken the dead!   Wrapping the tubes and clapper with a 24″ piece of rope did the trick!

For some reason, I was tired, so I took a two-hour nap around mid-afternoon, waking up around 5:00 pm, just in time to head to the TV room and watch a movie.

I managed to put together a collage of yesterday’s activities.

Click to visit the website.

We finally hit the hay around 11:00 pm.  We needed our rest because tomorrow is a driving day, and we are visiting people up the coast.

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Today We Adventure To Riverside!

Posted on Sunday, December 28, 2025 by Paul

Today will be another amazing holiday adventure as we visit Robin and Bob, then head to The Mission Inn in Riverside.  We have reservations at Dwight’s Steakhouse inside the Inn, a new but wonderful three-year tradition!

See the website for additional pictures and details.

We met at Robin and Bob’s home at 2:00 pm and had a glass of the bubbly as we perused the decor.

Everything was beautiful!

We wore our dragon (New Year’s) shirts to get in the mood!

Then it was off to Riverside to walk around the antique stores before our 5:00 pm dinner.

Wait until dark, and the lights come on!

Mary made a new friend.

We loved the signs, and this one was emailed to Dianne immediately.

Yes, indeed!!

From the outside, the store looked harmless, but put our ladies inside, and one runs a great chance of going bankrupt!

There should be a warning label outside!

From the junk stores (OOPS!!!  The antique/vintage store), we went to dinner at the Inn at Dwayne’s Seafood and Steakhouse, an elegant venue!

We are now officially hungry, so inside we go!

We were in a small, semi-private room with only four tables, so we could talk without yelling!

It was a delightful setting.

Bob ate a steak the size of Rhode Island (OK, so did I)

A 32 oz bone-in ribeye, it was humongous!

We crawled out of the steakhouse, full to the brim, and managed to stand upright for one last picture before going home.

It was a wonderful evening with family!  We all wished that Joe and Zachary could have been with us, but they are in the desert!

We drove home, arriving about 11:30 pm, and attempted to watch a movie without success.  We gave up and crashed.

Remember to see the website for additional pictures and details.

Mary is an outstanding navigator!!!

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OMG, A Dry Day!

Posted on Saturday, December 27, 2025 by Paul

During our travels today, we noticed how everything was green! The mountain sides were beauriful!

According to the weather report, we will be getting rain two days from now, on Wednesday!  Perhaps the yard will dry out a little before then!  It is so wet that the worms are coming out of the grass wearing life preservers.

Our florist neighbor brought an orchid over for Jeff, and we decided to drive down to Jeff’s new residence and deliver the real potted orchid plants today.  It’s about a 28-minute drive from our house.  He was doing OK, but still not moving around a lot, meaning atrophy is setting in.

Returning home, we just had time to change clothes and go to the OC Mining Company to meet our neighbors, Jim and Doris Peng.  Jim is a retired anesthesiologist, and Doris was head of nursing at Hoge Hospital before retiring.  They are charming people, and whenever we can, we fo donner with them.

The lights in the background belong to the City of Orange!

We arrived at 5:30 pm and stayed until about 7:30 pm, simply enjoying their company.  We had to laugh at Doris, for she ordered a rack of ribs, and when they came out, they DID NOT fit on the rather large plate.  She was a trooper and finished off about half of them.

We, of course, wore matching outfits!

Christmas cocktail shirts.

After dinner, we popped home, which is about 2 miles away, and called Colleen and Robin before going to the TV Room.  Colleen is going to stay with us for about a week in late May/early April to attend her mother’s 80th birthday.  We coordinated with Robin for tomorrow’s visit to Riverside and the Mission Inn.

We both woke up around 11:00 pm and went to bed. It was a busy day!

 

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