Let the celebration Begin...

5/9/13  8:30

Addison finished all her finals today - it's over!  Hopefully no professor will decide that she doesn't deserve to graduate - at this time and especially since she's graduating with honors!

Addy called early this afternoon and said she would pick up her mom (Kari) at LAX and then come and pick me up at the RV park; which they did - and we did some last minute shopping for her post graduation ceremony party given by the parents of the four girls who share Addison's house.  We also went out for an early dinner and Pink Berry yogurt for dessert.  Of course there was lots of girl talk about what we're all wearing to which activity .... I haven't had a conversation like this in months and months.  In Mexico it was try to be clean and wearing clean clothes - that's it!

This evening, just as we were returning here, another beautiful sunset presented itself.....

RVs are parked right next to the beach - about a foot off the sand!

On the beach ..... and chocolate too ...

5/9/13 Thursday

Wow!  Those LAX take-offs have no effect on us!  We slept in until 9!  I'm looking forward to all the activities of the coming celebration, but also really really love my alone time.  Once again this morning I'll rearrange Daphne Dolphin because Addison and Kari will be delivering boxes of Addison's belongings to drive home to their house in El Dorado Hills.  This little home away from home has had a lot of reincarnations (well, maybe just readjustments) and she does quite well.  It helps that none of my family is really fussy about where they sleep.  I'll be moving back to the couch tonight - and that's okay by all of us.

Remembering  Latin America .... Chocolate

Several years ago, 2003, I visited the famous Lindt Chocolate company, outside of Geneva, Switzerland with my MBA class from Dominican University.  We were in Switzerland to visit many world famous enterprises, banks and organizations.  Companies like Lindt Chocolate, the World Trade Organization, the International Red Cross, the bank Crédit Suisse, etc.  Upon return home each student was assigned the task of researching and writing a paper regarding one of the businesses we'd visited.  I chose Lindt Chocolate ..... Here's a little history of chocolate - because it relates directly with my time in South and Central America and Mexico:

Chocolate, as we know it, is a processed food that's produced from the seed of the Theobroma cacao tree, a tree that only grows within 17 degrees North and 17 degrees South of the Equator.  [Notice the name, CACAO, not cocoa - more about that later].  There is documentation of its use as far back as 1100 BC.  The majority of the Mesoamerican people (including Aztecs, Maya and Incas) used cacao to make beverages and foods for royalty and religious purposes and many used the beans as a form of currency, used often to pay as a "tribute" to the conquering army of Aztecs, etc.  Unprocessed cacao has an intense bitter flavor - the Aztecs' beverage was called by a Nahuatl word, xocolatl.

When the Spanish Conquistadors invaded South and Central America and Southern Mexico, they returned to Europe with samples of this special food.  The various trusting indigenous peoples offered cacao to the Spaniards as a gift and they, in turn, took the until then unknown bean to their royalty in Spain.  In the highest echelon of society in Spain it became a popular, though not very good tasting drink.  Of course, as word traveled throughout Europe about this exotic new flavor,  many 'recipes' developed that enhanced the flavor for the sophisticated palates of Europeans.  Interestingly, Europeans never really infused cacao / chocolate into their regular diet, but sweetened, fattened and made it into its own food group:  desserts and treats.  

Briton John Cadbury developed an emulsification process by which it could be made into a solid.  Other well-known names in the formation of chocolate as we know it:  Godiva (founded by Belgian Joseph Draps), Ghiradelli (founded in 1838 by Italian Domenico Ghiradelli), Hershey's (founded in 1894 by Milton Hershey), the list goes on .... Chocolate is a highly valuable commodity; companies juggle for positions of excellence in its production and distribution to a whole world of chocolate lovers.

Although it was 'discovered' by the Spaniards, with the help of Meso-americans, two thirds of the world's growth of Theobroma cacao is now centered in Western Africa in Cote d'Ivoire [Ivory Coast].  Oh, yes, what about the name CACAO?  Well, the Conquistadors didn't relish the name Cacao as 'caca' in Spanish refers to 'feces.'   Somebody accidentally misspelled the word just around the same time that it was introduced in the Courts of Spain; thus it became COCOA.

After all the above information, this is a photo I took of unripe Theobroma cacao on a Cacao tree in India in 2009.

A special word to Jorge ....  We have no control over what we FEEL.  Feelings just are.  But, we do have control over what we DO.  So when those negative, closed feelings come to the forefront of our consciousness, if we change how we physically, intellectually and emotionally respond to them, we will change who we are - for the better I think!

Back to "MY" Pacific Ocean

5/8/13     7:56PM

We arrived here at Dockweiler State Beach RV Park at about 2 this afternoon after a nice 144 mile drive from Indio.  What a nice change in temperature - about 75 F (23.8 C) with a nice breeze blowing in from the ocean.  After having driven all over Kingdom Come in Mexico, I have to admit that I was a little worried about driving in LA - with commute traffic.  Well, I needn't have bothered with the concern; traffic was light and my iPhone GPS took us right straight to the RV park.

This morning, before I left Indio, I went to a locksmith to see if he could either make a key or change the deadbolt lock on the side door of the Dolphin so that I could lock it from outside the RV.  When I purchased the rig, the previous owner said he'd never had a key for the deadbolt.  I've been able to set it from the inside but it was darned inconvenient if I wanted to lock the 'kids' in to leave them - I'd have to lock up from the inside then climb into the cab and go out the driver's door.  Also, for some reason, the door handle lock has not been functioning for the last few weeks.  I stopped at a locksmith right near where I stayed last night and he made a new key for the deadbolt and adjusted the door handle lock and they both function perfectly.  Hooray!

When I got fairly close to this beach area I scouted down a Wall-mart to stock up on a few grocery items so I could relax before the excitement of everybody arriving tomorrow and Friday for the big weekend.  Since we've been here we've walked on the beach and I've taken a few photos of the
sunset ...

Beach party and sunset - Playa del Rey

Sun headed for Japan!

Looks like I'll have a real treat tonight - it's dipping down into the 60s now so it should be really comfortable sleeping tonight.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that today is the anniversary of my mom's birthday - she was born on May 8, 1908 - that would make her 105 years old!  When I was growing up her birthday occasionally fell on Mother's Day.  I miss her.  She loved me so much.

California Here I Come .....

5/7/13   Mesa, Arizona to Indio, California

3:45PM
Arrived at India Wells RV Park in Indio this afternoon.  What a nice park.  There's grass around each RV pull-through spot ($29.70 - full hook up).  I'd started to make a reservation last evening but when the guy from Shadow Hills RV Park called me back, he said one night would be $50!  I said I thought that was very high for off-season and he responded that it's still high season!  Well, they're the only place I've talked with that thinks that.  I decided to just drive here and take my chances and see what happened at the first place I stopped!!!

It was an easy drive after I got out of the Phoenix area.  Unfortunately, there was a terrible accident on I-10 West right after I got on - and no possibility of getting off.  The accident included one car completely turned over (yikes) and one car that went off the exit / entrance ramp.  So I was stuck there, going about 1 mile in 30 minutes.  Prayers for the victims of the accident.  After the glitch, it was smooth going.  Unleaded gas in Phoenix area was $3.19 - 3.39 / gallon.  I had to stop at a Mobil station in California - it was $4.14 / gallon.  But when I got here to Indio I bought more for tomorrow and it was $3.54.  California gas prices!!!

Here are a few photos of the day's drive ....

Arizona driving west on I-10 towards California

"California, here I come

Right back where I started from...."

My dad sang that song during the entire trip we drove from the East coast to California in 1947 

and 

I still remember it.......

Sometimes one needs to leave the place he loves most to appreciate it - I'm home for now!

General George S. Patton Memorial Museum

This is the statue that greets visitors to the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco Summit, California - 30 miles east of Indio on I-10.  It was erected in tribute to General Paton on the site of the entrance of Camp Young, part of the Desert Training Center in World War II.  I didn't go into the museum but on the grounds there are a large collection of tanks used in WWII and the Korean War.  Patton didn't spend much time at Camp Young, but his establishment of the training grounds directly impacted more than one million troops.

Patton is depicted with his dog, Willie (for William the Conquerer), a Bull Terrier, who became famous as Patton's faithful friend throughout the last part of WWII.  Patton was known as an animal lover all his life; and had several Bull Terriers throughout his life.

Close up of the statue's depiction of Patton with his also ever present binoculars during his desert battles against Erwin Rommel

I've always been interested in the fact that these two military men, although fighting desperately against one another - also held each other in high esteem for his prowess.  I think I'm about ready to read
"Patton and Rommel:  Men of War in the Twentieth Century," by Dennis Showalter

Mesa, Arizona Sunset

7:20PM  5/6/13

Last evening in Apache Palms RV Park in Mesa, Arizona.  Will leave tomorrow AM for Indio, CA or thereabouts.  I emailed about a reservation in Indio but when the man returned my call he said that the site would be $50 for one night - a little steep I'd say, especially for May.  I declined and said I'd check out some other RV Parks.  I'm thinking I won't bother with a reservation but just drive in to Indio and hope my luck holds out.  Other parks advertise $36/night.  And, I really don't think they'll be very full; about 3/4 of the rigs that were in this park left today.  Weekdays shouldn't be busy while schools are still in session - and this is desert country practically all the way to Playa del Rey.

Here're a couple of sunset pix taken just a few minutes ago.....

 Today was a beautiful day - not too hot - about 84 degrees - no high winds but a nice breeze.  There are some clouds with a possibility for rain within the next couple of days.  Remember that in this desert clime, July and August are the big rain months of the year; whereas in Northern CA we'd be pretty surprised with any rain from May or June until about November.

Taken looking west from the RV.  See the airplane below the clouds?  I've seen lots of air traffic heading in and out of Sky Harbor Airport - but there's certainly not much noise.  Yeah!

More Mesa with Betsy .... and memories of a talented daughter!

8:40AM

Tried to talk with George this morning but our calls kept being dropped - will try again later.  Also called Kari to see how she did in the triathlon yesterday - she'll call me back.  So, at this point I don't know nothin' about nobody!!!

Oh, she just called - and of course, is so busy she couldn't talk much but it sounds like she did well and will call me back later to give me details.  Kari is my "SUPER WOMAN" daughter who was never really interested in sports and / or traditional exercise as a kid; but, after birthing triplets 13 years ago, found that she loved swimming daily laps in their health center pool.  [This was to get exercise, and, maybe more importantly to her sanity, she realized that nobody could talk to her - there was such quiet serenity - while she was swimming - noise and confusion are ever present in the life of a triplet mom].

Well, she started swimming a few laps a day, gradually increasing to maybe 45 minutes or an hour of straight swimming.  She was regaining a level of fitness both physically and mentally.  Then, David bought her a bicycle, as he thought that would be another way for her to get off by herself or with friends and exercise.  Well, my daughter, whose choice of exercise had been cheerleading (nothing wrong with that) found that, not only did she enjoy swimming and biking, but she has incredible endurance and loves just about every minute of it.  Well, fast forward a few years .... In August of 2009 she completed her first Ironman in Louisville, Kentucky ..... with more than 20 members of her family and friends cheering her on.  I'll never forget the excitement and wonder I personally felt when she crossed the finish line (I believe it was in under 15 hours) at about 9:45 that evening.  She was crying tears of joy and self-fulfillment as were all of her supporters.

I remember I asked, "Kari, how do you feel?" through my tears of pride; her response was, "Oh, I'm a little tired but I feel great!"  Incredible!!!  She didn't have any untoward effects of that long day of WORK - no blisters, blackened toenails that are very common after so much footwork, or even really sore muscles.  She's a natural!

Now, four years after that first go, she's done all kinds of endurance events - including the Markleeville Death Ride  http://www.deathride.com/.  She owns Epic Tri Club http://www.epictri.com/ in El Dorado Hills, California and is currently, among other things, searching for young athlete to become an Olympian triathlon contender.

I couldn't be more proud of her as an athlete - but that doesn't compare to the esteem I hold her in as a woman, a wife, a mother and a member of the community.

 This is Kari the day before the Ironman in Louisville

Proud Mamas - Betsy, David's mom, Kari and MP - evening before the event!

[I'm currently spending a few days visiting Sam and Betsy here in Arizona]

And here's part of the cheering section with Kari right after she finished.  I didn't mention earlier that the triplets were her 4th, 5th and 6th children!!!!  Mother of six - what an accomplishment!

4:00PM

Betsy (Kari's mom-in-law) just brought me 'home' to the RV park after having taken me to lunch with some of her school teacher buddies - all of whom have now retired and meet once a month for lunch.  I enjoyed putting faces with the stories I've heard about some of them throughout the years.

Now it's time to get organized to take off tomorrow morning for Indio where I'll spend the night tomorrow and then head on to Playa del Rey for the weekend festivities.  After all the shopping with Betsy I feel like I have some decent choices of what to wear to the various graduation functions.  My RV wardrobe is a little lacking in appropriate attire for a university graduation ceremony and parties.  And, thank you God, I am losing a little of the 20 pounds I've put on in the two years; so, it's nice to look at pants that aren't in the "two ton Tilly department."

Also, it's really a treat to go into an American department store - it'd been quite a while.

Sunday Morning - Mesa, Arizona - Cinco de Mayo

5/5  Happy Cinco de Mayo to all

10:45AM
Just got off the phone after a long long conversation with my friend, George.  We met a couple of months ago at Hacienda Contreras in Valle de Juarez, Jalisco, Mexico - and have since become great buddies with lots in common.  We seem to be able to begin a conversation - and then PRESTO, two hours have gone by with nary a lull.
George will be traveling to California early next month, but unfortunately we won't be able to connect. Oh, well, we'll just continue as we are - email, blogpost and phone friends - we seem to crunch an awfully large amount of information exchange in our phone and email conversations.

I also just received an email from a high school friend of mine - I've reconnected with several girlfriends from high school - wow - over 50 years ago - after not having seen or communicated with them for 50 years!  When my HS reunion occurred a couple of years ago, I decided to drive from Roseville to San Jose to attend, knowing full well that nobody would remember me!  RUBBISH!  As I entered the conference room of the hotel where the luncheon was being held, I heard, "Hey, Ryan [maiden name], how're ya' doin'?"  It was like a time warp - I was Ryan and they were Gorman, Jackson, Kayser, Byrnes, etc., etc.  I 'knew' each one instantly and they felt the same about me!

It appears that, as time goes by, everything and everybody changes AND everything and everybody remains the same!  I am really pleased and am enjoying how, as I get older, I continue to learn so many new things - and I can revisit old experiences with a new perspective.  That's how I feel about rekindling my friends from my teen-aged years.  Certainly we'll all led different lives, had different education, experiences, families, etc.  But, within, we not only recognize one another, but can kind of pick up from where we left off - AND we can do it with the acceptance of the differences as well as the similarities we share.

10PM
Enjoyed another day of galavanting throughout two or three malls with Betsy, the mother of my son-in-law, David.  We commented today to one of the sales ladies we spoke with, that mother's-in-law are really not supposed to 'get along;' you know the mother of the wife (Kari) thinks the son-in-law (David) is not good enough for her daughter and the mother (Betsy) of the son-in-law feels the same about the daughter-in-law (Kari).  Well, in our case that just IS NOT TRUE.  We each hold the offspring of the other in high esteem - wow, that feels good.  I feel so blessed to really really love my children's chosen partners.  My oldest son, Jeff, has been very happily with Alice for over 30 years now!  And my daughter, Kari, and David have been married for going on 23 years.  Now, youngest son, Spencer, my world traveling vagabond is showing signs of having a lovely partner whom I haven't yet met.  But, I feel in my bones that she will be a wonderful addition to the menagerie - if that should come to pass.  I do hope to meet her sometime this year.  Spencer and Rachel are currently in Berlin; my understanding is that she's from Paris.  Who knows where or if they might settle down!

Spencer has always 'marched to a different drummer;' he decided very early in his life that he neither wanted to work for anybody else nor work a routine 8-5 job.  He's been very successful at avoiding either of those conditions.  I believe 2013 may be about his 12th year of continuous travel.  Earlier in this odyssey, he kind of used Bogota, Colombia as his base of operations.  In recent years that's not been the case; 2012 -13 has seen him spending , I think, most time in Germany - Hmmm, a woman?!
I am proud of all my kids and I support how they choose to live their lives.  I wish I could see them more often, but we all seem to refuse to change our individual adventurous ways; so, we do the best we can with what we've got!

I am so looking forward to seeing Jeff and Kari and their families - all of whom will be at Addison's graduation next week.  I only wish Spencer could be there too - Who knows?  He could surprise us!!!!

My then husband, John, and I agreed years ago - and I still believe it was the right decision for our family - that we wanted our children to become strong and independent people.  And, that's just what they've done.  Each of the three lives life differently that the other two; but each is doing well in his / her own way and is happy with the choices s/he has made.  I didn't mention that also attending the graduation will be all eight of my wonderful grandchildren - I am so lucky, blessed, happy, content .....