Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa

It is July 1, 2018 as I finally sit down to publish an update to our adventures. I humbly and sincerely apologize for taking so long.

We left you, stopped publishing, after touring the California State Capitol in Sacramento. We traveled to our home near Monterey on the coast and our two kids were busy. Our daughter was in her 6th month of a very high risk pregnancy and living in a studio apartment at the bottom of our hill. Our son and his girlfriend occupied our bedroom and had our other bedrooms booked solid through Airbnb for many months. We looked around for where to sleep and discovered the pain of being a renter on the California coast. I refuse, especially when I own two places. $2500 a month, in 10 months is $25,000 I am giving to someone for an “okay” place to live. I just can’t. Edie and I went shopping and found a nice used 5th wheel which we parked behind the house.

31 feet long. Queen bed, bathroom with shower, toilet, sink and cabinets. Living, dining area with a full kitchen. Lots of storage. I hooked up the water and satellite, put a TV in the bedroom and we were very comfortable.

Bought a fifth wheel to park behind the house. Our son has our place booked solid with Airbnb guests for the foreseeable future. Great income which we split. We have our own kitchen and actually liked living here until our son and his girlfriend moved to Las Vegas. It is now our overflow guest house when company comes.

The fifth wheel worked out great and we were close to our daughter and could cook for her and help her to appointments and getting her and her place ready for a little boy. We hope she was reassured and comforted with our presence and help. Great fun with Aaron and Arla (son and girlfriend) and the stream of interesting and fun Airbnb guests.

The next months we spent on the house and our daughter (Lex). Fire has taken on a new meaning in California, a new normal. The field and hill had gotten quite high with bushy weeds. Lots and lots of weed whacking for me. I ended up buying a metal blade to get at it all. August was on us before we knew it.

Our girl going into the hospital for her scheduled C-Section.

Lex ready, with pretty woman in the mirror.

Our wonderful Dr Jones – who delivered our miracle baby.

Getting cleaned up. Lex has an unusual, even rare. condition in her uterus, which is why birth control failed and it resulted in Sebastian being confined to half the normal area to develop and grow. It was tight for the whole 9 months.

Lex on the operating table, Sebastian fresh out, pretty woman in the thick of it.

Born 8 lbs 3 ozs but has the lungs of a premie. Off to the Neonatal ICU for breathing treatments.

Skin to skin time, very important in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

We brought home things for the dog to smell so the new boy would be familiar.

Looks like mean Uncle Aaron’s work again.

After 5 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sebastian is breathing and eating normally and they finally get to go home.

The women must play, poor little guy. A very hungry caterpillar.

Born August 10, makes him a Leo, so of course, we must get a lion outfit and picture.

The Lion Boy will grow to get his revenge.

Pretty woman reliving her youth, and loving her grandson.

Lex hardly let us hold him. She was it 24/7 and wanted it that way. He was over 2 months old before she left him with us and ran a 20 minute errand. Pretty woman’s sister was RVing in the central valley a few hours away and we went to show off our little boy.

Sebastian wakes to meet Great Aunt Sharon.

Great Uncle Pat may have lost his touch a little bit. Though in Pat’s defense, that little boy was so crowded for 9 months, this was often his default position: arms and legs stretched out.

It was hot that day and we moved inside to the AC on the RV. Proud mom assisting Sebastian in getting lots of sleep, intermingled with eating.

He is a pretty mellow fellow.

This guy gets comfortable anywhere. He is a very chill baby, except for when he isn’t.

Edie and I made a quick run up to Oregon to see family.

Portland with great niece Ashley and her boyfriend Zak. Good fun, good food and wonderful people.

Then we made a quick flight to Las Vegas to help the kids find an apartment. We found a really nice one in a great location in Henderson.

A quick flight from Monterey to Las Vegas on Allegiant. Yikes!! Only 2 delays for mechanical problems.

Mini kitchen. No stove or oven and a half fridge.

A week at the Tahiti Village in Las Vegas. My spot.

Lazy river was closed, I was glad, still a little chilly.

From Henderson, there are great views of the Las Vegas skyline.

We saw the apartment first. The kids agreed and the manager sent them the paperwork.

View from Aaron and Arla’s apartment patio.

Aaron has always been, “The Boy.” Sebastian is now the new, “The Boy.”

They make the cutest blankets now. There is a little fox stuffed animal that goes with it.

Allison got married to Kyle. Allison is Lex’s best friend from the fourth grade. They got married on the family ranch.

Mean Uncle Aaron wants him to look like an Airbender and put tape on his head..

A quick get away to the Worldmark in San Francisco.

He does a lot of tummy time. His neck, shoulders, arms and back are going to be very strong.

Lex looks amazingly like her son, even though we think he got most of his facial characteristics from his Dad.

In June we were able to meet John and Beth in San Francisco at an event we never knew about. It is called, “Off the Grid” and it is a gathering of food trucks from the greater bay area. Some really great food.

Our 3 story Travelodge with 10 parking spaces. Once you park, you don’t move.

The room was compact, clean and comfortable.

Don’t really need AC in SF, but the fan is a nice white noise.

Walking to meet John and Beth. Sign says “since 1941.” I believe it. looks like a WWII era place.

There is a genteel quality to parts of San Francisco.

We are on the grounds of the old Fort Mason.

Leave it to Beth to know where to eat in our backyard.

So good to see John and Beth arriving. It is fun meeting them in different spots in the US.

The sauce is so rich and subtle, savory and light. Everything was perfectly new and delicious. Beth generously gave me a bit, I went and got my own and did not want to share at all. Nepalese food, if ever you get a chance.

My personal favorite of the evening and a great new discovery. Nepalese food!

I just do not remember, but looking at it I want to eat it. We were enjoying John and Beth and did not take proper notes.

A burrito thing. We should be fired as food reporters.

Food trucks from every corner of the City.

We were joined by David and Alex enjoying a father/son trip from the East coast. Alex got to see his Dad be a speaker at a conference.

Dogs are allowed and looks like they get a little of the food

David, Alex, Beth and John enjoying some food.

In November we took a trip to China and brought Aaron and Arla as their birthday and Christmas presents.

There are enough trips to the great wall, we are there.

The Pan Pacific is my personal favorite hotel in all of China, with the grounds and the park next door.

Lingering gardens, a wealthy man’s retreat.

It has survived centuries as a treasured place.

I guess the wealthy build what everybody wants in their culture, then builds walls to keep them out.

The odds were greatly against running into our guide from the year before. So fun seeing him again.

The grounds are huge and we used these trams to get from place to place.

Pretty woman getting ready for the giant lotus to open.

Then, another over the top water fountain show.

It was so much fun traveling with the kids.

More history than you can shake a stick at.

Mag Lev time with new friends from Georgia.

Kids having fun, I stayed home as my leg was bothering me.

Taking the subway home from Disney, fellow travelers went with pretty woman and Aaron and Arla to Disney.

Pretty woman and a fellow traveler discovered that they had identical sunglasses from the Dollar Tree.

Summer Palace. I was mobbed by a group of college kids wanting a picture with me, then a group of grade school girls, each wanting a selfie. I tried to explain that I was not actually Santa Claus, they just smiled and kept forming a line for pictures. My face hurt from posing with a smile.

Aaron is so paranoid, Maybe Arla too. Look at the grumpy stares. We are taking the subway in Shanghai.

Fantastic wood carving…everything in China is so over the top, Texas on steroids.

There was a set up for a wedding at our resort, it was very elaborate.

We contemplated trying to crash it. The language thing, only Aaron spoke any Chinese, what relative to claim, oh well, not in the cards.

December was on us.

We are all just crazy about this little guy.

Christmas time in Gilroy at the Gardens.

As January approached Aaron and Arla prepared for the move. Helped me with a few things too.

What my beloved son won’t do for me. Aaron on a step stool with Arla on his shoulders trying to get a box for me from the attic. What could go wrong?

The Toyota pickup loaded pretty good the night before.

Las Vegas skyline in the background from their patio.

The queen sized memory foam mattress in their other vehicle. Got a mattress bag, used a shop vac, shrunk it down to thin. Folded it and put in two contractor garbage bags, then taped and taped again. Made it just fine.

They have a washer and dryer in the apartment. Big quality of life benefit.

At home pretty quickly. Internet, no cable TV.

Brand new and they are the first tenants.

I flew back home and we come every other month or so to see the kids. Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

Socks on hands to make him stop scratching himself.

Lex has found work close. Pretty woman and I provide day care when Sebastian’s father does not have him. Aaron and Arla are doing well in Las Vegas. I have weed whacked the hill five times this year and it needs it again. We are all well and hope that all of you are well. We plan to keep the website up for a time and publish our modest little adventures as they come along. Off to Victoria for the Splash. Hope you are all doing great.