SoCal is SoUnusual. (This from the chick using a coffee canister to hold her spatulas)

We arrived in Yuma, a final stop in AZ before crossing into CA, to one happy surprise (The Goodmans! With wine!), and one unhappy one. The piece of Polish pottery I’d been using as a utensil caddy for ten years had taken a leap out of its storage cabinet en route, and it did not survive. Nothing like finding wooden spoons, spatulas and the ice cream scoop strewn across the kitchen and dining areas. I started to place the remains of my crockery in a plastic coffee canister we were about to discard, and realized… I’d found a temporary, not to mention unbreakable, solution.

We hit a bump. And by "we," I mean "I." And by "hit a bump," I mean "failed to negotiate a curb correctly, and drove the RV tires over it."
We hit a bump.
And by we, I mean I.
And by “hit a bump,” I mean “failed to negotiate a curve correctly, and drove the RV over the curb.” That tends to cause a certain amount of… upheaval.
This is the utensil caddy in our younger son's apartment, so I guess now it's a family tradition?  Also, never send your husband into Walmart to buy a utensil caddy. Especially if you tell him it's for spatulas and big spoons, and "kind of like a big cup."
This is the utensil caddy in our younger son’s apartment, so I guess now it’s a family tradition?
Also, never send your husband into Walmart to buy a utensil caddy. Especially if you tell him it’s for spatulas and big spoons, and “kind of like a big cup.”
These two, Joel & Louise, are family friends and RV travel experts who inspired our own decision to take up this lifestyle, so imagine our delight to find out they were parked in Yuma right as we were passing through, and they had a space for us with hookups!
These two, Joel & Louise, are family friends and RV travel experts who inspired our own decision to take up this lifestyle, so imagine our delight to find out they were parked in Yuma at the same time we were passing through, and they had a space for us — with hookups!

Next stop, California. We didn’t realize we had so many people here! We’ll need to come back through to hug all the ones we missed on this trip.

Also, we remembered — twenty years after being stationed in Monterey — that it’s kind of weird here. Most of the time it’s a rather wonderful and benign weirdness, but sometimes it’s a bit frustrating. “That is Very California” is our new catch phrase.

Very California, exhibit A It's difficult to see, but this guy is taking his two dogs for a golf cart.
Very California, exhibit A
It’s difficult to see, but this guy is taking his two dogs for a golf cart.
Very California, exhibit B
Very California, exhibit B
Very California, exhibit C
Very California, exhibit C
And we are going all the way from the southern border to the northern border.  Thanks, CA.  Whee.
Very California, exhibit D: We are driving all the way from the southern border to the northern border.
Thanks, CA.
Whee.
Escondido meet-up: Rohrer family friend, Ellie, fed us a a beautiful, healthy and delicious dinner, and let us do laundry too!
Escondido meet-up: Rohrer family friend, Ellie, fed us a a beautiful, healthy and delicious dinner, and let us do laundry too!
San Marcos meet-up: two of my Navy wife "sisters", Rachel and Paula, for coffee and catching up.  We've got five sons between us, all of whom attended Larchmont Elementary School in Norfolk, VA.
San Marcos meet-up: two of my Navy wife “sisters”, Rachel and Paula, met me for coffee and catching up.
We’ve got five sons between us, all of whom attended Larchmont Elementary School in Norfolk, VA.
Newport Beach meet-up: We spent this afternoon and evening with our friend, Robert, who was Tim's roommate at Oregon State.
Newport Beach meet-up: We spent this afternoon and evening with our friend, Robert, who was Tim’s roommate at Oregon State.
Arriving at the ferry landing was a bit of a GPS surprise, but not an unpleasant one. Being told the BFT is too FB to board, and having to make an 18-point turn to get out of the ferry line? That made it unpleasant.
Arriving at the ferry landing was a bit of a GPS surprise, but not an unpleasant one.
Being told the BFT is too FB to board, and having to make an 18-point turn in a dually to get out of the ferry line? That made it unpleasant.

 

Balboa Ferry selfie with Robert
So we went on as foot passengers. Ha! Showed them!

IMG_3721

IMG_3723

We read that Balboa Bars are a must-have when visiting Newport Beach.  So we did.  Before dinner. No regrets!
We read that Balboa Bars are a must-eat when visiting Newport Beach.
So we did.
Before dinner.
No regrets!
Not a cheap place to live, Newport Beach.
Not a cheap place to live, Newport Beach.
Beautiful Balboa
Beautiful Balboa (The beach, not the bird. I don’t know if the bird even has a name.)
Landmark of the Balboa Fun Zone, rather like a west coast Coney Island
Landmark of the Balboa Fun Zone, rather like a west coast Coney Island
Balboa Village
Balboa Village

Next stops: central and northern CA, where we’ll meet up with some cousins and watch the weather in the mountain passes, to figure out when best to traverse Oregon.

4 thoughts on “SoCal is SoUnusual. (This from the chick using a coffee canister to hold her spatulas)

  1. Uh…You have a LOT of nerve coming up with an “only in California” mantra, considering the state you left. And, yes, we are weird, but we also vote Democratic in large numbers. Also, your GPS needs to have a little talking-to.

    1. Heh. We are also from California, having lived in Monterey from 1994-1996, so we get a say. Hell, one kid was born here, and the other conceived here, so CA is in my children’s blood! We claim all our crazy states, and one US territory. Made us who we are.

    1. Hi Jenny! We are 46 and 49, and we made this decision a little less than a year ago. So far so good, but we’ve found that retiring early means not many of our friends can come out and play yet, as they’re still juggling jobs and kids. Trade-offs…

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