Trip to So. Cal ~ Alex's graduation ~ Food

Good 54º morning.

Ahhhh... a wonderful fast and tiring trip to Southern California for my beautiful granddaughter's high school graduation. First Dude and Bruiser went to the kennel where they are so well cared for and loved. Kathy is awesome. Waggin' On Inn   ( http://www.wagginoninnpetresort.com/ ) ... Leaving them there I feel they are safe and well cared for, but coming home to an empty house is not fun! Anyway, dropped them off Sunday and left here Monday morning heading south to Woodland (20 miles north of Sacramento) to Andy and Linda's. Linda had cold wine waiting! She fixed a lovely dinner and we had a great chat. Linda and I left early on Tuesday, headed for Arcadia, CA. Our room was at the Hampton Inn. Nice! Super good free buffet breakfast every morning. That evening we walked across the street to BJ's Brewhouse for dinner. Lucky us, wine normally $6 a glass but the whole bottle was half price for $10. We drank it all~ LOL. Good thing we only had to walk back across the street to the hotel!

http://www.bjsrestaurants.com/locations/ca/arcadia

Wednesday we "toured" ELA. I drove past my old house on Stockbridge, by my old grammar school Sierra Park, past my old high school Woodrow Wilson. Then we went to the Biscailuz Center Range where Jerry was gunsmith/firearms instructor. I worked there as a Reserve. Rico 'Suave' the range Law Enforcement Tech (LET) was there and toured us around the newly remodeled range. Jerry's workbench and the armory are still the same. Then to Carmine's in Arcadia on Live Oak for lunch. This was the original restaurant (Ralph named it after his son). His father owned Angelo's on Valley Blvd in Alhambra, a place we went when in high school for pizza. Ralph expanded and bought Lasorda's (yes, Tommy Lasorda was owner... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Lasorda ) in So. Pasadena on Fair Oaks. Ralph died a couple of years ago and his wife just sold the So. Pas restaurant and now just runs the Arcadia one.

(On the smileboxes when you press "play" bottom left is a box with arrows that will make the pictures full screen. Then press 'Esc' to downsize.) BTW, the handgun in the Smilebox that Rico is holding is not a Baretta... it's a S&W Military and Police model.... Sorry bout that.

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Wednesday evening was Alex's graduation at Santa Anita Race Track. Linda and I got there early and got front row seats! Then after the ceremony we met up with Kristen, Jack, Alex, and some of Alex's dad's family ... in from Palm Springs and Vegas, at Claim Jumper for dinner.

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Thursday Linda and I met up with Jerry's old radio car partner Steve Voors (best man in our wedding) and my high school friend Jon Harting (he and his friend Linda were up here a few years ago when he bought Jerry's old John Deere tractor) and my "drivel pals" Trish Bowler (hubby John retired LASD) and Lydia Plunk (writer) from Diamond Bar, and Judy Duvall (brother retired Reserve LASD) at The Northwoods Inn on Rosemead and Huntington Dr in San Gabriel. ( http://clearmansrestaurants.com/northwoods/ ) for lunch. That evening we met Kristen, Alex, and Jack at The Islands in E. Pasadena on Rosemead/Colorado Blvd. for dinner. Then Alex headed off to Magic Mountain for the all night party.

Linda and I packed our bags, had breakfast, and headed back to Woodland on Friday. Long drive. Traffic accident delayed us almost an hour on I-5 near Patterson. I left Linda and Andy's Saturday at 6am. Lots of road construction. Slow driving. Saw a van stopped on the side of the road and offered a ride to a woman and two little children (ages 6 - 7). She was their grandmother and taking them to her son's home when her car stopped running. Took them to nearest off ramp gas station. Got home at noon after picking up my Dude and Bruiser. Kathy loves Dude so much she said, "you didn't have to pick up Dude, you could have left him here with me." I was exhausted and so happy to be home with my "kids". Great trip.

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All for now. Nuff said. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

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