Tom and I completed our packing for the drive to Orange County. Youngest granddaughter, Emily Bernstein, is graduating from Chapman University. We left Williams around 11:00 a.m. We had an overnight scheduled in Barstow at the Rodeway Inn & Suites. We had a wonderful dinner at Idle Spurs Steakhouse. Tom and I shared a 16 ounce prime rib dinner. Yummy!
Friday morning, we leisurely got ready to head further south to Orange County. We had reservations at the Meridian Inn & Suites in Orange. It is a Best Western Plus motel. I stayed there June 2016, when I attended a Celebration of Life dinner for my cousin Bill Boggs.
Emily's college graduation activities started at 7:00 p.m. Friday night, with the Invocation Ceremony at Chapman University. It was a very nice event with the Bernstein family.
After the event, we all met back at the Bernstein Airbnb for munchies and adult beverages.
The next day was Emily's graduation. Her degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. She also earned a minor in Political Science. She graduated with high honors, summa cum laude. The entire Ebbert/Bernstein family is so proud of Emily!
Richard's daughter, Donna, lovingly made a graduation quilt for daughter Emily. Personal messages from family and friends were made into patches and sewn into the fabric.
We all met again at 6:00 pm for a Graduation Dinner celebration at Orange County Mining Company Restaurant. What a fun way to celebrate my birthday #66!
Tom had an idea that we should extend my birthday celebration past May 19. So on Sunday, we checked out of the motel and began driving south on Pacific Coast Highway. It was a cloudy day, but a nice trip through Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and San Clemente. While we were in Oceanside, we saw the Oceanside Marina Inn & Suites property --- facing the marina and on the water.
I got on my TripAdvisor phone app and booked a room for two nights. Check-in was an hour or two later, so we had a light picnic lunch at the marina.
There was a glitch when we checked in. The room type we booked was not available. So, they upgraded us at no charge for a premium suite. Nice view!
For dinner, we drove about ten minutes to Oceanside Harbor Village and we had Steamed Mussels, Oysters Rockefeller, and french fries for dinner at the Lighthouse Oyster Bar and Grill. It was delicious! After dinner, we stopped by an ice cream shop and each had a two-scoop cup of ice cream.
That night, I was on the computer checking in with the dogs. Their Cinder Hills Kennel has a plastic pool for the dogs to enjoy. Libby likes water, but Ramsey thought the pool was a very large water dish.
The next morning, we had a HUGE breakfast at Stratford at the Harbor. Tom had chicken fried steak, eggs, and homemade sausage gravy. He was in heaven! We had enough left over to make a second breakfast the next morning. Tom dropped me off at the end of the harbor, and I walked back to our hotel.
Monday, we decided to take a drive further south. In Carlsbad, we found a great parking spot at a State Park and walked to see the ocean. The sun was shining for an half-hour!
We turned around and began our drive back up to Oceanside. We had lunch at Ruby's Diner at the end of the Oceanside Pier. The Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the west coast.
In the evening, we went back to the Oceanside Harbor Village and had a light dinner at Rockin' Baja Lobster Coastal Cantina. With the meal, Tom had a Moscow Mule and I had a refreshing Sangria!
Tuesday morning, it was time to head toward Phoenix. Tom, with his love of back roads, orchestrated a trip through San Diego county and Borrego Springs. Our Thousand Trails and pickleball friends, Linda and Rick Brockie, just bought a modular home in a golf course community in Borrego Springs. So, we dropped by to see them and their new home. It was a short, but fun visit.
Their new home is right on one of the two golf courses!
We arrived in Mesa, Arizona, at about 4:30 p.m. I had made reservations for the night at the Sleep Inn at the Superstition Springs Center. Tom had an early morning imaging appointment in Gilbert. His Flagstaff Urologist scheduled the procedure several weeks ago.
The Cheesecake Factory was a few minutes away. Those restaurants are always a good dining experience!
While Tom was having his medical procedure in Gilbert, I drove over to the Mesa Camping World. The project of having my travel trailer front re-painted was still being worked on. The manufacturer, Forest River, was going to pay for the re-painting, but not at the price quoted in Flagstaff. So, the Camping World in Mesa has the facility to do the job. I met with the Mesa Service Adviser, Cheri. Once the new decals have arrived, I will take my trailer there.
Tom and I left the Phoenix area at around 3:30 p.m. The highways out of town were clear and the GPS directed us back to Williams through Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. We stopped to have an early dinner at a local favorite in Dewey --- Leff-T's Steakhouse.& Grill.
We arrived home about 7 p.m. All was in order.
The next morning, Tom and I drove to Cinder Hills Kennel to pick-up the dogs. Ramsey, Libby, and Kelsey were ready to come home. They were each brought out separately. Hi Libby!
For three years, I have purchased an annual pass for Bearizona, the Williams Wild Animal Park. In those years, I have never taken The Wild Ride, an open-air bus tour of the drive-thru part of the park. I decided to take the bus tour on my own --- just to see what it was like. Excellent! I learned so much more about the park and the animals and the driver was entertaining. Add that to the next set of visitors coming to my area!
The other two new things in Bearizona were some recently born Big Horn Sheep babies and the opening of the new Reindeer exhibit.
Friday was an errand day in Flagstaff. Tom had an appointment with this ophthalmologist and I went to Safeway to cash in on some Monopoly coupons.
Saturday was the Memorial Day Weekend tour of the Big Yellow House in Williams. This is a historic home that has been renovated and turned into a vacation rental. Twice a year, it is open to the public for tours. I decided that it was time to see the interior and learn about its history.
Owner, Kerry-Lynn, was the guide. The house was beautifully renovated and has four lovely bedrooms.
Sunday afternoon, friends Honoria Vivell and her husband Richard Petrie, arrived for a two-night visit. Honoria and Richard were completing a ten day road trip from Southern California to Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Kanab, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and Williams. Honoria and I have known each other since 1984 --- both working at Union Bank.
Sunday, we had breakfast and headed to Bearizona Wild Animal Park. And yes, we took The Wild Ride bus tour!
Canyonlands Restaurant on the Bearizona property was a great place to have lunch. Cheers!
After lunch, Honoria and Richard wanted to stroll Route 66 and the shops in Williams. Richard wanted to find a nice big silver buckle. He succeeded in finding that buckle and a black belt. The western shop also had some nice native American jewelry. Richard, Honoria, and I each bought a hand-crafted ring. Here is mine!
For fifteen years, I have been wearing a Black Hills silver ring that I purchased at Zion Lodge. It was time for some opals, fire opals, turquoise, and a few diamonds.
Over dinner Monday night, we started talking about Union Bank. Richard also worked for Union Bank in San Diego in the mid 1980s. He brought up a name that I knew --- Joseph Otting --- and mentioned that he is now Comptroller of the Currency under President Trump! Joseph was a Union Banker and he was one of my sponsors needed to get into the Jonathan Club. I called the Jonathan Club, got his personal email, and sent him a hello and congratulatory note. Voila! A day later, Joseph responded and forwarded this photo. Joseph is the one with the red tie. Fun!
The Buffalo Fence Company sent me a quote to fix/replace my 120 foot back fence. It was for $3, 250! They wanted to replace the entire fence and I would be responsible for having it repainted. With that, I decided to look elsewhere and get some other quotes. I just didn't think that the privacy fence had to be replaced in its entirety. So, local handyman Ron Cook and his associate Leon dropped by my home. They looked at the situation and agreed that the fence could be repaired --- using an H fixture and cementing nine of the old posts.
Later that day, I had a 90 minute massage with Natanya of God's Healing Hands in Williams. I'm not great at taking selfies, but the massage was wonderful!