The Big Game

It was exciting to attend the big game as Stanford hosted the Oregon Ducks in a showdown of undefeated and highly ranked PAC 12 football squads.  Andrew Luck and the Cardinal were taking on an electric scoring machine from Eugene.  We had mixed emotions as brother Rich had attended Stanford and started as a defensive back in the early 70's.  Daughter Cass and her husband, Ross, had both attended Oregon.  Our friends, the Timboes, traveled with us as we met up with Rich and Peggy in Palo Alto for a weekend of fun.  A highlight of the weekend was attending Stanford's football alumni barbeque adjacent to the stadium prior to the game.  We chatted with three notable former Stanford players who starred in the NFL (see pictures of Greg Sampson, Jim Plunkett, and Jeff Siemen).  The game, itself, saw more than 70 total points scored with Oregon coming out on top.  I'm sure we'll attend more games in the future.

Oregon

Bob and Toni Bowers left the local area decades ago and settled in Southern Oregon.  Despite the distance gap, we've remained close friends for all these years.  Over the years, we've traveled to their home(s) for many visits as our kids were growing up.  Now, as empty nested retirees, our visits are much more relaxed.  The general motto is "easy does it."  On this latest trip, highlights included watching the Canadian geese take off from the lake in the late afternoon during happy hour, shopping for antiques with intermittent bar visits in Grants Pass, watching evening movies while munching on popcorn, visiting with the Gmurs over dinner, etc.  One highlight was driving to Union Creek for a walk in the woods among the fall colors and then eating at Becky's, the wonderful restaurant we've visited over the years.  Our time at the Bowers' home in Central Point was sandwiched between two nights at the Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls and three nights at the Kon Tiki Inn in Pismo Beach.  We loved our ten days of fun, relaxation, laughter, and good times.

Montana Road Trip

Our nephew, Parker Berberet, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers organization after his fine career at Oregon State.  He immediately reported to his minor league ball team in Helena, Montana, which gave Gailee and I a wonderful reason to take a road trip.  Twenty-five hours after leaving home, we arrived in Helena and enjoyed watching Parker play in two home games.  Then it was off to the West Yellowstone area to stay three nights at the Campfire Lodge on the Madison River, a rustic fishing village we've enjoyed over thirty years.  Each morning, we dined at the cafe on the river, watching a magnificent osprey fly over searching for a meal.  The fishing was the best ever!  I caught my limit including my second largerst trout ever, a rainbow just short of 20 inches!  Gail spent most of her time on the river bank reading, sketching, and painting.  Then it was down to watch Parker's Brewers play back-to-back evening games in Ogden and Orem, Utah.  We joined Glen, Anna, and Cathy to cheer on Parker, who hit a home run and a triple on our final evening before facing the long journey home.  Linking baseball and fishing in Montana makes for a great vacation, enhanced when Parker is swinging a hot bat and the big fish are hungry and biting!

Fishing for Trout

Ryan, Gailee, and I took a three-day trout fishing trip.  We started in the Mammoth area, fishing a stream near Bridgeport.  Ryan caught his biggest trout ever at Honeymoon Flats, a stretch of water we have visited before.   The next morning, we were off to the Yosemite Park area, meeting Rich and Peggy at Tioga Lake.  Rich enjoyed the "home field advantage" and caught his limit, mainly using "Wooly Bugger" flies.  Ryan and I also caught enough trout to make the day a success.  Peggy treated us to a nice picnic lunch.  We then drove to Rich and Peg's home in Mariposa.  Rich, Ryan, and I enjoyed martinis, beers, and cigars out on the deck.   Peggy, the master cook, prepared a wonderful salmon dinner.  We look forward to future fishing trips!

Crystal Cove Cottage

Gail was rewarded after 18 month's efforts to secure a "primo" rental at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach.  Her determination resulted in securing a cottage on the beach for four days and three nights through the California State Parks System.   Ross collected "beach glass", the grandkids attended a science class, the Berberets from Yorba Linda and from Fallbrook visited, the wine flowed, and a varied and extensive stockpile of food, much from Cassie's garden, was consumed.  The only way to access this cabin is to have someone in the party designated as "handicapped."  Gail's mother, Cathy, is willing to rent herself out for future trips for anyone needing someone so designated.

Day at the Beach

Unlike previous years when Gail and I were working, we had no plans for the last day of school and were happy to take Camille and Mason for the day while Cassie finished off her year.  What better place to spend the day than at the beach, in this case, Huntington Beach.  We rented a surrey and took it for a ride, walked the pier, bought necklaces at the open air market, dined at McDonald's, and returned home for a swim and some popsicles.  What a day!

Central Coast of California

Gail reserved a rustic cabin on the Big Sur River at Ripplewood.  We left early on a Monday morning at 5:00 am, beating the LA traffic as is our usual custom.  Making good time on Highway 101, we were in Monterey in time for lunch on Fisherman's Wharf.  We took time to walk the town before heading south down the coast on Highway 1.  Our time in Big Sur was spent horseback riding, visiting state parks, and spending plenty of time at the cabin.  Wild animals we observed included otters, sea lions, tons of Blue Jays, wild turkeys, and a deer.  We departed Big Sur and headed to Pismo Beach for a couple of days, getting in plenty of walking along the beach.  We ventured to Cayukas and Morro Bay while there and hit one of our favorite spots on the way home, the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company on the pier for lobster tacos.

Washington D.C./Boston

In our most ambitious trip since we retired, Gailee and I embarked on an eleven day trip to Washington D.C. and Boston with our good friends, Bob and Toni Bowers.  We lucked out by getting adjoining rooms at the Westin, Georgetown.  We kept a busy schedule over the next five days in D.C. visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonians, the Washington Monument, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon (Washington's home), and the National Archives.  Prior to our trip, my mother arranged tours of the Congressional Library, the Capitol Building, and the White House through her congressional contact in Congress, Representative Richardson.  We attended a live musical (Liberty Smith) at Ford's Theater, sitting not far from Abraham Lincoln's shrine.  The restaurants were excellent including Rugby, Glory, Ebbit's and Grille Fish with the most popular beer consumed being "Blue Moon."  A highlight was taking a boat cruise up the Potomac from Alexandria, Virginia, to Georgetown.  After five nights, we flew to Logan Airport in Boston and took up residence in adjacent rooms on the 27th floor of the Boston Sheraton overlooking the Charles River!  We purchased two-day tickets on the trolley, which got us around the city.  Our itinerary included walking the Freedom Trail through Boston while observing historical landmarks.  We found our way to the Paul Revere's House and a nearby Italian restaurant (Ristorante Euno), where we enjoyed perhaps the best meal of the trip.  The also took a harbor cruise and a tour of "The U.S. Constitution" aka "Old Ironsides."  More culture awaited us at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Public Library.  Fearing becoming overly cultured, we took in a baseball game at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers.  Favorite Restaurants in the area included Legal Seafood, The Bell in Hand (Boston's oldest tavern), The Green Dragon, and Whiskey's.  The trip concluded as the four of us were exhausted, sore from walking, uncomfortably full from constant eating and drinking, and happy to be heading home and into more promising weather.  All in all, it was a fantastic trip giving rise to a ton of wonderful memories.

Easter Followed by Palm Desert

Mike and Christy Berberet hosted Easter in Fallbrook.  We arrived around noon in the company of Ryan, Cathy, and the Ward Family joining the Fallbrook Berberets and the Yorba Linda Berberets.  Christy put on an amazing meal featuring wonderful homemade Italian food.  The annual Easter egg hunt was a hit.  Then it was off to Palm Springs/Palm Desert for a week of fun and relaxation.  We had two connected rooms at the Westin Desert Willows in Palm Desert.  Ryan, Cassie, Camille, and Mason were our guests on Sunday through Wednesday.  We enjoyed a trip to the Palm Springs Zoo (the Living Desert), a lunch at Sherman's Deli, and plenty off pool time in the mid-90 degree heat.  Mason was active playing basketball, pool, ping pong with anyone who would join him.  Camille was mainly interested in swimming, testing herself and proclaiming success with, "I didn't drown!"  The drinks flowed including strawberry smoothies for Camille and Mason which were topped with their beloved cherries.  The crew departed on Wednesday afternoon and Rich and Peggy joined us for the remainder of the week, beginning with the Palm Springs Street Fair on Thursday night.  The food vendors supplied us with barbequed brat sandwiches, egg rolls, and tacos.  Highlights of the next couple of days included shopping at El Paseo, lunch at Sherman's, the Palm Desert swapmeet, plenty of pool time, and a wonderful birthday dinner for Rich at PF Changs followed by a trip to the Gelato shop in town.  All in all, it was a great week of fun and sun.  In fact, Gail and I purchased a third timeshare to keep the good times coming in even more abundance!