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We made a spur of the moment decision to get out of town.  First we headed up to Lake Arrowhead, where  snow was plentiful and the lake was beautiful.  With a new storm approaching, we headed down the mountain enroute to Palm Desert, home of our Desert Willows timeshare.  We spent time at Cabazon, the street fair, Sherman's Deli, The River, McCormick's Classic Car Auction, Murph's Restaurant at Bermuda Dunes, etc.  We have a return engagement planned at the Willows after Easter with reservations already set for a full week.

Newport/Laguna

Rich and Peggy reserved a full week at Newport Coast Marriott Villas.  We drove down to spend some time with them.  Highlights of the visit included walking through the town of Balboa, ferrying across Newport Bay, touring both piers and adjacent areas, eating at The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove, and taking a cruise on a Duffy electric boat in Newport Harbor with a picnic lunch.  The weather and company were terrific!  It was a great little outing.

Sunny San Diego

For Dkdogdaddy and Gailee, San Diego was a wonderful three-day, two-night getaway.  We stayed on the 14th floor of the Westin, Gaslamp.  Following midday shopping at Carlsbad's Outlets and then at Horton's Plaza, we napped and then went to dinner at the Fish Market on the bay.  We had bayside seats as we dined on Shrimp Linguini (Gail) and Cioppino (DK).  The next morning involved a walk to Seaport Village for more dining (I had a wonderful seafood omelette and Gail had waffles with fresh strawberries). We took a ferry over to Coronado Island and rented bicycles.  Half way around the island, we parked at the Hotel Del and enjoyed more walking, shopping, and relaxing.  Later in the evening after ferrying back, we walked over to the Gaslamp District where we enjoyed checking out some classic cars and participating in Taco Tuesday at Fred's Mexican Cafe.  These two days were spent in glorious 80 degree weather in January!  Returning home, we stopped for lunch on the pier at San Clemente.  Now it's back to a healthy diet and healthy living until the next trip.

Mariposa Wedding Reception

Last Spring, Morgan Keller (our nephew) married Makiko in Kagoshima, Japan.  Morgan's parents, Rich and Peggy, arranged a Mariposa reception for the couple which took place just prior to New Year's day.  Over one hundred guests attended the afternoon reception at Savoury's Restaurant.  The wine flowed, many tasty food items were available, and a wedding cake was cut and shared.  Speeches and toasts were an important part of the afternoon, as well as an audio-visual presentation recapturing the wedding and reception in Japan.  The reception was "sandwiched" by two mini-receptions at the Keller home, where brief snow flurries were witnessed by guests.  All in all, a well organized and memorable event!

Man Room

Although I was originally thinking "Man Cave," I compromised my thinking to a less reclusive "Man Room."  Gail agreed that I could set up one particular room reflecting my own manly tastes.  Gail painted the walls for me ( I caught her thinking green walls originally -- huh?).   We then hung my displays on the walls around the treadmill facing the soon-to-be-mounted television.   My mug collection, Millikan football pictures, Stanford Middle School pictures, and retirement displays are now mounted in a room I'm happy to call my own.

Palm Springs Getaway

Palm Springs is one of our favorite places.  Not that our local weather is bad, but 80 degree days in mid-December around a swimming pool is something special.   We annually visit PS in early December (among other times) to Christmas shop and enjoy ourselves.  The ritual involves a stop at the Cabazon Outlet, a corn beef sandwich at Sherman's Deli, a walkthrough at the Exotic car exhibit, shopping in the Palm Desert center, dinner and a movie at The River, and a drive down Highway 111 on the way home.   On this mid-week trip, the customary Thursday night street fair and the College of the Desert swap meets were not options.  We are looking forward to a return trip in the Spring with more members of the family.

Halloween

Cassie and Gail never do anything half way.  For Halloween, Gail made a kitten costume for Camille by hand.  Mason wore a Super Mario costume.  Cass prepared dinner out in the front yard featuring real bales of hay and beautifully decorated tables.  Following dinner, the grandkids went trick or treating with Gail and Cass while the others remained behind to hand out candy.  Actually, Mason was in charge of handing out candy for most of the evening.  A large and continuous turnout at the door led him to proclaim, "Business is Booming!"