Observations

[sixdogsmom]

I really like this story Warph. Thank you! 

[larryJ]

As I mentioned, #1's school ended a week ago and next Wednesday will be the last day for #2.  #2 has been attending dance lessons on Wednesdays at the school.  Tonight was the dance recital.  Now...........we have all been there, done that.  The thought of watching a bunch of 3, 4, and 5 year-old girls doing dance routines was not high on my list of things to do today, but you do what you have to do when it's your granddaughter.  It turned out to be really better than I thought.  Interspersed through the program were kids that were serious dancers.  I am not a fan of hip-hop music, much like our parents were not fans of rock-and-roll.  However, two little girls came out decked out like hip-hop artists and did a wonderful routine.  There was another young lady that did a solo performance and quite well.  Then another young lady came out to do hers and about 40 seconds into the routine, goofed, and ran off the stage in tears.  Sad.  But she was a real trooper and after regaining her composure, returned to the stage and completed her solo.  She got a standing ovation, not so much for the routine, but for the courage to come back and give it a second try.  Kudos to her.  The finale was a group of boys around 7 or 8 years old who did a paperboy inspired dance complete with a few acrobatics. They were all dressed like early 20th century paperboys.  All in all, a great show.  Glad I went.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Sadly, I have to announce the passing of a dear friend and companion.  She had been just getting by for the past few weeks, but her memory grew weaker and the drive just wasn't there.  At the end, she just turned blue and could not recover.  Many efforts were made to revive her, but to no avail.   

She was officially pronounced dead yesterday.  But, hopefully her memory will live on.

Now, I have to resort to just use the laptop until I can get a new desktop computer.

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

HA! Good one Larry. .
We had real California weather yesterday. Puffy clouds, 80 and 42% humidity with a gentle breeze. Paradise!

[larryJ]

My son and his family are returning from a 10-day vacation in Florida today.  He had asked me to pick them up at LAX.  I said I would.
His ETA was at 10:40 AM meaning I would have to leave my house around 10 AM to give them time to get their baggage and be outside to be picked up.  I was up early as usual this morning (5:15) and immediately checked on his flight as it was scheduled to depart at 8:25 Eastern time.  It had been delayed one hour.  I texted him to let him know that I was aware of that.  He texted back about a storm that had knocked out a battery charger......that was the reason for the delay.

If nothing else, my son has inherited my sense of humor which is absolutely important when you are sitting in an airport with a 2 year old child and a very pregnant wife.  The latest now is that the flight is now estimated to arrive in LAX at 1:15 PM. 

Sense of humor............  Once when our treadmill quit working, he and I took the cover off the motor and checked the wiring and the belts.  Everything seemed to be okay and we put it back together and it started working.  So the motto since then is "take the cover off and put it back on," or "unplug it and plug it back in."  It is a standing joke between us.  In our texts this morning, we have quipped about calling next door and seeing if we could borrow a battery charger, or, Call AAA for assistance.  He recently posted on FB about if there is a problem with the machine keeping me alive, he would just unplug it and plug it back in. 

Gotta love that boy!

Larryj

[larryJ]

You are not going to believe this one.  As mentioned my son's flight had been delayed one hour arriving LAX at 11:40.  Then it was delayed again arriving here at 1:15.  Then 2.  Then 2:30.  Then 5.  Then 6:15.  Back to 5:45.  Then to 7:16 PM.  That's eight and one half hours plus whatever time they arrived at the airport there.  That's a long time to be stuck in an airport with a two year old and a pregnant wife.  I think his sense of humor is long gone.  Last I heard he was standing in line for a voucher and might fly out tomorrow.  I really feel bad for my daughter-in-law who is almost seven months pregnant.  She must be miserable although in her texts she hasn't said that. 

Ouch!

Larryj

[larryJ]

When I woke up this morning there was a message from my son that they had boarded the flight and will be home at the same time they were supposed to be home yesterday.  They spent the night at a Sheraton Hotel near the airport.  So I am on my way to pick them up..........well, after breakfast.......morning meds........shower and shave............better get moving.

I guess because they are young (30's) they can handle things like this.  I know I couldn't.

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

Were there storms in Florida that caused the delay? Any more it seems like weather problems anywhere cause the whole system to break down. Glad they are finally on their way.

[larryJ]

No storms.  The weather was clear all the way from Florida to California.  The problem was that there was an electrical storm overnight and damaged a battery or battery charger.  While the airline was searching for another battery or making repairs, the crew was eventually transferred either to another flight or off for the day.  When the battery problem was fixed, it was a matter of finding a crew to fly the plane.  In the meantime, my son was given a lunch voucher ($10 per person=$30) and they had lunch.  Around 4:30 Eastern Time, they decided enough was enough.  They had been waiting for eight hours.  My son stood in a very long line and got 3 $100 vouchers for a future flight.  He just made the cut because after they had received their vouchers, the announcement was made to board the plane.  But they were tired and went to a nearby hotel for the night after rebooking the flight for the next day.  The plane finally departed around 5 PM. 

Yesterday, they arrived on time and I planned my drive in order to be there about the time they would have their luggage and be outside.  In all my 48 years of driving in SoCal I have been in traffic jams more times than I can count, so it's a way of life.  As soon as I got on the freeway, it jammed up and it took about 20 minutes to get about five miles to the next freeway.  This one went well for a while, but then jammed up for a few minutes and then again for a few minutes before I took the Westbound freeway towards the airport and encountered another brief jam just before the airport exit.  I don't need to tell you about the airport traffic itself.  As I entered the airport, my son called to say that they were ready.  I cruised the terminal where they were supposed to be and didn't see them and he called and said I had just missed them.  I made the return to airport route and this time was able to see them and we left the airport.  We drove to Orange County to a restaurant near their apartment and had lunch.  Then we went to their place and chatted for a while.  But I knew they were tired and I left hoping to beat the Friday afternoon rush hour.  I didn't.  What would normally be a 45 minute drive home turned into an hour and a half.  It would have been longer, but I finally reached a point where I could exit the freeway and take surface streets home.  I can honestly say that this was the worst traffic I have ever seen since I moved here. 

Oh yeah, one other little problem which turned out not to be too bad.  Their luggage came home on the original flight.  But they had an overnight bag for the hotel so everything was okay.

sheesh.........

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

What an adventure. I'm sure you are all greatful to be home so you can unwind. I sure do understand about the traffic.   We used to love to fly, but it's such a pain now we try to avoid it as much as possible.