Los Angeles!!!

Having been BORN in California, it's always a TREAT to go "home" whenever we can.  I was able to do so this weekend, with a quick trip to Los Angeles.

I LOVE L.A.!  I know that's "been said" a million times on a million different t-shirts, but it's true.  From the days when Robin and Dave lived in Whittier years ago, to the FIVE trips Duane and I have taken there, it's  a GREAT, GREAT city.

We arrived Friday afternoon, and, except for the part where we got on the Avis car rental bus, and then went BACK to the airport because our car was rented through Alamo, had a very smooth arrival!  Getting first class seats on the journey there DEFINITELY made it a lovely flight!

We stayed at the Marriot by the airport, as we did last time, and I can HONESTLY say that, with the exception of our hotel in Paris last year, this is my FAVORITE place to stay.  From the FABULOUS courtyard on the interior, to the AMAZINGLY comfortable beds, to Alex, the concierge who knows EVERYTHING, it is the GREATEST place to stay!

Here's a picture of the courtyard.  It was so lovely that we didn't feel the need to keep "going, and going, and going"....coming back to the room to just sit on the balcony was enough...!

Our first "adventure" was Manhattan Beach.  We'd been there on our previous trip, but it was close to sunset, so we weren't able to spend much time there.  We got there earlier this time, and had an hour or two to just walk the beach, check out the "artsy" lifeguard stations, and walk out onto the pier.  I LOVE the ocean.  It's "magical" to me, so ANY time that I get to spend there, is AMAZING!

Manhattan Beach

Duane and me at Mahattan Beach

Those PESKY pier sharks!!!

My "natural habitat"!

Those AWESOME lifeguard stations!

Dudes!

Another AWESOME lifeguard station!

After the beach, we headed back to the hotel to "hang out".  I think we were actually in bed by 8:30...we're SUCH party animals!!!  It WAS 10:30 in Minnesota, so we didn't worry TOO MUCH about it!

Saturday, we headed to Santa Monica.  We had explored it a bit on our previous trip, and LOVED it, so wanted to do some more exploring.  We found an AWESOME cafe on our last trip, so wanted to eat there again.  The "Novel Cafe" was a "whole-foodsy, organic" type restaurant, and had GREAT food.  I had the sun-dried tomato and feta omelette with spinach (SO California!), and Duane had a TASTY waffle.

The Novel Cafe

After the cafe, we headed to Santa Monica Pier, which has been featured in COUNTLESS movies and television shows...most recently, I saw it in "Flash Forward".

Santa Monica Pier!

Jeff under the pier!

Duane under the pier!

There was a memorial (for Memorial Day) being set up on the beach as we were walking...very somber, very cool!

Memorial Day Remembrance...

Crosses on the beach

After walking the beach, we headed to the pier to see what was there. I TRIED to find sunglasses, but this was the best I could come up with:

How about THESE sunglasses??!!

After time at the beach, we headed to Griffith Observatory.  We'd tried to go there on a previous visit, but they were doing renovations, so couldn't get to it.  It was worth the wait...what a COOL place!!!!

I COULD have posted a REALLY cool picture of a coyote that we saw along the side of the road on our way to the observatory, but Duane FREAKED OUT when I rolled down the window of the rental car to get a good shot.  I'm SURE the coyote wasn't THAT interested in jumping through the open window to bite me, but from Duane's FREAK OUT, you'd think it was possible...!

Griffith Observatory was AMAZING!  Fabulous views of L.A., the Hollywood sign, and really great walking trails...

The "Hollywood" sign from Griffith Observatory

LOVE this place!

The L.A. skyline from Griffith Observatory

Hmmm....

The telescope

The moon seems so CLOSE!

Duane and the moon!

Albert Einstein and Duane!

One of the exhibit halls at Griffith

A walking paths below Griffith Observatory

After spending a couple of hours at Griffith, we headed to West Hollywood, to go to one of Duane's FAVORITE restuarants...House of Pies...very 50's, very kitchy, very good.  He had turkey and gravy over white bread with mashed potatoes, and I had a lovely steak with poblano chiles and mashed potatoes.  OF COURSE we had pie...he had...I can't remember...I had PEACH PIE ALA MODE.  It was AWESOME!

After House of Pies, we headed back to the hotel, hung out for awhile, then did some shopping along Sepulveda Boulevard.  They still HAVE World Market's in L.A. so we spent a little time there purchasing stuff we can no longer get in the cities!

Sunday, we got up and headed to Pann's diner for breakfast.  The diner looks EXACTLY like it did in the 50's, and I MUST ADMIT, the chicken and waffles were AMAZING!

After a FABULOUS breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to check out, then headed to the L.A. Farmer's Market, to check out the celebrities, and cool shops.  No celebrities, but we DID have a good time looking around!

We had to fly COACH on the way back, but it was ALL GOOD, and a LOVELY chance to get out of Minnesota and enjoy some "coastal living" for a few days.

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy some time away from your "real life" for awhile!!!!!

Sheboygan!!

Last weekend Robin, Dave, Emilie, Abigail, and I went to Sheboygan to visit our friend Amy.  She knew they all were coming, but I "snuck" along to surprise her.  We had a blast!

I hadn't seen Amy since last June or July, when she was here for a visit, so it was GREAT catching up on the last year (we've e-mailed back and forth, but it's just NOT the same thing!).

It was a fun weekend!  We did some shopping (in Sheboygan and Kohler), ate at some FABULOUS restaurants (an apple orchard/barn/restaurant outside of town, Cafe Kita, and Cucina in Kohler), hung out at the beach (on Lake Michigan...even though it was REALLY foggy, and we couldn't see further than a couple of dozen feet out over the water), and just had a good time "chatting"!

Here are some photos:

Robin and Amy

A peacock (and old motorcycle!) at the apple orchard/barn/restaurant

the peacock (again)

(a turkey...trying to impress the "lady turkeys")

Abigail and Emilie (and a bear)

My DELIGHTFUL chili powder chocolate in Kohler

a cold snooze on the beach

rock hunting on the beach

more rock hunting on the beach

spoils of the search

Caffe Kita

Davey and me (and red wine!)

Jeff and Amy

Cucina!

Amy dining on the patio at Cucina

Robin and Dave

Emilie and Abigail

Here's hoping YOU were able to reconnect with "old friends" recently!!!!

Wildlife

I LOVE living on Blue Jay Way!  The treeline behind our townhouses is the home of MANY wild creatures...from coyotes, to red winged blackbirds, to rabbits and squirrels, and last night a whippoorwill! 

My FAVORITE woodsy resident, however, is the wild turkey.  We've had several broods over the last couple of years, and this past spring there were SEVEN juvenile turkeys wandering around the complex. 

I'm afraid that number has been drastically reduced...most likely because of the coyotes.  The first brood we had, however, ended up separating and moving on during mating season, so that could be what happened to this bunch too.  We spent an AWESOME bit of time on a Sunday, watching that first bunch "do their thing"...complete with red wattles and puffed chests and fanned tail feathers on the males.  It was a SIGHT to see!

Here, unfortunately, is a picture of the last of the group.  We've only just noticed her the last couple of days, so I'm not sure where she's been, or if she's even part of that earlier group.  If she is, she's WAY smarter than the average turkey...to have survived when her siblings didn't...

Here's hoping YOU have fun wildlife to enjoy in YOUR neighborhood!

Appendicitis???

So...I woke up this morning at 3:00 with pain around my belly button, which then moved to my right side.  It had been bugging me a bit when I went to bed, and it was uncomfortable sleeping on either side.  I don't sleep well on my back, so tossed and turned a lot up to that point.

I got up, used the "facility", worried and little bit, and went back to bed.  I proceeded to toss and turn until I got up again, and got online to check "symptoms of appendicitis" on the internet. 

Here's what I found at http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/appendicitis/:

The abdominal pain usually
•occurs suddenly, often causing a person to wake up at night

•occurs before other symptoms

•begins near the belly button and then moves lower and to the right

•is new and unlike any pain felt before

•gets worse in a matter of hours

•gets worse when moving around, taking deep breaths, coughing, or sneezing


Other symptoms of appendicitis may include
•loss of appetite

•nausea

•vomiting

•constipation or diarrhea

•inability to pass gas

•a low-grade fever that follows other symptoms

•abdominal swelling

•the feeling that passing stool will relieve discomfort


Symptoms vary and can mimic other sources of abdominal pain, including

•intestinal obstruction

•inflammatory bowel disease

•pelvic inflammatory disease and other gynecological disorders

•intestinal adhesions

•constipation

Hmmm...
pain starting around the belly button...check.
pain moving to right side...check.
the "passing stool" thing...check.
Temperature...no thermometer, but I didn't feel warm.
Vomiting...nope.

Prognosis...call physician immediately (which I didn't do).  Physician will do several tests to determine problem, and, if no clear diagnosis is evident, will, most likely remove the appendix anyway...just in case...WAIT A MINUTE...  So...if the physician doesn't find a clear problem, I may have to have surgery anyway.

Hence the reason, I'm still at home, waffling between going to urgent care, or waiting it out to see what happens (apparently, I have up to 24 hours before it could possibly rupture...sending infection through my abdominal/digestive tract).  It doesn't really "hurt"...it's more discomfort and pressure, which I'M SURE IS JUST GAS (my "catch all" diagnosis...).  It's not getting worse, and, at times even feels better, hence, the waffling...

One website said that there are LOTS of possible reasons why I am feeling like I'm feeling, including gastrointestinal and gynocological issues...I'm PRETTY sure the latter is not it...

So...urgent care is open until 8:00 p.m., and the emergency room is open all night.  I guess I'll continue to wait and see.

Wow...probably WAY more than you cared to read about my health right now...sorry.  Here's hoping YOU are healthy, and comfortable, and GAS FREE....!

Bad Diet Day!!!

There are so many good restaurants in the twin cities that it sometimes takes awhile to get back to some of them.  SHOULDN'T be the case for Cecil's in Highland Park, because they make the BEST reubens for MILES!

The potato salad is not to be missed either!

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy FANTASTIC food today as well!!

Sunday Walk

Duane and I took a LOVELY walk around the soon-to-be-redeveloped Carriage Hills Golf Course here in Eagan.  Here are some shots of how it looks before the bulldozers come in a few months and plow it all under...

Here's hoping YOU were able to enjoy a little bit of spring today!!!

Pat's Place

My friend Pat just bought a CUTE little house in West St. Paul.  I've been over a couple of times to help move, clean, pull up carpet, pull staples from the hardwood floor, unpack, and today, redecorate...actually provide labor so that Pat can redecorate.  Oy!

She's got a GREAT start on getting the place "fixed up"...painting, redoing the hardwood floors, washing windows, switching out hardware on the cupboards, etc., but still has a LONG way to go.  It's fun to see the progress each time I go over.

Washing the windows

Steaming off the wallpaper

Scraping off the wallpaper and glue

Chalking the line for the brown stripe in the living room

A word of advice.  If you are considering hanging wallpaper...DON'T!!!!!  It's a COMPLETE PAIN in the butt to get OFF the walls if you just want to paint the room.  Duane and I spent a couple of HOURS today scoring, steaming, scraping and wiping a HIDEOUS blue striped paper in the kitchen, and a WRETCHED fruit border around the top of the dining room.

Again...DON'T put up wallpaper...ever...for any reason...UGH!

The kitchen "before" ("after" will come when it's finished!)

The HIDEOUS dining room border, in the process of being removed

a GREAT start on the living room!

I can't WAIT to see what she has for me to do NEXT time I stop by!!!
 
Here's hoping YOUR day was productive as well!