Did you ever have one of those trips where every thing goes wrong? Me too. But this
wasn't one of them. I still can't believe that four people can get up on a January
morning, drive to the airport, fly to Chicago and LA for six days, and get home without a
glitch. All four United flights left on time and arrived on time. We didn't have any time
to spare in Chicago, but it was enough. On the way home we walked directly from one
plane to the other, and got on without waiting even a minute. That must be a record for
flying standby.

We saw Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Lake Meade, and Las Vegas from the air. Then
saw the San Gabriel Mts. with snow-capped Mt. Baldy, and LA spread out like a carpet
of tile roofs

While in LA we enjoyed a studio tour (thanks to the beautiful and gracious Mousey),
went to Hollywood to see the stars embedded in the sidewalks, and galked at the
HOLLYWOOD sign on the mountain side. (We had a couple of tourists with us.)

Then we drove up the coast to Oxnard, Ventura, Solvang, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo,
Morro Bay, Cambria and Moonstone Beach. We drove over to see the high desert,
visited a winery, and had brunch with a bunch of friends and relatives who live in the area.
We stayed at a resort on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean just north of Pismo. On the
way back to LAX, we had lunch in a scuzzy Mexican restaurant in old Santa Barbara.
(There were pool tables in the back. A pigeon came in to inspect the floor. How's that for
scuzzy? ) The food, like all Mexican food in California, was delicious.

Because of recent rains, we got to see the hills change from brown to green. It looked
like spring. I never saw so many vineyards, and the tourists with us marveled at the size
of the vegetable fields.

I gained a couple of pounds and spent more money than I intended, but it was a great
vacation. Where next?
How(tired)ard