June is family time extravaganza

Ahoy,

In June, E came to visit and we went to get vegan food with her. It was quite delicious. The following week, K & Z and her mom came to visit. We went to Disneyland the first day because it was a Thursday so it would have been the least crowded with shortest lines. But it's Disneyland, so it's always a s***show. We got out a little late, but spent the rest of the day there. We saw fireworks and the parade. There was a lot going on. That place is crazy. Crowds are less and less appealing lately.

The next day we went to the Getty Villa up the PCH. We finally got some food spicy/flavorful enough for Z's mom. K and A got to play some Nintendo Switch. The next day was my brother's birthday, so we all headed out to Catalina Island for some birthday freebies. We went to the Botanic Garden, K got a free meal, free coffee, free minigolf, free ice cream, and there was more we didn't get to. Pretty epic way to celebrate your birthday. And great promo for Catalina, because if it's your birthday and you get free stuff - you're going to bring friends who all have to pay. We got ramen back on the mainland that K was really surprised by how good the chicken broth was. When we were kids, our family would prepare a whole chicken just for K to eat.

The last day they were here, we went to climb. I showed them how to lead climb. We went to brunch at Republique before going to see K's godson - Jelly, the beagle. The day after we dropped them all off at the airport, A had to pick up his sister from the airport.

The following weekend, the 3 of us drove back up to the Bay for Father's Day/ his mom's birthday. We started with a night in Monterey at a fancy hotel before meeting his folks in Carmel the following afternoon. The weather was pretty near perfect here. We drove back up to the Bay Area, San Jose specifically, for dinner. It was so very, very hot. Even when we got back to Piedmont it was hot. The following day after a mad rush to cook and consume our food, we started the drive back down to LA. And when we got back - it was so very, very nice and not hot. I had never appreciated LA so much. I was so happy to have completed that family time extravaganza. It just seemed never-ending.

relentlessly ajest,
jt 

May is scattered

Ahoy,

May was less busy than previously, but we still didn't manage to get a weekend at Black for the RRS to climb.

We went to the drive-in to watch GOTG. It was a little rainy at the end, but the show went on. We also discovered Mama's Lu. Probably the highlight of the year. Those dumpling were so good. We helped a friend move their things into storage for until they return in the fall. The Culver City car show was also this month. The changed the location. We thought it was dt Culver like in past years, but it was a mile further in a field in the park. This is probably a better location for those camping out for the day with their cars, but I was not pleased about having to walk farther. We'll have to bike next year. We also went to the Riverside Quarry for a very short day trip before stopping for Mama's Lu on the way home. The Quarry is a literal dump. I counted tires and mattresses. Not what you would think of as far as climbing outside goes.

The following weekend we went up to the Bay area for A's sister's graduation from Davis. It was soooo hot in Davis! We managed to get A's folks out on a hike before we left. There was the typical reluctance before getting out and the typical pleasant surprise after. Type 2 fun.

We had some do nothing time, which I always appreciate. We started on the garden this month too, I think.

daringly crossed,
jt