More Family We were in South Lake Tahoe, when October began. Our family of 7 grew larger, when we drove to Tahoe City on October 1st and met up with more family. Cousins and Second Cousins It was wonderful to be reunited with Don's (NY) sister and her (CA) family for the first time since the pandemic. We have two very young members in the family now. It was so wonderful to see all these kids (second cousins) together! Celebrating We started the month off well. Don and Heidi enjoyed some early birthday celebrating. The Girls celebrated Halloween early, with spooky socks and a viewing of Hocus Pocus! Two Weeks Along the Coast The "kids' departed on the second and Don and I had over 2 weeks of exploring ahead. We enjoyed a little more of Lake Tahoe, before traveling south. It's hard to decide which ocean view is the best! Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Laguna Beach, Oceanside, Newport Beach... All beautiful! Hotels and Dining Don and I are always on the lookout for curious hotel and dining adventures. The Madonna Inn (San Luis Obispo) provided the perfect combination. We purchased pink clothing at Goodwill, in anticipation of our stay at the crazy, over the top, silly, pink hotel! Cookbook Adventures We squeezed in 4 "Cookbook Adventures" on our coastal road trip! We found 4 restaurants featured, in our 1950 Ford Motor Co. Cookbook. Then we found 4 waiters who were enthused about posing with our cookbook! Success! Posing with Statues... Don and I did more than pose with people. Don posed with a lifeguard statue, in Newport Beach. I posed with a dog, wearing a bowtie and jacket! ... With Fountains I guess we just did a lot of posing. Our hotel in Santa Nella, wasn't near the coast, but we found some fountains for photo ops. Hotel Mission De Oro was one of 6 curious hotels we enjoyed. I can't wait to write these up. Quiet in October For the most part, we totally lucked out on weather. No complaints about crowds either. October travel is the best. Animals Besides a hotel cat or two, we enjoyed some great bird and animal watching. The elephant seals were a total surprise, right off the coast highway. People We did see a few familiar faces on our trip. We reunited with musician Mike Hamilton, when he performed in Newport Beach. It's been 8 years. Friends in Oceanside We traveled further south to see our old friends in Oceanside. It's been 40 years since Don and Cliff worked together in California. It's been nearly 10 years since Rhona and I played tennis or discussed books, in Texas. So great to catch up with old friends after this pandemic! Back in Sac! The best way to end a trip is with family again! We spent 2 nights in Sacramento with Scott and Chali... and Willie Nelson! Scott and Chali know how to dress for a concert! Scott's braids were a hit! It's been a long time since I've been at a concert for 7 hours! We hung out the next day. I got to spend time with my grand-dog, Lola! 43rd Anniversary Back in Texas, Don and I celebrated our 43rd anniversary with a night at home. The crazy photo was taken in our sparkly room at Madonna Inn. Our anniversary celebration was much nicer this year. Last year Don was recovering from his open heart surgery... which he'd had his birthday. Much to celebrate this year! Happy Halloween! We only had 7 trick or treaters this year. But the few who came couldn't have been sweeter or more polite!
A good end to the month!
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