Trying to Get Off This LA Freeway

No, we didn't fall off the end of the world and into the San Andreas Fault. We did however fall from the beauty and grace of the Eastern Sierras and landed in the sprawl that is Los Angeles. (I'm speaking for myself here. I'm sure Rick wouldn't describe it this way.)

It really is like another world and one I don't enjoy so much. The good news is that we were only in LA for one month, and now we are in the much more pleasant (in so many ways) San Diego metropolitan area. Specifically, we are at Santee Lakes Regional Park campground.

One of many wood ducks at Santee Lakes

During that month in LA, until Dec. 3 we were without our own wi-fi hotspot due to an awkward transition from Millenicom to Verizon. I'll spare you the details. But now we're back online, for the most part. We still have to take trips to the library for downloading anything substantial as our Verizon signal is sometimes pretty weak here.

It's been an unusually social month, with visits with many friends and family, including a weekend in Chicago with many loved ones in the American Dance Therapy Association, and a fun Thanksgiving with fellow full-timers Glenn and Lynn.  We even made a trip to Disneyland on the first day of the Xmas decorations. What a way to get into the holiday spirit!

The grand finale of the Disney day was fireworks followed by real snow!!! Amazing,

Much of our time here in San Diego has been filled with attention to some of the more material necessities of life. We've been doing some Xmas shopping, and car shopping!  Ms. Subaru has been letting us know that she's ready for retirement.  I know it seems early, but we each have our own sense of time, and she's saying that 85,000 miles is enough for her. She's been great car. We're not sure what new car we're heading for, but it probably won't be another Subaru. We're not happy about what they've done with the interiors of the new Foresters and Outbacks. 

We're also getting ready to look for a new dog. That's a biggie. Some readers may recall our dog Kona, who we still miss. It's been over a year now since we lost her, and we're easing in to the idea of another one - probably a golden retriever puppy.  We'll get serious about that after Christmas with relatives in South Carolina.