Say Goodbye to Hollywood...

We've had a full week of visiting and doing our touristy thing. Unfortunately, we did not get to take the beautiful drive along the California coast to Pismo Beach. Due to the mudslides produced by the heavy rain last week, many of the roads would've taken to get there, were closed-some still are. While, we were disappoointed, we are happy to be safe and out of harms way.

We have spent the last week in Pomona, about 30 miles (yet about 2 hours thanks to the California traffic😒) from LAX. One of the first nights we were here, we went to a drive-in movie. It had been years since either of us had been to one, and it was soooo cool!! Jumanji was playing, it was funny, cute and very enjoyable, especially being in the comfort of our own truck!! The grounds of the theatre host a "swap meet" a few days a week, and we decided to check it out the next day. It was a complete waste of time, but an interesting experience nonetheless. For those of you who don't know, a "swap meet" is basically a flea market, (not like the ones back home), many people selling their junk.

Friday was a beautiful, warm and sunny day that we spent at Universal Studios. Our friend Nicky (Frankie and Tina's son) works there and was nice enough to get us complimentary tickets. Again, it had been years since we've been there and it was an absolute blast!!! We boarded the tram, took the Studio Tour, drove around the sound stages, checked out many attractions including Jaws, King Kong, The Fast and the Furious, and The Bates Motel. We even got caught in a "flash flood" in an old west town. Very cool!!! On to the Transformer ride, and The Walking Dead attraction. We were like little kids and really had a good time! We met Rod and Danielle (cousins) for dinner later that evening and went to a yummy restaurant along the pier in Manhattan Beach. Good food, great company, and lots of laughs.

Saturday, we decided to take a drive along the Historic Route 66, headed toward Pasadena. It was interesting to see the many hotels, and motels along the drive, ones that accommodated travelers many years ago before the freeways and highways were built. For a quick lunch, we stopped at "super Burrito", a delicious food truck type eatery. We stopped in Old Pasadena, a quaint town with beautiful art deco buildings, and walked around a bit as it was another lovely warm and sunny day. We decided to go for a rare dinner out, and went to a little Japanese restaurant in Monrovia called Sake Sushi..delish!!

Sunday, it was another unusually warm winter day in Southern California, and we took a drive to Santa Monica. We ended up at the "famous" Santa Monica Pier, filled with people, several vendors, and street performers. After a nice walk, some picture taking and a brief walk in the sand, we headed back to Danielle and Rod's for a final visit before we went on to our next stop. We watched some football, including the infamous last play in the Saints vs. Vikings game, had a late lunch/early dinner of Mexican food, and just hung out with them, Laura Ann and Denver for the afternoon. In the evening, we drove back near Universal, to meet up with Nicky and Carla at a local pub for some drinks. Another evening of great company, fun, and lots of laughs. A perfect end to a perfect week here in the Hollywood area.

We laid low the last couple days, tinkering and studying, taking it easy. Today, we are headed south to San Diego, where we will be for 2 weeks, before making our way back east. We'll visit and explore the area, and hope that the weather stays as beautiful as it's been the last week. My little girl is turning 21 in a couple weeks so there will be some partying as well as we join her to celebrate.

Until next time.....

We love you all!!

Greg & Laura

ET reminding us where we parked