California...The First Half

Technically, our vacation started last Friday afternoon; after getting off work, we went home to finish our last minute packing and then loaded the Jeep, from there, we were off to play golf. We played in the 'Vreugdenhil Classic', a 9-hole golf tournament that happens every year during the weekend of Vreugdenhil camping. The reason I have to take the time to mention this is because Curt WON! He shot a 40, which won it for the men...the winning girl shot 38 - yeah, I was not even close!

After golf, we drove to Acton and spent Friday and Saturday night with the family. I don't think there is a better way to start a vacation then with my family.

Day One: Sunday, July 18th
We were flying out of Buffalo, on a 1:05pm flight with Southwest Airlines, so we left Acton around 9:30am. We had a bit of a wait at the border, probably 30 to 40 minutes, but we made it through customs with no problems. After the wait though, we ended up cutting it pretty close...I wasn't worried until we got on the parking shuttle, and I realized that if there was a long wait at the Southwest counter, there would be a chance we could miss our flight! Luckily, we walked right up to the counter and got through security quickly too, two more reasons we always fly out of Buffalo. We made it to the gate in time to line up and board the plane, so it was close.

We had a short layover in Phoenix, just enough time to grab a bite to eat, really. And then it was on to Los Angeles (LAX), on a flight that was just over an hour. Once we landed in L.A. it was off to pick up our rental car - a PT Cruiser.

We came directly to 'Hilltop Hideaway', our accommodations for the week...and it is BEAUTIFUL! The pictures we saw on the website before booking, don't even come close to showing how great this place is. I'll post my own pictures later.

Once we were organized here, we went to see Pete and Shauna (the groom and bride) at their apartment. The 3 hour time difference was catching up with us though, so after a little visit with them it was 'home' to bed.

Day Two: Monday, July 19th
Monday was Pete's birthday, so a group of us got together to go to the beach to celebrate. After meeting at P & S's apartment, we went for breakfast (the biggest/tastiest breakfast burritos ever at a little place in Pasadena) and then picked up some snacks to take with us (first time at a Trader Joe's, neat little grocery store). Then, it was on to the L.A. Freeways - and, just to be sure we got the full driving experience, Pete's car broke down, so we ended up pulled over on the side of the highway (apparently the wrong side of the freeway, according to the police officer who stopped to check on us - no tickets were issued).

Once back on the road, we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, and went through Malibu - so it was a really scenic route, and very enjoyable. After meeting at 9:30am, we finally made it to El Matador State Beach at about 2pm. It was a really nice beach, and the rocks and cliff side were beautiful...but, the ocean was cold and full of nasty seaweed (not just the green stringy stuff, there was also this weird carrot shaped hard plastic-like stuff), so, I didn't do any swimming :)

We left when everyone was talking about how hungry they were, and stopped at a great restaurant in Malibu called Paradise Cove. After a great meal, Pete was served the biggest slice of birthday cake EVER - he sliced it to serve the ten of us, and there was still some left. We saw the same sized slice go to a table of two, they wouldn't have even made a dent in it.

Once back in Pasadena, it was off to a little bar that P & S like to hang out at. And of course, there was more cake - this time an icecream cake that Pete's sister, Christa, brought for the group.

Day Three: Tuesday, July 20th
Tuesday we had the day to ourselves, and we took full advantage! First thing on our agenda, go see the Hollywood sign! We went to The Griffith Observatory - a popular tourist attraction with various space and science related displays. We toured the displays in about 10 minutes, but spent a good amount of time outside, taking in the views and getting pics of the Hollywood sign, which you can see perfectly from around the observatory.

From there, we went on a little driving tour - Sunset Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd. through Beverly Hills, and then down Rodeo Drive! We didn't get out of the car in any of these spots, but it was pretty cool to see all these places anyway. I definitely saw some filming taking place on Sunset Blvd - lots of camera crews and actresses dressed up like can-can girls?!?!

After a quick lunch, it was off to play golf at Lost Canyons Golf Course. This course will be memorable for many reasons - the awesome mountain landscape, the crazy amount of rabbits on the course, other random wildlife seen throughout the round (a deer running across a fairway in front of us, and wild horses roaming a nearby mountain - but, despite multiple warning signs for rattlesnakes, we didn't see any of those), AND, I started the round going par-par-par on the first three holes!

Day Four: Wednesday, July 21st
Wednesday was pretty uneventful, but great none-the-less. Curt and I had a relaxing start to the morning, and then it was off to do some shopping. Curt found a great shopping area in Glendale called 'The Americana at Brand'...it was a lot of higher end shops, so we were doing more browsing then shopping, but then we stumbled on a nearby mall, and found some stores more in our price range. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time, so we only saw a fraction of the mall.

After getting a quick lunch, Curt dropped me off at 'home' and then he went off to help Pete with some wedding set-up stuff. I spent the afternoon lounging by the pool, and it was a GREAT afternoon! It was nice and hot, and when it got too hot, a quick dip in the pool cured that. It was a nice relaxing afternoon - I just read, slept, read some more, swam, soaked in the hot tub, and drank lots of water.

Curt got back around 8pm, and brought Ike with him (he arrived in California earlier that day), so we went out to grab a late dinner. It's nice having Ike here, someone I know and am comfortable around, but I really wish Jeanette had of come, too!