So incredibly it's May and we had to hit the road!
First weekend in May:
To get started we changed plans and since no one is motorcycle racing any more we did not go to the "Mothers Day cop out" race. We decided to go fishing instead. So off to Lake Isabella. And we did not take the trailer since this was going to be just a quick weekend trip. We packed way to much stuff in the truck and took off. We arrive Fri night around 8:30 pm in Isabella to find that every restaurant was closed for the night. Even the bar that boasted great burgers quit cooking at 6:30! We finally took our starving stomachs to the only lights we saw and snuck in behind a group of landscapers to a Burrito store. The small restaurant was actually putting up tables and sweeping the floors when we snuck in which was 9 pm now since we had made several stops looking for food. I politely ignored the look that said "you do realize we are closing, don't you" and placed an order for 2 burritos with the smirking counter girl. I think she thought Kurt was cute and his burrito was twice the size of mine!
Oddly it was windy when we arrived and maybe that should have been a clue. It never stopped blowing and blowing cold. We took our little boat out on the lake around 7 am Sat and by 10 am we were coming back on the ocean! We had no fish, the surf was up, and we were wet. Good thing we packed lunch supplies!
For our afternoon outing we went up to the wild life preserve and hiked around for a few hours. And honestly we never got off the trail. We must have just missed a turn or something?! We saw lots of birds and added a new guy to the list, a Lawrence's goldfinch.
On Sunday when it was still blowing cold wind, when we hadn't gotten out of our jackets and long pants, when we were tired of hiding behind the truck to stay out of the wind, we looked at each other and realized it was time to go! Ah but we did not just hop on the road home we took a dirt road and went on a Hathaway adventure. We found beautiful back valleys, more birds, a really cool graveyard from the early 1900's, and lots of spring flowers. We had a great time and realized that we have nothing to prove by staying put in the cold so ....hit the road jack and don't look back.
Second weekend in May:
So what to do now. I know..... my folks are out of town and the beach house is empty. Let's redeem our last weekend trip and go to the beach for some sun and fun. So pack up the car since parking is terrible and don't take much! Swim suits, cribbage, and a sweatshirt just in case. We arrived Fri night and found a great local restaurant that was....imagine this.....still open at 8pm! We had a fabulous Italian dinner and walked back along the strand to await the next day.
We woke up to a bit of fog but no problem the sun was already peeking out. However by the time breakfast was over the clouds were winning. We gave the day a bit more time to warm up before running to the beach. We did some chores and cleaning and still no sun. So we decided to walk to the Redondo pier and get our fish for dinner and smartly took our sweatshirts. The day just didn't want to kick into gear with the sun, in fact we moved from the front yard to the inside patio to play cribbage where the cold air was not blowing as hard!
And so once again on Sun we took the better part of valor and came home. After all the fog was now a heavy drizzle and no use sitting inside some one elses house in the cold when we could do the same at our own and I could even get some laundry done! 2 weekends down and 2 to go.
Third weekend in May:
We tried something different. The weather wasn't much improved but Kurt went hiking with our Armenian friend Hyak (pronounced hike). They went to Hard Luck campground and had the best of luck so far. They fished, slept under the stars, and had minimal conversations since Kurt doesn't speak alot of Armenian and Hyak is limited in his English. They both reported back on Sun that they had a great time.
I on the other hand helped my friend Minda put on a ladies tea at her church. We started preparing at 9am Sat (she did a lot of work on Fri) and I got home at 6pm that night. It was actually very nice and even though I was exhausted, literally serving people, has its spiritual perks. Not wanting to waste a day, I went shopping on Sun and bought what else, a new pair of shorts. I still have faith that the sun will shine soon.
Fourth weekend in May:
Last chance! It's Brad's 52nd birthday. We have been invited to go to the "cabin" up in the Angeles and spend the night with him and a gang of others to celebrate. So Early Sat am we pack up the Izusu. (Maybe a different car will produce better weather results) Kurt left in shorts all prepared for horse shoes, beer and RC car play. I wore long pants but a short sleeved shirt ready for "boys" weekend with a chair and book in the sun and maybe a beer if the mood is right.
We arrive and this is a real "old" style one room school house that was moved to the property and converted to a cabin. It looks like scout camp with one big room. It had propane hanging lights, a stove, a "spring" fed water bin, a pot bellied stove for heat, and the outhouse down back. We had ice chest lots of food and beverages, cots and chairs. Paradise! The only problem was the wind had followed us and on went the jackets. Cold wind and no where to hide....oh just have a beer and shut up!!!
We played horse shoes and I actually got a Double ringer to end the game with a win. I read a lot, we hiked and found lots of cool odd looking flowers, the guys nearly wore the little rock crawling car out, we bbq'ed dinner and had lights out around 10. And guess what it was still cold!
Sun was much nicer but we only had until noon before it was time to go. As we descended the mountain it got hotter and hotter. Oh my gosh ..... we actually came home and took the first official swim of the summer. Good thing since it was Memorial Day weekend and the "unofficial" start to summer.
Looking forward to June!! Where shall we go????
