Oregon Living 2021 – Blog #58 – Visiting Old Haunts & Two Celebrations   

Tuesday, September 21st., 2021……  The Camping Squares party is today. They normally go on their outings from Wed or Thurs. through Saturday, leaving Sunday, so this one was different for all of us! We arrived on Sunday and leave tomorrow! We had the breakfast together yesterday and will have the potluck dinner tonight. Bill and Treasa get here today but don’t arrive until later in the day, so we had a chance to take a drive around the area so I could show Cathye my old haunts. We took the doggos and drove past the house in Long Beach and then stopped at Wardlow Park, just around the corner, so I could walk it again. We left there and drove to Smart and Final and then went through Weinerschnitzel for a must have lunch!  It was delicious!  We got back to camp and met Treasa and Bill, who were just walking in from their car. Perfect timing!  We had enough stuff for them to be able to make a salad to take to the potluck. Cathye made a triple berry cobbler. With blackberries from her place, blueberries from my place, and strawberries from a local Oregon field, it was delicious! We also shared a few bags of my grapes (which were picked just before we left Oregon) with the group and they were very well received!       

Wednesday, September 22nd., 2021…… Today is the day…. I had been thinking about this for 16 months and I was a little nervous. Arlene got her clubhouse for our use.  I brought all of the stuff that I could think was needed.  Tablecloths, laptops, tv monitors, and of course, Lydia’s ashes and picture. I had asked Randy to order and pick up subway sandwiches which he and Maryanne brought over, and we got to work setting everything up. I had plenty of help from Arlene, Bill and Treasa, Rick and Janie and we got the drinks chilled, and the chips and cookies out on the table. This was per Lydia’s wishes to keep it simple and with everything going on, we wanted self-serve items that were safe and easy to serve. We got al of that done and even had a chance to set down and preview the two video tributes I had made. 

One screen had 413 slides that I had digitized from photos and sorted from 1951nto around 1985-6 or so. The other one had about 85 slides that came from pics already in the laptop. I was worried that something would go wrong with the setup, but Randy and I got them all set up and working perfectly. I even added background music. The room was ready.  The idea was to have folks come in, visit, eat, and watch the videos, and then go about the rest of their day.  That didn’t exactly work out!  I found out that most of them wanted to stay for the entire 3 hours!  It was so crowded and loud in that small room, but it went very well. I only had two times when I was misting up. I was worried about that, but everyone kept it lighthearted, which I truly appreciated. I know that was what Lydia wanted and it worked out perfectly. I had asked Cathye to come by later in the day to pick me up. I knew folks would stay to meet her!  I was right and she quickly made friends with everyone in the room! They all said they were very happy for both of us. Here are some pics from the day…

We got back to the motorhome and rested from our day. I thought one of the cars had the leftover subway sandwiches but no, so six of us went out to Woody’s Wharf for dinner. We were outside on the patio with a great view of the harbor and had a very delicious meal (she had the baseball steak, and I had the scallops). After that, we headed back home and visited with Bill and Treasa for a while and then we went to the spa with them and Mike and Cheri. That was nice. It was a long day, but it was very rewarding for me. Thanks to everyone for your love and support and for making it a great tribute to a great lady!   

Thursday, September 23rd., 2021…...  Another tough day for me but one with less pressure. Randy had set up a back room at Joe Josts for Jeff’s celebration of life. It had been 6 months since we lost him and although he was in Florida, he had many friends in SoCal. I found that I had problems getting the word out. Randy knew some friends and I thought that most everyone was friends on his facebook page, so I posted it there. I guess that wasn’t the best idea, because not a lot of his guys showed up. It was held in the middle of a workday and unfortunately that made it hard for them to be there for sure. Or they didn’t get the message. But we did have friends and family there, and it was still a nice tribute to him.  I even bought a Joe Jost shirt and a baseball cap which I never got before!  The place was cold, so Cathye got a shirt too!

I gave Randy cash so he could keep a tab and he ordered beer and soft drinks and food for everyone.  They are famous for their pickled eggs and ‘the special’. That is a split polish dog with a pickle in the split, served on rye bread with a slice of cheese and mustard. It was delicious. Wait – I forgot to mention that I had mine without mustard. THAT made it delicious for me!  We got back home and rested. Randy and Maryanne came over later and picked up the electric bikes that he had delivered for us to use while in the park. They were a lot of fun and fast too!  We said our goodbyes to them and called it a day. 

Friday, September 24th., 2021……  Today we headed out. Good thing too. The park was being invaded by 110 vintage rvs for a rally!  They started coming in yesterday and occupied spaces that our group had vacated.  We did manage to get some pics of those that we liked. I especially liked this one which was the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, complete with Scooby driving! 

Cathye found a couple of Shastas, which is what she has and visited and toured a couple of them.  We are moving today over to Bonelli Bluffs in San Dimas. I have always liked this park and Cathye did too!  At least what she could see of it today. Because she was heading to Phoenix!  I got us a nice site on the bluff which overlooks the municipal airport and the Pomona Fairgrounds. It was overcast and a little smoky (from the central Calif wildfires) but it was still very pretty. 

We sat out and had lunch on the grass and then it was time to go to the airport. I had gotten her a $49.00 round trip flight to Phoenix from the Ontario airport. We made the 30-minute drive and I got her dropped off with no problems and headed back to the coach. She said she had a tough time getting through tsa because she had that temporary driver’s license. Should have thought to bring her passport but neither of us thought about that! But hopefully she will be able to get through ok on the way back. I walked the dogs then made myself some dinner and fed them and we walked them around the park for a while. I came in and worked on the blog and talked a little with Cathye. She made it and got picked up by her stepson. They visited and then she went in and her room and called me. I really miss her, even though it’s only been a few hours!  I watched one of my Nascar races while working the blog and then watched part of the final motocross race but got sleepy and called it a night.     

Saturday, September 25th., 2021…… The plan today was to shower and walk the dogs and then head down to breakfast. Brackett Field is a little municipal airport just a short distance from the park and also across the street from the Pomona Fairflex. The have a little place there called Norm’s Hangar. I’ve been many times and I wanted to go check it out. Plus, I got to order some decent chorizo and eggs!  Yummy! 

Rick and Janie came over and spent most of the day with me. They brought their dogs so all of us sat out in the shade and enjoyed the grass and the view!

A bit later, we came in and fed the dogs and then headed off to find dinner. We all thought Mexican sounded good, so I looked up places nearby. We found Las Palmas and went there. It was really good. I had a shrimp and fish wet burrito. That may not sound good to some of you but trust me, it was delicious!  I saved some for Cathye. 

After we got back, they decided to head back home.  I talked with Cathye and she shared her day and evening with me. The reception was at her daughter-in-laws sister's house and it was really something. She said the reception went well. She even caught the bouquet!  

Looks like I'm in trouble now. No pressure!  Haha! I watched some more of my taped races and called it a night.