Trip to California

On April 11th, this girl got on an airplane (or 3) and flew to California!  My sister, Sue requested me for her birthday gift, so why not?  Unexpected and exciting!

I flew from the small Jacksonville airport, Albert J. Ellis, early that morning and landed in Charlotte 50 minutes later.  We left the terminal late, but actually arrived in Charlotte early!  How do they do that?

I got on the next flight and flew to Dallas/Fort Worth airport.  That airport is overwhelming. Like a major city all its own.  Had to take a train shuttle to the next gate. Standing room only, much like a NY subway.

We landed in Ontario while it was still light out.  Sue and Ron picked me up and took me to their house, which is a "new" house to me.  They moved to a manufactured house in a nice senior park in Corona after I moved to North Carolina.

It was great to get see Sue and Ron again.  I miss my sister every day!  They visited me last November, but it seemed like much longer since I had seen them.  Their home is so nice and it looks like it's in the middle of a park. They have some beautiful flowering plants and bushes around their just-right-size yard. I love the porch and the view they have. The house is just the right size for them and they love it.

Sue and I went to some thrift stores and antique stores the first couple of days.  It's one of our favorite things to do together. We also had to shop for new flip flops for me!  I found a silk scarf in an antique store to list in my Etsy shop.  As always, it's fun to shop for old things that we both love.

Because my son Matt,  still lives in the area, I was able to have lunch with him and his girlfriend one day.  It's been a year and a half since I've seen him! It was so good to give him a hug!

Matt and his girlfriend came to Sue and Ron's for Easter lunch after church, so I had a little more time with him that day.  Ron barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs and we ate out on the patio.

Unfortunately, on my third day there, I came down with a sore throat and a cough and runny nose!  What?  Not fair!  It made sleeping a little hard and I didn't have as much energy as I would have liked.  

We went out to Lake Elsinore and saw our Mom's house, where I had lived for the previous 10 years or so.  It's been sold and looks like it's being taken care of.

We also visited Little House of Treasures in Murrieta, where I used to have a small space to sell items.  It was nice to see Don again and visit with Rea over the phone while I was there.  Had to buy something there, of course.

Sue and I watched a lot of episodes of Call the Midwife, (after Ron went to bed!) starting from the beginning. That was fun!

I think it was two days before I was due to leave, that I also got conjunctivitis in my left eye!  It was miserable!  I ended up having to go to an urgent care office and get an antibiotic for my eye.  Not fun!

Somehow, I convinced Matt to get me to the airport for the flights home.  I bought some sunglasses to wear home to hide my sick eye. Want to know how you know you're old?  When wearing the sunglasses indoors at Ontario airport, headed to security, I was at the escalator when an employee asked me if I would be more comfortable using the elevator...Why?  Because I'm a blind elderly woman?  Yeah, that's what she thought.  Oh well, I handled the escalator just fine thank you.

I think the only thing I miss about California (besides the people) was seeing the mountains with a little tiny bit of snow, and the Santa Ana Mountains.  In my part of ENC, we don't have any mountains.  Some day I would like to go to the western part of the state and see mountains again.  I don't miss the number of cars on the road in California!

I'm so glad I got to have this trip.  I appreciate the chance to go see Sue and Ron and Matt!  So nice.  I never expected to get to see them so soon after moving here.

Thank you Sue and Ron for giving me the chance to take this trip! I'm sorry I got sick! Let's do it again sometime. Or you can come here!