Working around the house and motorhome.

2-26-10
We are at home for a couple of weeks and doing work around the house, on the motorhome, and having dinners with friends.
I replaced the water faucet and sink in one of the bathrooms. Our little garden needed some attention.
Every week I give the garbage people three garbage cans with weeds and plants I removed.
For fun I had a root canal on two teeth, and had three teeth ground down for crowns.
Presently I have three temporary crowns. It took almost four hours and cost $3,130.00
Without dental insurance it would have cost more.
My WIN friends pay a lot less in Algodones, Mexico.
Doreen made new curtains for the three bedroom windows in the in the motorhome. They look nice but the valances did not match the curtains.
I had to remove the old material from the valances and attach the new ship themed material. Buying material with pictures was not smart. It took me a long time to make it look decent.
While we were at it, I also bought a new comforter. One site is with stripes and the other side is a light blue color. At the moment we are trying out the stripes.














I also installed the television set on a hinged door. Now I can use the space behind the TV. I bought a rotating switch for changing from using the VCR to DVD. There is one more connection, for another electronic appliance.
I also installed two 110 volt power strips, one from the shore line and one from the inverter. When we are dry camping I use the 1000 watt inverter for the TV and other entertainment appliances. For the microwave oven and the rest of the motorhome I use the 2500 watt inverter.

Newport Beach and Old World Village

2-15-10
This was another fine, warm, sunny day. We went to Newport Beach and Balboa Island. Because of the holiday the island was crowded. We were lucky and found a parking spot.












We did some walking along the main tourist street.
The last five days Doreen has been feeling better than in the last five years. She has no vertigo and balance problems. She had a MRI on her head not so long ago and they could not find the problem. Now she stopped taking one of her medications and she feels fine.
When we get back her doctor has to give her a different medication for her high blood pressure.
At least we know now what the problem is.

From Balboa Island we went to the "Old World Village" in Huntington Beach. This is a little German shopping center. We used to buy our bread and sausages there. The stores are closed on Mondays, we had forgotten that. It was nice though to walk around.

Olvera Street, Union Station and visiting friends.

2-14-10
Olvera Street is the oldest street in Los Angeles and Avila Adobe is the oldest house.













In front of the church were ladies selling flowers and candles for the church service. People were standing outside the door because there was no more room inside the church. Some people were praying outside along the wall of the church.












I took Doreen for Valentine Day to Olvera Street for a Mexican lunch. One gets the feeling to be in Mexico.













We took a short walk to the Union Station. This is a large railroad station. Trains are still leaving and arriving there. The ceiling of the waiting room is very beautiful.














In the afternoon we visited our former landlady in Los Alamitos. We loved it there. We became friends with Elisabeth and stayed in touch.
From there we visited Bobbie, a lady Doreen befriended while we lived in Los Alamitos.
The display in our front window gets bigger.

Vera's 90th Birthday

2-13-10
Today we celebrated Vera’s 90th birthday at the Santa Ana Country Club. This is the reason why we came to Santa Ana.
Vera is Doreen’s sister in law. Doreen’s husband and Vera’s husband George were brothers.
Doreen’s son Regie and his wife Leslie, and Doreen’s daughter Sandra came up from San Diego.
Vera’s friends from Australia and England were here too. Vera enjoyed also to have her great grandchildren around her. Vera’s son Chris and his wife organized the affair. The weather was summer like and we had a good time.
The food was good and we had good conversations.

Getty Museum and Santa Monica Pier

2-12-10
Today we went to the Getty Museum. It too has changed from the last time we were there.
But the view from the top of the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the landscaping of the gardens around the museum are still fantastic.

















There are fountains and water is used to beautify the complex. One fountain is a 120 foot linear fountain.













We spent a few hours looking at paintings of the old masters. One room was dedicated to show how a bronze statue is cast using the lost wax process. In one building is the center for photography. Here were large photos displayed.
The Getty has the money to purchase the best art in the world.















A tram moves the visitors from the parking garage to the museum. The tram is a horizontal elevator. It is an electric, cable driven system. The frictionless cars ride on a cushion of air, they are designed to give the passengers the feeling " of being elevated out of their day-to-day experience.












We had pretty good weather, but the city is still in a haze.














Our next stop was the famous Santa Monica Pier. This is not a regular pier. A small amusement park is located on it. There is a carousel, a roller coaster, a ferries wheel and a couple other attractions.












The pier is the end of route 66.

Griffith Park and Farmers Market

2-11-10
We left Carlsbad at 8:30 AM and arrived at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge about 10:00 AM.
After setting up the motorhome we took a little rest and then had lunch.
After lunch we headed for Griffith Park and the Griffith Observatory. From the Observatory one can see the Hollywood sign.













The James Dean monument is there too.












While we were there a photographer took pictures of some kind of models.












On a clear day down town Los Angeles can be seen. Today it was hazy.














After visiting the observatory and checking out the displays, we left and drove to the Farmers Market.
When we lived in Los Alamitos, while I was working for McDonnel Douglas/Boeing, we did a lot of sightseeing in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
The Farmers Market has changed a lot. We had Chinese food. There are all kind of outdoor restaurants, from many different countries.















Next to the old market is "The Grove", a fancy shopping mall, with expensive stores, and nice restaurants. They even have a trolley.