Back home

It was a full and interesting week visiting oldest daughter and her husband and playing with the big boys and girls at a shrink conference. The conference proved to be quite intense and intensive so there was less play time that I'd hoped for. Still, there were many good times with darling daughter. I saw her new place of work at her distinguished university, had a tour of her end of the campus, and broke fish tacos with her at the student union. I found some handsome university logo attire to bring back for the hubster and son.

Later in the week we ate at a cool and tranquil Persian restaurant which was quite a contrast to the noisy crowded Italian place where I had dinner the night before with some fellow conferees. After knocking back my lamb kabob, we went to see Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, which was a delightful nostalgic romp from beginning to end. Frankie was played by a school friend of oldest daughter which made it even more fun.

The next night we ate at a Russian/Georgian restaurant where the tea is served in glasses and the food is abundant and sumptuous. Poetry, sayings and comments in many languages have been written on the walls and doors. The rotund and ebullient chef from time to time circulates among the patrons. I was waiting for my turn at the john when he arrived and demonstrated how to use the bell mounted on the outside of the bathroom door. He took up the spoon which hung by a chain besides the bell and clanged it loudly grinning the whole while. "That will hurry them up!" he said. He was correct. The lady who shortly came out from the bathroom was not amused and of course by then, the chef was nowhere around.

Sunday we went to the beach and out to visit a lighthouse. The perfectly blue sky very suddenly grew hazy. Daughter thought she smelled smoke. I wasn't sure. But the haze thickened and soon we all smelled smoke. We were way too far from Malibu, we thought, to be getting the smoke from there. Once we got to the car and turned on the radio we found out another fire had broken out. Daughter and hubby told stories of other wild fires. It was quite unsettling even thought the fires were many miles away. The air quality deteriorated rapidly and the sun shone bright orange through the smoke.

I flew out very early the next morning. Our flight path took us over the fire. Talk about a weird sight, to look down on a giant gray cloud with glowing patches erupting through the thick layer of smoke. Of course, more fires have broken out since. Daughter and husband are fine as of this morning though her university is closed for the time being. Life in California goes on, the kids who don't have school hit the mall. Daughter on the other hand, used her time off to go donate blood. That makes her mother proud.