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March 2022

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Once we learned that Chrissy and Johnny were expecting a baby in early May, Valerie very much wanted to be on-hand for the birth and to help out with the newborn.  Therefore, we decided to end our time in Maryland and return to California.  In addition, since Chrissy and Johnny were planning to look for a larger place to live and wanted to relocated to San Diego, we collectively decided to look for a house that would accommodate everybody.

Departing Maryland

We found a place that suited our requirements and Chrissy and Johnny moved into it at the end of February.  So, in early March, we packed up our apartment and had everything stuffed into two U-Haul moving containers that would be shipped for us to San Diego.  We celebrated Valerie’s birthday on the 11th and stayed with Cyndie and Ming for a few days before starting our car trip across country on March 17th.

Along the way, we stopped off to visit my sister Sheila and her family in Tennessee, then on to San Antonio where we spent a few days with Ralph and Carlie.

On March 30th we completed the drive to our new home and began unloading the containers.

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December 2021

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We started out the month by spending a few days in Frederick, MD, once again pet sitting for Tino.  Our first time looking after Tino was back in August.

With Ralph and Carlie in San Antonio

In the middle of December, we traveled to San Antonio to visit with Ralph and Carlie.  This was our first opportunity to see them since they sold their home in California and moved to Texas to be near their grandchildren.  They purchased a home on 2 acres located about 15 minutes outside of San Antonio.  Add some miniature horses, a regular sized horse, some ducks, chickens and dogs and you have a mini-ranch.  We had a great time, great food and did a little sightseeing.

During Christmas, Chrissy and Johnny came out to Maryland to join the family for holiday festivities.

West Coast Trip

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In late September/early October, we flew to Los Angeles to visit friends and family.  In no particular order, we did the following:

  • With Steve and Wende, we went to downtown LA and toured the Grammy Museum, took a ride on Angels Flight and stopped into Grand Central Market.
  • On another day, we went to the “Old World Village” in Huntington Beach to sample their Octoberfest celebration.
  • Over the weekend, Steve and Kevin went to San Francisco and attended the San Francisco 49ers game, playing against the Seattle Seahawks.  Unfortunately, SF lost but we enjoyed the trip.
  • While we were in SF, Valerie visited with Jason, Ashley, Tad and Mia.  She also had lunch with her long-time friend, Delcy.
  • We took a trip out to Prescott, Arizona, to visit Tim and Dinah.  We enjoyed some nice hiking, and I had a thrilling ride with Tim in their Porsche 911.
  • The timing of our visit coincided with birthdays for Steve as well as for Valerie’s son, Tim.  Steve and Wende hosted a nice birthday cookout for the family.
  • Valerie and I visited with her Aunt Amy (her Mom’s sister).

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Charlottesville With The Dawsons

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Back in April 2020, we had plans to attend a wedding in Virginia.  Drummond Dawson, the son of our friends Anne and Henley Dawson was to marry Kelsey Monacci in Charlottesville, VA.  (Here is a reminder of our last visit with Anne and Henley in 2016 at their lovely home in King and Queen Courthouse, VA.)  Clearly, Covid-19 made it necessary to reschedule the wedding for the end of October 2020.

When the time came, with Covid cases surging, we still didn’t feel comfortable with air travel so, sadly, we had to cancel once again.  The wedding took place and by all accounts was a lovely occasion. Continue reading →