Last week I took some time off of work to recharge the batteries as well as burn some vacation time. Originally Daniel and I were going to move, but at the last minute we decided to stay. Really, we just deferred the decision to next year, but hopefully we will be in a better place next year to get something like a condo. Moving is always a pain, and after the last move, I am not looking forward to doing it again.
Other than the newly refurbished Club Josh, which is still being tinkered with, we visited the Huntington Library in San Marino. I have long wanted to visit it and was pleasantly surprised how much I actually enjoyed it. They have some great gardens as well as some top-notch galleries. Like the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia, it is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but this feels more isolated than the arboretum. If you are in the LA area and need a good date spot or just a place to de-program, I recommend it. They have lots of other activities there, so check it out.
I did get to spend some quality family time down in Carlsbad. A couple of times a year, the LA folks head down to visit the SD folks and it is a good chance to catch up on what is going on with everyone. The seniors are getting up in age so I cherish each time I get to talk to them as you don’t know when you will be able to see them again. We recently loss my great-uncle (the third family death in the last 12 months), and the first of my grandma’s siblings. I’m lucky that my parents had me at a young age so I do have fond memories of them all, but still I yearn for more.
The last big thing was a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm. It had been a few years, and the last time we went it was very pleasant. This time, the place was overrun with graduating 8th graders and it was hot, so we didn’t stick around for long. I do like how they have refurbished the Log Ride back to its former glory and hope that other Knott’s classics will get the same treatment. I still don’t like the over-coasterization of the place, and really their new boarwalk area lacks any character. I miss the days of the Knott’s Berry Ride, the Soap Box Derby, and the parachutes (although I would never,ever go on them). I do wish Matt Ouimet would visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to see what Knott’s really needs to be.
Back to work this week and looks like the next extra time off will be in August for the 10K run I’m planning as well as a trip to Zion and Bryce Cayon NPs. Zion would be the Gorn’s first visit since 1992, and would finally eliminate the only place where he’s been that I have not (which is of course how the whole thing started..).