Friday, July 13, 2018

Extended Family Fun (California, Summer 2018)

When Hubby Tony found out we were going to have some time to ourselves on this trip he contacted his cousin Jean (on his mom's side) to see if we could visit with her. Although they are cousins, Jean is about 30 years older than Tony. She lives in Sun City Lincoln Hills, a planned senior community  a half hour north of Sacramento.

We rented a car for this trip. Tony called the rental office Monday morning to arrange for them to pick us up. The person he spoke to wrote down the time wrong, and the shuttle driver ended up arriving a half hour late. However, to make up for their mistake they gave us a slightly bigger car and waived the return gas fill up requirement, a nice bonus.

Our drive started out the same way as our previous route, but this time we went farther north on Interstate 5. We passed through Sacramento and kept going. When we arrived at Jean's we were greeted by her son Nick, who lives with her. Jean was right behind him. Although frail-looking, she gave both me and Tony a firm hug and invited us in. We chatted for several hours. Jean was able to answer many of Tony's questions about some of his long-deceased family members. I took notes so Tony would be able to remember all the details.

At the end of the visit Tony and I drove to a nearby Starbucks, where we used the wi-fi to research hotels in Sacramento. It was the beginning of rush hour when we got back on the road, but we eventually made it to our destination. We checked in, dropped off our bags, and immediately searched for places to go to dinner. Yelp directed us to a nearby Thai restaurant, then a ice cream parlor for dessert. When we returned to the hotel it was time for bed.

Then next day we relied on Yelp again to find a great coffee shop for breakfast, then headed to the Old Sacramento State Historic Park, a historical landmark that was once the western termini of the Pony Express and first transcontinental railroad.  Many of the historical buildings have been repurposed into stores and restaurants.  We walked around for a couple of hours, had lunch, then started back towards "home". This time we took a different route, which allowed us to visit the Arboretum at University of California-Davis. For part of the walk through the grounds we were escorted by a pair of turkeys:


Our last stop was in Fairfield, where we visited the Jelly Belly factory.

Jelly Belly factory
The plan was to take a factory tour, but the wait to get in was 30 minutes. Both Tony and I were tired, so we settled for visiting the gift shop, where we stocked up on Belly Flops (irregulars that didn't make the quality cut) and got back on the road again. I'm glad we did; thanks to a couple of accidents traffic was really bad heading back into the Bay area.  We had to be back at the rental car office by 5:30, and made it just in time.

One more set of adventures awaited us before we came home.

Five years ago today: How Exciting!
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5 comments:

  1. ChristineJuly 13, 2018 at 2:58 PM

    will stay tuned...glad you were able to meet with the cousin.

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  2. dkzodyJuly 13, 2018 at 11:09 PM

    It took four hours today to make our trip home, a trip that usually takes 3 hours. The traffic is getting worse and worse in the Bay Area. I am astounded at how many people are being crammed into such a small space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy GJuly 14, 2018 at 9:05 AM

      At Saturday's party I spoke to someone who commutes THREE HOURS each way to his job. Part of that is on transit, but it's still insane.

      Delete
    2. dkzodyJuly 14, 2018 at 10:45 AM

      There is not enough housing, nor affordable housing, in the Bay Area. Had this conversation many times over the past week. The single family house next to our daughter's church just sold for $1.2 million CASH, and the new owner is gutting it. I walked by it every day and was amazed at all the work going on inside. We think they are making it into a multiple family home. The house next door to our daughter has three generations living in it. The only way to handle a $3000 month rent.

      Delete
    3. Kathy GJuly 15, 2018 at 3:36 PM

      With the influx of workers that can afford the outrageous housing costs I don't see where the problem will end. I feel for the working class residents of the area.

      Delete