There is one thing that remains constant throughout our entire journey as we go from the bright lights and glitz of LA and Las Vegas to the peaceful, laid back quality of northern California, that one constant is great music. My taste in music is about as varied as one can get, ranging from the Grateful Dead to Glee (thanks Sarah) and everything in between. Out here there must be some secret society that programs the radio stations, as well as, being responsible for all the music that is played in every hotel store, restaurant or shop that you enter. My brother and I have both come to the conclusion that they probably do it on purpose so you think there is something magical when traveling out west that doesn't exist back east. I have said to myself on numerous occasions that I need to add that to my itouch or find myself singing along to a song that I haven't heard in longer than I care to admit. My favorite radio station is KFOG 104.5 in San Francisco.
Zachary has been our IT consultant the entire trip with an assist from Emily ( speaking of assists Emily could possibly challenge Wayne Gretzky ( The Great One) in that department, if you aren't aware I have had a man crush on that guy for as long as I can remember and I can argue that he is the greatest player in the history of team sports. Statistically speaking he is the all time scoring leader in hockey and would be the leader even if you took away the over 800 goals he scored and only counted his assists. )
By this time you may all be wondering what does this have to do with the trip and Emily? The simple answer is she is the most helpful, caring, considerate person of others I have ever met in my life and doesn't hesitate to help, not only the ones she knows, but assists anybody she comes in contact with during the course of the day. I bet she has taken more photos of people she doesn't know, as she always is the person that asks as one person is taking a family photo would you like me take a photo of your entire family?
I haven't entered a store asking have you seen a blond girl and have heard in response " You must be Emily's dad, she is in the dressing room and told us to keep an eye out for you and Zachary." Not to mention every twenty something year old guy, from the hotel staff, to a waiter in a restaurant, to the lift operator or the photographers (you get the idea by now) being as courteous and more helpful than they probably ever have been when they meet her. Everywhere we go and the people she comes into contact are left with only a positive impression, this is an ability that you rarely see and one we can all aspire to.
The last day in Lake Tahoe was a lot of fun, we took the gondola to the top of Heavenly Mountain (over 9,000 feet high) and Zach and Emily went tubing. Snow everywhere and 65 degrees are perfect conditions to enjoy the day at that elevation, with the two of them laughing and smiling with every run down the hill made for a great time. ( FYI polarized sun glasses highly recommended and sun tan lotion)
We finally left Tahoe and stopped back at Terry and Paul's house to say goodbye and it turns out that Emily really is The Sheriff. This time we went target shooting with a 22 caliber rifle set up in the back yard (you can do that when your backyard is 5 acres) and added another unexpected activity to the list. They all laughed at me when I told them I wanted to shoot lefty but I wasn't able to because I can't close my right eye by itself and look through my left eye only. They didn't believe when I told them I couldn't do it, so I shot righty , closing my left eye only (which I have no trouble doing by the way) and aiming at the targets and cans. I was impressed with the gun safety Jack, Luke and Grace possess (they are 16, 14 and 12) when target shooting, it was something out of our comfort zone but a lot of fun to do. Emily turned into a great shot in no time and was able to shoot and hit targets that we called out between shots with relative ease. She said it is a good stress reliever, just remember all you guys out there, on top of everything else, she can handle a rifle.
The weekend was spent in my favorite city, San Francisco, there is so much to do and see and I will try to give you a brief run down but I must add how the Zachary and the IT department makes the trip run smooth and safe. I have come to the conclusion that the iphone is the modern day swiss army knife times one million. Remember how much stuff you had to pack when you went on vacation? maps, music, hotel information, games, books, directions, family and friend telephone numbers, the list is endless but all contained in the iphone at the touch of your fingers (if you know what you are doing) I can't tell you how much my brother and I relied on him throughout the trip to get us from one place to the next (as long as he was not plugged in to his Beats (headphones), he is pretty easy to communicate with) . The google maps app (technically not a app I know) is invaluable and has saved us time and stress by allowing us to know how long it takes and the best route to go. We finally went to In -N- Out Burger , California's favorite burger joint, and the IT dept. was happy. Speaking of food we went to House of Nan King in Chinatown while in San Francisco also for another excellent meal, I also helped out making breakfast at Max and Terry's in the heart of the city in an old Victorian home. The fresh fruit and nuts were excellent as we made chocolate chip, banana and pecan pancakes, scrambled eggs and great coffee were the perfect way to start the day. Max is one of the world's best tour guides and I would highly recommend utilizing his services , he took us all over the city to places you probably couldn't get to on your own. We went to the Presidio and the base of the Golden Gate Bridge in Golden Gate Park and were able to take amazing photos of the skyline and bridge (look on Facebook). Did I tell you that California has medical marijuana and apparently everybody in the entire state has a bad back and a doctor willing to give them a prescription and the "patients" are taking their medicine everywhere you look.
The trip is coming down the home stretch as we are leaving northern California ( another FYI, I don't recommend taking the pacific coast highway south from Pebble Beach (take the 17 mile drive) to Hearst Castle in San Simeon at night, The Big Cat is worth his weight in gold (and that's a lot of gold) for driving that leg of the trip. Happy Fourth of July.
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