California A to Z

We heard a lot about a specific ride in Orange County that motorcycle riders love. It’s said to be a beautiful loop in the hills that takes you to a little biker bar to rest at. We did it, and it was beautiful, the four or five miles that are actually in the hills. Hehe. We drove for thirty miles on Interstate 5 barreling down the road, then got a few relaxing miles in, after we wove through town and came to Cook’s Corner. It’s funny, right when we thought the ride was to begin – that is, when we got out of traffic and to the base of a hill – we settled in for the ride, and smack dab hit Cooks right then! It was packed, had a great atmosphere – lots of outdoor seating and counter ordered food and drinks. There were lots of bikes of all sorts there, even road bicycles! After lunch, we found the great wooded and secluded road we heard about to ride back down into town. On the way back we passed the posh gated community Coto de Caza – this is the one the Real Housewives of Orange County live in. And it’s huge from appearance – we ran into it accidentally twice from two difference entrances.

Before we sold the California Parks state pass, we went back down to the San O Beach one last time for some kite flying and doggie running. And then my head got squished by Cujo’s massive fingers.

We had a great dinner outside on the patio of the Fishermans with Jim and Carol. She was able to come down and enjoy the area before they both headed back home to Washington. It was a beautiful night and good dinner with better company.

Charlie has a new favorite beer – made by Flying Dog – called Road Dog. Appropriate, no?

The St Louis Blues came into town to play the LA Kings – and the Kings won. I tell you, fans here are very passionate – it’s great. I guess fans everywhere are passionate, dumb statement. Anyway, the only guy I know on the Blues now was out on injury (Kariya) but Papa Joe could tell you all about who was playing and why that night. I’ll admit, I do like hockey, but I was also searching for stars in the audience. Found one – Jenny McCarthy with her son. Apparently her sister is married to a Blues player. Great night, the sunset coming into town was spectacular, as was dinner in Little Tokyo right before the game. Yum yum YUM. The best food ever is in Little Tokyo. And specials on Japanese beer sure doesn’t hurt.

Curtis works with a guy named Marvin who is a baby making machine! He and his wife Kylee have a son and six girls, all of whom are absolutely adorable. Seriously take a look at his three youngest – they are cheering at their big brother’s football game with authority. They made it up themselves and even end with a little pyramid maneuver. His son Gabe plays for Orange Lutheran, which is a great high school team in the area. In fact, the game we went to was a playoff game - their first win of playoffs. These kids are really good, and some already have offers at some big colleges like Oregon and USC. Their marching band is just as good at what they do – they are on a TV show called Friday Night Lights. I’ve never seen it, but I guess it is about the high school football scene. And – the best part of this high school marching band – it is the most diverse band I’ve seen – it has TAIKO! WTF!?!?! Yes, I said taiko.

Cujo’s Great Aunt Lorraine has lived in the LA area since the 40s on and off, and he always gets together with her while he’s here. This was my first time to meet her, and I instantly fell in love. The similarities of Lorraine and Grandma are uncanny. Given that they haven’t lived near each other or raised their families within a thousand miles from each other, they really are quite alike. So sweet, and such a great memory, Lorraine is the oldest sister at 86. We chatted for hours and walked over to lunch and a market. The market was incredible – a Mexican Market – that was the largest I’ve ever seen. They had everything you could ever want – the most beautiful produce, potted chili pepper plants, prepared pulled pork, carne asada, and seriously every edible part of any animal you could crave. Or someone else could crave. No tongue, intestine or brain for me, thank you. Her son and daughter in law Ron and Nancy also stopped by to say hello. They love to travel and had some great and interesting stories about their adventures. They had even been through Pocatello! Next time, who knows, maybe we’ll all be there at the same time.

At the Dana Point harbor area, there are tons of shops and restaurants as well as fishing charters and cruises. The rich folks keep there boats here - it’s such an excessive display of money every where you go here, it almost becomes numbing and normal. Boats docked here ranged the gamut, and the few that were posted for sale were around $600K. For a boat. And not one that you live on. Holy hell, what do these people do for a living? I found myself asking this question an uncountable number of times until I exhaustedly gave up and gave into outside viewing of ‘typical’ Orange County lifestyle living. We took a Whale Watching boat tour here at Dana Point. They caught a lobster that weighed 15 lbs – it’s huge, no? They think it’s 80 years old. Incredible. The beast had molars in it’s mouth that could crush a rock. They are going to use it for marketing until that falters, then they say they will release it back into the ocean. I have my doubts. Keeping it is far better than selling or eating it, however! That old man earned some respect living that long. Our boat tour was a go – a nogo – a go – a nogo – then a GO! At that point, we had almost succumbed to cancellation and were a little peeved when they told us to get on the boat. That all changed quickly and it was the best boat ride ever. The catamaran was huge and probably more suited for 50 people rather than the 8 of us that were on board. Full bar, snacks and a smart captain – we were happy as clams. We saw sea lions, blue or white tipped dolphins or sharks, (we were both a little confused on what the hell we were looking at) but the best was killer whales. Shamu without Sea World – and with four of his friends. What a rush – these orcas were breathtaking. So graceful, so large and so fast – they would breach for a few breaths, then go back down for five minutes. Back up for a few breaths, then back down for five. Repeat. It was like a game of hide and go seek – we’d all stare out onto the water in search of where they would appear again in the distance.

Craig Ferguson is a funny shithead. I know, I know, he’s on super late. And down here, he’s on super super late. Or early, as the case may be. It IS called the Late Late Show after all. We got in. It was fun. They took our phones and camera, so I do not have evidence. We were herded into lines and subject to waiting in rain and freezing cold studios, numbers scribbled on our skin with marker dictating where we were to sit. Apparently, no, we are not the beautiful chosen, as we were marked with a big black 3 on our wrist. I am a Golden Girl fanatic – LOVE THEM – I’ve seen every episode at least thrice. So just imagine my shit eatin grin when I saw Betty White there. She is so fucking funny! So funny! FUNNY! If you haven’t seen her on his show, you must. His other guest was Neil Patrick Harris – you know him. Loved him in Harold and Kumar and love him in How I Met Your Mother. I was introduced to this show by my mother, and it’s one of the best on TV now, imho. He looks good in person, and his proud folks were standing in the back. We got screwed on the music part of the show, it was already pre-taped. The warm up guy was funny but you know when you are told to laugh over and over and over, even if you think something is funny – it feels forced? Odd. Cheesy. Nonetheless, the show was very funny and well worth the price. Did I mention this was free?

We’re not huge Lakers fans, but we still went to a game – cheap tickets and the chance to see Kobe and maybe some famous folks was simply too tempting. All three were achieved. They played the NJ Nets, so we got to see Vince Carter too. And – we remembered the binoculars! This in itself is a huge feat! They usually like to wait for us in the car. On the bench, were Kevin James – the guy from King of Queens, another actor I recognized but couldn’t tell you his name, and Adam Sandler. I think I might’ve spent more time searching the audience than watching the game. I swear Flea from the RHCP was there, too… but that’s not validated…