Catalina Island, Oakland and New York...Whew!!!

As soon as winter began its retreat, the kids were asking me to come and visit...why not?!

It was a great trip and I loved every minute!

First stop was seeing Autumn in Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Long Beach, California. Joel was busy touring Vietnam on a motorcycle with his two brothers, so Autumn and I had some great "girl" time together!

 Anyone who knows me would not have been surprised by my delight to see flowers actually blooming after a very long and cold winter!

 I had a harrowing ride to the ferry and made it by 2 minutes! After the hour long ferry ride I was met by Autumn in this little golf cart. These carts are popular on the island and although there are a few cars, jeeps and pickups, the waiting time to get permission for a car is several years!

 Autumn and Joel have a cute little one bedroom apartment (which is incredibly difficult to find!) The town is only 3200 people in about a 3 square mile area. The Wriggly family (yes the gum) had purchased the island in 1919 and built it into a resort. Many famous people have vacationed here and Marilyn Monroe lived a block or so from where Autumn is! Phillip Wriggly inherited his father's empire and decided that he did not want to see it full of condos, so he donated 95% of the land to the Los Angeles Parks Commission and made it a nature conservancy. The town of Avalon is a very small part of this beautiful island full of rugged scenery and wildlife.

 This interesting building is called the Casino, but no gambling here. It was built in 1920 as a reception, theater and ballroom. The deco artwork and the tile work (which Catalina is famous for) was breathtaking.

 Beautiful marine paintings cover the arched entry walls of this unusual building.

 The theater boasts stylized paintings- which makes for a very dramatic setting.

 The ballroom is on the upper floor and can comfortable accommodate over 3,000 dancers.

For more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_Casino

The harbor is always filled with activity and because of the heavy rains this winter the hills are very green and lush. This is a view of the harbor taken from the Casino, which is Italian meaning a place of gathering.

 Tiles are a favorite and can be seen all over town. This is the city square and fountain.There are still two tile -makers in the area.

 This is a photo of Avalon as we ventured into the hills and inland to see the rest of this beautiful island.

 More flowers in bloom and verdant hills everywhere.

 Scottie was kind enough to take us in his jeep to the interior where isolated beaches, buffalo, fox and eagles can be seen. This is a rare sighting of the Autumn bird....

 A buffalo the size of a pickup had fortunately gotten himself barricaded behind this fence, as I was feeling too close for comfort!

 Eagle sanctuary currently houses a Golden and a Bald eagle. At some point they had been injured and were attempting to recuperate.

 These large sea birds were seen everywhere along with pelican and seagulls.

 Had to take a photo of my lobster dinner, as the restaurant owner had caught it by hand that very morning! Delicious!

Autumn went to the mainland with me as she was flying to Atlanta the following day for a conference. Was sad to leave this little island paradise and my sweet little girl!!

 Next stop was a flight into Oakland, where I met my sister June. We rented a car and went to see David, our brother. He has Downs Syndrome and is also autistic. It had been more than a year since I had seen him. Although a 51 years old, he looks much older and appears to be slightly frail. ( Don't tell him I said that...)

 June and I had fun between visits to David. Did a little silly shopping, ate great food and generally talked up a storm.

On Monday David returned to his "school" routine, so with a day left of our long weekend we went down the coast to Monterey where we enjoyed the ocean, the Monterey Aquarium and Bubba Gumps for dinner.

 Jelly fish and a sea turle were among the many interesting sights at the aquarium.

 Of course Cannery Row is a place made famous by John Steinbeck's book. The area has all been "yuppified"and is a delight to explore. Took this picture for Dan...our brewing wizard!

 Another plane ride and I met up with these kiddos and the family in New York. Spent two weeks playing with babies and enjoying the company of my two wonderful sons and their amazing wives!

 Ammon had a full beard from ski season (a family tradition) and decided to shave it off in stages....Kelsey style. Here are two of the funnier pictures of the process!

Unfortunately I only remember to get my camera out when I am around the grandkids, so had to add this picture of Dan, currently in Brooklyn and brewing up a storm at The Other Half Brewing Co. It was rated in the top 10 Craft Breweries in the US!!

 While I was in New York there a large  and ferocious blizzard that was predicted to shut down the city...ha! We got 4 inches of snow and it was business as usual in just a day or two. However friends let me know that upstate NY and parts of PA got 26" from that storm.

 This scene made me laugh. Ammon was telling the kids to watch how the garbage truck picked up the huge bins....entertainment in NYC!

Little Aden, who will tell you he is a big boy and super strong (cause he has metal in his bones) will be 4 in May and little Amaia who speaks "Amaiaise" is doing her best to keep up with him. She will be 2 in July. They are sweethearts and I enjoyed spending two weeks with them! 

However, I will say, I was glad to see my bed!