I Won't Grow Up... but you already know, right?

Peter Pan is why I raced back to Sacramento following that lovely wedding yesterday. I'm a genuine Baby Boomer, who in the 50s enjoyed the immense treat of going downstairs to our neighbor's where we kids gathered round the old black n' white telly to see the live (LIVE!) performance of Peter Pan. I don't know when that tradition exactly started, or how many years it lasted, but to those occasions occupy an immense amount of my brain's real estate. The week following Peter Pan meant ricocheting off living room furniture or beds, shrieking 'I'M FLYING!', singing endless verses of 'I won't grow up! I don't wanna go to school...' and crowing until one's mother threatened bodily harm.

The Music Circus' Peter Pan was the best version of the musical I've ever seen (my sincere apology to the M. Martin estate). Peter Pan - traditionally played by a lady of course - was a great juvie brat and total crack, as naughty as you like, and clueless about the 'grown up' world. Loved the the flamboyant Captain Hook, and the adorably (yes, I said adorable) very-nearly-evil Mr. Smee, and overall, I think I'd hand my thimble over to Peter as the most fun to keep one's eyes and ears on. Oh, and the whole Neverland Indian tribe - with some help from Peter - put on a dynamite, energetic drums performance I think was inspired by that bang on the ash cans Broadway play whose name escapes me. Anyway, that sure set the audience screaming their enjoyment, brats they all were.

One of the pleasures of the annual 'kid's musical' at the Music Circus is always the tots decked out in appropriate costumes, this year there were more Tinkerbells and Peter Pans in the audience than on stage. And please note, the adults far outnumbered kids in the audience and they fooled no one. Sure they entered the theater with airs of respectability and adult attitude to rival Mr. Darling, but didn't take long for them to laugh their post-pubescent arses off. I think the kids were scandalized at how uncivilized their parents behaved. I mean, in public!

Spending a Big Day with Dear Friends

Jenny with her family, old and new

Made it to the wedding in the nick of time, and a beautiful wedding it was. Up top is my favorite photo from the chapel, which makes me quite nostalgic. Left to right, the descriptions are relative to Joann, just on Jenny's left, in pretty blue outfit. So, left to right: Sister Judy, Son Philip with wife Krista and grand-kiddies McKayla & Jeremy, Nephew Sean (thanks Jo!), Groom John, the Beauty of a Bride Jenny, Brother John, Hubby Gene, Joann, little sister Janice and Brother-in-law Ron.
 

At the Reception

It was under the bright and happily not to warm San Diego sky the reception was held. The photo is the bride & groom 'laxing' in front of the arbor built by Jenny's brother Philip. Philip and Krista were married beneath. Just before the excitement of the cutting of the wedding cake - OK, it was exciting for me - Gene, Jenny's dad, gave such a sweet toast in honor of his daughter and new son-in-law that had everyone present, and in possession of a functioning heart, all teary. You rocked it Gene!

Around twilight I  drove Joann home. There I was greeted by doggie Fergus, and I was given a tour of Joann's Gardens. There was a new garden renewal and even a cute fairy garden to explore. Joann let me in on a sweet tale that concerns a little statuette of a boy and his dog near the older bit of back yard.  I loved that now one can descend a few stairs, walk a short ways and sit in a chair under a generously branched shady tree. They call that 'The Shire'. Cute!

Lovely way to spend a weekend with friends I don't get to enjoy too often these days. Tomorrow morning I'm heading back to Fair Oaks and I wish I could be in two places at one time.

Joann's little corner of remembrance

Quick Visit with Dear Friends for a Big Day

Saturday afternoon off Point Loma, San Diego (iPhone pic)

Hurrah for Cupid's arrow! Am in San Diego for the weekend, so I can attend the wedding of my best buds Gene & Joann's baby girl, Jennifer. Had no idea Jenny had a steady, much less a fiance, but then an out of town Auntie is always the last to know *happy winks*.

AirBnB flat came w/ensie twee kitty

I flew down and because hotels in San Diego are outrageously expensive - I'm talking, if you have to ask, you can't afford them - so I went with AirBnB. Got a tiny apartment for a mini weekend (Friday morn thru Su

nday morn) in the Ocean Beach area (update: seriously overpriced for where I stayed). As soon as I was settled in I headed out, visiting my parents in Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma. 

Next I might have hit any of a b'jillion tourist spots in San Diego, but having not planned a single solitary thing for this weekend, I fell to my normal default which is Old Town. That spot has a load of memories from my teenager-hood. Strolling around with my mother or roaming its streets with Joann because we always had money burning holes in our pockets in our need for cool and groovy candles. Oh, and I also had a thing for rocks at the Old Town rock shop. Still have all of those rocks you know. Yes - a little pathetic.

I was on site in Old Town before any of the shops opened so I had plenty of time for a leisurely stroll. I stopped to admire the scenery and was quickly surrounded by several young students - late teens & early twenties - for whom English was a second, if not third language. They read through a list of questions, selecting to ask me, "Are you a vegetarian?"

Oh yes, as if. When I answered I was directed to sign a form, and I surmised they were on a scavenger hunt.

Old Town has 'Little House on the Prairie' wooden boardwalks; quite fun

Old Town museum exhibit showing an old stagecoach stop restaurant

Diorama of what the whole of San Diego looked like in the 1800s

Any time I held still for more than a minute or two, a new group of students would surround me, and with various degrees of skill with the English tongue would ask me again if I was a vegetarian or some other question, in hope of completing their scavenger hunt list.

Students, in foreground and aft, who all had scavenger hunt queries for me

Mind, they all spoke much better English than I could ever hope to speak Korean, Spanish or Russian, and I would match my horrible accent against any of their's any day.

After a short afternoon stop at my 'digs' in Ocean Beach I headed over to the home of Jenny's new in-laws. There everyone on both sides of Jenny's old and new family gathered for dinner and a nice chat. Thought it was sweet of them to include me in this family get-together. Got to meet Jenny's soon-to-be hubby, and the 'Scarborough' sisters whom I haven't laid eyes on in ages. Also at long last, I got to meet Joann's newest grand baby-boy. When Joann's around her grandkids she absolutely glows, and who can blame her, they are cuties.

Joann and her curly-locked little Grandson

  That was a nice end to my first day in my old stomping grounds. Tomorrow is the big day for the double Jays, John & Jenny. 

NOOOOOO..... NOT AGAIN!

Yesterday started off as a perfectly lovely Sunday. Met up with friends Nancy & Jeri and we had a ball. First we saw SPY, the new comedy with Melissa McCarthy. It was both funnier and cooler than I expected. Part of what I loved was McC had fight scenes that were every bit as hard core and real as the ones you see with male stars such as Daniel Craig. I mean, how often do you see a fat lady in an action movie doing anything other than get murdered in a funny manner or sweating. Really, the movie was action packed and genuinely funny. McC is a badass.

After the movie we decided a meal was in order so we hit Sacramento's Queen of Sheba for some Ethiopian atmosphere. OK, OK, must share pics of the food, because you know I had to photograph anything that went into our mouths.

Here is Jeri's vegetarian plate with cabbage, greens, potato with carrot in mild sauce & a little cold salad. Her Injera (bread) was special, gluten free.

Nancy had Chicken served in a mild sauce with cauliflower also served on an injera, the gluten packed sort. She said it was delish.

'They call me Mr. Tibbs!'

I, the group's super-carnivore, had spicy Lamb Tibbs, it too came on an oversized injera. The injera is prepared on a special Ethiopian grill and it resembles a crepe. All the food is served on top of a giant Injera, with additional injera served along side the meal so one meets one's daily injera requirement.

After stuffing ourselves there were still left overs so we all exited Queen of Sheba with Basenji Bags. I dropped Jeri off at her house, then stopped by Nancy's where at her insistence I visited for a while with Rick, son Adan (and natch, Tippy the dog) who all watched the Women's Soccer world championship.

After a short visit, I headed home where I found... good neighbor Bill and a Sheriff's car parked outside of my house. Long story short, I was freakn' robbed! Bill spotted a suspicious looking guy perusing houses on our block, and saw the guy peek into my garage, and seeing no car, the crook opened the side gate and went in. Bill immediately 911'd the sheriffs, who arrived, *sigh* after the thief had entered my home, then scarpered off.

Some may recall I was robbed nine years ago last February, not long after having started up this blog. Right after I was robbed good neighbor Bill started our Neighborhood Watch program which is still running strong - and I might add, still working.

I let the sheriffs in and we crept around my house looking for signs of theft (almost needless to say, one of my big ole bras was front & center in my bedroom). The only thing I knew for sure was gone, was my lightweight laptop which is, as I recall, just shy of 2 years old. The only reason it was out in

Modus Operandi

the open I just got back from a short trip a couple of days ago. Late afternoon, a fingerprints officer came by & after 2 hours dusting for fingerprints she came up with oodles of prints. It was she who discovered the crook climbed up into my 10 foot high  bedroom window from the side yard. He must have been half Spider-man. He landed with his muddy feet on my bed, and left the house through my patio door.

The prints expert got no less than 29 hand/finger prints. What a hard working, patient soul she was.


Here's creepy tidbit... later in the evening, I went in my fridge, and discovered my unopened pint of half and half was nowhere to be found. I told Bill about it this afternoon and he probably correctly surmised the guy was hot and tired from climbing in my window & probably thought a cold beer or soda was in order. Of course he wasn't finding any of that at my house so he settled for a nice cold pint of half and half. Probably a tad rich, but it gave him the strength to vault over my backyard fence with his booty - my stuff jammed into my back pack. 

My best beloved Attu Patch

So that was my adventure over the Fourth of July weekend. Bummer, eh? You know I went to bed Sunday night of the robbery tossing and turning and fretting, over what? My laptop? Hell no! I was tossing and turning because of the loss of my Attu patch which I thought, was sewed to the stolen back pack. I adore my hard earned patch so the thought of its loss was heart breaking. It wasn't until the wee hours of early morning I realized, DUH! I have two back packs and the one stolen wasn't the one with the patch. Fell into a lovely deep sleep, knowing my silly patch is safe and sound.

UPDATE: THIEF CAUGHT!  This afternoon Bill came by, and said the sheriff's called him over to where 'my' thief was nabbed. He was caught trying to burglarize more homes - once again - in the same neighborhood. Well, they say crooks aren't necessarily the brightest crayons in the pack. The guy was easily ID'd as the one seen racing away from my home yesterday afternoon. Since his finger prints were taken from my house, that's a nice clear case. The crook had a pick-up with other people's goods in the back but not my stuff which he had already had enough time to fence or whatever. I believe that my stuff seems gone does not bother me probably as much as it ought. Could I possibly enjoy shopping that much? I think not.

I must say, thanks to good neighbor Bill and a Sheriff's Department for outstanding work. YAY!