Rome

Made it to Rome.  I had a very interesting trip, it was a bit rushed and frantic. After I landed in Madrid, I got off the plane and was in a huge, towering complex with no idea where to go. There was not a person at all anywhere to ask so I just followed a mass of people down two long stairways to a train station. Not knowing what train to take I jumped on the first one, got off on a platform, again with no one or idea where I was. When I asked about Ibera flights, I was directed to another train, then down another set of stairs, blah, blah, blah  I just made the flight to Rome.  The picture above is the Pantheon, built by Hadrain in AD 119-125. It only survived because it was later turned into a church. At first it was a pagan temple.

Wedding and Resort

The wedding was a blast, but like all weddings went late into the night. After snaking my way down the Pacific Coast Highway I found the turn off in Laguna Beach. We had champagne and bizarre little fried snacks. The night was getting colder, the searing warmth from the heat lamps had us all huddled around them as the dance hall was getting set up. The bride being part Hawaiian had beautiful dancers to contrast with the DJ and his slightly obnoxious banter and 80's music. The live Hawaiian and old school music that was played by I believe the Hawaiian Uncle was the best, kind of surreal, unusual, and wonderful. The picture is me at the pool, the morning after, a dead resort with so many polite people working there I was not sure what they could all possibly be doing with no other guest in sight. I wondered around the beautiful grounds early in the morning with sun and clouds causing it to be somewhat warm but with a chilly breeze that just would not let me get in that pool.

Laguna beach

The sky was blue and a slight breeze was gently making the air cool, even as the warmth of the sun could be felt on my face. I emerged from a canopy of trees on the steep steps, that snaked down the canyon wall, blinking in the sudden brightness.  The sound of the waves that beckoned me down,  now for the first time becoming visible.... like some long awaited destination you were not sure you would ever reach.

In the plane blogging along

I looked out the window at the small brown and green hills. Little smudges of white, like paint on a canvas partially blocking the view as  the protrusion of the wing my only clue I was contained inside this metal tube. We seemed to float past the slowly moving landscape, knowing that I would never travel those snaking, brown lines on the ridges of green so far below.

Blogging in the air, a first for me.

Well, off on a short trip to Laguna Ca.  Flight on SW is a hot spot, so I decided to blog on the plane. I love technology! Stay tuned for more adventures, after I get back on the ground.

Balboa park sculpture

San Diego

Well boys and girls, another quick trip to San Diego was in order. The weather was ok, sometimes good, other times quite cold for us Arizona desert people. Green, plants, green and cool air sunshine and fog these were my experiences. The Ocean was cold, like a dip in a pool in Arizona in the winter. The beach was filled with the tattooed, tanned, skate boarders. The sand covering the back of a surfboard as the black suited guys make their way back to the streets. Some old man was singing as he rollerbladed, weaving in and out avoiding the dazed and confused tourists as they blindly wondered the boardwalk. Coffee, Mexican food, loud music and the beer. Pacific Beach is a trip worth taking....I take it as often as I can.