Matt Flies

Thank goodness we had Lucas along: he was our professional photographer!

Matt is nearly done with his ride at this point
How would YOU like to be there, up in the air, on the coast of La Jolla? Life is good when you are Matt Lee!

Matt was hooked up and into the rig before he knew what was happening!

See Matt paragliding off the cliffs of La Jolla? That's him off in the distance!
(This was MY photo. See why we needed Lucas?)

There's Matt!

Coming in for a landing....

Here he comes....

Almost down....

Time flies, but so does Matt Lee! Back to La Jolla today but this time Matt joined the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Assn., Inc and had his maiden trip up the coast to over Torrey Pines Golf Course and then south along the coast to return with wild swings and loopies, courtesy of Max, his pilot. WAY COOL

We Arrive

This photo does not begin to do "Extraordinary Desserts" justice...Luke treated us to a chocolate mousse cake, an incredible strawberry layer cake, and he shared his mixed berry cobbler--the best I've ever tasted. Extraordinary pastries, presentation and company--what a perfect ending to our first day in California!

Luke at Fred's

Walking to Freds for Mexican

The bell tower in Old Town State Park

Matt, not even jet-lagged, fresh from the Heartland, on the beach in La Jolla

One pink, one blue. On facing, one facing away. One skirt, one pair of shorts. Two girls, two reflections.

Sandprints and cousins

This is the message that cousin/nephew Luke had waiting for MATT LEE when we arrived. Gotta love that cousin bonding! sheesh

We got to go to the beach at La Jolla and then to Old Town for some exploring, meeting and greeting his Kat ("wow") and dinner at Fred's. Luke insisted on sharing "Extraordinary Desserts" in the Hillcrest area..oh. my. What a great host and fun guy. And, he cooks. (wink wink: in more ways than one!)

CONVERTIBLE!!

WHOA! THIS is the way to see the California coast!

While we were standing in line for over an HOUR to get our rental car, it all worked out well in the end. The fellow behind the desk offered me a trade on the compact car that I had--he said I could get a convertible if I wanted one as they had one on the lot...

How much would that be?

$70

My first thought was: wow, for an extra $70, I can have a convertible for the next two weeks! Then, I realized that what he meant was an extra $70 per DAY.

Uh, NO thank you.

Do you have a AAA card?

Yes, she said, handing him her AAA card.

Well, let's see.....hmmmm.....with your AAA card, you can have that convertible for only $56.

No, that's ok. I'm good with the compact.

(More typing and pausing by the clerk)

Hmmmm, he said in a low voice....I can't promise anything, but let me talk to my manager (I love when they say this and then all the players play their part) and see if I can get it for you for $25....

Look, if you can get him to agree to $20 a day, and I don't expect you to be able to do that and I understand if you can't, then I'll do it.

The guy behind the desk played the "let me ask my manager" game and soon I had a Sebring convertible for $20 per day....Matt and I are so excited.

We drove the car off the lot, top down, and Matt plugged in the Magellen GPS that he took from Dan's truck and we drove over to Luke's house!

Let the vacation begin!!

Days Like Today: it makes it harder to fly West

Ha! Only kidding. I had to get a photo uploaded just to see the techniques and time involved. Now (IF this works), as long as we have an internet connection, we will be able to hang out at the cafe and update our loyal blog fans with all of our adventures--and our best photos!

Matt was seen here, a bit disappointed with his second day of golf at the Paineville Country Club Youth Summer League.

It is GORGEOUS here--the temps are nudging toward the mid-80s (F) and the humidity lets you know it. That humidity: I will leave it here in Ohio!

Now have to get that camera extended warranty from Best Buy and get those final few things from the market...and do that last load of pre-trip laundry!

It's beginning to get REALLY real! See you soon, Luke and Lori and Kat and Joost and Ronald & Rhoda!

The Kindness of Friends

Kathleen has generously and kindly offered us the use of her house in the Castro District of San Francisco while she gets to play on the Continent! Matt and I, while reluctant at first, decided that we wanted to try "city life" for a few days to see what that's like. So, we will try our hand at using the Muni to get to Pac Bell stadium on July 6 to see the Giants beat the Marlins. (We are mourning the fact that Omar is no longer in SF!)

Luke has informed us that he now IS free this Saturday to play with us....things are shaping up. Responsible neighbor boy, Jacob, now has his instructions for KittyKare and plant waterings. "All I want is for the Diabla and Kiisa to be alive when I get home."

Now...to figure out how to load photos to this site from the laptop....

Two more work days...but who's counting??

Motivated

I have to say that having a trip planned at the end of the week is motivation enough to get me going and get the billing DONE. Tomorrow is final planning day--the day that I have left to get our maps and directions and tickets all wrapped up. Final laundry done....packing can begin. Final lists need to be made....and try to remember that which I don't want to forget.

And, I have to practice loading photos so I know what I'm doing when we get on the road!

Down to the Wire

We are down to the final week.  Matt and I have our tickets and we will soon be on our way to San Diego.  I am going to try to learn how to post to a blog.  Nothing like adding more "to do" to an already busy busy final few days.

But...I would love to share some photos and words to help us remember this trip.  It could really be one of those trips that, years from now, we look back on and fondly recall.

We look forward to your comments and promise to get back to you soon with more interesting posts than this one!

Bye for now!