Shafter, CA
Hello Friends!
Greetings from very foggy and rural Shafter, CA. Located near Bakersfield we are experiencing some of the thickest fog I have ever seen. In fact school was delayed today for 2 hours because of it. I thought they were complete wusses, but then I drove in it and it was pretty epic.
My time of with friends in La Jolla end on a great note. Mary and I took in the beach and cliffs of La Jolla and we saw dolphins jumping through the surf about 100 feet away as well as stumbling across the only nude beach in San Diego where there was not woman to be found. Of course did I have my camera for any of this? No but then again considering all the old naked men we saw that day I guess that might have been a blessing. That night we took in the San Diego night life one last time with Daquri's in the Gaslamp district.
Saturday afternoon I bid a tearful goodbye to Mary and Nathan whose hospitality has been amazing and I headed up to LA to spend an evening with some TAD's (including Mandi Jung my summer tour partner) and then I could pick up Shawna at LAX Sunday afternoon (BTW I HATE LAX, I almost got an $88 ticket for not following signs that didn't exist...). After seeing Mandi's show we hit Hollywood. And what a night it was.
We started by taking the LA Metro (think subway) to Hollywood. For some reason it didn't click that I was going to THE Hollywood until we left the station and suddenly I was walking on a sidewalk with stars on it (my favorite was Lassie, we didn't stop for a picture cause the street was busy and kind of sketchy). Every store front was a thumping club or bar with lines and I suddenly felt very country mouse.
We made it to our restaurant and enjoyed gourmet burgers by the time we left it was midnight. Our guide and former Tour Actor guided us to a place called
Piano Bar. Being a hip north-westerner I assumed it was a piano bar with two dueling grand pianos. No is was a rock bar with a very loud band and wall to wall people. Yup, I was not in the NW... Drinks were had and we were squished around yet a good time was had by all and spirits were high when it closed at 2AM. Time to go home, right? Oh no. Not even close.
Our guide began furiously making texts and Facebooking and it wasn't long before we were invited to a house party in the Hollywood Hills (I am not even sure if that is the right name). I quickly discovered that the real night life in Hollywood begins when the official night life ends. The next thing I knew someone paid for us all to get in a cab and 20 minutes later I am in a strangers amazingly large house where the party is going strong. Thankfully the host was very nice and it was really neat to be at a Hollywood party. At 3:30 it looked as if it t'were time to turn in. Little did I know that an after AFTER party was waiting for us. So we crammed into car and 20 minutes later we were at another amazing house at another random party.
We left this party at 6AM. I couldn't even keep my eyes open this time, so when we pulled away I feel asleep in the car. When I awoke we were at an restaurant to finish off the night with breakfast. Oh my lord, I have never fallen asleep waiting for food. From there we walked home and all slept the sleep of angles.
It... was... crazy. Yet that is the Hollywood life and I can see how it is alluring. To me, I was happy to get a taste of it and I have no need to ever do it again. I am so thankful to Mandi, Brandon, and Emma (all in the pictures) for having me out on the town. It was an Epic night to say the least that I will cherish and never forget.
The Adventure Continues - ML
Back when we visited my Uncle John and Aunt Michele in upstate New York we were always treated to a tasty breakfast at a little place called Bennie and Millies. I remember the food being wonderful and what I really remember the most was the fact that we were eating in a Caboose! The same can be said for the Red Wagon Cafe.
The menu was bare bones and typical greasy breakfast/lunch fare. I went with a ham and cheese omelet and was not disappointed. The ham was grilled before being put into the omelet giving it a little crisp to it. It was wonderful and heavy, I didn't not finish it at all.
