Theo and I traveled to California to help my sister Peggy and brother-in-law Alfred Martinez celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. The rented a house for the week at Newport Beach with an ocean view that was big enough for all of us and it was a great time. The party was hopping with tons of family and family friends in attendance and lots of good food and drink. It was a great time of celebration.
Theo and I spent a few days at the beach house because, well, Theo loves the beach. We took a beach walk which in all honesty was not quite as relaxing as our Pacific City beach walks in Oregon, but it was warm, and heck, it was the beach. We also took a long walk along the boardwalk (6-8 miles total) that was fun even if we had to frequently avoid an abundance of motorcycles masquerading as e-bikes. It frankly was just good to get away from work for a few days.
The trip did have one bitter-sweet note. This was the last time we got to see our lovely niece Amanda who passed away a couple months later from cancer. Even so, it was good to be away for even a few days since Covid has prevented us from doing so for so long.
