Just hangin out

It’s great seeing friends.  Especially friends that even when you

haven’t been together for years, it doesn’t seem to matter.  Kim and James are those type of friends. We pick up right where we left off the last time we saw them 7 years ago.  We are able to eat some pizza and catch up a little with them and their son, Brenden who was Oscar’s size when we lived here and now John’s size.  That’s scary and makes us realize how fast the time is going to go before Oscar is that size or bigger.  We knew that we were going to have to do laundry while we were here, but didn’t expect to have to do it the very first night.  We had to wash doggie twice and add vinegar to the wash before he was clean, but Oscar was able 

  to go to bed without him this night at least.  He suddenly won’t sleep in his tent that goes with us everywhere.  He wants to sleep on the couch.  Which was fine until I felt something crawling up the mattress in the middle of the night and it was Oscar.  He climbed into bed and 

displaced me, which was fine because John was snoring too loudly anyway.  I’m old and my hips hurt, so the couch actually ended up being better for me.  After a night that felt way too short, we awoke almost onto the right time in California and pretty late for Michigan.  This might be the easiest time change we’ve ever had simply because of the shear exhaustion from the harrowing drive.  We did some shopping today so that I could stock up on the food that Oscar actually eats, I’ll be so glad when he finally just gives in and eats the same  

things that we do.  I’m not holding my breath for it because he loves pancakes and he loves blueberries, but the blueberry pancakes that James made could not be eaten.  He did lick peanut butter off the top of them, but that was all they were good for.  And I have sticker shock again.  I knew that everything was cheaper in Michigan from when we moved from Eureka 12 years ago, but the trip to the grocery store was a rude awakening again.  I’m not used to paying $4 for a 6 pack of

breakfast bars.  I can see now why Eureka couldn’t hold out for long on the encroachment of Walmart and Costco.  The Costco was super busy and the shopping here has a European feel in that you have to get things at a lot of different places, but it’s not because you’re visiting the baker, the cheese shop and the butcher, but because you’re trying to find something affordable from different places.  Things that I was thinking of getting, Kim would have to tell me to wait and get it at the next store.  The gas line at the one station that had it cheaper than the rest of the stations was 4 cars deep.  It’s a bit ridiculous really and kind of annoying that they make you play this game around here.  But, I digress, after a lunch of sandwiches and delicious olives, we made our way up to the sundeck that Kim and James have created on top of their carport.  You still can’t see the Pacific from there, but you can feel that it’s right there on the horizon.  You can also watch the fog roll in pretty easy.  We were out for some serious sun which doesn’t occur often in Eureka and you take advantage of it when it comes.  Relaxing, drinking, soaking up the sun and spending time with friends that Oscar is already in love with is a good way to spend a day.