Off We Go-Portland to Long Beach

Hello again family and friends.  We are finally off on our new adventure.  We left at about 1 pm Friday from Springfield.  I was relieved to get all my planning done for school.  This is the first time I have had to have a sub since I have been a counselor. I worked for a couple of days getting everything ready.....with a break to see the dentist to find out what was going on with my tooth - infection, root canal needed - the tooth the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

 After the root canal, the pain got worse, what's up with that? I may be a Duck fan but this Dentist is a quack who could give Ducks a bad name - a man who doesn't know the drill, who is down in the mouth.  I went back to the dentist and he gave me the knockout punch.....No! not a sock to the jaw! A potent antibiotic to get rid of any infection and a short dose of steroids to bring down the inflammation.  The steroids worked great and the pain was gone by Thursday evening, but I couldn't sleep again. That stuff wired me up so much that I spent most of the night packing and repacking and cleaning the grout with my toothbrush.  I'm pretty sure I got everything.

Jeff and I drove up to Salem in separate cars.  We dropped the Camry off at Emily's house so she doesn't have to drive her motorcycle everywhere, then headed for Portland.....Destination, Jeff's son Bill's house to see the family.  We got there early and Bill had to work late, but we found a nice bar near the Hillsboro Airport and played a couple of games of pool.  Then we went to Bill and Christina's house and had a great time.  We enjoyed getting lots of little boy hugs and energy, and it was wonderful to see Jeff interact with his grandkids. 

Finally, it was time to leave though, and find our hotel.  We always get lost when trying to find a hotel near the airport. It's kind of a tradition by now.  So we used our GPS, and reversed ourselves and found the Marriott.   Worth the drive as feather pillows and a bed that you could sink into and feel like you were back in the womb.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Up and about for a leisurely morning of breakfast, crossword puzzle and getting to the airport for our 11:35 departure from PDX.  It was just over 40 degrees and spitting rain and we were glad to head south. Alaska Air got off the ground and we are on our way with the joy of 2 screaming infants directly behind us who should try out for early warning sirens to take advantage of their unique abilities.  We got to LAX - a 3 tylenol flight.  We grabbed our luggage, hopped the shuttle and checked in to the Marriott in Long Beach.  We were on the 9th floor with a view of the Queen Mary.  No, not that guy on the corner who was in drag.....the giant ship in Long Beach Harbor.

The Queen Mary in all her glory

The 9th floor balcony

After settling in, we headed out - lots to look at in Long Beach.  We are right in the middle of the action and about 4 blocks from the "Promenade" a walking mall with every possible choice of restaurants.  Burgers, Ribs, Sushi, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Vegan, Mexican, Chinese - a United Nations of gourmands.  We chose a Spanish restaurant and we were blown away by what these folks could do with garlic, olive oil and spices.  It lit up my mouth like a Christmas tree on steroids.  K said it was one of the best meals she ever had and I have to agree.  The ambiance, the service and the food were all outstanding.

The Sevellana 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was down the street to a sports bar/brewery to watch the Ducks beat Washington.  Let's just say that having the Oregon/Washington game on the screen was not a priority for them, but we made our wishes known (Jeff's whining could be heard over the clink of dishes and laughter of patrons) so we watched the first half.  It having been a long day, we decided to watch the 2nd half from the comfort of our room.  We hustled on back, turned on the TV and was shocked to see that our cable was sans the game.  Jeff's lower lip extended as he cursed the gods of cable - a notable pout ensued.  Sports Center was the only refuge for the lonely Duck, his feathers ruffled.  The only positive being the scroll announcing the final score, 34 - 17 Ducks!  All is right in the heavens and we covered the 16 1/2 point spread. Then, off to bed with dreams of floating on the water.