OLA: Reliving Our 20s in Santa Monica, California!

dusk at the famed Santa Monica Pier of California

view of the valley from Prescott

We spent our first month in Arizona at Verde Valley TT Resort in Cottonwood, Arizona . Remember Ann? Our first week was spent with her (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2013/09/ola-visiting-with-bff.html).

Sunday Farrner's Market in Cottonwood

After her visit, we spent every Saturday at the several series of her books based in Seattle, WA and Bisby, AZ. Her newest, which Bill bought and she signed, is the prequel to one of the series Bill had read.  What fun for the fledgling author in me!

Book Signing Event with J. A. Jance

Clubhouse Dinner Dance. We also enjoyed the Community Library where I was able to borrow 7 classic travel books to help with my final edit and the Community Fitness Center where we worked out every other day. There was even a little Farmers’ Market one Sunday after mass. A trip through the other side of the mountain from Jerome, so we could watch Eysium at an IMAX in Prescott, gave us an unforgettable view of the valley. But the highlight of our stay was the Community Center’s Book Signing Event of the best-selling author of Arizona and Washington (our 2 states!), J.A. Jance.  Bill had read

being towed into Phoenix at almost midnight

the tire and the tread

 All set to go to our 6-month winter hibernation in Phoenix, at just about 20 miles after leaving camp at about 1 pm, the whole tread of the inside rear dual on the passenger side blew out. Good Sam again came to our assistance and new tires were installed to all four on the tandem axle. It turned out, however, that we could still not drive the RV because the tread had damaged the drive shaft when it blew out.  Finally at 9 pm we were towed into the Deer Valley Diesel, stressed, hungry, and exhausted.

The next day Bill and I decided to bring the RV to the Collision Center of Camping World. Some unfortunate happenings hurt our RV through the thousands of miles we had taken her: the orange pylons set up for road repair (they hardly make them wide enough for RVs!) and a campsite with huge rocks that you cannot see when you check in at night. Well, it will be there for 2+ weeks (paperwork for insurance included!) so we decided to visit my granddaughter Krishna who has relocated to Santa Monica and my sister Cherry who has also just relocated to San Diego.

Krishna receiving me at her Salon de Nesou post

 Krishna is my 21-year old first apo (grandchild) who has recently completed her Cosmetology Course in the Seattle Gene Juarez Academy immediately found a job at Salon de Nesou. She was off on Oct. 3 to 5 so I thought we would be able to take her around the city. But it didn’t turn out to be what we thought it would be. 

Unfortunately, she landed with a creepy landlord who was often at their apartment. The lone man who lived in the other room invited a girl (cousin he said) and asked Krishna and her friend Tracey to accommodate her in their room. Several days passed and soon it became three weeks, definitely against their lease agreement. So the man ‘cousin’ lodged a complaint against the landlord who then gave them an eviction order for 3 days and refused to give back their deposit.

@ her fave sushi place

with Grandpa eating on the sidewalk

The 3 days were almost consumed taking their belongings to our motel (luckily we had a 1 bedroom suite so they could use the sofa bed at the living area) and looking for a new place.  And we were also able to have some fun with her, shopping for international food items at the food trucks in Venice, California, where they are all parked every Friday evening, eating at her favorite sushi place, revisiting El Pollo Loco and Pinkberry frozen yoghurt. But the highlight of the visit was the oath I was able to make as a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines! I truly have become an American without losing my Filipino roots!

@ the Philippine Consulate in LA, taking my oath as dual citizen

their new apartment, upper floor

On the last day, we were able to find and negotiate terms with the new landlord and transferred all their stuff from the motel to their new apartment. Then we celebrated with Soc, a Miss Computer Girl finalist when she was 21 back in the Philippines.

the Happy Misfits

We had dinner in an appropriate place…the Misfits…at the famous Promenade of Santa Monica. After dinner we found a café with lots of cake and that was my BIG mistake. I ate half of Soc’s cheesecake and my whole tiramisu. I suffered heavily that night! But everyone had a riot. Krishna has a new Tita. Her new apartment is just 4 blocks from her Salon. Sometimes, grandparents have the most fun reliving their 20s through their grandkids and friends. But, unhappily, my hives flared up all over again. Stress is not one of my good friends!

Bill having dinner with the girls