TIME WITH FRIENDS IN SLOtown! June 18-30, 2012

We returned to San Luis Obispo mid June and loved coming back to this darling sign at our Orange Grove RV Park, and our wonderful hosts Jim and Carolyn Park.  Our Welcome Back sign was made by Carolyn's  grandsons, Garrett and Nolan visiting from Los Gatos for the week. Each morning when I'd stop in the house to chat I'd find Carolyn and Jim having fun with the boys! What darling little guys!

Tuesday afternoon we had an Open House Party for our new motorhome and a chance to see our friends all at one time! I was so happy that so many fiends were home and could come by, even Sydne Aguilar, one of my former 2nd graders.

And Tony brought little Zora!

Paul had fun showing the the changes he'd made with the interior. Such a wonderful afternoon with wonderful friends and a perfect chance for me to entertain again; something I miss so much in this traveling life!

I loved being back for my Wednesday morning Breakfast Club with special guest, Katie B joining Nelda, Marcy and me at Woodstone Deli in Avila.

The following day I was off for my annual Summer Sisters Getaway, with my amazing group of 12 women celebrating our 19th year together. Our yearly get together has taken us to many beautiful places but this year we were in for a treat! We found a house in Santa Ynez Valley with all the things we love: beautiful view and setting, enough rooms for everyone, a pool and jacuzzi and comfy furniture for all of us both inside and out. ( That's a big one!)

As is our tradition we cooked, laughed, caught up on each others' lives!

The view from the front porch was stunning and so peaceful. The morning fog would roll in but gone by 9 or so then a lovely day, though not as hot as we had all expected.

Celebrations are always a part of our 4 days together, and this year was no exception as we welcomed 2 more of the gang into retirement, Debbie and Ruby. Originally all 12 of us had taught together at Los Ranchos but as the years have gone by so have many changes. Now 9 of us are retired and only 3 carry on  teaching/working in education. We also celebrated the milestone 80th birthday of our dear Nelda. An amazing group of women and a very fun four days.

Can you believe Nel's 80????? Celebrating with Marcy, Ruby and Maria

Back in San Luis there was time for hikes on the Bay

and beach time with Wes and Alena at Avila. Kayaks in the creek

Mandy was with us for a couple of days to organize and pack her things as she moved north to Portland. Craig's List was the perfect place to find a very unique trailer to use as transport. It started out all black but with PK's love of color and the unusual, he started painting the exterior using any of the paints he had around (our lime green bedroom paint)

One afternoon she and I took a long stroll in Shell Beach, an absolutely perfect afternoon. So many memories for us both of years spent in Shell Beach

Our biggest surprise was walking back up the driveway of our old house on Vista Del Mar...though I knew the present owners had stuccoed our 1970s redwood home, I wasn't quite prepared for the other changes they had made. The owner was there watering the front area and invited us into the "yard". Nothing even remotely resembled previous landscaping...gone was the lane pool, the guest house, the redwood grove and fire pit all replaced with very industrial tall concrete retaining walls in a maze-like design. The sport court remained but only as a concrete pad. To say it looks NOTHING like our original design would be an understatement.

To erase those images from my head, Mandy and I met Paul at our favorite ocean view restaurant, Spyglass Inn for appetizers and drinks.  Never get enough of this view looking towards Avila with surfers enjoying the afternoon.

After almost 2 weeks we did pack up and say good bye to Jim and Carolyn. They are such lovely friends and such truly wonderful people!

So with a cart full of boxes in the little green trailer, or "hot dog stand" as Jim called it, we started our trip north.  Paul pulled the cart and I drove the SAAB pulling the tow dolly.