Put really snappy post title here

Ah, what a whirlwind ride this trip has been so far.

I didn't post anything yesterday, though I intended to. Got more than a bit caught up in living the adventure and let the posting slide.

First thing in the morning I ducked out of the motel in Laguna Hills to hit a tanker and find some coffee. Both of those things were close at hand, within a couple of blocks. I tried to walk to the coffee place, which was right across the street, but found I'd have to walk a mile down the road to reach the closest pedestrian crossing, then a mile back to the coffee, if I didn't get killed crossing the street of course. Then repeat that two-mile walk carrying hot coffee.

So I decided to drive.

Turning out of the parking lot I got in the wrong lane, misread a street sign, and quickly found myself up on the 5 headed for San Diego. That's where I was headed anyway, but I really needed to get gas and coffee first, not to mention Mom.

I reversed course at the next exit and 20 minutes later had a full bag of fuel and coffee and pulled back into the motel. No worries.

Mom and I enjoyed (?) the free continental breakfast, which was a far cry from the one at Super-8 in Ontario, but that's neither here nor there nor anywhere important.

We stopped at a scenic view of the ocean and violated the "don't feed the squirrels and birds" sign.

About 90 minutes later we were in San Diego and Mom and her sister Nancy were reunited and gabbing away like, well, sisters who hadn't seen each other in some time.

A while later we went to In-N-Out for lunch. I've seen a lot of stuff about this place, a lot of reviews and ratings and so forth, and I was prepared for gustatory excellence. Well, it was okay, mostly. The cheeseburger was passable, the fries were dank and cardboardy. But hell, it's a fast food joint.

The real value was in watching and listening as Mom and her sis gabbed.

Later on I headed over to cousin Becky's house. She and her husband Gil are just really cool people. We eventually went out to Sombrero's for some "authentic greasy Mexican" and it was pretty tasty. Then back to the house where we gabbed until very late and eventually turned in.

I'm writing this from Becky's kitchen table this morning with a view out onto the oasis of their back yard/patio. I really like this part of San Diego. It's residential, and although the population density is hugormous the oasis of the yard/patio feels almost isolated. Quiet and peaceful.

And now, we're going to venture forth into the wilds of San Diego and have some fun.

Hope you are all having a super day.