DC Area — May 2025

The U.S. Capitol

Link to more photos. (View the photos individually to read the captions.)

We took this tour of some places around the District of Columbia. The tour specifically did not spend much time in DC itself. On my last trip to DC in 2018 I saw a lot. And whenever I thought of taking Victor there, I wondered how much someone not U.S.-schooled would appreciate all the U.S. history, past presidents' monuments, etc. So I hoped this trip, with just a bit of DC, would be suitable for both of us.

The temperatures were mild, but there was some rain, including thunderstorms.

Our first tourist stop was Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where the sight of the flag during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem we know today as "The Star-Spangled Banner." We also stopped at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, where that flag was sown. In the afternoon, we were at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. Despite the title, it celebrates all Baltimore teams, including the Orioles and the Colts, so it also has the Colts' 1970 Super Bowl trophy. We enjoyed a short cruise of Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

The next day began with a guided tour of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. After lunch, we stopped at two houses associated with John Wilkes Booth: the Surratt House Museum, Booth's first stop after he shot President Lincoln, where he picked up guns and equipment he had stored there earlier, and the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum, where Dr. Mudd treated Booth's injured leg.

The following day included several home tours: Woodlawn Manor, the Pope-Leighey House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and George Mason's Gunston Hall. We stopped for lunch in Occoquan. Our last daylight stop was the National Museum of the U.S. Army, opened only 4½ years ago. 

After dinner, we had a Washington, DC illumination tour. But just as we were disembarking at our first stop to view the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, there was lightning, and we were hustled back on the bus. We stayed on the bus, viewing the many sights only from the streets. That was a disappointment.

In the morning, we stopped at Alexandria's Christ Church, where George Washington and Robert E. Lee, among many others, were parishioners. We spent the afternoon at Mount Vernon, which I had never seen. The museum was good, but the mansion itself was another disappointment. It is a bit of a hike, with a wait, and then you are rushed through just a few rooms of the mansion, and some of those are currently all torn up for renovation:

The next day started at Lincoln's Cottage, where he spent most summers and developed the Emancipation Proclamation. Next came Ford's Theatre where Lincoln was shot, and, across the street, the Petersen House where he died.

Italy — April 2025

 

Link to more photos (View the photos individually to read the captions.)

We took a two-week tour of Italy. It went pretty well. The weather was cooler than I expected, and there was some rain. My sore hip slowed down my walking and was a constant low-level pain.

Victor had never been to Italy. Fifty years ago, I was in Rome, Florence, and Venice. This tour included those cities along with much more. The tour began and ended in Rome.

Our flight leaving Los Angeles was delayed and we missed our connecting flight to Rome, so we arrived several hours later than expected, and missed the Mouth of Truth, St Valentine Bones, and the first group dinner.

The first full day, we toured the Vatican and the Colosseum. The following day we traveled to Pompeii and Sorrento. Next was the Bay of Naples and Capri, then Assisi the day after. In Verona, we glimpsed Juliet's house and continued to Venice. While in Venice, we cruised to Burano.

Next were Milan, Como, and Lake Maggiore, including the Borromean Islands and the Palazzo Borromeo. After that, we were in Pisa and Florence before returning to Rome.

My favorite stops were Pompeii and the bays and lakes. 

Differences from 1975: The all-too-frequent bag checks (ever since 9/11). Far more tourists now, meaning more crowds and queues. But at least, with smart phone cameras, we took many more photos; Victor took over 500, and I took 75, including many more photos of Michelangelo's David than the single one I had in 1975. 

Oh, and why, at IAH (Houston) and IAD (Dulles) is there no TSA Pre-Check for international arrivals making a connection? GRRR!

Julian, Anza-Borrego, Pechanga — April 2025

 

We took a two-day tour to Julian, Anza-Borrego, Pechanga and Temecula. The forecast called for some rain, but fortunately, it only rained while we were riding on the bus; I never opened my umbrella. It was pretty cold, though, and very windy in the desert.

Julian, in the Cuyamaca mountains east of San Diego, is famous for its apple pie, which we certainly tried.

In the afternoon, we visited Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There were no wildflowers this year, but we saw a few of the sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. Here are my photos of them. 

We spent the night at Pechanga Resort Casino. Because they are a sponsor of the Lakers, they have a 2020 Lakers NBA Championship ring on display. Here is an 11-second video of the ring. (If necessary, click to enlarge the video.)

The next day, we had lunch at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula and stopped in Old Town Temecula.

I wrote this on Facebook one evening:

Trump and Musk are deplorable.

Hillary was always right about this: "You know, ... you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it...."

On November 8, 2017, one year after the election, Trump thanked the "deplorables" for his victory

The next morning, I thought, "I should have sent it to the newspaper." So I sent it to the LATimes. They did not print it.

2024 was a somewhat difficult year

It started with a bang... literally: A car hit me as I was walking across the street in January 2024. This, along with arthritis, has left me with long-term pain in my lower back and in my right hip, and has forced me to cut back on walking, my only exercise. I also struggle to find comfortable sleeping positions. I decided I should try a hip replacement, but Physical Medicine doctors tell me not in my case. Many different meds and a bit of acupuncture have made no difference. Some stretching exercises sometimes help a bit. This is seriously hurting my well-being.

After years of fighting leaks, I asked for a quote about roof repair. But they insisted city inspectors would also want the big roof beams repaired, and I wasn't interested in that.

Upon turning 60 in December 2023, Victor learned that he has over $10,000 in retirement funds! After much paperwork over many trips throughout 2024, and with help from some of his family, he has yet to see a cent. We're still working on it. (If this ever concludes, I'll write it up here.)

In September, I bought an almost new car. But it turned out to be stolen, and I lost both the car and the $19,000 I paid for it! All I'm left with is a police report stating that I am the victim of "theft by trickery" (a crime I never before heard of). It's not even tax deductible, because it's not related a federal disaster declaration.

And, to top off the year, there was the dismal Presidential election, which left me depressed.

Odd grocery store name

 

Abarrotes is Spanish for groceries. Such small stores are common in Yucatán, frequently named for the owner or the neighborhood. I have no idea how or why this name was selected for a store in the coastal town of Progreso.

Trump wins: depressing

 

Really? President Trump again?! I'm depressed. The first time around, I called him the worst president ever. 

And the worst part is the 72-million-plus people who voted for him. I don't want to live among such people. I'm glad that no friends of mine voted for him and that he was never close to carrying my city, county or state.

I don't even want to visit states where he won 65% of the vote: Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, (most of) Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wyoming.

I hope I can join some mass protest on inauguration day.

Sacramento, Reno, Tahoe — October, 2024

 

At Lake Tahoe

Link to more photos (View the photos individually to read the captions.)

I have been trying to get to Lake Tahoe for many years. I first glimpsed it in the mid-1970s, on a day trip from Sacramento to Reno. Years later, I tried twice: I signed up for a cheap trip there in exchange for a timeshare presentation, but that was canceled by the pandemic, and our first trip after travel re-opened, with Good Times Travel (GTT), was to include Tahoe, but a nearby wildfire made it impossible.

This trip, also with GTT, partly overlapped with two earlier GTT trips. It began with the same train ride we used on our trip to Pismo Beach, this time followed by a bus ride to Monterey. The next day we went to Felton, where we visited Roaring Camp, and took the narrow-gauge tourist railroad through the redwoods. We continued to Sacramento.

In Sacramento, we visited the capitol, Old Sacramento, and the California State Railroad Museum. I was surprised by the information card at the Gold Coast, a private rail car furnished in Venetian Renaissance replete with a gold and crystal chandelier, a fireplace in the drawing room and brocade tapestry. It explained that the owners, Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg, were partners not only professionally but personally.

On a partly rainy day, we took another train through Truckee and the Donner Pass to Reno. The next day, we toured Carson City, Virginia City, and Reno, and had a short train ride aboard the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. The day was too cold, too windy, again partly rainy, with a touch of snow (!), and Virginia City was blanketed with Trump signs, and I mean at tourist shops not private homes!

The weather cleared up the following day, for our lunch cruise on Lake Tahoe. From there, we went to Mammoth and stayed at the same hotel we used on our previous visit there. As before, our hotel room was huge, but this time the two bathrooms were both standard size, not like the enormous one I had before.

On the last day, on our way back to Los Angeles, we stopped at Manzanar National Historic Site.

My sad car story

Last month, I found a super deal on craigslist on an almost-new 2024 Honda Accord. The seller said he was going through a divorce. After a test drive, I bought it. I went to AAA the next day to do owner transfer. They said the title I had was not legit and they suggested that the car might be stolen, and I should talk to the police!

I used an online site that checks to see if a VIN is reported stolen; it said this VIN was clean. Because of that and because we were leaving for 8 days early the next day, I decided to wait.

When we returned from travel, the online VIN check still said clean. I found a DMV form which I could print, mail with $10, and find the car's "Current Record" and "Ownership History". On Sept. 23, I did that, and I didn't drive the car, waiting to hear back from DMV.

As of this Tuesday, DMV still had not cashed my check. Late yesterday afternoon, the putative owner showed up at my house! He says he has a tracker on the car. He has a key that makes the car (in my garage) beep. He has the permanent plates for the car. (He opened the plate package as I watched.) VIN on the paperwork matches.

We agreed to call the police. After about an hour, they showed up. After another hour of talking to us and checking with DMV and LAPD, they agreed that this guy was the true owner, and they had me turn the car over to him. When examining my driver's license, they noted that it was my birthday. At the end, they apologized for this happening on my birthday.

They will report all this, listing me as the victim of "theft by trickery". They think they might have enough information to track down the thief, but I'm doubtful.

I'm back to my old car, and out all the money I paid for the newer one.

Oregon — Sept/Oct 2024

At Crater Lake

Link to more photos. As always, view the photos individually to see the captions.

I toured Oregon in 2013 and enjoyed it. This tour was similar but shorter, and I thought Victor would like it. I was worried about rain, but we were in the rain for all of five minutes during the entire week.

After our flight to Portland, we stayed at a lodge overlooking the Columbia River. We left in the morning for Mount Hood and lunch at Timberline Lodge. 

After a night in Bend, we journeyed to Crater Lake National Park. We arrived for lunch, and stayed at Crater Lake Lodge. We had a great view of the lake from our hotel room. (See the photos.) We were there for both sunset and sunrise.

We next stayed two nights in Eugene. We rode dune buggies at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, had lunch in Florence, and stopped at a Willamette Valley vineyard.

Returning to Portland, we had a bit of rain as we boarded for a lunch cruise on the Willamette River, followed by a stop at the International Rose Test Garden. There were still some roses in bloom.