Smooth, but kind of long after the fact, transition from the Alaska world to San Diego. The ocean and the air and the sunshine were and are SO refreshing. I miss California! I have missed Matt and Tracey and Mike!

I had a foreign friend today given to me by the bus driver. His name was Alice......yeah....some Russian kid (young 18 like) who had no clue and looked so scared with little English. He is doing a work/school exchange program and needed to get to San Diego by the same transport as me. LAX bus to metrolink train to Oceanside and then S.D.

"Oh....you have saved my life...." he said as we purchased metrolink tickets from a vending robot of buttons galore.

Later in our trip, the trains were full of Dodgers and Padres fans headed to the afternoon game with Defiance's own Billingsly making his big league debut for the Dodgers. He started as pitcher, did well (presumably?), looked chunky fat, got a hit, and got beamed. All of that brought to you via Matt's relay of info! HA! Hope Case enjoyed watching it online and knowing he's capable of more than Billingsly......

Oh the point of the train and Russian kid! We almost went back to LA b/c I ditched him for an hour and sat on the beautiful beach. When I came back to the station he was sitting on the wrong side with no other passengers. He swore that's where we needed to be, YET I SAW ALL THE DODGERS AND PADRES FANATICS on the opposite track.

One to four flights of stairs and/or undertrack ramps later we rushed over to make the train as it approaced immediately. HA! I enjoyed my slow, but decisive instinct on the Padres game intuition of fan following!

Whatta fun day! It's good to be in California if only for a once brief bit of hours! And today was enjoyable. We (Tracey, Mike, and I) went to the beach around 2 p.m. and we gabbed about life amongst the worldly discussing people around. Matt joined us around 4:30 to our surprise after work and dentist excitement! So good to be with kin!

Then we were off to some amazing HODAD'S and back to hang out a bit and rest. We are all exhaustedly in great spirits.

Tracey and I packed (me into a great new pack on loan from Matt and Tracey) and then we all went to Target for little things. I MISS TARGET!!!!!!

Tonight Mike and I stayed up late, as Matt and Tracey have to work tomorrow. TOMORROW, our departure date! WOO! Side bar: I'm all electronically and musically loaded up!

Dad I like your pic on blog! Wish the rest of you all were with us :( :)

It will be an interesting month! Stayed tuned!