Sept 13th – Happy Birtday…thanks for all the opportunities…
Nine more days till the end of summer. Unfortunately, the relentless heatwave and the raging fires in the Angeles Mountain (Bobcat Fire) tell us otherwise. It’s been almost a week and the skies have remained shrouded in smoke. On Thursday, I had ashes raining on me when I went to drop off stuff at my mom’s house. The sky was an eerie orange. On Friday, as I drove into work, I was met with a blurry downtown skyline. For a minute there, I thought it was fog but the smell of smoke reminded me of the fires burning nearby.
Before the fires started, we had already made plans to spend an overnight in OC. The first time I set foot in that hotel was at a friend’s wedding. It’s been been many, many years ago but I still remember the good times.
We had to run some errands before going to the hotel. One of them was getting my car washed. It also happened to be a family fun activity as you see by the glee on Sammy’s face.
We shortly arrived at the hotel which was quite busy. Lots of guests and lots of fancy cars (LOL). We checked into our room which was on the first floor. Sammy was super excited because there was a path leading from our French door to the pool. “See, you don’t have to jump over a fence!” We decided to explore the ground and head down to the beach.
A sweet sixteenth birthday party was being set up on the lawn. Sadly, we missed the celebration because we were at dinner.
We found a quiet spot on the beach and the duo went into the water. There were a lot of surfers out there. After a good couple of hours getting slapped around by the waves, we decide to head back up. Sammy met a couple of critters along the way.
Unfortunately, the hotel had an inefficient way of making dinner reservation. Matter-of-fact, there was not a reservation system. It was a first-come-first-serve which means we had to stand in line. The process reminded me of being in Las Vegas except no slot machines.
The next day we all slept in. Luckily, they accommodated our late check-out. Sammy woke up with bright smile on her face. She had the “most awesome dream.” She celebrated her birthday in France with a group of her friends. In her dream, she gave a “strange boy” a hug which felt very real. Her dreams are always most interesting and vivid with details. I asked her how she knew she was in France. She said she just did. Her dream “gave (her) a backstory and where (she is).” I also remembered my dream. I was working with my friend at her practice in Hawaii. This dream was better than the last one where Sammy and I were chased by a short Asian guy without his mask. I think our psyches are taking a toll.
The pool slowly filled with people as the morning rolled into mid day. We decided to plant ourselves at the poolside and just get brunch there. While Sammy and her dad were in the pool, I was on the lounge chair trying to get the above video to work. All of a sudden, I heard this lady calling me. She sat in a lounge chair next to us. I looked up and she turned out to be a nurse who works at the same hospital. She works in another wing but on the same floor. She and her family planned this escape before the fire happened but was glad they did. The ashes were apparently covering their house. What a small world. We talked a little about work and plans for retirement. Her husband who had retired worked for the same company for 40 years! I can’t imagine doing the same job for 40 years but, then again, here I am at 20 years.
Zombie apocalypse with the orange burnt sky and sun. I kept saying the moon for some reason.
We checked out of the hotel and headed to the Top of the World in Laguna Beach for a hike on the Car Wreck Trail (second attempt). Read about the hike: Top of the World
