Spring Fling Recap - Joan's version
Thirteen of us from
five states (four states and a district to be accurate) gathered at
Ruth’s beautiful hilltop home on Thursday afternoon. Walt met half the
gals at the San Diego airport, and the remainder followed in Sue
Butler’s rental, a Chevy Traverse. Upon arrival was a wonderful variety
of tea sandwiches, pastries, and cupcakes, chocolates and of course
many teas. We spent the afternoon visiting and taking a stroll
through the neighborhood. A hearty dinner was followed by a robust game
of Win Lose or Draw. While some prepared for bed, others started a
discussion on when one should begin the Social Security plan.
Friday started early for some and others were
able to sleep despite the volume of voices. Ruth had personalized mugs
and wine glasses for each of us. When everyone was up and ready to go,
we headed to Del Coronado for lunch and a bit of shopping. Friday night
we went to Shout- San Diego’s dueling piano bar. Della was sent on
stage and was a sport. As the evening progressed the crowd got rowdier
and rastier. A fun time was had by all. Another late night of Outburst,
a game that tested our memory of pre 1984 questions on life, and
products.
Saturday morning we headed to Encinitas for a
Garden Show. We toured many homes in the area both large and small
displaying natural habitats, roses, cactus, trees and succulents. It
was a lot of walking….ask Vicki how many steps she logged on her
pedometer. Happy hour drinks and appetizers followed by an early dinner
at the Beach House in Cardiff by the Sea was great. We had a phenomenal
waiter named Brendon that was a true sport to bear with fourteen
boisterous women.
Sharon shared her secret- arms up and a
towel. You had to be there and it helped that we had a little alcohol
in our systems. Darren and his wife Erilynn came to the restaurant to
pick up Randi for the remainder of the weekend. The rest of us made it
back to Ruth’s with the help of three GPS systems.
Ruth revealed that she had a secret ambition to be a bartender and she
mixed up some pretty fantastic drinks once we got home Saturday night.
Sunday Doug and Bory brought two-year old
Dougie over for a quick visit. Robin’s sister and grand-daughter came
by for Robin and Joan and Walt left to meet a friend at the same Beach
House for brunch. Mary had plans with family to attend the Padre’s game
and Sue Butler took Della back to the airport for an early flight back
to Reno. Doug who had been banished to a hotel and then went up
to visit family in Ventura returned home to help get the rest of the
girls to the airport.
We presented Ruth with two gift certificates
to her favorite garden spot and to a spa. We hope she is relaxing in
Hawaii this week and will return to enjoy a massage. What a wonderful
hostess she is and we all had the Spring Fling of a lifetime.
(Editor's Note: Send me some more versions and I'll add them to
this month's newsletter.)
Congratulations
Our
congratulations to Tina and Jim Cuneo who will be celebrating 35 years
of wedded bliss on the 21st.
Missouri
Missive - April
Adventures
Well the toilet paper syndrome definitely was in place- the older one
gets the faster it rolls.
April did arrive with out any tricks. We had company who brought an
Easter basket and that was our sole decoration. We had plans to be in
Tulsa at the Wilson gathering for Easter and depart immediately after
for our Spring Fling. Walt and I visited St. John’s Episcopal Church in
Tulsa on Easter Sunday and it was so packed that we celebrated the
service not in the church, or the balcony or the multi purpose hall but
in the original chapel. The service was “beamed” in on video to the
remote locations……it is just not the same.
We flew to Phoenix after Easter to celebrate Trevor’s birthday. Our
eldest grand daughter turned 13 earlier in the week. Oh My !!
We had a lovely birthday dinner in Scottsdale on the river walk. I
posted it on Facebook and within the hour, our neighbor from Adamswood
contacted us to say they too were in Scottsdale on Spring Break.
We enjoyed that surprise addition to the itinerary.
Trevor gave us the quick and dirty tour of Phoenix before we left to
meet Randi and Dave in Sedona. Dave gave us the 50-cent tour of the
area including Slide Rock Park. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Oak
Creek Brewery located in the world famous village of Tlaquepaque. It
was my first taste of orange flavored beer. Dave had a much heartier
beer. Trevor joined us after lunch for the continued 50-cent tour that
climaxed with the sunset Pink Jeep tour of the canyons. Only problem
was the weather was changing and the sunset was lost in the clouds. The
next day we visited Jerome, a hillside copper mining town and returned
to Sedona for some shopping.
We returned to Trevor’s home in Phoenix where we enjoyed the Glendale
Jazz Festival, toured the state Capital and spent the day at Pioneer
Living History Museum (much like the San Jose History Museum in Kelly
Park). I learned a lot about AZ and got a tan line to boot. I was
also able to have lunch with a former colleague from my working days at
Clinimetrics while in Phoenix.
On Wednesday, Walt and I drove to San Diego for the beginning of the
Las Madres Spring Fling. We had a lovely dinner at Prada in Balboa Park
and spent the night visiting Ruth and Doug. In the morning Walt
and I helped Ruth prepare for the arrival of the twelve additional
ladies. What an extravaganza but Ruth is the queen of
event-planning. Hopefully, someone else is reporting on the weekend.
After the weekend, Walt and I enjoyed yet some more food and drinks at
the Beach House in Cardiff and later, dinner with my brother,
Mark. Trevor asked us to delay our return to Phoenix as he had a
water leak to deal with. We took that opportunity to visit our name
sake Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula with Walt’s cousins….more sampling
and shopping. We returned to Phoenix in time for our third Taco
Tuesday at Trevors. He opens his home to his friends each Tuesday for a
casual dinner and drinks. Come one or many we enjoyed meeting his new
collection of friends. Trevor sits on the Phoenix board of visitors and
has contacts with the mayor and council folk. He does sporadic TV spots
but this time he had to wear make-up because he was “too shiny” after
playing in the sun while we were in town. He is not a fan of make-up.
We flew back to Tulsa on Thursday evening, arriving on the last flight
in at 12:10 am and unable to find our Prius in the long-term lot.
Walt’s sister had delivered it and we couldn’t find it. Finally
the parking attendant, who wanted to close the lot, helped rescue us.
After a family dinner in Tulsa, we left for home. The green hills of
home were a welcome site but the memories of a wonderful three weeks
with family and friends……………………..priceless.
Saturday Coffee
Clatches
Continue
We meet every Saturday morning at
9 am at
Le Boulanger at San Felipe and Yerba Buena. There is a Starbucks
across from it if you need something "special" to go with your bagel or
pastry. For Away Coffee on May 19th, we are going to
venture down again to "Boogie on the Bayou" in
Campbell. Let's meet at 9 am at Orchard Valley
Coffee (www.orchardvalleycoffee.com/)
and then we can walk around the
event that starts at 10 am. (http://www.downtowncampbell.com/eventinfo.php?eventid=15990)
e-Mail
Tidbit
(How many of these did you already know?)
CLUB OFFICERS
President - Merrilee
Claverie
Treasurer - Sue Ballard
Newsletter & Webmaster - Ginny Gomez
Coffee Coordinator - Randi Heinrichsen
Executive Committee - Randi Heinrichsen, Sally
Brooks-Schulke, and Tina Cuneo
