After Becky dropped off the dogs at The Grand Paw Pet Resort in Indio, she let me drive the 116 miles from Palm Desert to Pasadena. It was uneventful and we had no traffic hassles until we came across a strange accident near Glendora. Somehow, a car had ended up in the trees next to the 210 freeway, facing the wrong way and in a rather beat up condition. Fortunately, it only cost us a few minutes.
We're here for two primary reasons: Tuesday is Bill Shelton's memorial service and Thursday is Christmas. We arrived at Le Reve, our "hotel" (It's really a motel with a dining room) at 2:00.and checked into our room. While I read the paper, Becky went out for some goodies for the reception after the service. We were able to easily kill a few hours until we were scheduled to meet Marshall Rutter and his wife, Terry Knowles, for dinner at Celestino, a dazzling Italian Restaurant on Lake Avenue. I ordered Linguini Arrabiata and got Spaghetti Arrabiata, but it was delicious anyway. And we had a wonderful time with Marshall and Terry, as usual.
Tuesday morning, we went to the dining room for our breakfast. In the past, they've laid out quite a spread for breakfast. Today, it was simply pastries, bagels, and Egg McMuffins in their original packages. The sign said something cryptic about "legal" reasons and I suspect the Health Department had shut down the kitchen. The cook promised that everything would be back to normal by Christmas morning.
We arrived at the San Marino Community Church a little after 10:00 Tuesday morning. The service had been set for the chapel, since it was anticipated that the crowd would not be very large. It turned out that the chapel was standing room only by the time the service started. Our daughter, Donna, and her husband, David, even came from Park City, Utah, for the occasion. It was great seeing them.
The service was terrific. Bill Shelton was a wonderful man and the people who came to honor his life made that abundantly clear. The presentations by his children, including Kai Kuwata, who for this purpose was considered an honorary son, were very moving. Afterward, everyone went to Peter and Terry Shelton's home in San Gabriel for a reception that was very nice. There was a warm and comfortable feeling throughout.
The family had encouraged an "in lieu of flowers" charity donation, but our friend Beverly Newhouse, ever the rebel, sent a beautiful bouquet to the chapel. It turned out to be a perfect---and very necessary---addition to the altar. The entire family thanks you, Beverly.
Wednesday morning, we headed for Pacific Palisades and the home of my brother Bob and his wife, Elise. We haven't been there for several years and it took some time to get used to all the changes they have made.
We didn't even recognize the house from the street. After a brief tour, an adult beverage, and some conversation, we all left for the Jonathan Beach Club, just a few miles away on Pacific Coast Highway. We had a wonderful lunch at a virtually deserted club, and a great time with Bob and Elise.
We then returned to Pasadena via a strange route. Our GPS warned us to avoid horrendous traffic by getting off the Santa Monica Freeway and taking Venice Boulevard the whole way to downtown LA. We took the suggestion and, while I'm not sure we saved any time, at least we had a different view of the surroundings as we wended our way.
We then spent a relaxing evening in our room, watching television and snacking on goodies. Lunch had served as the evening meal for all intents and purposes.
We woke up Thursday morning, had a very nice breakfast at our motel, called a few people to wish them a Merry Christmas, and headed out for a bike ride along the Los Angeles River Bike Trail. We started near the Mulholland Fountain in Los Feliz and went six miles toward downtown before turning back (primarily because the trail ended).
I only made it a mile on the way back before giving up because my bottom was numb. We had an easy time riding south, but riding north was both a little uphill and a lot into a headwind that we hadn't realized made it so easy going south. Becky rode back to where we had started, to get the truck and rescue me.
We returned to our motel and relaxed until it was time to go to Wendy and Kai's for the family Christmas celebration. Becky had given me a book for Christmas, titled As You Wish, written by Cary Elwes, a star of The Princess Bride, one of my (and almost everyone else's) all-time favorite movies.
It is subtitled Inconceivable Tales From The Making Of The Princess Bride, and it is just as much fun as the movie. I finished half of it before I left for the Kuwatas.
Becky had decided to walk the six miles to the Kuwata's house. I waited an hour or so before I drove there. On the way, I spotted Becky on "Suicide Bridge" (the famous and often-photographed bridge over the arroyo).
Just after I passed by, she called and asked for a ride. She had developed a blister and didn't want to exacerbate the problem by trying to be a hero for the last half-mile to the Kuwatas. Since I was in a charitable mood, it being Christmas and all, I complied with her request.
Christmas at the Kuwatas was a chaotic and wonderful time, as usual.
We then returned to our hotel and crashed. Our odyssey to Pasadena had ended. Tomorrow, we will return to the desert, our RV, our dogs, and, therefore, our normal lives.
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