Friends, Bugs and Disney Dreaming

Our last morning in Big Bear was all about finishing the rest of the food we had so that we didn't have to throw much away. I used the leftover potatoes and corn from the night before along with some onion and tomatoes from taco night so create some fried potatoes. Joe, Zach and I had breakfast burritos and David ate the last two pancakes from a previous breakfast. We packed up our stuff, cleaned the kitchen, and I attended one more short meeting while the trash was taken to a local site.

This is the first road trip with my new car Harvey, a Honda HRV. It is the bigger cousin to my red Fit and you would think we would have had plenty of space. It is surprising how 3 bags of games, a guitar, a Labo kit, and lots of suitcases will fill up the back in no time. It's crazy to remember that nine years ago we took a 14-day trip in the cutest little red car you ever did see with such a small amount of luggage and stuff.

Before leaving Big Bear, we took a quick drive up to Pine Summit, the camp where the two older sons attended AWANA camp for so many summers. It has different owners now and when the time came for David to attend, AWANA had changed their camp to a campground in Idyllwild. All we could do was peer through the closed gate before heading down the mountain and on to the next adventure.

On the way home, we stopped to visit our friends the Eastons who live in Running Springs, about 30 minutes from Big Bear. We were able to visit with the whole family and catch up on what everyone is doing. Wade and Judi have a cool house and are keeping busy with some renovation and doing ministry. Ashleigh and Alexander are working, but we still got to visit with both and see how they have grown into young adults. They have a handful of animals including a dog who doesn't like strangers (so we didn't get to meet him), chickens, ducks, and lizards. Everyone got a good laugh, when they saw my reaction after we were shown the cockroaches they were raising to feed the lizard. Yes, you read that correctly, they raise cockroaches! Not your average little brown roaches, these were big two inch black disgusting things. Just writing about it gives me the heebie jeebies all over again.

It so happens that Downtown Disney had re-opened on the very. same day we were headed home, so we had to take a detour and at least get close to Disneyland. We had our temperatures checked before we entered the security bubble and there were cue lines outside of the stores. World of Disney had the largest

line. Portable hand-washing stations were all over the place and cast members greeted us along the way with a cheery "Welcome Back." We walked the length of Downtown Disney and David and Joe went to the gates ensuring that the parks were still there. We've been a little sad not being able to go to the Happiest Place on Earth in a while. We had an early dinner outside at Earl of Sandwich except Zach who got a tofu pancake wrap at the Asian food truck across the way and then it was time to finish the drive home. 

We were back in San Diego by 6:00 with another road trip in the books. I am grateful that we had the chance to take this little trip. Every year is a gift and with Zach leaving for Germany some time this year and the other two back to work soon, this could be our last one. I remember when my boys were little guys and I would get sad thinking about my babies growing up, but one day I decided that if I could have my sons as friends, that would be pretty awesome. I am glad for the experiences I have with my adult children. I enjoy their company, their conversation, and their perspectives and I am honored to call them my friends and sons.

Go Take a Hike

Gotta stop and read the signs.

The majority of our time up here, I have been feeling a little off. At times a little nauseous from my medication and other times just adjusting to the altitude. Regardless, I wanted to do at least a little hiking (or in my case strolling). I searched for easy trails with views of the lake and found Pedal Path which is a paved path that goes around parts of Big Bear Lake. It is also a path for bike riders.

Zach and David

David

We walked along the path occasionally taking little trails down to the water's edge and walking closer to the lake. I had warned the boys that I might not be able to walk very long since I was feeling tired and not quite right. We walked for about an hour and a half and then got back in the car to drive around the lake.

There were a lot of people (mostly bike riders) on the path and several boats on the water. Big Bear Lake is very pretty with tree lined slopes surrounding it and a blue sky above.

Joe

When we returned to the cabin, I played The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis. This was a great little game that the boys and I played when they were younger. It has challenges that require you to use set theory to get your Zoombinis to Zooombiniville. So many years ago, it was on CD ROM and we played it on our desktop computer. Joe discovered that it had been re-released as an Android app and he installed it on his tablet. It was fun hearing the familiar music and narrator encouraging you through the challenges. I had forgotten how much fun and how educational Zoombinis is. I may try to get this game for my math students to play and learn. 

In the afternoon, we played several rounds of some goofy games that Zach brought. One was Unstable Unicorns and the other called Trash Pandas. Trash Pandas is really about raccoons digging through and stashing trash. It's amazing the different themes people use to create games.

I was determined to eat dinner early since the past two nights we didn't eat until after 8:00 p.m. We had grilled chicken and lots of carbs! David prepared macaroni and cheese and Zach heated up some baked beans on the one burner while I threw some baby red potatoes and corn on the cob on the grill. There were also some raw veggies and leftover lettuce and tomato from our tacos the night before for a salad.

We ended the night watching Hairspray, the musical. We considered watching Hamilton, but it was going to be too long for me to stay awake. I'm not sure what else the boys did, because I was fast asleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

This morning we will be packing up after breakfast, but we still have a few more stops on this little mini-road trip before the fun ends.

Heights, Speed and Greed

We woke up to a kitchen of ants. So after de-anting the place and a cup of tea, I made breakfast. Zach was the first to discover that only one burner on the stove worked. So feeling like I was on a cooking show (like Cutthroat Kitchen) that had surprise challenges, I got to work making pancakes and then scrambled eggs. Joe cooked some vegetarian sausage in the microwave and we were ready for breakfast.

After my Zoom meeting, we headed to The Alpine Slide, Big Bear's family recreation center. First we did Soaring Eagle, a ride that simulates a Zip Line (sort of), for the not so courageous. We were taken backwards about 500 feet to an elevation of 100 feet and then released to return to the base platform. 

Next was the original Alpine Slide. Joe and Zach used to attend Awana camp nearby every summer and this was a popular excursion for the campers. We took a chairlift to the top of the mountain/hill, grabbed a bobsled and then rode down a winding track to the bottom. You could control the speed and there were two tracks, one for the slowpokes (like me) and the other for the speed lovers.

Our final activity was miniature golf. Both David and Joe got a hole in one, but David had the lowest score (one below par), Mr. Horvath would be pleased to see that David's golfing experience with Pro Kids paid off.

After a few hours of fun, we headed to the Village to do some shopping. I bought a Christmas ornament and then waited in the air conditioned car while the others shopped. David found a gift for his friend DeRon and Joe bought some bear salt and pepper shakers.

I was feeling a little light-headed adjusting to the high altitude so I took a short nap when we got home. After the nap, I joined the boys in a rousing game of Monopoly using their Switches. They were busy buying up properties, but I wasn't landing on any properties to buy. When there were only a handful of properties left, the boys were willing to trade a few properties. I focused on the cheap side of the board and quickly built hotels. Every time the boys came around Go, I would say "Welcome to my neighborhood" as I collected money from them. Joe was the first to go bankrupt and he sold his property to Zach for $1. David was next. During the game, I was slowly making dinner using the one working burner. We finally stopped to eat our tacos and burritos and then Zach and I finished the game. It didn't take long for Zach who had 3/4 of the properties to drain me of my capital and I was forced to succumb to bankruptcy as well. All in all, it was a four hour game and I was ready for bed!

A Quick Trip to Big Bear

It has been two years since my sons and I have taken a road trip. It feels like forever. Last summer I was busy moving our school into a new building and there just wasn't time to get away for even a few days. I had been looking forward to planning a trip this summer, but then COVID-19 and a broken wrist became the priority and it seemed my hopes for a road trip were being shelved.

It was during one of my physical therapy appointments, that the Big Bear seed was planted. My physical therapist told me about a recent trip to Big Bear which reminded me that a longtime friend owned a cabin in Big Bear. The idea began to germinate as some of the restrictions were being lifted and I posed the question to my boys, "Anyone up for a mini-road trip to Big Bear?" All three responded affirmatively. I am always grateful that they are willing to join me on my adventures.

So we donned our face masks and here we are in Big Bear for four days of relaxation, hopefully, a little hiking, and just enjoying each others' company.

We left San Diego around 1:00 and after a stop at Taco Bell's drive-thru in Barstow, we headed up the mountain to arrive in Big Bear before 5:00. We are staying at Gretel's Log Cabin a mile or so from The Village. My friend's cabin was not available, and this was one of the more reasonable cabins (with four beds) that I could find. It's old and in need of some attention, but it will do.

After we checked in to the cabin, we headed to the local grocery store to buy food. Normally, we eat out a lot on our trips, but since we have a kitchen and the coronavirus is limiting restaurants, we decided we could eat at our home base most of the time. We loaded up the cart with more food than we could ever eat in four days while different sons waited in the long line to check out. On our way back to the cabin, we saw a Sizzler and considered taking a photo for Matt. You should have come with us, Matt!

Individual pizzas from Saucy Mama's Pizza was our dinner. It was an hour wait for pick up, so we didn't even start eating until 8:00 p.m. We played a round of Bang, a card game we haven't played in a while and then it was time for me to go to bed. The boys stayed up for three more hours watching Hulu before they too headed off to dreamland.

This morning the sun is out and the sky is blue. It looks like it will be a lovely day. I have a Zoom meeting with my colleagues mid-morning, but then we hope to go to the Alpine Slide. Zach has been up and about while I have been typing this. He completed his morning yoga routine, ate his "first breakfast" and is now playing Animal Crossing. The rest of the gang is starting to rouse, so I'm going to make brunch and then we'll get started on the day.