Pam, Jaymi, Mom and I drove down to Escondido to take part in the annual family Christmas festivities. Drove down the Dreaded 99, to Interstate 5, crossed over onto the 210 and down Interstate 15 to the holy cities of Escondido and San Marcos.
The 390 mile drive took seven hours! We made stops in Fresno (Starbucks Venti Black coffee and sausage sandwich for me--the driver), stop in Grapevine for a splash and dash (ripoff--charged 30 cents above the "regional" rate) and San Bernardino (mom needed to eat due to her diabetes).
Firsts: I have never seen snow in the Grapevine nor have I ever seen snow on the eastern side of Saddleback until now. Magnificent to say the least. CHP were all over the place. Must have seen at least 10 black and whites.
Got to our destination...finally. After a few wrong turns here and there due to bad directions, we made it. Everyone was excited to see my mother. After dining on lamb, ham, shredded beef, turkey, salad, gifts were exchanged and soon it was time to retire.
Afterwards, we stayed in a Fleetwood camper at one of the relatives. Jaymi called Pam to tell her she wanted to ride back with Uncle Joey. Mom slept on the couch, while Pam and I slept in the main bedroom. Claustrophobic to say the least, but I can sleep in a tent with no problem! Go figure!
Sunday morning. The first day of winter. It was off to the IHOP on El Norte in Escondido for the Breakfast Feast First Wave at 8:30. The Second Wave opted to eat later in the day. I order a Colorado Omelet and opted for the pancakes instead of the toast. Where's the hash browns? Oh, they're an extra side meaining extra money!
At 10:00 it time to hug and say our "see-you-laters" to everyone. was off for the long drive back home. Pam suggested to stop at Tom's Farms in Corona, but I opted to keep going. As we passed by Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga, my heart sank because Pam and I got a gift card a year ago and still haven't used it. We had to keep going.
Now, had it been a new REI store...
We had to stop in Santa Clarita to get some caffeine in my system at Starbucks and stopped in the holy city of Fresno to do some last minute shopping. We get to Fresno around 3:00 and it starts to rain.
We make it home around 5:00. Home sweet home.
On a sad note, Pam received a call from Jaymi as we were driving north on the 99 telling us that cousin Mel, who was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), passed away. He battled the illness for a long time. He was surrounded by caring family when he passed away.
Mel was a very popular family member. Always smiling. Avid fisherman. Family clown. Prankster. Class act. Fun to be around. Never complained.
Earlier this year, the family held a surprise birthday party for him knowing it would probably be his last. You should have seen that smile of his. He opened up all of the gifts like a little kid. He went around on his electric wheelchair to thank each and everyone of us for coming. He also went as far as sending thank you cards to everyone who came.
He wanted to visit our house so much, but the progression of the disease and the travel distance was too much for his frail body to handle. It broke his heart when he told us he would be unable to visit us. Probably the only time he didn't smile.
We will miss you, cousin Mel. We will set you a place at the Christmas dinner table for you. Just don't fling the mashed potatoes!
