Boing! Boing! It's Spring Break!

Spring break is a lovely concept for a couple of reasons: it's something to look forward to, it means there's only ten weeks left of school, and it's an ideal time for rainy travel in a sunshiney state.

Boing! The first round of travel was to So Cal, with a stop at my parents in Merced because I can't guarantee that I'll stay awake for 8 hours straight driving by myself.  Heather Josselyn met me in L.A. and we took advantage of free admission for educators to Universal Studios.  The day was gorgeous, the lines were short, the effects were impressive, and we were the only ones on our row of the boat ride that didn't come out soaked. Worth more than the free admission. 

boing boing  Back and forth to Kathy and Tom Thorpe's house in Riverside.  It's not close, but it sure was delightful to see these old friends.  Heather and Tom had not met before, but he greeted us by handing us each a Leatherman type tool that he bought on Ebay from TSA.  That, plus the yummy breakfast the next morning, secured him an instant place on her friend list.

The next day, we hit up the Getty Museum (free, but parking is $15) where I learned about illuminated texts, impressionists, and how to pour a bronze statue.  That was gorgeous, and interesting.  Being in SoCal, we got off the freeway at a random exit and found great Mexican food.  Then we topped the day off with a trip through the Griffith Observatory (free, and the views in the park are priceless!), where we alternated oogling the stars in the sky and the stars below the Hollywood sign.  Here all the stars in the history of the universe are represented in sparkly pieces of jewelry.

Later, we headed back to Sacramento.  Heather was celebrating finishing a job where her work conditions did not allow singing, extraneous laughing, or visiting Walmart.  If you've ever met Heather, you know this could never do. She made up for lost time while hanging out with me for a couple of days.  We worked on refinishing my table, visited the Lumberjack restaraunt, went to Walmart several times, and laughed our heads off.  Clearly, she is back to her happy center.  She has promised to thank me by creating blueberry tobasco sauce muffins.  Any takers?

BoingBoing.  Hop Hop.  After dropping Heather at the train station, it was back to Merced for conference and Easter.  I was a little reluctant to get back in the car, but my mom's Empty Tomb Rolls are worth it.  These are my nephews being adorable.  They are very good at it.

Ok! Just because it's spring does not mean I can keep bouncing around! I've got to stay put for a couple of weeks, or I'll never get anything done. Happy Spring Break!