A Grandad Visits the “Grandaddy of Them All”

Helen and I have been very busy since visiting you from Temecula, CA. Our home for the next two weeks would be Seabreeze RV Resort on the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California. Seabreeze Resort may be among the best-kept secrets in the Military campground inventory. Located about 20 miles below the South Bay area of Los Angeles, this facility features wide, paved sites, free laundry, free ice for coolers, and a wildlife refuge that runs alongside the campground. In addition, our California kids live very close by.

The first item on our activity list was to visit our niece, Olivia, my brother’s daughter, a student at the University of Southern California. Our entire family is very proud of Olivia, who enrolled at USC after graduating high school and moved to Los Angeles without knowing a soul. She is not only excelling in her studies, but she is also thriving in a completely new environment.

We only had one day to catch up with her before she left for Spring Break. Helen and I drove to USC in a driving rain that did not let up at any time while we were there. Fortunately, we had our raincoats, and Olivia led us on a tour of the campus. USC is an impressive institution. The architecture is primarily brick buildings, artfully done. Fountains are scattered throughout the courtyards, and a Who’s Who of donors from the entertainment world is inscribed on plaques throughout the campus. Raincoats notwithstanding, we got soaked but had a lovely time.

Our next big event was to attend our grandson Carter’s basketball game. Anything involving sports is a must-see for me, and I was eager to be in the stands. Things did not go well for Carter’s team, but he played great, grabbing eleven rebounds in the first quarter.

Readers know that we LOVE flea markets and consignment shops and look for them in every town we visit. By chance, the Grandaddy of all flea markets was scheduled that weekend at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena—please don’t throw me in that briar patch! Justin, our son, had planned for us to attend on Sunday. We drove to Pasadena on a glorious day.

Cars lined the roads into the Rose Bowl parking lot, and we parked far away from the entrance. Once inside the show, the family split into groups—Helen, Wendy, and Abby went one way, Justin and Carter went another, and I strolled through the booths alone. I looked for Canon camera lenses and found one, a 20 x 80, f-4.6 zoom lens in good condition, for $10. I added eight souvenir sewing thimbles to my collection, but my favorite purchase was a bulldog. I want one badly, but Helen had yet to come around, so I settled for something less, a beautiful bulldog doorstop for $30 (talked down from $45).

By the end of the afternoon, our group made a haul of someone else’s discards. Justin found a Sponge Bob Square Pants travel bag for an upcoming trip to Hawaii. Abby found some nice T-shirts and a disco ball. Carter searched far and wide for a Rubik’s Cube…found it! Helen bought a Squirrel Beanie Baby for my man cave to replace one lost in our last move. (Downsizing? Who’s downsizing?) I can’t remember when I had more fun! (Click on any image to enlarge)

Wendy’s Mom, Cheryl, opened her home to Helen and me, and we spent two nights a little closer to our kids. Cheryl is a great hostess, and it was fun being with her. While there, we strolled several of the piers of the South Bay Area, including Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo Beach piers. I enjoy them all, but my favorite is the pier at Hermosa Beach with its plaza area. Hennessey’s Tavern always draws me in.

Helen and I met Wendy at the Farmer’s Market, located at the Redondo Beach Pier, on a Thursday afternoon to shop for fresh delicacies. Helen picked up some fresh sourdough bread, honey, carrots, and cabbage to go with our corn beef on St. Patrick’s Day. In addition to the fresh offerings, the pier made for a delightful walk in a nice breeze.

On another afternoon, the kids came to Seal Beach to explore this charming small town. After some window-shopping in town, we strolled along the pier. The high winds kept things cool during the afternoon, but the kite surfers were out in big numbers. I’m guessing they were all grateful for wetsuits in that chilling surf. After leaving the pier, we loaded up at the corndog stand for the best lunch of the week.

When not spending time with the family, we enjoyed watching the birds that gathered in the Wildlife Refuge back in the RV Resort. There were several species of waterbirds (I can’t name them) and some very large Great Blue Herons. One Heron, in particular, kept me enthralled as it built a nest in a tree just beyond our fifth wheel. I managed to snap some pictures of this massive creature at work. She never let up on this project day after day.

I’ve been around a long time, but I can’t remember two weeks that passed so quickly as these have. But the older I get, the weeks pass by at warp speed anyway, so it’s best to make the most of them…while I still can. Thanks for joining us. We’re Easin’ Along. Las Vegas, here we come!

P.S. Please check out the Picture Gallery of our time in Seal Beach and LA here.