forum.HappieCamper.com

[Ron]

Week 17: Ending March 9, 2003

Monday:
Another restful day. Weather is sunny and breezy, perfect for flying our kites on the beach. Our new stunt kite handles well in the light breeze. Joan even manages to get it flying for a few minutes with Ron patiently picking it up in between. It is supposed to rain on Tuesday so we buy more eucalyptus firewood for a final bonfire. Our neighbors from northern California, John and Lynn, join us for a relaxing evening.


Tuesday:
The threatening rain never transpires beyond a few sprinkles. Joan seems to coming down with a sore throat and earaches. Don’t know if it is due to kite-flying winds or an impending headcold. We ready the coach for our departure to Anaheim tomorrow for Joan’s trade show. John and Lynn had recommended a small local steakhouse chain for dinner, F. McLintocks, so we dine there for our last meal in Pismo. Actually, it is located in Shell Beach. We are seated with a great view of the sunset over the ocean. The food and service are equally impressive. We stop into their butcher shop and purchase some thick USDA Choice steaks to store in our freezer for our next cookout. Yum!

Wednesday:
On the road again. Six and a half hours to Anaheim. Joan will be setting up and working the booth for her former employer, the Better Berry People, for the Natural Products Expo West. We check into the hotel with a king-size bed and residential bathroom. (Yes, their parking lot is big enough for the Happie Camper. In fact, there is a BlueBird bus already parked there and another motorhome expected for the show.) It should be a nice change of scenery, despite the fact we feel we have been in southern California too long already.

Thursday:
Show set up. Ron is extremely helpful in putting together the displays. We put in a a 7 hour day and adjourn to the hotel pool for a patio lunch. Later, we drive to a nearby Target for show necessities and the Block at Orange for seafood dinner and window-shopping at the outdoor mall. The flowering plants and greenery are a welcome sight as we walk around, but the low hanging full-size billboards are a bit jarring.

Friday:
Ron continues to be a super-nice husband and puts together an entire breakfast cart and stools for the display, just in time for the show to begin! It is a long, busy, productive day. We end the evening with dinner at the Overland Stage Restaurant, adjoining our hotel. Another bountiful soup and salad bar, with good seafood and meat entrees. The décor is an interesting blend of Victorian and Wild West. Ziggy Marley performs in a large tent at the Marriott across the street. The music, especially the bass, is so loud, it sets off car alarms in adjacent parking lots every time the music plays! The concert ends at 9:30 and we drift off to sleep.

Saturday:
Showtime again. Another work-filled day. We opt for a quick meal at the hotel coffee shop so Joan can try to get some much-needed sleep.

Sunday:
The last day of the show is usually slow, but this time, it was surprisingly busy. During the course of the show, we both managed to try some new products. Especially intriguing is Peanut Better, a very gourmet, coarsely ground peanut butter, in a variety of sweet or savory flavors. Look for it soon at your favorite health food or gourmet food shop. Everyone pitches in and we break down the double booth in good time. Our colleague Dr. Nikos invites us to join him for dinner at Downtown Disney.
Downtown Disney is a neat outdoor shopping & dining experience. We put our names in at the House of Blues and walk to the largest World of Disney Store in the US (possibly the world, but we are not sure!) Nikos and Joan both do their part to help support our economy.
The food at the House of Blues was very good, but the music was disappointing. There was no live music, which is okay, but the recorded music that was played never included any blues! The conversation at the table, however, was excellent. Upon leaving the restaurant, we were greeted by a live musician in the mall courtyard playing, you guessed it, blues! What a country!