Just a little bit busy

As happens in everyone's life, I've been just a little bit busy and preoccupied with daily living. Thus, I've neglected this blog since my last post of December 26th, but I'm back!

Directly after Christmas, Herb and I took a brief trip to Southern California to meet up with our friends Mike and Becky from the Tri-Cities where Herb lived and worked for the past three years. (You may recall that Herb moved back to our permanent home in Colorado when he had his kidney transplant on October 5th.)

As we grow into our golden years, we are committed to nurturing our friendships despite the geographical distances that separate us. The fact is that when many of us reach the golden years, we've moved around and left friends behind. With some judicious saving and conservative spending, we have the wherewithal to make travel to visit friends a priority.

Becky & Mike at Hollywood & Vine

The four of us went to Hollywood & Vine for dinner and an evening of clubbing.

Lelanda & Herb at Hollywood & Vine

Clubbing meant checking in at Cinespace to see three live performances and an edgy fashion show organized by the fabulous Connie Lim. Check out Connie's gorgeous Sugar music video on YouTube at http://bit.ly/ak82fk. She's a 23-year old who's going places. Cinespace was hopping. The music was loud. We felt like we were young again for a night.

Herb and I are leaving on Wednesday for San Francisco where we'll meet friends Maeda & Keith from Honolulu and Deborah and John from Pacifica for four fun-filled days. Deborah is my friend of 40+ years whom I met when we both lived in Plattsburgh, NY. Maeda is my friend of 30+ years whom I met while we both were working at First Hawaiian Bank in Honolulu.

Deborah and John in Las Vegas, 2007

Keith and Maeda with Gov. Abercrombie, Election Night, 2010

 Check out our plans and the links to the venues' Web sites:

• Viewing Golden Gate Park and beyond from the top floor of the de Young Museum and the surrounding grounds.

• Taking in Fisherman's Wharf followed by dinner at Forbes Island, a quirky restaurant venue on a tiny island off of Pier 39. (Be patient on the Forbes Island link, which takes a moment to load and is worth viewing.)

• Marrakech Magic Theater featuring magician Peter Morrison in a 32-person cabaret venue. Our friend Keith is an accomplished magician also.

• A day in Napa Valley touring wineries followed by dinner and slot machines at the River Rock Casino in Alexander Valley just an hour further north. Herb's the designated driver in our rental van. We had stayed at the River Rock Casino next to the Vancouver, B.C. airport several years ago and enjoyed its ambiance and diverse dining options.

• Chinatown San Francisco, the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest one in the U.S. We are looking forward to some yummy dim sum!

• Beach Blanket Babylon, the world's longest running revue, followed by dinner at The Stinking Rose, in North Beach. The photos of The Stinking Rose promise lots of character in that restaurant.

I sometimes think I've missed my calling, because I thoroughly enjoy doing the online research to find the sights, sounds and tastes that celebrate the vitality of the places that we visit. I'm grateful for friends who are as adventurous and eclectic in their interests as Herb and I.

Until the next post, Aloha!