Best And Then We Flew to the Other Side of the Country!

So guess what?  Early Wednesday morning (meaning 4 am) my family snuck out of the house under cover of darkness and ran off to the airport.

Established a presence on a Southwest Airlines Airliner.

And flew from Chicago . . .

. . . to California! (Not terribly exciting or exotic, I know, but that's where we went)

Straight from LAX to Grandma's house we went

Did you hear of the mighty Pasadena area windstorms?  That tore trees from the ground and tossed them toppling around?  A neighbor's tree fell into Grandma's backyard, narrowly missing her bedroom and knocking quite the hole in their neighbor wall.

We were not alone at Grandma's.  Kristen and Cory came down with all their kids.  Including Walker, who is a baby.

And Rachel.  Not a baby.

Ellie.  Not a baby.

Here Emily holds Walker, who IS a baby (like I told you earlier).

Found other old friends lurking around.

They were chippin the tree in the front yard.

We all went to Lacy Park, San Marino's premiere park destination.

When I was a kid the Lacy Park playground was just an old fire engine and a couple of teeter totters that could loosen your molars.  Now it's swings and stuff.

Can she kick it?

Yes she can.

Uncling.

Oh, here's Blake.  Not a baby.  He got a spy watch for Christmas.  I got spied on so much.

Cory dadding.  Imagine what a picture this would be had I thought to frame it a little higher.

Grandson Grandma time.

I circumnavigated (by foot) the park.

There is this creepy house that abuts its southmost side.

A rose garden on the west.

Not really rose season, it seems.

Good work, kids!

Not even the park could escape the ravages of the windstorm.

Have you seen Kristen yet in this post?  I can't remember.  And I'm not going back to check, either.

What about Owen?  Probably.

Greg, definitely.

Rules, rules, rules.

Did you know General Patton was a San Marinoan?  He was.  There's even a Patton Way now.

Friscalating dusklight.

And then we headed to Alhambra.

Not for In n Out

But to eat at Twohey's, the place where we go.

We had, like, onion rings and chilidips and curry clam chowder and stuff but the establishment's real attraction is the Bittersweet Hot Fudge Sundae.

Good to the last drip.

Whilst eating, night fell.

And that is prettymuch what I took pictures of during our first day in California.  I'm afraid this post is going to be followed be several more that won't seem too different from it: f/1.1 shots of nieces and nephews at dinner or in Grandma's living room.  Well, actually tomorrow's post is a little different from that.  You'll see.