I travel to Los Angeles every 3-4 months to visit my family (parents, sister & nephews). This trip included spending Valentine’s Day together which was also Ash Wednesday this year. My father (who is now 93) moved into an Assisted Living facility last year. We could no longer care for him. He has trouble walking on his own and basically taking care of himself. He is now in a wheelchair almost exclusively, but gets around just fine! The good news is other than some dementia, he is well. The facility takes good care of him; when he moved in last year, we were able to get him a single room. We got him a mini-refrigerator, a bookcase, television, a comfortable chair, a guest chair, and some decorative items from home. This, in addition to what is provided for him (bed, night stand, dresser). I visited my father 6 days of the 8 that i was there. I took him some personal items he needed, in addition to some of his favorite snacks (Maria’s cookies, cranberry juice, sliced apples, chocolates, etc.).

My mother (91) still lives at home with my sister and her oldest son (my nephew). They take care of her, although mother is mostly self-sufficient. She still drives (!); a 5 mile radius from home gets her to church, the grocery store, pharmacy and friend’s homes. She continues to be quite active and social. She attends a weekly crochet group with friends in the neighborhood, and coffee and lunch dates with church friends. And although she now walks with a cane, and is a bit unsteady on her feet, she is doing wonderfully well for her age. Her memory is mostly quite good and her word search puzzles and e-book (on a Samsung tablet) keep her sharp and engaged. She keeps up with family & friends on Facebook, too.

Lola traveled well, again. She is a bit fussy on the airplane, but mostly sleeps. I order quite a few items for myself and friends in Mexico through Amazon. The delivery boxes make for fun toys for Lola. That along with a ball or crinkly toy keep her occupied. She goes out with me most days to visit her grandparents. Soon she will qualify as a frequent flyer on American Airlines!

When I travel to Los Angeles, I enjoy driving (great roads compared to Mexico), shopping (so many stores, so little time!), and of course eating out with family & friends. I was able to visit with three long-time friends this trip. I had dinner with Julia, tea with Ropfogel and breakfast with Jonathan. I’ve known them: 36 years (Julia), and 45 years in the case of Steve and JK. Wow. We were just babies!! Met all 3 when I was working in the hotel business.

My oldest nephew, Albert, has a birthday in February, so we decided to celebrate it early, since I was in town. We went to his favorite Mexican restaurant (I know, I know. I live in Mexico). This is a good one, very close to mother’s house. We were surprised by my youngest nephew, Daniel and his fiancee Sydney, who joined us for dinner all the way from Riverside County. The margaritas were good and hand-made flour tortillas were delicious!

Mother and I were able to get together with our Machorro cousins, who drove up from the San Diego area to visit. We had lunch in Marina del Rey. It was great to see them, as it has been many years since we’ve all been together. What a great time we had eating lunch waterside in the Marina.

That about wraps up my trip to Los Angeles. I’ll probably be back in 3 months. Lola is ready, passport in hand (well, in paw).