While Callie was hanging out with all the Governor's Scholars in Morehead we found a way to pass the time by flying out to California. Reese had a soccer tournament and the location made it possible for us to stay with the Perrones in Manhattan Beach the entire time. Not only did this save on a hotel but it also allowed us to focus our time off the field on good friends and the beach. In fact after we landed we hit In-N-Out and the beach before we even saw Lauren and company.
Being in Manhattan Beach also provided the perfect opportunity to take Reese on a tour down memory lane. While Sarah and Lauren went for a long walk on the Strand, John took Reese to the best breakfast place in the South Bay, the Local Yolk. John lived just a couple of blocks away from this fine establishment for several years and the great news is that the omelets are still fantastic.
Staying with the Perrones meant we got insight into their daily routines, including the work schedules of Ashlyn and Kate. Ashlyn had been working at Paradise Bowls for a couple of months and boy are these the best acai bowls we've ever had. Ashlyn was very kind to humor us during our visit to her place of work.
We did actually make time for soccer during the trip and Lauren made the trip out to Norco for one of Reese's games. She knew exactly where to go since Ashlyn has played on these fields before. We lucked out with the weather and the timing of our games. This early game left us tons of time the rest of the day and it also wasn't very hot. Reese's team also won which always makes the day that much better.
After that first game we made sure to introduce some of Reese's teammates to the wondrous world of animal style double doubles and all that In-N-Out has to offer. We wanted to make sure they were properly fueled up before we took them back to the coast for an afternoon of fun in the sun.
We had lots of options of where to go but our inner compass led us back to Manhattan Beach. While the parents hung out and talked the three girls had the time of their lives in and out of the water. Reese, Mary, and Sophie clearly have a shared interest in handstands, goofing around, and just playing in general. Their inner child has no problem coming out.
Reese is a water bug and California's relatively cold water doesn't slow her down. She would have played in the waves all day if it was up to her and the other girls certainly appeared to share her attitude. It was a lot of fun watching them attempt to body surf and play in the waves.
At a certain point though we did have to pull them out of the ocean so that we could get a bite to eat. And while we were going to be staying in Manhattan Beach the other members of our crew were going to have to drive back inland to their hotel. It was one more reason we were happy with our choice and thankful for the hospitality of the Perrones.
To continue our trip down memory land we knew the perfect place for an early dinner and some adult beverages. That's right, Panchos, baby! We must admit that since the last time we visited the prices have risen at this Manhattan Beach institution. John's go to Burrito del Mar is now almost $30 which he certainly would not have been able to afford when he lived here as a grad student. But the food was still tasty and the margaritas hit the spot.
Ashlyn and Reese not only have soccer in common. They also have a passion and patience for the world of nails. Reese was taken by some of Ashlyn's tools and Ashlyn was more than happy to provide all the insights she had learned. Together the spent a couple of hours together talking about nails and showing off their respective skills. It's exactly what Lauren and Sarah did when they were in college...not!
While the nail salon was in full gear the other folks indulged in Kate's particular passion...macha! We knew Kate had a great love for this and even had created with a friend an Instragram page called Gas or Grass on which they rate different macha drinks throughout the South Bay and beyond. Not only did we get a macha but then we even got our own brief appearance on the Gas or Grass page. We are still hoping it will go viral eventually and we can become influencers.
The next day was a day off from games and we invited Sophie and her Mom to meet us in Santa Monica for another southern California experience. We walked along the Santa Monica Pier and the promenade to heck out all the stores. We didn't see any street performers, but these tourist spots haven't changed much in the last two decades.
Pictures like this of Sophie and Reese swinging at the beach are always good reminders that it's a different world out on the California coast. Even though we tried not to take it for granted when we lived here these moments still make our hearts sing. We definitely miss being so close to the ocean.
Reese rode with Sophie and her mom from the beach to our suggested lunch spot in Westwood. This allowed us the time to visit some truly special places in our personal history. The building is now occupied by someone else, but this picture is outside what used to be the Kaplan Center where Sarah and John first met. In fact, at some point in the summer/fall of 2003 Sarah was standing right outside of these windows making faces at John while he was in front of a class teaching a GRE or GMAT course. Such good memories.
But the truly special memory of our visit to Westwood occurred after lunch when we stopped by the Brandy Melville store. We cannot come close to doing this story justice here, but will try and give the highlights of an epic encounter with this Westwood traffic cop. Sarah first got us involved in a conversation with her through an innocent comment related to a ticket the cop was giving to someone who had parked illegally in an alley. For the next 30 minutes we were part of a show that will never be duplicated. She provided life advice that ranged from the length of shorts, to romance, to making sure the girls knew that "honks are for hoes" (in other words, a boy coming to pick you up needs to come to the front door and not honk the horn in the driveway). This was one of the most entertaining conversations we have ever been a part of and as you can see, Reese and Sophie had no idea how to respond or react. Honestly, we didn't either. So we took a picture and did our best to remember every element of the encounter because no one would believe it if we told them.
Lauren was very sweet and hosted a dinner one night so that we could see Auntie Pi and Auntie D. Auntie D's niece and mom also joined the fun. This is a fun crew and the presence of the younger generation makes it that much better.
Yes, there was still soccer to be played. Overall the girls had a great trip, winning all three games. Reese played well and while we don't want to make a habit of traveling 2,000 miles for a soccer tournament it worked out perfectly when all was said and done. The weather was great, Reese got into the ocean every day of the trip, and we saw all sorts of folks.
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