So I won't bore everyone with the standard details from my trip home for the holidays: For the most part the only people who would actually be interested in such things were there.The abridged version: I alternated between my Mom's place in the town I grew up in -- Temecula, California -- and my dad's place in Long Beach, spending little more than 24 hours in either place at a time. I'm not sure if I would do it again -- doing the 80 mile / 90 minute each way drive 4 times in as many days was a bit tiring, but borrowing my dad's BMW certainly made it tolerable. And struck up the urge to replace the car I've had for the past 11 years.
Temecula a city that at once is a suburb of Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego -- and has ballooned from a population of 29,099 when my family relocated there in 1989 to 105,029 today. My perception growing up was a largely upper-middle class population; my most recent visit gave me a middle-middle class vibe. Long Beach, on the other hand is a decidedly urban suburb of the City of Los Angeles -- albeit a suburb with a population of some 492,000, making it California's 6th largest city.
Temecula, in addition to being home to 100,000 commuters is home to California's lesser known Wine Country. Although I strongly prefer wine to beer**, perhaps the fact that I moved to Cleveland shortly after my 21st birthday explains why aside from a few errands*** I've never imbibed on local spirits. I was determined to change this on my trip. My mom and I started the day with a lackluster lunch at Bally Vineyard & Winery, including the least attentive service I've seen in years along with the most disappointing Riesling I can remember drinking -- tasting more like stale grape juice than wine.
(excuse the fact that by this point I had decided to forgo shaving for 3 or 4 days...)
As it turns out there are more than 20 wineries in the Temecula valley. At one point I had the delusion that we would try, if not all, most of them throughout the course of the day. Apparently more out of practice with wine tasting than I thought we made it to a total of three wineries. On the third winery, Bella Vista, I wound up tasting 6 and bringing 4 bottles home with me. Most of these will be served at the I-still-haven't-figured-out-if-it's-a-party.
With a complete dearth of live performing arts based on a combination of the region and the season we wound up seeing Tangled--mildly amusing--and How Do You Know, which though a bit long struck a bit close to home.
On my way in to Temecula I stopped by my old high school, closed for winter break I was contemplating roaming the campus to see if there were still any staff I remembered and to see how the place that influenced so much of who I've become has changed in the 8 years since I've been gone. Maybe some future visit.
On my way out of town for the last time -- sparked by a comment my mom made, I stopped by the elementary school that I attended from 2nd to 5th grade (a side effect of the city's rapid expansion, the oldest school I attended had been open a year when I first arrived). In front of the school was--and still is, nearly 20 years later--a wall with the hand prints of the students and staff on Day 1. I found mine.
In Between, of course, no visit to Southern California is complete without one--or more--visits to In-N-Out Burger. I was in California 6 days, two days were not In-N-Out able (one for reasons I'll spare, the other because In-N-Out is closed on Christmas Day) during the remaining four days I partook five times. And I could have done it more. The below images were taken (a) while #17 in the drive-thru line waiting for Christmas eve dinner driving from my Dad's to my Mom's and (b) My mom's point of view during our first dinner on this visit.
In Long Beach, the visit consisted largely of catching up and hanging out with the dogs -- a Dalmatian, a Jack Russell terrier, and a Pekinese. I've been told that dogs bring out my "child like side" and that I always seem more relaxed when our office manager brings in her Golden Retriever. I could probably spend weeks on a couch petting and being licked.**** Away from the house we wound up seeing Black Swan and The King's Speech. I hadn't heard of either: Black Swan wasn't at all what I expected based on the description I was given; The King's Speech was quite intriguing and well done.
On the way home, of course, there was the Passenger In 3B; after getting home and sleeping off the jet lag I found out that my paternal grandfather passed away in his sleep. It wasn't expected, nor was it completely unexpected...and I'm really not sure how to take it. I feel like I should be more...something...anything...about his passing. Hmmm. I think I got my pragmatism from him.
Lincoln
*- I forgot what this footnote was going to be.
**- As in: I drink wine. I do not drink beer. Unless I'm really trying to be sociable; even then I have to suppress a pretty violent gag reflex. (Rieslings and Gewurztraminers are my weakness, though a sparkling red will get me every time.)
***- From the days when I was on the board of a independent film festival
****-Double entendre not necessarially intended, and slightly disturbing, but this is the phrasing is the best I can come up with.
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