Dan & Diana, Cocotte Bistro, and Campland on the Bay

Aloha Everyone,

This morning J.J. and I went back to Wells Fargo Bank to complete our Last Will and Testament signing and notary. Our son's family friends, Dan and Diana kindly acted as witnesses.

Among many of their incredible achievements, Dan held the position of Regent Professor and now Professor Emeritus, Mathematics Department, University of North Texas. Diana was Director, University of North Texas Art Gallery. One can tell that they never stop learning. Both are currently enrolled in a Spanish class in preparation for their trip to a Spanish speaking country. J.J. and I are truly grateful for their friendship to our son and his family.

Here is our breakfast at Cocotte Bistro, which also became a celebratory meal. Dan's latest work, "The Scottish Book," was accepted for publication by Springer Verlag.

Tonight we are storing Honu overnight at the Campland On The Bay to be in compliance with San Diego county's maximum allowable 3 consecutive days RV parking on a public road. We paid $12 and bid farewell to Honu for the night.

Aloha -- Cathi

Heartwarming Act Of Random Kindness And Pay It Forward

Aloha Everyone,

Sensational events and stories are the ones that make to the headline news. 

Unfortunately, today we are constantly bombarded with the news of natural disasters and senseless violence on all medias.

Today our daughter-in-law had an unexpected experience a random act of kindness and pay it forward.

Here is her delightful story:

After her swim practice, she decided to get a quick bite at the In-N-Out Burger in Claremont.

When she approached the drive through window to pick up her order and to pay, she was told by the cashier that her meal had been paid by the driver in the car ahead. She was also told that the two cars in front had paid for the order of the person who paid for her meal. The cashier then asked our daughter-in-law if she would like to pay for the order of the driver behind her. She agreed to pay.

Without knowing the identity of the person or chance to express her thanks to the one who showed her a random act of kindness she paid forward by bestowing generosity to the person who was behind her.

Hearing her story was a reaffirmation of basic human goodness and selflessness in ordinary people. We hear of communities coming together during times of natural disasters.  However, this random act of kindness and pay it forward occurred  on an ordinary day at an ordinary place by ordinary people. Each acted  anonymously and not expecting any gratitude. What each received was the joy of giving and connecting to another human being.

J.J. and I thanked our daughter-in-law for sharing this heartwarming and inspiring personal story which brought joy and big smile to us all.

Aloha -- Cathi

Taking Care Of Personal Business

Aloha Everyone,

While back in California, J.J. and I have two main personal business to take care of.

1) to complete the legal  requirements for our Last Wills & Testaments

2) to settle about our health insurance requirements

Wells Fargo Bank, in our opinion, is the best fit banking institution for us. They have branches in many of the US Mainland states we travel to. Their personnel is exceptional and very well trained. We are always greeted with appropriate salutations no matter how large or small the branch J.J. and I walk into.

Today we met the personal banker at Wells Fargo Costa Verde Center who reviewed our documents and gave us an introduction to see his colleague at the nearby University Town Centre.

J.J. and I were able to sign and have 90% of the documents notarized. The final section requires two witnesses who will be with us on Saturday.

Settling our health insurance requirements is much more complicated. Honu is registered in South Dakota. We drove to the Kaiser Hospital where our grand-daughter was born.

Trying to gather information from the admin office staff was very challenging. We left the hospital without receiving any clear guidance.  

At any rate, we are confident to be able to resolve our present predicament. 

A very long school day for our granddaughter with the jazz band practice followed by the Tang Soo Do practice. By the time we picked her up we were able to enjoy a perfect sunset.

Aloha -- Cathi

Lunch With Jim and Kay And Back To La Jolla

Aloha Everyone,

Today's get-together for lunch with Jim and Kay was at the Harvest Ranch Market.

Located in Rancho Santa Fe, the Harvest Ranch is considered a very high-end market known for its quality meats and fish as well as locally grown vegetables and fruits. Kay mentioned that Harvest Ranch is also famous for unusual or exotic foods. There were so many interesting restaurants to choose from. We decided on a light lunch at Bentley's.

J.J.'s hamburger

Kay and I both had the mixed berry lunch and split a side order of crab cake while Jim had a soup and sandwich combo

It's probably been about a year since we last saw each other. The subjects of our conversation focused on our children and family, our health and things that are important to us at this stage of our lives. Needless to say, we also talked about travel.

Jim and Kay had gone on a Rhine River cruise last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. In a couple of weeks, they will be leaving for Hawaii to celebrate Christmas with their son and daughter.

J.J. and I count our blessings for having Jim and Kay among our close circle of friends.

What a joy to be able to hug our granddaughter and our children. Our daughter-in-law prepared a Japanese meal for dinner to welcome us back.  

Sumptuous unagi (fresh-water eel) flown from Japan

Red cabbage with kaki (persimmon) salad

Tonight our granddaughter tried on her early Christmas present from us. Yukata is a cotton Kimono (a Japanese robe). We were able to purchase one with a full-size Obi (sash) set. Although it is far too large for her small child's frame she was thrilled to try it on. The rest of us had a great time watching her move around in the unfamiliar costume.

Aloha -- Cathi

Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa & Sayonara (Farewell) Tokyo

Aloha Everyone,

Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa is by far the most luxurious accommodation J.J. and I experienced on this trip. The hotel is a popular venue for weddings, banquets and conferences.

Our spacious room on the 8th floor offered the Shinagawa City view.

This morning, my Mother met us at the hotel with Tomoko and her daughter, Junko.

We had lunch together at Cafe Edelweiss.

After lunch it was a time for us to say our goodbyes.

The three of us took the shuttle to the Narita International Airport. Smooth check-in with sufficient time remaining to enjoy a Japanese lunch.

My Mother did her last minute shopping before boarding the Singapore Airline flight for Los Angeles.

Olga and her husband were occupying the seats diagonally in front of us. A gentle woman with a kind and captivating smile, Olga is a reporter for Reuters. Olga confided to us that she also loves to travel. When she heard of our adventures, she told us of her own train travel from Moscow to Vladivostok. That sounds like a great adventure which J.J. and I would love to undertake in the near future.

Aloha -- Cathi