It’s true! We are traveling. In fact as I write this we are headed for home later today after a six day visit with my brother Steve and his wonderful wife Jamie (S&J). We have been wined, dined, toured and traveled all over Southern California.

Day 1—Flying South

Let’s start with the flight south from Paine Field in Everett. Never had a flight that went so well. Just a dream. We did have a little bit of a hard time getting a ride to the airport. We tried Lyft first and no dice at 5:45 am. There was a guy at Bellevue who we thought was coming but then he found something closer. Finally we got a superb Uber driver who got us there in no time. And he drove a car with a stick shift. Shocking!

Once at the airport it was about seven minutes from the time we got out of the car until we were sitting at the gate. That’s the wonder of Paine Field. You can see the inside of the lounge between the two gates in the pic above. Boarding was beyond easy and the flight itself was about one third full.

We had paid a little extra for Alaska Air’s premium economy seats and on the Embracer jet we flew on, they were amazing. I am six feet, two and a half inches and I could fully stretch out my legs or cross them without a problem. So much so that I sent photos to my brother and other tall friends to say, “check this out!” See what I mean?

We flew into John Wayne International Airport in Orange County and Steve and Jamie picked us up. Another smallish airport (lots bigger than Everett but MUCH smaller than LAX). We were off the plane and out the door and in their truck within 15 minutes of landing. See what I mean about a great flying experience. We will find out if this continues this evening when we fly home.

After we were picked up we were headed out to lunch. Jamie had made reservations at a restaurant near the airport thinking it would take us a while for us to get our bag and find them but we were out so quickly,  we ended up sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant until they opened. We didn’t mind the early lunch since we had been up since 4:30 am and had coffee and some yogurt at 6:00 am at the airport. There is currently no food service on the plane if you are in economy.

The restaurant we went to was new to us but they had tried to take us there a few years ago and we had to leave because we didn’t know you needed reservations for lunch. We weren’t that worried about going there because it was “just a restaurant.” But then I started my pandemic walking and listening to Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast and he went on and on about the chicken sandwich at a small chain of places called Houston’s and that was the same place we hadn’t gotten into. So this time we really wanted to try it.

We were so glad we did. If you ever find yourself in a city with a Houstons, go there. Order two things—the fried chicken sandwich and the artichokes if they are available. Later that day I said it had almost a perfect lunch because not only had I eaten the best chicken sandwich I had ever consumed, I had also eaten the most amazing artichokes I had ever scarfed down as well. How much did we like it? So much that we are going back for a late lunch/early dinner today before we fly home. What am I going to order? The artichokes and the chicken sandwich. 😀 Maybe I will remember to take pics this time.

After lunch it was back to their house to rest a little, have a little dinner and just get a chance to catch up with them and our niece Cassie and Jamie’s mom Pat (who we love—my brother has the best mother-in-law ever!). It was a great start to what would be a great trip.

Day 2—Doheny Beach and San Juan Capistrano

On Friday we pretty much stuck around the town where they live, San Juan Capistrano (SJC). You may have heard of the town—it’s where the swallows return every year in March. I started the day with a really long (for me–8.9 miles) pre-dawn walk that took me down to the world-famous Doheny Beach (The Beach Boys sang about surfing there). Got some great pics as I hope you will agree.

After a quick breakfast we were off to downtown SJC to tour Mission San Juan Capistrano, one of the 21 California missions that stretch from San Diego to San Francisco. It’s a beautiful historic building with gorgeous gardens so it was great for photos as well.

After the Mission tour we met up with some cruising friends, Eileen and Bob, who live in nearby Cypress. They had journeyed about 30 minutes south to visit with us and it was great to see them and compare travel plans, past travel (we sailed with them to New England in 2018) and just generally catch up. It was a great meal except for the service. Suffice it to say that after complaints to the management while we were there and a blistering letter to the owners by Kathleen after we got back to S&J’s, the manager fired our server. That’s how bad it was. It’s a story best told in person so ask us the next time you see us. The restaurant is called Mayfield (so if you come to SJC, give it a pass). Food was fine but to me that’s almost a negative.

After lunch it was more rest, relaxation, catching up and food back at S&J’s. One thing about going there is you get fed very well. The next day would prove that true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Come back tomorrow to find out more. My fingers are tired now 😀.

We live life in restaurants, it’s the center of social life, where we celebrate with family and friends, make new friends, travel without traveling, and of course, eat.

Philip Rosenthal