Things were a little different this time around. Airport security dictates that we allocate more time and effort to be screened, and Julia is now almost 21 and definitely has a mind of her own. The excitement level, however, was still high - this was a trip that she had been anticipating for quite some time now. The flight to LAX was fun - we watched a movie on the laptop, her cellphone got a workout from the pics and videos that she poured into Snapchat non-stop, and things must have gone well since we were still speaking to each other by the time we landed, both our sanities intact!
K met us at the airport and we headed to the new digs. Despite having shopped for condos online and having K sending me pics of the place, it was way nicer than what I had imagined. It's a gated community (something that was very important to both K and me), is walking distance to many things like the supermarket, the drugstore, the mall ... and (most importantly to K) Starbucks. A garage for my car, a parking stall for K, and a pool and hot tub for Julia. Two bedrooms (with lots of closet space), two washrooms, and a circular staircase that you take to go up to the loft. The condo also has three balconies: the front balcony (also accessible form the kitchen), the back balcony (accessible from both the living room and our bedroom), and one off of the loft (for those romantic evenings spent sipping wine and gazing at the stars). It immediately felt like home and having K stock the pantry with some of my favourites like Jif (only the best peanut butter in
I had a chance to meet one of our neighbours while I was there. Kate came by with her daughter in search of their cat. She welcomed us to the neighbourhood and we promised that we would keep an eye out for her stray. That night, while taking a walk after dinner, we came upon a cat who fit the description that we had been given. While K and Julia stayed there to keep an eye on the cat, I headed back to the condo to get Kate. On my way there, I ran into another cat who could just as easily have been the lost kitty. He seemed friendly so I coaxed him toward me and scooped him up, then raced back to the condo. Opening the door, Kate took a look at the cat in my arms, laughed and said, "Oh no, that's Bentley (or some other strange, non-catlike name). We found our cat!" I turned and went to place Bentley (or whoever he was) back where I'd found him, all the while feeling like the world's biggest cat napper!
Julia had a couple of goals that she wanted to fulfill on this trip - to work on her tan and to hit the beach. She managed to do both - she tanned every day and one afternoon, we drove down to Zuma Beach ... where she tanned some more. Another goal of the trip was to visit College of the Canyons, where Julia is planning to apply for the fall session. I had booked a tour before she and I left for the trip; the woman who took us around was gracious enough to spend a full two hours with us, walking us around the campus and explaining a plethora of things as she went along. Julia really enjoyed the visit; the campus is really beautiful, the college has a lot to offer its students, and it's extremely close to the condo. Julia and I hit the mall another afternoon, and she got to spend loads of time at the pool back at the condo. Then there was the day that we went to The Cheesecake Factory and were seated in a booth behind the booth where Brandy was having lunch. Yeah, all in all, it was a really gruelling trip for her!
Julia's first meeting with the Pacific - Zuma Beach
It wouldn't be a visit to Cali without a visit to In-N-Out
Caramel Apple Cheesecake. Trust me, it looked more appetizing on the plate!
"Best way to live in California is to be from somewheres else."
- Cormac McCarthy, No Place for Old Men
