Southwest Road Trip, September 27 - October 10, 2025

Saturday, September 27, 2025 we left Omaha on a Southwest flight, scheduled for 9:50 AM takeoff, only 25 minutes late. We were transported to LasVegas for what was to have been a one-stop, non plane change flight en route to Burbank, California. Southwest Airlines had other ideas. After every other passenger was off the plane, we mentioned to the flight attendant that we must be the only people headed to California.  That’s when he said, no, this plane was next headed to El Paso. Whoops! An equipment change that Southwest Airlines neglected to notify.

We hustled off, and luckily, only had to hobble from gate C1 to gate C11, within the same terminal. They were expecting us and allowed us to pre-board, and so we settled in for our 45 minute hop over to Burbank. Deb took an immediate nap, and Mark dozed in and out. Landing in Burbank, we texted Ed for pick-up and then went to baggage claim, fully doubting our bags would have made the change. We were pleasantly surprised when they dropped onto the spinning baggage carousel and we were off to the pick-up point.

A short 20 minute drive and we arrived at Ed & Meg’s new condo in Sherman Oaks on Sylmar Avenue. A 4-storey unit on the corner of the building with a 2-car garage under. We were welcomed by Meg and the newest member of the family, Cooper, the 8-month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

We put our luggage into the guest bedroom and settled into the living room for a glass of wine and some talk. Meg left for a work function of about an hour and a half, and Ed prepped hors d’oeuvres for dinner. Ed’s high school chum Matt Rysavy, now a freelance editor in LA, and his girlfriend Kara Harschberger joined us for dinner: a wonderful homemade butternut squash soup, salad greens and chocolate treats as a dessert.

As Deb and Mark had been up since 5:30 Omaha time, they retired early at 9:30 after a full travel day. Mike and Kara stayed on until a little past 11:00 and then headed back home. A long but enjoyable day.

Sunday morning, Mark rolled out at 4:30, showered and went down to drink some coffee, catch up on the latest Orange Felonies being perpetrated on America, and work his morning NYT puzzles. Meg and Cooper eventually joined and went for a morning walk, Ed came down to make more coffee and Deb, after showering and doing battle with Millie the cat, came down for coffee around 9:00.

The schedule for the day was to depart around 10:15 for West Hollywood and Hamburger Mary’s Restaurant for brunch.  Not just any brunch, but a live Drag Queen show with brunch and lunch available. What an experience.  Ed seemed to be a Queen magnet, ending the 2 hour show with three separate lipstick kisses on his forehead and the rest of us running out of $1.00 bills! We finally rolled out of the show around 2:00PM, made a short stop for Salt & Straw Ice Cream for Deb and Meg (excellent) and then home for a nap and rest up before our dinner reservations scheduled for 6:00.

Dinner this evening was at an Italian place, Osteria La Buca. Wonderful food, with some nice cocktails, Negroni, a Succo di Puma (vodka, wild elderberry, lemon) and a nice Pinot Noir wine. Meg and Ed shared an appetizer of melon salad. Dinners included Nero Spaghetti which featured a black homemade spaghetti, clams, squid, shrimp, tomatoes and bread crumbs; spaghetti caccio pepe; and bucatini carbonara; plus and order of bread to sop up all the wonderful sauces. No room left for dessert, however.

Back home, we opened a delicious bottle of California Red wine from the Temecula area and talked bout the next day’s plans.  Some who arose early crept up the stairs for an early 9:00 bedtime, and others struggled upwards a bit later.  A wonderful, food filled Sunday in sunny Southern California.

 

March 1-3, 2024 Phoenix to Burbank

A cool morning in Anthem, and a lazy one at that. Friday, we decided to be slightly more active today. Our intent was to spend some time in the hot tub and then head out for a meal. Unfortunately, the hot tub decided to go on strike. It wouldn‘t heat, nor would the jets stay on for any length of time. Possible diagnosis is either a faulty igniter or pack rats nesting in the system. Either way we are out of luck. We regrouped and decided on a drive to downtown Phoenix for a tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden.

The garden features more than 1,500 tons of hand picked rock, stone footbridges, lanterns and more than 50 varieties of plants. It includes streams, a 12-foot waterfall, and a Koi pond with over 300 Koi fish. One of the main attractions at the Japanese Friendship Garden is the Japanese Tea House. 3.5 total acres with a koi pond that is 5/8 of an acre.The Koi pond holds 550,000 gallons of water and some of the Koi have been in the pond since the opening of the garden in 1996.

The Garden showcases more than 50 varieties of plants including two varieties of bamboo. The designers chose plant species that can withstand the rigors of a desert environment while still reflecting the serenity of a Japanese Garden. 1,500 tons of rock handpicked from quarries in Arizona near Jerome, Superior, Congress and Florence line the stream beds, walking paths, lake shore and main lake waterfall. It is a soothing and relaxing Garden and is designed for contemplation and rest. 

We left the garden and then drove back towards Anthem, arriving at a First Watch restaurant at 1:00 for our noon lunch. We dined on eggs, sausage, hash browns and a sausage and biscuit plate that was as good as ever encountered. We were back at the old homestead by 3:00 and ready for some nap time or some reading time. As cocktail hour proceeded, Dell produced some huge steaks and fired up his grill. Karen prepped a salad and some boiled potatoes and we dined quietly as the sun set over the western mountains.

Saturday morning we cleaned our bodies and packed our bags. We departed Anthem around noon and drove to Cave Creek for our annual meal at The Horny Toad, a notorious burger place that we hit every time we are in the Phoenix area. We arrived at Sky Harbor Airport around three and bid goodbye to our friends and hosts. Another calming few days in the Phoenix area.

We boarded our flight to Burbank at 5:30 and settled in for the quick hop over the mountains and into the LA area. Ed, our eldest son, was there to meet us and we made the 20 minute drive to the apartment where Meg greeted us warmly with a ready cocktail and a home cooked meal in the oven. We petted Addison the dog, and fought off the constant attention from  Millicent the cat. We caught up on life in general and dined on roast lamb, home fried potatoes and a wonderful arugula salad. Relaxed, we chatted into the night, watched the movie “American Fiction” which is up for some Academy awards then falling into our newest and third bed of the trip.

Sunday morning we arose to coffee and some reading time as we perused our Omaha World Herald (not much to read) and our Sunday New York Times.In the early evening, we headed into downtown Hollywood to meet Ed & Meg’s good friends Katie and Wayne at the legendary Musso & Frank Grill. This iconic restaurant was established at this location in 1919 and is dubbed the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. It is famous for its decor, its waiters dressed in their red cats white shirts and black bow ties and its food. Dubbed a “New York style” restaurant, it serves steaks, Welsh Rarebit, Lobster Thermidorian and other old style cuisine. It is famous for its Martinis and has an excellent wine list.   It lived up to its reputation.

We enjoyed the Martinis, and dined on several steaks and  grilled Branzini over rice. Dessert included some cheesecake and a strawberry tort that was enough for two. Many of you have seen Musso & Frank’s as it is featured in many movies and television shows. We remembered it as almost another character in the TV show, “The Kaminsky Method” starring Michael Douglas and Allan Arken. Also it is a frequent feature in the Harry Bosch series. We returned home and fell into bed, with true Hollywood memories. 

Monday morning, we lazed around, read our newspapers and completed our daily puzzles while Ed and Meg worked (both from home.)  At noon, Ed took us to lunch at the “Front Yard” restaurant, a part of the Garland Hotel, just around the corner from Universal Studios. No famous sightings but great food.

We returned and helped Ed pack his bags, as he had to leave at 4:00 to handle his teaching gig as an adjunct professor at Cal State LA, and then on to LAX for a “red eye” flight to New York where he is spending the rest of the week. With Meg, we walked a few blocks to the Idle Hour pub for some wine, burgers, flatbread and fried chicken fingers. A walk back, an attempt (only Deb did not fall asleep) to watch the new TV series “The Regime” with Kate Winslet and then crawled into bed to end the evening.

The Wedding Stories, Sunday, May 1, 2022

Today is the 20th birthday of our youngest grandchild, Spenser Busk Covert, and we are together with him to celebrate. We don‘t recall ever having been able to celebrate this annual event with Spenser, and now he is a full grown man entering his 21st year!

Just to be clear, he has always received birthday greetings from us, usually on the actual date, we haven’t been ignoring him. The day after the wedding was again a sunny and cool morning in Temecula. The hot air balloons were rising, although the household was a little slower to rouse following yesterday‘s events and last night‘s party celebration with all the drinking and dancing; only a few early risers saw the flights.

Mark again manned the breakfast station, providing a brunch of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast and bagels for the crowd. Breakfast cereal and fruit were also available as well as orange juice or screw drivers for the ambitious! Ed & Jake‘s birth mother, Cholly Dober and her husband Mike Serviante stopped by and joined us for breakfast as they had early checkout from their hotel. Cholly sat on one of the lounge chairs and promptly dozed off in the sunshine. Mike looked around the BnB, and then visited for a while.

After brunch the younger folks gravitated to the hot tub and pool lounge chairs. Electronic devices were brought out and photos were exchanged. Shortly after noon, Meg and Ed arrived just in time to bid a fond farewell to Cholly and Mike. The newlyweds then donned their swimming gear and spent a relaxing few hours visiting and soaking in the hot tub and pool, before heading back to their place to shower and clean-up for the evening.

The grandkids, together with Deb, Darcy, Glenda and Jeff decided to drive into Old Towne Temecula for a bit of exploring. Abby stayed back to work on her “tan” and parboil herself in the hot tub. Jake and Audrey did some reading and lounging, Mark began his packing and gathering of all the detritus they had deposited over the week. The crew returned, declaring Old Towne a bit of a bust. It was full of quaint shops crammed with weekend tourists from the big cities, and very little of interest. Next up was clean up in preparation for the evening meal. Spenser had requested Asian food for his birthday dinner, and he wanted it at a restaurant, not Grampa Mark’s take on Asian cuisine, even though Mark was half way through J.Kenji Lopez-Alt’s new 500 page tome- The Wok. Ed had made reservations for 16 people at the nearest P.F. Chang restaurant. Our crew of 12 plus Meg and Ed, and Meg’s mom and stepfather, Sally and Tom Kinnear. Everyone ordered off the menu, and due to the size crowd and length of the table, all the meals won’t be listed. However, at our end of the table we could spot beef fried riced, broccoli beef with steamed rice, kung pao shrimp with steamed rice, some steamed pork dumplings and crab Rangoon wontons. The food was excellent and filling, though it pretty much destroyed the dieting that had been going on for the weeks leading up to the wedding.

We adjourned back to the air BnB for a group singing of Happy Birthday, and a chocolate cake and chocolate mint ice cream in honor of the birthday boy! Meg and Ed headed off to their resting place (for some reason, they were tired!), our crew sat around by the pool and fire pit roasting s’mores, and chatting and drinking. Mark again was a short hitter, retiring around 11:30. Deb and the others stayed up and completed their packing for the big departure tomorrow.     

The Wedding Stories, Monday, May 2, 2022

Traveling day. The whole house was awake and rocking by 6:00 AM, even the grandkids. Jake had been up and out before anyone else, policing the pool area, picking up towels and making sure there were no errant bits lying around. Ed arrived shortly after 8:00 to pick up the kids for the run to the San Diego airport for their non-stop back to Baltimore.  We loaded up all the leftover food, soda, alcohol and excess paper goods to place in Ed’s vehicle for him to take home; it was surprising how little was left over. We had consumed most everything we purchased over the 5 day run. After their departure, we went through the entire house double-checking everything for last minute slip-ups.

Around 9:00, the Omaha Coverts loaded up their van for the run to the Ontario International Airport. Jake and Audrey departed shortly thereafter for the San Diego airport and their flights home to Detroit and Lyft ride home to Pleasant Ridge. Jeff and Glenda were left to close up the house. They were headed to San Diego to spend the day with friends and leave on Tuesday for their flight back to Lincoln. Besides, Glenda wanted to try out the huge master bath walk-in shower before she left.

The run to the Ontario airport included a stop at the dispensary along the way in order to pick up some needed supplies then on to the National Car Rental to return the van. We boarded the shuttle to the airport and were checked in well before departure time. Darcy was on a different flight via Southwest Airlines, so she headed, together with Abby’s bag, to another terminal. Abby, Deb and Mark walked to the assigned gate, with a stop at the coffee shop for a quick cup and a pastry to tide us over instead of breakfast.

The Denver leg boarded at 12:45 and took off at 1:30. The trip was uneventful and arrived a bit early. We had an hour layover in Denver and then onto Omaha. We arrived at 8:01 PM, a few minutes early. It had been raining in Omaha for the better part of two days (much needed as the whole state has been in drought status,) and it continued to rain throughout the night. Our dear friend Deb Duggan was there to meet us and drive the three of us, together with our 4 suitcases and two carry-ons home, dropping Abby first at her house and us to 6208. Darcy had safely arrived home about 30 minutes earlier as her departure from Ontario preceded ours.

We dropped into our chairs at home, after dragging our bags ups the steps, poured a glass of red wine, lit the fire in the fireplace, and spent the next hour reviewing our 11 day sojourn involving two criss-crossings of the country. Cleo the cat was really happy to see us, climbing all over Deb and demanding some action from those scratching attachments at the end of her human arms. We were tired, but happy. The family time was truly great, the accommodations ranging from adequate to outstanding and our hosts around the country welcoming and thoughtful. There were no issues, no drama, and plenty of love and affection. 

We spent quality time with relatives on the east coast, attended one our closest friends’ son’s wedding in beautiful Charlottesville, and then spent 5 days with our children and their families. The only missing kids were Jake’s two children, Sabrina and Adrian, serving their country in the Air Force. This will rank as one of our most successful journeys!

The Wedding Stories, Saturday, April 30, 2022

The Wedding Day of Meg & Ed has arrived. The now 12 residents of the Zinfandel Estate Air BnB are up and churning this morning. The hot air balloons were again rising to the sky, Mark was manning the cook station and rolling out sausages, bacon, toast and scrambled eggs for the masses. Everyone then gathered by the pool catching some rays and relaxing before the rush. One slight mishap to the morning. Mark‘s iPad hit the deck causing the screen to shatter. It still is workable, and will be going to the Apple Store for screen replacement when we return to Omaha (it is only 4 months old but, stuff happens!)

With the exception of Glenda and Jeff, the rest of our crew are part of the wedding party and so our presence for pictures is required promptly at 2:00 PM. Due to its location midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and its plethora of wineries and craft breweries, traffic in the Temecula area is reputedly very heavy on the weekends; we were cautioned to allow 45 minutes from our location to the Monserate Winery venue. Darcy set up a hair and makeup station in the monstrous Master Suite bathroom, and began the process of enhancing the natural beauty of the ladies.

Avery provided make-up expertise. Jake, Chris, Avery and Spenser were acting as best man and groom attendants, so the men climbed into their matching suits while Avery hopped into her contrasting pantsuit. Deb, Abby, Darcy and Glenda trotted out their specific outfits and shoes, while Mark and Jeff suited up in suits, white shirts and neckwear. Ed had specified no neckties for the bridal party as this was laid back California, but since neither of those two guys were in the bridal party, they were too traditional to let it go. Besides, Mark had not had on a necktie prior to wedding week for over 5 years, since retirement. He was itching to get back into uniform!

Shoes for the women became a bit of a problem. Deb and Abby brought some beautiful heels for the event, Deb‘s being silver strapped high heeled sandals, and Abby‘s being custom made glittering Rainbow colored pumps she had ordered from an Etsy Shop all the way from the U.K. Being smart women, they also packed flat sandals, flip-flops, or slip on tennis shoes.

Glenda‘s sandals literally disintegrated while walking to their car. This necessitated an emergency stop at the DSW store on the way to the venue. Once at Monserate, it quickly became apparent that the silver strap heels would not work on the gravel pathways, out came the sparkly sandals for Deb. Abby utilized her rainbow pumps for the photo ops, then bagged them in favor of her flip-flops. Avery held on to her heeled shoes through the photos and ceremony, then back into her slip-on tennies for the balance of the evening.

The great “first look“ for Ed to see the dress started promptly at 2:15 PM. Ed was stationed across the lake with his back to the venue. Meg, with her bridesmaid attendants bearing her train, walked her out, placed her in position. The photographer set up her shots, and then Ed was given the signal to turn around. As he was easily 100 yards away from the rest of us, we couldn‘t see the look on his face, but later reports were vivid! We then spent almost an hour and one-half with all the permutations of possible photos, considering all the different family combinations, multiple parental units and siblings, it was a grueling process but was very organized as Meg & Ed had obviously had a long interview with the photographer. She had all the required combinations on her phone so nothing was missed.

We finished the photo session around 3:30 PM and had some time to kill. As none of our crew had eaten since breakfast, we jumped into our vehicles for the quick drive to another part of the venue, open to the public, and enjoyed a glass of wine and some plates of nachos smothered in bbq beef, beans and cheese from the parked food truck. We were back to the wedding party staging area by 4:30 and then it was waiting time. The guests were all seated and we of the wedding party came out of hiding and took the back walk along the gravel road to position ourselves behind the grapevines at the rear of the seating area. Promptly at 5:00, and a signal from the wedding planner, Matt, Meg‘s bother and the one-day registered officiant, led the procession.  Ed and all the attendants and then the four sets of parents followed. The guitarist struck up his designated entry song, and Meg, resplendent in the most beautiful wedding dress that looked like it right off the pages of Vogue, came down through the grape vines, on the arm of her beaming father Larry Morman.

 

The ceremony itself was not long, but the individual vows they had prepared to deliver to each other had the entire gathering in tears. The microphone set up was perfect so that everyone could hear each and every word. Meg particularly had everyone in tears as she started her vows by thanking Ed’s children, standing next to him, for welcoming her onto their family. One of the most moving statements we have ever heard. We are tearing up just writing about it.

Following the ceremony, we walked further around the lake to the set up bar for cocktails and more wine, in the meantime, the wedding party moved over to the dinner area for some more post ceremony photos and then rejoined the cocktail part. At 6:30 we walked the balance of the way around the lake to the dining and dancing area. The record album display with a series of covers listing our assigned tables was a fitting touch. After all were seated, Meg and Ed entered the area. Meg stood on the dance floor in the middle of the seated guests, Ed stepped over to a set up chair, microphone, and his Epiphone Guitar, which Mark had given Ed years before. (Mark had purchased the guitar in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1966 while in college.) Ed played the opening guitar solo to Paul Simon‘s Kathy‘s Song. Then the DJ announced the traditional dance between the bride and groom as this Simon & Garfunkel classic recording of the song played over the sound system. A wonderfully appropriate song and a moving dance. 

Next up were the Father/Bride dance followed by the Groom/Mother Dance. For the Mother dance, Ed had picked a Beatles song. He first danced with Cholly, his birth mother, and then midway through the song, called up his step mother Deb to finish the song.

There were again a lot of moist eyes following this display. As all were seated Larry Morman gave extensive comments to the Bride & Groom, best man Jake gave a very nice and concise toast to the celebrants, and two of Meg‘s college roommates, provided some comments about Meg and the bond of their friendship as well as their hope and pride for the couple.

Tables were then called to the food line: a wonderful risotto, baked cod, roast tenderloin, steamed broccolini and a vegetarian eggplant dish. The bar was open throughout, and cake was eventually served. The crowd quickly gravitated to the dance floor following the meal, and at some point virtually everyone was on the dance floor. The party ended promptly at 10:00 and the entire crowd drifted home to their hotels and bed. A long and wonderful day of celebration that was orchestrated perfectly and left a glow among all who were in attendance. A tremendous start to what will be a long and very happy marriage. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Busk Covert III.

The Wedding Stories, Friday, April 29, 2022

We have arrived at the penultimate day of the Wedding Stories week. The morning was clear and the sunshine was bright. The temp was cool. We stepped out on the patio for a sip of coffee and were just in time to see the hot air balloons rising over our BnB.

A beautiful sight. Jake and Audrey took off early and drove into the town of Temecula for a „just the two of us“ breakfast - a well deserved break from the madding crowd. That left Mark in charge of the group breakfast. He pulled yesterday‘s roast potatoes from the fridge, chopped them up and tossed them in the huge skillet to create hash browns. Next a dozen eggs were beaten to a slurry froth with a bit of mild for creamy scrambled eggs; the toaster was pushed into duty for toast and bagels, while the last of the bananas and oranges were prepped. A good start to what is shaping up to be a busy day.

Chris, Avery and Spenser hopped into the swimming pool for a bit of relaxation, Abby broke out the knitting needles and ended up finishing a good eight inches of the sweater she is working on. Mark Cleaned up from breakfast and started some loads of laundry - this crew burns thorough pool and bath towels like no other! In the late morning, Darcy, Avery and the boys head into town for a look around. Audrey chooses a bit of a nap, Jake works on some computer stuff, and Abby decides to order some Del Taco to be delivered for her lunch. Just as the delivery driver left her order, the other kids pulled in with their own Del Taco run fortifications. 

After the lunch hour, we cleaned up and then headed out to the first scheduled event of the day‘s activities, a wine stop at Doffo Winery just up the road from our BnB. A unique venue with an entire garage of vintage motorcycles to view. We enjoyed one glass of wine and then visited with some of the wedding guests we would see tomorrow, such as Ed‘s buddy Jeff Spicka and his partner Krishna, who had arrived from Omaha, also Ed‘s former room mate Robby, in from D.C. We took our leave after one glass and headed back to the home base. Darcy and Deb then left for a grocery run to forage for additional provisions for the weekend crowd.

At 4:30, the van loaded up with those who are in the wedding ceremony, leaving Audrey, Darcy and Abby to follow a bit later. We arrived at the wedding venue, Montserate Winery, just shy of our 5:00 schedule to meet the entire party for the rehearsal.

After a couple of practice runs, we then journeyed over the mountain to the neighboring Ella Rose Farm where the rehearsal dinner and the rest of the families, including the three we left behind gathered for cocktails and the arrival of the Taco Truck for our dinner. Lynne Covert and her daughters, Claire from Lincoln and Jessica from Chicago had arrived to fill out the final Covert contingent.

Brother John Covert, due to his aversion to airline travel, was left to go to Lincoln to help out with the dogs, kids, and to binge watch some good TV on the Bybee channels with James and the grandchildren, Seth, Genesis and Emily. The food was good, speeches were made, thank you’s to all the gathered friends and family were handed out by the feted couple and then, due to the breeze and chill in the air, the party broke up and headed back to home base.

While we were at the dinner and rehearsal, our friends Glenda Pierce and Jeff Kirkpatrick arrived at our BnB from Omaha. We sat with them for an hour or two (your author is not sure of the exact time, as he wandered off to his bed) and spent some time rehashing our weeks long list of activities. We are now ready to face the wedding day, hopefully refreshed and rehearsed. Tomorrow will go smoothly if the lead up is any indication.

The Wedding Stories, Thursday, April 28, 2022

It is a glorious morning at the Zinfandel Estate in Temecula California. All the various travellers stumble into the great room in stages. Jake is the first up and has showered and made the coffee. He is quickly followed by his sisters Abigail and Darcy. Darcy was seen dancing to Whitney Houston early on. We are not sure whether it is the climate, the sunshine or the trip to the “dispensary” yesterday that accounts for her wonderful mood! 

Today is the relaxation day for this Covert crew. We are free until the evening and plans are made. Dad got to experience the amazing multi-head shower in the master suite that he and Deb occupy. The shower room is almost as large as their entire bathroom at home.

Ever the property manager, he is already making suggestions to improve the area, starting with a plastic chair or stool as a place to wash one’s feet or to shave legs. Maybe a retractable shower mirror for face shaving. If we are talking luxury, it is the little things that count. Still, it was a great experience. The space would be truly conducive for a pair of bathers, just sayin’!

Jake assumed cook’s duties for the morning, preparing a veritable feast of roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, bagels and toast. Post breakfast the crew turned to cleaning the mess, straightening the domicile and then retreating to their suites to dress, shower, or just to grab a late morning nap. Audrey fired up the jacuzzi so those wanting to partake of the relaxation could do so. Jake competed home computer work, Spenser, Avery and Chris put on their bathing attire and lounged in the jacuzzi hot tub, Abby and Audrey took long naps. Darcy and Avery took off later to scout out the legal (yeah!) dispensary stores, and Ed returned to offer Mark a spin in the mid-life crisis toy - his sparkly dark blue

Mazda Miata convertible. Dad eagerly accepted even though a bit sceptical as to how he was going to disembark when done.

Lunch plans were laid and Abby collected individual In & Out Burger orders. She and Darcy took off for the revered establishment and finally returned with the burger order, some tacos from the neighboring Del Taco Restaurant and we all sat down at the large outdoor patio table to enjoy our late lunch. One would think we had not eaten some three hours prior. Although lounging in the jacuzzi pool or sunning in the chaise lounge chairs can be exhausting, especially when accompanied by an adult beverage or a finely compounded gummy!

At 5:00, everyone went in to clean up and prepare for the evening festivity. Tonight is the first grand meeting of the families - easily the most fraught affair of the weekend for the celebrants. Both Ed and Meg have two sets of parents; the families have never met one another, and the group is large. The event this evening is a hamburger, Hot Dog barbecue hosted at the AirBNB of Meg’s family, about 30 minutes drive from where we are staying. The home is within site of the coming wedding venue and will be convenient for Meg’s extended Morman family, of which there are more than for the Covert side.

Their BnB is a large, multi-storey abode, with untold and probably undiscovered bedrooms, the obligatory pool, this one with a slide, multiple balconies and a large number of gathering rooms and a big kitchen. The place is packed, and now there are 3 and 4 year old children scootering through the crowd. Everyone does their best to introduce and remember names and relationships. The cardinal rules laid down by everyone’s family are observed, to wit: no talk of politics or religion, and please, stay sober! It worked! We all had a very pleasant time, the hamburgers, Hot Dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans and other sides were gobbled up and the crowd mingled well. By 8:30, the Covert crew was taking its leave, saying goodbyes in the normal midwestern fashion, that is, taking forever to straggle out the door, and then we were off and headed back to the Zinfandel. We were home shortly after 9:00.  We spent some time dissecting the evening, agreeing that everything went off without a hitch. Groom and Bride appeared to have weathered it well and we all are now looking forward to the next few days.

The Wedding Stories, Wednesday, April 27, 2022

This is one long travel day. We are up at 5:30 AM to repack our suitcases.  Once packed, we went next door for our breakfast. We walked into the Hilton Garden Inn to find this wonderful restaurant. We had just reached an open table when the waitress stopped us and said no, we couldn’t eat there. She directed us around the corner to a typical hotel meeting room set up with 10-person rounds. There was a paper sign at the door stating “Hampton Inn Breakfast Room.” There was a typical breakfast buffet with chicken sausage, egg “patties,” cereal, bagels etc. The tables were populated by some very unhappy travelers like us, who had seen the real restaurant and were all feeling a bit like 2nd class citizens. 

Back to our room, we loaded our six bags onto the cart and down from the 5th floor into the lobby and load up the Camry for the final time. Our hotel in Crystal City was only 5 minutes from National Airport; we will never stay anywhere else again when we are flying out of D.C., although we may pick a different hotel. Our first flight, from D.C. to Chicago was an uneventful hour and 45 minute hop. We had an hour and a half layover and then onto the flight to San Diego. Allow us a moment to voice a complaint about airline travel in today’s world. Every passenger airplane must leave the ground with a nearly empty cargo hold as the number and size of the rolling stock is enormous. People come aboard with two rolling pieces and a backpack enough for a Himalaya trek. Additionally, with the pre boarding of active military, passengers with small children, 1K Members, first class passengers and then those that are in boarding group one, all the overhead space is gone before we even can board. On both our flights, we were only two or three rows back from the first class cabin and there were no overhead spaces available. People will book the cheaper seats, but because they get preferential boarding, they throw their luggage into the front area compartments and then stop to pick it up on the way off the plane. We know there is nothing to be done, but it does give Mark something to exercise his “grumpy old man chops” about.

We are last of the Covert contingent to arrive in San Diego. Ed’s three children, Christopher, Avery and Spenser arrived around 1:00 on their non-stop flight from Baltimore. Abigail arrived around 3:00, Darcy next around 3:30 and finally we landed at 3:45.  The kids were all chattering away when we arrived. Darcy and Deb took the shuttle to National Car Rental to pick up our 7-passenger van and then came back to load us and all the luggage in for the drive to Temecula. Darcy handled driving duties and Abigail handled navigation.The three grandchildren ages 26, 22 and 19 (almost 20) were relegated to the “way back” seat for the hour long drive up to our Air BnB.

Jake and Audrey had arrived earlier in the day and rented a small vehicle to get to the home first and get it opened up. Audrey handled the research and found this 6 bedroom, 5 bathroom rental with a pool, a putting green, grills, Theater room, pool table and more. WE arrived around 5:30, unloaded all the luggage and then found our various rooms. As Deb and Mark are the seniors, they were assigned the master suite. The entire bedroom and bath area with a 6-head shower room and a complete jacuzzi soaking tub is almost larger than our entire Pierce Street home! As we soon found, it is a long hike to the bathroom for a middle of the night plumbing check.  

Ed & Meg soon arrived and the ladies began filling the wedding gift bags that are to be distributed tomorrow. Ed ordered pizza for us, we found wine, beer and alcohol, sat around and visited, some overindulging a bit. A great family reunion for a great upcoming event. We retired early for a well deserved sleep after a long travel day.