Sunny San Diego!

Before we left Walmart, we packed up our stuff and prepared the Born Frees for our departure.

As we were packing, a very tan guy (probably in his mid to late forties) with a baby perched in a carrier on his back kept circling and examining the Born Frees. I kept packing, but Gram sallied forth from her RV and started talking to him. He eventually came over to Pop's unit and they had a long chat.

His name is Rafael, and he wore the sandals, cargo pants, and thin, open throated shirt of your classic aging hippie. He, his pregnant wife, six kids, and two dogs are living in a conversion van (early to mid 90's model by the look of it). Talk about cramped living quarters ...

He's a really nice guy and we gave him all our food - a half drank gallon of milk isn't as bad as bullets, but I still doubt TSA would let me take it on the plane :)

When I offered him the contents of my fridge, he came over and we got to talking. He immediately started telling me about how hypocritical the government is for banning hemp production 80 years ago and then later employing German prisoners of war to manufacture hemp ropes for our troops during World War II. It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud - not at him, but at the fact that he couldn't have chosen a more stereotypical topic of conversation!

To top it all off, he appreciatively said, "thanks, brother!" and then threw me a peace sign as he drove away. Don't get me wrong - he is an exceptionally nice guy. I was just taken aback by his eagerness to fulfill every stereotypical trait I was suppressing in my imagination :) I wish I had taken some pictures ...

After we finished packing, we headed south a couple miles to a hotel. We arrived at the Days Inn, and Gram was not pleased. She took one look in the rooms and decided this wouldn't do. I cancelled our reservation and sent her to find a place she'd like. Gram found a satisfactory room at the second hotel she visited. So, we moved two doors down from the Days Inn to the Best Western ... Gram insists there's a difference ... I gave up insisting there wasn't a difference, because in the end if, Gram's happy we're all happy ;)

In her defense, there was a tall stack of new mattresses (mattressi?) at the Days Inn waiting to go into some of the rooms. The Days Inn is doing some remodeling, which could explain the mattresses, but Gram loathes few things more than bed bugs and she was convinced that they were the reason new mattresses were needed. The conspiracy theorist in me is inclined to agree!

After lunch at Fuddruckers, Gram and I dropped Pop off at the hotel and did some shopping. Later, Pop's stomach was unsettled so Gram and I went to dinner without him. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory! Gram thought she had eaten at a Cheesecake Factory before, but when she asked, "it's a buffet, right?" I assured her that she hadn't been.

I like to think of myself as an aspiring foodie (I'm nowhere near the level of Jan Hulstedt - he can probably recommend a great restaurant in just about every major metropolitan area!) so it pains me a bit to get so excited over a chain restaurant - but, the food was excellent! And yes, we shared a slice of cheesecake. If you know Gram, you know there was no possibility of her resisting the temptation of that case full of beautiful cheesecakes they put right next to the entrance! We had a nice little dinner date and then headed to the hotel with a chocolate shake to soothe Pop's stomach.

And now, I'm sharing a hotel room with Pop and Gram ... for two nights ... pray for me.