John and Marita Visit

Our previously local friends moved to southern California a couple years ago and they came up north for a visit June 18-23. We had a great time. John and Marita arrived Thursday 6/18 evening and we saw them again on Friday 6/19, Sunday 6/21 and Monday 6/22. We kept the food and the activities low key, relaxing and enjoying our time spent together.

Costco to the rescue for our meals. We had Chicken al Fresco one night, Stuffed Bell Peppers the next night, and, on a third night we ate leftovers from each of those other dinners calling it "a night to remember". I only needed to add rice, or a salad, or fruit, to round out the meals.

We had planned a local Chinese restaurant, the Yin Yin for our Monday night meal, only to learn they were closed on Monday's. Oh well, that was poor planning on my part. But we recovered on the fly with plan B, not as elegant but satisfying, fast, and easy. Marita and I hopped in the car and drove out to get an assortment from Panda Express.

Snacks were not at all overlooked — Costco to the rescue again. Some snacks were even healthy! All the peaches from the flat were delicious, the best I have had the past several seasons. Often times grocery store peaches are the right color and soft enough but they rot rather than ripen fully. These were awesome, sweet and just the right texture.

We watched some television. John and Marita recommended the movie Holiday in the Wild. They had already seen it but were willing to watch again with us. They urged us to find it and turn it on via Netflix (where it was free, by the way). The Africa and elephant scenes were amazing and well worth the time invested watching. I recommend it.

Frank and John had a lunch date on Monday with their colleagues from the lab, aka The Beam Boys, where they watched the classic movie Dr. Strangelove. The six guys ordered in pizza and there was a popcorn cook off for the connoisseurs comparing different recipes and techniques. The popcorn cooked in avocado oil and drenched in butter won.

John and Frank also bonded over watching YouTube. As evidenced in the photo, both employed their habitual watching techniques. There is companionship even in slumber. Marita and I finished off a 500 piece jigsaw puzzles while the guys "took a break" and "relaxed".

We assembled several puzzles during their visit: one with 500 pieces and two with 300 pieces each.  All were Ravensburger and large-pieces format that went together like a dream.

We played a few round, of Rummikub, some just with Marita and me (while the guys "watched" YouTube), and other rounds with all four of us. We modify the game to include a 3-D version. Our set is a Target exclusive that has four different wild card jokers: regular joker, double joker, mirror joker, and color change joker. Per the rules, the player who gets rid of all his tiles first is the winner. We play that when someone becomes tile-less, we all work together to see if now, with what is on the table, we can all go out. We all agree this final skirmish is the most fun and challenging part of the game.

We spent  most of the time talking and enjoying being together. John and Frank are the same age and Marita and I are within one year of each other so we all have a lot in common and share the challenges of the "golden years". We tried to repeatedly steer the topic away from the "Organ Recital" (health issue discussions) common among the elderly. We were moderately successful. We were never short on topics of mutual interest, and we laughed a lot. Here is a cute poem about the "golden years".

I cannot see, I can not pee.

I cannot chew, I cannot screw.

My memory shrinks, my hearing stinks.

No sense of smell, I look like hell.

The golden years are here at last.

The golden years can kiss my ass.

And one final joke to end this blog post:

A senior citizen was talking to his friend about getting married. "Yep!" he said, "I finally found someone." His friend asked, "Is she a good cook?" The man replied, "Naw, she can't cook." "Well, is she wealthy?" "Nope, poor as a mouse." Exasperated, his friend asked, "Then why on earth are you marrying her?" The man beamed, "Because she can still drive!"

Trip to NC visiting Sister and Daughter

QuiltCon was a stake in the sand to establish when I flew out to NC from CA to visit my sister, Maxine. Timing my visit for during the quilt exhibition was a great incentive for my daughter, Robin to fly out from OK to join us for part of the visit. Robin is also Maxine's goddaughter. Robin's and my flights arrived late Thursday night within 30minutes of each other at the Raleigh Durham airport. We Uber'd to the hotel and Maxine joined Robin and me the next morning.  Our plans were to attend the show on Friday and possibly Saturday as well. All three of us did enjoy our day at the show on Friday. We were still smiling at our departure but unanimously agreed that we were worn out and that one day had been enough.

Although we'd spent only one day at the show, I had booked us five nights and four days at the Embassy Suites so we'd have to time to further visit, rest up, and play games. The location is within the area known as the Research Triangle.

The Research Triangle (or "The Triangle") in North Carolina is a premier U.S. innovation hub anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Named for its proximity to three major research universities—Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State—the region is famed for its high concentration of tech/biotech companies, elite education, and high quality of life.

The hotel had its own restaurant and free breakfast so we did not even have to venture out if we were not energetic enough to do so. Perhaps the research aspect of the location influenced the decor of the restaurant area. In the bar section, the wall paper imitated a blackboard inscribed with formulas. Another seating area had a design on the wall that made me think of some sort of chemical bonds among molecules.

Saturday morning we opted to skip the free breakfast, sleeping in and playing games instead. We played Kollide. 

Kollide is a TikTok-famous magnetic strategy board game for 1-4 players (ages 8+). Players compete to place all their magnets inside a flexible rope ring without letting them snap together. If magnets collide (link up), the player must take the entire cluster back, making it a high-tension game of skill, precision, and focus.

Seeing those magnets zip together in an unpredictable fashion was a lot of fun and sparked much surprise. We jumped and laughed at each collision and its collateral damage. Robin lost to Maxine. In solo games where each player attempted to put all twenty gold stones within the rope ring, only Maxine succeeded in the solitaire game.

That Saturday we also competed in puzzles races. Maxine had brought two 50-piece puzzles, one with a pizza theme and one with a strawberry theme. I started with the pizza one and Robin with the strawberry one. We had some initial confusion with starting the timer on the cell phone — or rather debating the resolution to two timers on two cell phones — when we realized it did not matter what the actual time was, just who was faster. Further complicating a rather simple task, was the fact that neither Robin nor I knew what the picture on the puzzle was, nor what the finished dimensions would be. Robin had hers completed while I was still struggling to make the border. She won hands down! When we traded puzzles, now knowing the image and size, Robin was faster than me by a wide margin. Robin took those puzzles home with her to conduct her own familial races back in Oklahoma.

Maxine spent some time sharing her Quiltcon purchases and admiring her zebra-striped zippers. Robin and I also shared our purchases. (See purchases section of DL2Q for 3/7/26.) Then we decided to go out for an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in the Crabtree Valley Mall across the street.

The Cheescake Factory had a two hour wait list. We added our name and then set out to walk the mall a bit. The restaurant had an entrance that opened out into the mall proper.  Maxine and I could not remember that last time we had been to a mall, so it was a nostalgic, nice treat to just window shop. We made it about two-thirds down the upper level and never got to the lower level before my cell phone went off that our table was ready. The territory we covered is marked in red in the following diagram. The Cheesecake Factory is indicated with a yellow arrow. We did not go into any major anchor stores of the mall.

Maxine ordered Truffle Honey Chicken and was impressed with its presentation since she loves asparagus. It tasted real good, too. I think I had a salad and do not remember what Robin had, but I do remember that Maxine and I ordered cheesecake to go. Robin refrained. She was flying out very early the next morning and thought a heavy dessert like that was not a wise option. My Peach Perfect with Raspberry Drizzle lasted two days and Maxine's Mango Key Lime Cheesecake also required multiple sittings to finish. Sunday and Monday were sweet.

Robin left on an early flight Sunday morning. Maxine and I were content to just hang around the hotel. The view out our window was underwhelming — air conditioners and a parking lot. Inside was better. I liked watching the indoor scenery pass by while on the glass sided elevator. Maxine faced away, closed her eyes, and did not look. She said it made her woozy. We did explore a sitting area with comfy pre-St. Patrick's Day chairs. Maxine preferred to let the world pass by her, rather than her pass by the world.

I'd brought along my iPad and was able to log in to recordings for Olympic opening and closing ceremonies which Maxine has missed during the original broadcast. We also watched skating, skiing, sledding, and hockey. We watched, and rewatched,  and re-rewatched, the winning goal that earned the American hockey team a gold medal. Maxine is an ardent hockey fan.

Maxine had brought her copy of Scrabble and we played many games. She hates to have her picture taken so these two are all I could manage of our games together. That should teach her to cooperate and be more photogenic! I had to settle for a photo of the completed board only, after one game. 

I brought a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle from CA. We enjoyed doing that together one evening.

Tuesday morning I took an Uber to the airport for my flight back to CA. Maxine packed her belongings after I  left and checked out of the hotel to go back to her home in Cary, NC. All in all it was a very happy trip; I am so glad I made it. We will need to do it again, even if there is no quilt show to inspire the date.

Castle Rock Visit

Wednesday, November 12th
Frank and I took an afternoon flight out of Oakland to Denver arriving a little after 4:00 pm. Timing was great; Dan was returning from a business trip and was able to meet up with us at our gate within security. So glad he did. That airport is humongous and we were three terminals and one train ride from the luggage carousels and his parking area. We changed levels about four times ... up and down twice if I remember correctly.

We stopped at a grocery store on the way to his house to get any specialty  items or foods that we habitually would have for breakfast.  The store was a King Sooper's Marketplace in Castle Rock and it was huge —120,000 square feet. Frank and I got separated and he called my cell to tell me he was at #13. The store is so huge it has even numbered aisles in the the front half and odd numbered aisles in the rear half, kind of like what some theaters do with their seating. The way the aisles were staggered, I could not find my way from the front to the back to aisle thirteen. I asked another customer but he shrugged his shoulders and looked as me weirdly. Our home in California is about 3000 square feet so being unable to locate Frank is the equivalent space of looking throughout 40 of our houses. When I called Frank's cell phone again, (since yelling Marco Polo did not work) we clarified that he was at a checkout aisle, not a grocery aisle.

Thursday, November 13th
We rested up after travel and chilled at home most of the day. I gave four-year-old Irene a little gift I'd bought for her, a blue hair braid wrapped with a strand of pearls. She looked at it and gasped "an Elsa braid".  Irene wore it to school the next day and since our visit I have been pleased to see it in her hair in photos from other occasions. I'm glad it was a hit.  In the afternoon I joined Dan on some small mini-trips to get to know more about the family's daily routines. I rode along to pick up the kids from school. On a repeat trip to pick up eleven-year-old Vivian who stayed late for a Student Council meeting, we saw a "super cool" car in the parking lot and seven-year-old William insisted he take some photos of it. He was fascinated with the purple color, the big shiny paint job, and the upswinging doors. Will was the cell phone photographer in the following photos. In the early evening I tagged along again and  watched Will at his karate lesson.

Friday, November 14th
Dan and Carrie both work from home, so during the day, Frank and I were on our own. Teleworking requires such discipline. I think I would be too distracted to give my job full attention while at home but they both seem to do it. So does my daughter Robin. Sigh. It is a new age, I guess. Frank and I just relaxed, watched a bit of TV, worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and enjoyed Dan and Carrie's new home. 

In the evening I rode with Dan out to nine-year-old Lillian's horseback riding lesson. It was cold, and dark, and remote enough to not have cell phone service but I enjoyed watching her rejoice in her element. Dan and I bundled up and watched, seated on chilly, hard benches nearby as the sun went down.  We got to see Vivian only briefly since she was off and running to a Girl Scouts' overnight function for Friday evening and Saturday, returning Sunday.

After dinner once we got back home, Dan, Frank, Lil, Will, and I played a card game called 31. It is pretty simple and quite fun; it requires some critical thinking but all age levels can participate. Dan got out his large set of poker chips, a high school/college Christmas gift to him that I was surprised to see was in splendid shape and still getting a great workout. The chips are used, not for betting but keeping score. The goal of the game is not "to win" but rather "to not lose". Every hand you lose you sacrifice a chip. Whoever is left standing and still has chips is the winner. Will, our youngest player did very, very, well and was the last person to get eliminated. He was frustrated to get sooo close and not be the overall winner.

When it was close to bedtime, I gave Dan and William gifts I had made for them ... soft, minky-backed throws of large construction vehicle images. My DL2Q blog post of their creation is named Cuddly Construction Vehicles and was posted 11/21/25 in my DianeLoves2Quilt blog. Father and son cuddled on the couch together. Then Will wrapped himself in the light colored dump truck throw as he climbed the stairs to bed. I later learned he also commandeered his father's dark colored construction excavator throw, as well.

Saturday, November 15th
Lillian had a guitar lesson in downtown Castle Rock. Frank and I used the opportunity to look around in an antique/boutique store called The Barn. Our timing was inopportune. The place was mobbed. Apparently publicity on the radio and elsewhere has been plentiful and an entire army of Christmas shoppers were crammed in every nook and cranny. We walked the length of the store and when we reached a crowded small room at the back, Frank spied another man. He spoke to him, "Yo, hey. Glad to see they do let men in here." The man good-naturedly grumbled back, "I did not come willingly." This YouTube video gives a pretty good overview of The Barn. Here are two pictures of the front and part of the back yard area.

 

I did not make a lot of purchases. I bought a carved plaque for Dan and Carrie, to be used as a cheese board or cutting stone, stating the average elevation of Castle Rock as 6,224 feet. The range of elevation runs from 6,000 ft to 6,845 ft. Note that Castle Rock is higher yet than the 5,280 elevation of Denver, the mile-high city. Since we were there on such a special shopping day, I got a complimentary sturdy, pocketed, zippered tote bag bearing the barn logo. I also bought a Christmas puzzle to bring back to California with us. We have done it already. It was cheerful and at 500 pieces relatively easy to assemble.

 

We spent only about an hour at The Barn and then walked a few blocks to Castle Rock Music to meet up with Dan and Lillian where Lil had her guitar lesson. The music store had a great display of guitars and even a couple fancy accordions. Frank took accordion lessons when he was a kid. Outside, just around the corner from the music store, I took Frank's picture with flat-topped Castle Rock in the background. Castle Rock has a quaint, yet vibrant, downtown. Many towns can report no more welcoming environment than a strip mall or harried business district. A town with a walkable downtown area is truly an enjoyable, but sometime fading, anomaly of the times. I am pleased Dan and Carrie chose to relocate their family here.

That evening we tried out the "cocktail" pool in their back yard. Per Google

A cocktail pool (or "spool") is a small, compact water feature, bigger than a hot tub but smaller than a standard pool, designed for relaxing, socializing, and cooling off in tight spaces like urban yards. It blends spa and pool features, often including jets, seating, and heating, allowing year-round enjoyment for unwinding or light exercise, rather than serious swimming.

Frank and I spent about an hour enjoying the warm pool. The first half hour or so was with Dan and his kids and their friends. We dodged swinging pool noodle battles, even though we stayed at what had been decreed to be the "calm end". The water spray surges died away once the kids got out. Frank and I stayed in longer afterward for a bit of relaxing and to fully soak in the ambience of outdoors under the stars of a Colorado mountain evening.

Sunday, November 16th
Dan had recently bought himself a Chevrolet Corvette1969 Stingray, an adolescent dream come true. He has always liked the body shape. The one he bought is not a pristine fully restored model. It is a T-top by choice, and not a convertible. As Dan puts it, "It looks good from afar, but it is far from good". He is looking into getting it repainted, but for now he is just loving the ride and relishing the thumbs up and smiling looks he gets from those he drives by. He took both me and Frank for drives in his neighborhood.

Note the C3 vanity license plate. Per Wikipedia

The Chevrolet Corvette (C3) is the third generation of the Corvette sports car that was produced from 1967 until 1982 by Chevrolet for the 1968 to 1982 model years. The C3 was the second Corvette to carry the Stingray name, though only for the 1969–1976 model years.

After our rides I took these photos of the seasonally decorated yard and front stoop.

We enjoyed some lounging time in the backyard. We had beautiful weather for our visit. I've added a photo from the far corner of their yard looking up toward the rear porch of their house.

We even got to meet the HUGE neighbor dog Po. He was named Po after the Panda in Kung Foo Panda. PO is a Bernese Mountain Dog, a very large breed.

Sunday afternoon, Dan, Carrie, and the kids (yes, all four) had scheduled appointments for fittings for their skis and snowboard rentals for the season. Frank and I did not go along. We did work on a 1000 piece cats jigsaw puzzle by Charles Wysocki, cleverly titled All Burned Out. Not only was 1000 piece size an ambitious number, but working the mostly brown puzzle on a rough hewn brown wood table top added to the challenge. When we left Tuesday morning, there was still maybe ~20% left to assemble. By the following Saturday, Dan and the kids had finished it. I included that proof of assembly photo Dan sent.

On Sunday night we all went out to dinner at the ViewHouse in Littleton, CO, a place not far from where they were  fitted for skis and snowboards. We ate at night inside and not on the roof top, so the view portion of the name was pretty lost on us. But areas of the town were nicely decoratively lighted in delicate white lights. On our next visit to Colorado, I would like to check out this vintage, nostalgic town about 26 miles north-north-west of Castle Rock.

Monday, November 17th

Frank and I gathered our things and packed to be ready to leave on Tuesday. Lillian was feeling a bit under the weather and so stayed home from school. We kept her company watching TV. It was a show I had never seen before called Is It Cake? I was amazed at what some of those talented chefs could concoct that looked identical with its non-edible imitation. We saw a basket of nacho chips, a running shoe, a salt lamp, and a baseball glove complete with baseball. Plus, it was cozy just sitting next to Lillian in a quiet mode. She was well enough to go back to school on Tuesday. Per Wikipedia

Is It Cake? is an American game show–style cooking competition television series created by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, and hosted by Mikey Day. The series premiered on Netflix on March 18, 2022. Contestants create cakes that replicate common objects in an effort to trick celebrity judges. Winners of each episode receive $5,000 and a chance to win more money by identifying which display of cash is real and which is cake.

Dan cooked dinner on Monday night using his outdoor smoker for the beef and his barbecue for the grilled asparagus. All was delicious. He accomplished this culinary feat while taking William to a Boy Scouts meeting. Dan inserted a tiny digital thermometer into the meat and placed a sensor near the outside of the smoker. From his cell phone, while he was at the meeting he could monitor the cooking process and see how the temperature of the meat was rising and how quickly it was approaching his goal. I helped a little bit. I put the meat on a short time after he had left for the meeting. Dan and I communicated by text; I once needed to adjust the position of the sensor closer to the smoker so he could get the readout and track it on his cell. The meat was done to perfection! We ate shortly after Dan and Will returned from Boy Scouts.

Tuesday, November 18th

Our return flight from Denver to Oakland left at 1:00 pm. We were able to say bye to the kids before they left for school. This is probably the most time we had all at once with Vivian during our visit. I mused to myself that her long feminine nails were clear indicating signs of female pre-teenhood. She is holding a felt fried egg that she stitched and stuffed for me years ago that reads Best Grandma. She was pleased when I told her I carry it tucked in my purse all the time. Over her shoulder she had slung a tote bag I'd made for her 11th birthday this April. The print has a preteen vibe and I was happy when she told me she uses it every day since I made it for her. (See DL2Q post for 4/6/25.)

For posterity, Carrie took photos of Frank and me with Dan and the kids before they went off to school. After dropping them off Dan returned to take us to the airport. We offered to take an Uber but Dan wanted to see us off personally and did so before he started his work day. I think his first meeting telecon came in over his phone right as he dropped us at the curb at the terminal. 

 Busy, busy life... Always going... Always going...
And the kids... Always growing...Always growing...

Our direct non-stop flight was rare in today's travel world and we got home with no issues ... no delayed flights, no missed connections, and no lost luggage. Good trip and good visit!