That first night Kevin, Diane, their daughters Angie and Beth and I went to Larry and Debbie's place in Bakersfield. Their boys, Bobby and Greg were there and Misty came over with her husband Chris and two kids, Austin and Aubrey. Most everybody played in the pool that night and some of us just visited with each other. It had been 5 years since I had seen any of them. It was fascinating to see the nieces and nephews all grown up. It made me feel old, though. The two families are a study in contrast but it makes me happy to see that they've each raised three kids into good young adults. It was inspiring to me.
The second day, Beth and I drove by the house where I was raised in Delano. The new occupants appear to be taking good care of the little home. I did some shopping for hot weather clothes - for some reason the tank tops and shorts from the college days don't fit me anymore. That night, we again brought the two families together at Larry's place for swimming and a bar-b-que.
Thursday Kevin, Diane, Larry, Debbie and I went to Lemoore to The Palace Casino. We had a good time and for the first time ever, I left a casino with more money than I started. It wasn't enough to make up for what I lost in Reno last year, but it was a start.
Mt. Shasta was the highlight of the drive. I-5 was in good condition the whole way. I came across one accident. A car was on its side suspended on a guard rail. Several cars had stopped to assist so I kept going. I saw 3 deer by the side of the road that had been road kill. I narrowly missed one deer myself heading up into the mountains in Southern Oregon. The drive south from Yreka was very fast. The speed limit was 70 and the road conditions through the valley was great for high speed.
The Palace
This view is worth the drive all by itself.
Larry was very kind to grill in the 100 degree heat. The food was great.
