Life of Wry

Got another great haircut from Claes the Swedish hair stylist today. That alone was enough to make the day great, but there was more.

We went to Matt’s and Michael’s for lunch.. always a treat. It was also a big deal because it was the longest trip mom had taken since her extra long hospitalization a couple of months ago.

Matt and Mike remodeled their kitchen, so that was the first thing we looked at:

The dogs gave us a big welcome:

(omg)

We had tuna sandwiches, potato salad, chips and fancy iced teas:

As a bonus, Aunt Joy called while we were sitting at the table, so we got to have a nice conversation with her, and she with four of us! (Michael joined us after this photo was taken).

The other new addition to the house (there is always something), was the bear…

Michael’s got a fascination for taxidermy. The bear joins a tiger, a giant peacock, numerous raptors… all in the bedroom. Downstairs in the office/den, dozens of heads, antlers and other things are on display:

Wouldn’t be my choice of decor, but it’s very interesting.

Michael’s handiwork was also evidenced in the Halloween costume category:

Here, he’s showing mom part of the Day of the Dead ensemble…

.. and here’s River’s porcupine/hedgehog jumpsuit that John picked up while we were there…

Those guys… never a shortage of things going on over there.

On the way home, mom and I swung through the Park Estates neighborhood where  Grandma and Grandpa lived, and the house where we spent so much time:

Classic 50s-60s architecture. The pepper trees have gotten so gnarly!

We also dropped by Joe Jost’s for some pickled eggs:

They aren’t $.75 anymore…

Joe Jost has been a Long Beach institution on Anaheim Street since 1924.

It was another worthwhile nostalgia tour!