Ventura Trip

Surfers waiting for something tasty 

I flew into Ventura on Friday afternoon. Was able to get out of work early. I had my first experience with traversing the newly renovated Sacramento Metropolitan airport. It is much larger now than it used to be. In the past when I would fly Southwest I could check in at the front and follow an escalator the security check point and then on to my gate. Now there is a huge front lobby that leads to a wide elevator, all with clear glass doors and shafts, so that you can see the inner mechanisms that lift the cars. Beyond this you reach a depot where a tram whisks  you away on a fast outer track to the wing which stations the gates. A much larger airport now than it was before.

   Of course with my disability this would not be possible. Fortunately the curbside check-in provides assistance for the disabled. I was sitting in a chair in minutes of arriving to the airport, and in no time a young gentleman was running me to my gate and short cutting me through the security line. It is customary to tip these guys five or ten bucks for their efforts and I found it well worth a few bucks to get such royal treatment.

   My stay was short but very enjoyable. Not to mention the bed in my mother's spare room is super comfortable. Hard to want to get out of in the morning. The view of the coast from her back patio is simply divine. We palled around with the dogs, ate excellent fish tacos at the local cantina, saw the movie 'Sully' in a theater of reclining chairs, and watched the S.F. Giants lose twice to the Cubs.

Punk Rock Girl

   For the trip back my parents hooked me up with some vinyl records courtesy of Jackomo Records. I left with copies of Rush's Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, King Crimson's Lark's Tongues in Aspic, B.O.C.'s Mirrors, Queen's Sheer Heart Attack, and Frank Zappa's Roxy and Elsewhere. My mother also gave us a cool painting she did from a series of punk rock girls.

Below is me with Frieda, the house cutey. 

Frieda and yours truly