in Long Beach

We left Gila Bend at 7 AM this morning, stopped in Yuma for the usual last-chance-for-cheap-gas fill up for the hard-working car, ate our usual high carb breakfast at Denny's, and headed for CA and a safe haven with Alex in Long Beach. The beauty of this drive in the long stretch on I-8, a quiet, well-maintained highway with the blessing of no traffic. 75 MPH speed limit gets you from A to B in the shortest possible time. We made it easily to San Diego after passing through two Border Patrol check points, then headed north on 805 to 405 to Long Beach. We got here about 2 o'clock, unloaded, made a trip to Trader Joe's ~ haven't been in one for 5 months and was pleased to see it looked just as it had when we last were there in December ~ then back home. Alex's house is full of packing boxes as she prepares for her move to Walla Walla. We'll have dinner at an actual sit-down dining table like civilized folk instead of standing around amid suitcases and take-out boxes. It's good to be here. Tomorrow we will help her do more wrapping and packing. We'll head home on Thursday and, God willing, sleep in our own bed Thursday night.