Downtown continued .. part two .

Finally found that little Railroad on Bunker Hill , that is a big part of History in Los Angeles . I don't know if any of you remember , a few years back .. there was an Accident with those Cable Cars and someone had lost his Life .. as the Cable snapped and send the Car down that steep Hill to a sudden stop . Throwing People inside to the front all in an instance .

Anyway , this Historic Ride had a complete do-over and it is suppose be a lot safer now .

For my LaoPo , this was interesting ( but only maybe a 100 meter's long ) as she was trying to say repeatedly " Angel's Flight " til the name stuck . So for 25 Cent's one way , wasn't to much .. no need for the Plastic ! It took us up to a wonderful area , that had many Shop's and seating for Concert's around a Fountain .. really nice place to relax for many Business and average People like us . Have to remember this place when Summer is among us .

After some Refreshment's and Rest stop , our next stop was going back to Chinatown . We had come down actually to buy some Bamboo Plant , some Tofu Coagulator ( as we make our own Soybean Milk now and are trying to do the same with Tofu . Qing also wanted a Bamboo Sheet for our Bed ( as this is very common in China in the Summertime to keep cool at night ) , one sleeps on top of that .. instead of the Cotton/Silk sheet . Now all that been to China , know about how hard their Bed's are .. compared to ours here . This is now something I have to see for myself and see how I ever going to sleep on hard Bamboo ? I know they used them in Car's ( Driver Seat ) to stay cool .. so we'll see if they work also in Bed ?

Well , the Tofu Coagulator nobody had heard of it . Come to think of it , I didn't even see a Soybean Milk maker either .. only hundred's of Rice Maker's . One down , two to go .

Stopping at one for the first Shop's , we noticed this Guy had some of those Bed Covers at $25 ( 5'X6' ) just right .. I thought . Even bargained this Guy down to $20 already , when Qing took a closer look and began un-rolling it a little . Out of the Blue , the Store Manager was called over .. to look at what Qing had found wrong with that Sheet of Bamboo . It did look alright to Me ( I would have bought this without a complaint and left ) , but not my LaoPo . She actually found "one" little 2 mm wide Bamboo piece was twisted .. out of thousand's . Yes , twisted and that was the end of that Sale .

For us Westerner's , it's strange to not buy something with sooo little wrong .. but on the second Hand .. I'm glad I have a Wife that is both Frugal and a smart Buyer . This is after all , born into every Chinese .. and add's only to my Benefit . haha

Next stop , a large Market Place upstairs .. there we see ( Qing did first ) another one of those Sheet's . What made this one so much better ( at double the Price though ) , it was polished Bamboo and a lot smoother to the touch and obviously much better quality/workmanship . It was a instant Sale , as we both agreed right away . Now we both can feel good , Qing now and maybe me later .. having to sleep on it . One out of two down .

The only thing left now , was the Plant's . That was of no problem .. as dozens of places carried them in all shapes and sizes .. with an equal price range .

As the afternoon came to an end , it was back to the Freeway to head to a Restaurant for Dinner near our House . That happened to be ( after Olvera Street ) a Mexican Restaurant .. why not ? After some great Dinner and some nice Pinot Noir Wine , we both appreciated the wonderful Day we spend together .. and called it almost a Day . We must not forget " Dessert " ahhhhh .. or should it be .. mmmmh ?

A somewhat normal Day in Downtown LA .

Yesterday , Qing and I decided .. after telling her Boss at work she could NOT work on Sunday . Having worked Fri. and Sat. , I told her to tell them .. we'll be in LA and wont be back til late in the Evening . Gee .. I want to have some time with my LaoPo on the Weekend . So , I thought .. I'd take her to Downtown and do a sweep of " Chinatown " - " Olvera Street " - " Union Station " - Angel's Flight and all this walking on a nice and not too cold day . One does see so much more walking through Downtown .. then just driving through/by it all . First stop was Chinatown , just to Park the Car .. as this cost about half .. what Olvera Street would have been . Then , it was off to the Mexican Section which consists of many Restaurants,Souvenir and all kinds of items .. one finds crossing the Border down south . As expected , it was very busy with People packed everywhere . This kind of reminded me of Yu Yuan Gardens in Shanghai , mostly stuff you don't really need . Second , what is Mexican Items .. when they are .. and I'm not kidding .. Made in China . Funny !! Well , they almost got us buying something . We were looking at Key chains with our " Letter " on it , but decided against it .. after much talk .. yes -no-yes and finally no . Trying to buy something with a Mexican " Theme " when your Wife is Chinese is not easy to do . I don't blame her and I will not push the issue . Then , it was off to the Union Station .. which I wanted Qing to compare with what she's used to back Home in Shanghai . She was really impressed how clean and old this Station was , it does have a lot of History . The funny part is , one looks at the front of the Building and there is not a Track or Train in site .. no matter where or how hard you look for it .Amazing , all is at lower level then Street level . Now it was time to walk down quite a few Blocks to Bunker Hill and look for the " Angel's Flight " Railroad that even I have never seen or been on . The last time I was driving around Downtown looking for it , I could not find it if my Life depended on it . Even asking no less than three People for where it was located , was of no help . That was strange , we must of been not further from it .. that time .. then a couple of Blocks and nobody we ask knew of it . Made me think , are they all " Out of Towner's " . Hahah Jack Lemmon comes to Mind .. loved that Movie . Ahhhh .. there is was ! will be continued ... PS: Picture's will be added too on the concluding Post .

California Weather ?

I thought , I mention what the Weather is like in our little corner of the World .

First I do want to think and Pray for all those unfortunate People that lost their Life's in Japan and all the ones that lost their loved ones or their House and Home .
It's really somewhat of a shame , that it always has to come to an Earth-shaking experience/disaster for all Mankind to pull together and Help the less fortunate .
Why we can not do this on a Grand Stage during normal times , I guess is Human Nature and will never change . Greed and Hate = Kills .. Love and Kindness = Multiplies .. but NOT the mighty $$$$ . So keep on fighting .. and fighting .. ect.

Anyhow , what I really want to say .. is that it seems very strange/abnormal .. this kind of Weather I encounter lately . This is just between going to Work or coming Home . People that live here in Southern Calif. , know this is a very wet Winter and going into Spring as well .

So yesterday , I left a little earlier from Work .. as I knew something was on the way .. that would not make my driving Home a pleasant one . As some weeks before , it started to look pretty dark as I left Work and headed towards the Freeway . I have about 44 miles to my Home , with some Hills to climb from one Valley into the next .. that top off .. at some elevation of some 3,300 feet . This does present some challenges sometimes of very different nature .

My Trip started out with a nice steady downpour of Rain and the Temperature's dropping by the minute . This is what I worried about the most . Rain-Cold-High altitude equals " Snow " . Let me tell you , this 50-60 minutes drive .. had it all . By the time I made it to the first Valley ( Santa Clarita ) it was pouring Rain by the bucket's . As I reached the somewhat high elevation , it started to Snow and I mean " Heavy " Snow . Not that I don't love Snow ( have a lot of experience from Upstate New York ) , this was beautiful to watch .. but it scares the daylight out of me .. knowing most Southern Cal. driver's just do not know how to drive/handle a Car in this kind of Storm . What also backs up this worry , is many of the Cars I work on all day .. have bad Tires ( sometime down to the Steel ) on their Automobile's . Very encouraging , to know who is next to you at 60 mph plus in this Weather .
So coming close to Palmdale , I received the one thing that was missing so far .. care to Guess ?
" Wind " , that's right ! Whats a good Storm without trying to blow you off the Road ? Having a Car with over 500,000 miles on it , one would guess .. that the Steering is a little on the " Loose " side . Now this can almost duplicate driving on Ice and you're trying not to spin out . Ohhh .. I was glad I was Home . Turn on the Heater and take a warm Shower .. to forget what I just went through . Heck , it worked !

Knowing Calif. , the next couple of years will be very Dry or there is something wrong with this World .

Ahhh .... the License has finally come !

.... or has it ?

Yes it has , but not without some problems of course .

Well a quick up-date on Qing's Drivers License . We received it finally on Thursday . Not without a surprise though .. actually two .

First: They screwed up her name .. First name - Qing Dusch ; Last name - Chu . Here in Calif. the DMV goes by your Social Security Card ( they must match or they will not send you the Lic. ) . So .. where did they screw up ? The SS Card reads * Qing Dusch - Chu * , which makes the "Chu" the middle name , now the Drivers permit has it down as * Qing Dusch Chu * .. so does her Green Card . The only difference is .. it's does not have the * - * seperating the middle name . So it must of looked like the " Chu " was her last name .. still with me ? So her new Lic. reads FN: Qing Dusch LN: Chu . Idiot's , after we spends about 30 minutes filling out her application for the Lic. Written and Driving Test's with this Employee from the DMV .. telling her over and over " CHU " is her Middle Name and Dusch her last ( like mine duhhhh ) . If there is something to screw up .. they find a way .. don't they ?

Second: After waiting almost eight months to receive it , it is only GOOD til Nov. this Year . This goes to show , the Immigration Department "IS" involved with the DMV Depart. .. which my Lawyer said was "NOT" when I ask him . This now means , after Qing has to adjust her Status on Nov. ( been two years ) they wait to see if she can stay here in the US first .. before giving her a License with a longer Valid date . Those suckers do find new ways to get Money from you whenever they need more of it . I know the next Lic. will cost a new Fee again , unlike mine that get's send automtically . So anyone's Wife here in the States ( that learns how to drive within those first two years before having her Permentant Green Card ) can expect to go through this also .

To add : When I called yesterday about the mistake they made .... ohh that'll be $25 Dollars to change the Name . Too bad , I can't slap that Person on the other Line through the Phone !

So it goes on .. and on ! Maybe someday these People will get something right ? I'm not holding my Breath though .

There are new Neighbors in our Future .

This can be of course a sad time , when on is loosing a good/great Neighbor . Wait a minute though , no ..no .. this is different than what you think . We are not actually loosing a Neighbor , we are gaining one .

Now , some of you might say .. so what's the big deal ?

Well , if you happen to be in mine and my LaoPo's shoes .. you'll see .. this is a time for Celebration even . So I better stop beating around the Bush and say , what I mean with .. a new Neighbor is coming to our Neighborhood .

Let's see , do I really have to tell ? NO .. so I will let the Cat out of the Hat in about six months or so .

Now , why would I want to do this to my Reader's/Follower's ? Because I'm mean ! But I'm not , so here it goes ......

yes , so here it goes ..... some more !

Okay , it will be none other than Qing's Brother and his Wife .. buying a House ( that we will pick for them ) , for Investment and to Rent it out . Something we would take care of . If it works out , there might be a second .

Think we both are excited ? You bet we are ! But we also know , this will be a lot of extra work .. but might be well worth it .

Another first for my LaoPo ...

Yesterday , after many talks with my Neighbors .. how we are going to do this ? Having seven People going and not having to use two Car's , as this included driving some hundred miles . We are talking about a Trip of Fun and Games to the Palm Springs area , to a Casino ( Morango ) here in Southern Calif. .

Our best option , was Renting a " Big " SUV .. like a Suburban with room for Seven . So after bringing this almost Bus home , it was time to load it up and start our Trip .. Qing's first taste of a Casino here in America . Remembering , a earlier Las Vegas trip was unexpectedly canceled .

Now , to point out .. Qing as well as myself .. are not big Gambler's by any means . I myself use to be and loved to Play Blackjack , but this has almost completely fated away .. as Casino's became more and more Greedy . Talking about Hotel prices and Table Limit's of $2 and $5 are as good as History in most Casino's .

Getting to our destination , the first thing on every body's Mind .. was Buffet . All we had that Morning was only some Coffee to open our Eyes and get on the way . Having stuffed all our Faces with Food from Egg's ( breakfast items ) - Pasta's/Pizza - Chinese Food's - Meat's of all kinds to Dessert of many kinds .

Where are the Machines was the next Stop . Qing and I , first only watched the other's .. loosing .. I mean playing with their Money . The more I looked around the whole Casino Floor , the less I became interested to even spend one Dollar anywhere .

So my Neighbor and I decided to go and sit at the Lounge , relax with a Glass of Red Wine and a nice Stokey ( Cigar ) and let the other's play away their hard earned Pennies . Pennies I say , because that is exactly what they played on .. Penny Machines . Another reason I found for not wanting to play anything in the Casino anywhere . Hahaha .. so funny really ! They call them Penny Machines , but the lowest Limit you have to Play each Roll is .. 50 ! Sooo .. why not call them .. what they really are ? 50 Cent Machines !

I can't believe People actually Play them . Playing them at 50 cents with much lower Top prices , then .. say the Quarter Machines . Play fifty cents there and Win much more than $10 , one receives on the " Penny " bandit's .

Sitting in the Lounge , enjoying a nice conversation with my Neighbor over ( while waiting for them to return ) three Glasses Wine and a good Smoke .. we at least got something for our Money .. I thought . Honestly , we can't Win the Jack-Pot this way .. but then again .. who does ?

As the day came to it's final Hour , it was time to call it a day and head back Home . A good night's Sleep , it was off .. with the same crowd for Breakfast .

This was the closing of a Fun weekend with my lovely LaoPo and great Neighbor's and their Family member's .

Can truly say , we were " Winners " .. without Gambling .

Being Proud of my LaoPo .

She may not have received her ( earned ) Driver's License yet in the Mail , but she is Cruising the Street's of our Hometown . Most remarkable thing is , People are not scared anymore when she's out there . haha

She's now been Driving herself around Town for about seven months and I do often let her Drive , when we are together . I honestly , can just sit back and enjoy what my Sweetheart has learned in such a short time frame .

Starting out with my little Toyota Pick-up with a .. no less then 512,000 miles on it now , with original Motor still going strong . In a way , I was waiting for Qing to get more use to the SUV , so I can have my Truck back . Want after all , put a million Miles on it . I like this Truck , it has also build-in Sat. Radio for listening to no other than Howard Stern in the morning on the way to work .

Anyway , so she is driving now the last few day's the bigger Car and I feel better about it .. because it's a safer Car with all the Airbags & Power everything .

Oh .. one other thing like to mention , is Qing experienced her first road emergency . Which was kind of my fault , not keeping to Gas Tank full , when the Gauge works only from FULL-1/2 FULL .. then drops to Empty . So she ran out of Gas and of all things .. while going Shopping for my Birthday Present . Good thing I have AAA Auto Club . But my poor LaoPo , I can imagine this happening for the first time to someone and not knowing whats next . But she did pull the Car of the major Road into a side Street , to wait for the Tow-Truck with Gas .

After all this going down , well ... I still came Home to a nice Dinner .. but a few stare-downs and mmmmh's .
We do look at it now as a Lesson learned and not only for my LaoPo .

As you can see , I still Live to write this .