Saturday, June 23, 2018

T.O.P.S. And The View

As I mentioned before, I "slept in," as the saying goes. Didn't get up until 6:30 or to Kimball until 7:00. Saw Carolyn and Beth, Diane and Irene, and chatted a bit.
Home, I looked over the "Top  Shape" Bingo-like game Noreen had made, then changed and went to T.O.P.S.  In the last few months, I've been glad to find I'm still at 128, but yesterday, I actually lost a pound and am at 127. Fine by me, of course.
Everybody loved the game and we had a lot more fun than we usually do. If I can find the time, I'll make up a different one and see what happens.
Home for breakfast, then out to Vons, WinCo, and a few others for supplies as my cupboard (fridge, that is) was almost bare. Bought lots of blueberries, a cantaloupe,  a cauliflower, and lettuce, cucumber, and chicken. By the time I got home, it was after 12:00, so I made my usual big salad, ate it, and took off to be at Sheri's at 2:00.
Wowee and gee whiz and whatever other exclamations there are: The view from her house is just spectacular. Spread out below is practically the whole city of Ventura, the beach with the long, long, pier extending out, the Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands beyond. Every room at the front of the house facing the view has huge, un-curtained windows. I told Sheri I'd never get anything done there--I'd spend all my time just gazing at the panorama.
The house itself is huge. We went through room after room, including a hall with several guest rooms and separate baths off it. In the "basement"--actually, a large first floor apartment--Sheri keeps items concerning Dudley House. She had devised the large placards the city had used for Ventura's 150 anniversary in 2016, filling them with historic scenes and so on. However, she had none of the artifacts Connie mentioned; all of those are at the house. After I research further about Mrs. Dudley, I'll see about what I can incorporate into my presentation.
As for Sheri herself--hmm. For openers, she looks like an unmade bed (a phrase I read years ago, can't remember where). She has much-too-long, unkempt grey hair, was wearing what I think was a man's Hawaiian shirt, baggy pants, and sneakers that looked like they came over on the Mayflower. I'm not sure whether it's from high blood pressure or not, but her eyes bulge noticeably and one of them wanders. She talks and talks and talks and talks and has a peculiar way of seeming to be scowling all the time. If I hadn't been in her certainly three- or four-million dollar house, I'd  peg her as one of the homeless. However, she is a fount of information on the Dudleys and I'll certainly be using her expertise.
Finally got away after an hour and a half and reluctantly parted with the view--not so reluctantly with Sheri, who gave me a big hug (ugh)--and drove to town. Did my usual walk and read for a bit at the library before heading home.
Ellen called and we laid our plans for Santa Barbara tomorrow.  Noreen called and was happy to hear how much my fellow T.O.P.S. members enjoyed the "Top Shape" game she had made.
After dinner, I spent a fair amount of time scanning childhood pictures of Betty and me. Got a good one, cropped my seven-year-old self out, framed it, and will put it in the carrying case I'm giving hr granddaughter, Claire, for her birthday.
 

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