GG of VC

Commonplace day at the beginning and a fun party at night, the Christmas dinner for Golden Girls of Ventura County. Met my new friend and fellow Colony Parc resident, Michelle T. (same age as my daughter, Ellen), at her car at 6:00 and we picked up Jeanne M., who lives in Via Ventura a few streets away. Zipped down (up?) the Freeway to Oxnard and the Lazy Dog Restaurant.
Boy, was it booming. It's a huge place ablaze with lights, with high ceilings, a number of large rooms that flow into each other, and fun decor that doesn't include canines--thank Zeus--but displays of various state license plates, cowboy and cowgirl murals, and other vaguely western decor. It was jammed, but we had a long table on one side, not secluded but reasonably separate.
This was only the second GG of VC gathering I had attended and I saw some of the women I had met at the lunch last month, plus lots of others. I'd say there were forty or so there, including the organizer, Cheryl G., who also happens to live in my complex. Attendees were encouraged to wear "ugly Christmas sweaters" and some did. However, the only sweater I have is one of Pat's less-than-elegant old cardigan, that I wear when I'm cool inside, so I didn't. The theme was a Christmas ornament exchange and we passed ours to the person on our right. I had bought a Father Christmas head at the dollar store, worked up a story about how it had been made by people in the salt mines in Mussa Kor, had been in my family for years and was easily worth 2.5 mil, but I was glad to give it up. Passed it to Brenda, on my right, who was well into her cups by then, but I hope she saw the joke.
Isabelle, who's also in the Widow and Widowers group (I just can't call it "Soaring Spirits"--too phony-inspirational and trite for words), was there and I was glad to see her. I had a yummy shrimp and rice dish, plus a cold Shock Top, and a good time with the group. On my left was Gabrielle, closer to my age, and we bonded a bit. She invited me to a Christmas concert at a church on Telegraph Road on Sunday. I would have loved to have gone, but that's the day Ellen and her cousins are giving Betty and me our birthday party, so I had to decline. I asked for her number, though, and will call her and suggest an outing soon.
We took a group picture after we ate, chatted a bit more, than headed home. Didn't get in until 9:00, after which I watched something or other for an hour, then turned in. That was a fun evening!