December Retrospective, and a Welcome to 2018!

A lot has happened in recent weeks, so a brief rundown is in order for this last post of 2017.

At the end of the previous post, we were preparing to pack for another trip across the US, for another short-term (one month) rental in California.  This winter trip came about fairly quickly because my (that is, Julie's) mother is undergoing some medical treatments, and it seemed like a good use of our sabbatical time to help out and provide moral support while also getting a chance to be around the LA contingent for the holidays.

Because we were a bit concerned about winter driving conditions over the Rockies, we decided to take the southern route this time--through Oklahoma and New Mexico--as opposed to through Kansas and Colorado.  Since we started from Chicago and ended up in Los Angeles, we essentially drove along the entire Historic Route 66 (and were reminded about this every few miles or so...).

A few years ago, we read about a couple who decided to retire to Latin America but realized that they had only visited 3 states outside their hometown (of Cleveland?).  So then they purchased and drove a camper van around the United States for a couple of years to get to know their native country a bit more before leaving it.  We are not ready to navigate a camper van just yet, but we understood that sentiment since we were probably more familiar with Salzburg, Siena, or Sarlat than we were with most US cities.  It was interesting to travel this route and to see the different towns and landscapes along the way.

Our one evening in Oklahoma City, OK, found us having dinner in a place filled with literally hundreds of stuffed animals, birds, fish, and reptiles.  We didn't want to gawk too much, but we were able to snap this picture (above) of a stuffed bear (with a fish on the back wall as well).

Then the next day we took a lovely stroll in downtown Albuquerque just as the sun was starting to go down.  We could see the appeal of this area (and, of course the neighboring Santa Fe) for artists.  Our picture doesn't do it justice, but there is a different quality of light here, and the colors are gorgeous!

We didn't have enough time to go for a hike in Flagstaff like we'd hoped for (maybe on the way back!), but we enjoyed the mellow vibe of historic downtown Flagstaff.

Then Los Angeles smacked us with its congested highways (which make driving around Chicago seem like a breeze).  The apartment we are renting for the month is in Koreatown, and it really feels like another world here.  (Dorothy is no longer in Kansas--or on Route 66...)  There is definitely another post on K'town coming in the future weeks!

We got into LA a few days before Christmas, and while we were missing the Christmas-in-Connecticut sort of festivities, we were NOT missing the Chicago (and other midwestern and northeastern) winter weather either.

Besides which, LA being LA, a city known for its ability to copy or create a reality of its own making, there were times--such as in Americana at the Brand in Glendale (pictured at the top of the post and right above)--when it almost seemed like it was indeed snowing and, well...wintry.

If the fake snow--which felt scarily real and wet as it melted on our cheeks--didn't exactly convince us that it was the end of December, the "Merry Xmas" donut (above) tried to!  These (pictured above) are from California Donuts, a Los Angeles "institution" that is open 24 hours.  We particularly enjoyed the maple bacon long john and the Reese's peanut butter cup.  We'll have to go back for the almond chocolate cronut though because we didn't get a taste of it in the general melee that ensued when we offered these up to my family...

And, frankly, with sub-zero temperatures forecast for the Chicago area for the next few days, we're not too nostalgic for home or sad that we have 70-80 degree days, sunshine, palm trees, and (albeit, distant) views of mountains.

Even though Will's official "Gap Year" might be coming to a close (while mine continues on until August), we plan to continue enjoying flashes of a "sabbatical" lifestyle as we go forward.  So Happy 2018, and see you in the New Year!