By the 'yard'....

As it is when departure day begins to lurk just over the horizon it is time to start putting stuff away, and that is some of what I did on TBT*.  By the way, speaking of TBT*, here is a picture taken in the summer of 1958 while I was attending a Dodger game with my grandfather (Bryan) at the L.A. Coliseum.....the Dodgers played baseball in the Coliseum through the 1961 season, and then opened the 1962 season in the brand new Dodger Stadium.

L.A. Coliseum circa 1958....wish I could read that scoreboard

TLE*** left early Thursday to drive up to Rancho Cucamonga to spend more time with Sharon getting ready for her wedding on Saturday, and I remained behind to get things put away, and to go and get a haircut......well, more of a trim.  Around 11 I got on my bike and rode a few miles over to the local Supercuts to get my coif into shape.   After that I decided to take the long way home via Mt. Rubidoux, and then around Fairmont Park one more time.....I'm not sure if I will have time to ride this loop again this time around as the next few days will be more than hectic.

There is nothing like the familiarity of this view.....when we are on the road far from home I think about this view on occasion, and the time when we will return so I can ride to the top and see it one more time.  I never get tired of the climb, nor the roller coaster ride back to the bottom.

I was back home around 2.......just before TLE*** returned from her day of wedding preparations.  Our first relatives (on TLE's side) were arriving via Southwest Airlines a little after 3 pm at ONT**, so we made arrangements to meet Glenn (brother-in-law) and Laureen (Elaine's sister) at the Yard House located at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for a few brews and dinner at 5 pm.  Yard House derives its name from the fact that when they opened their first store in Long Beach, CA they sold draft beer 'by the yard'.  Due to liability issues, as I understand, they stopped serving it by the yard, but you can still buy it by the 'half yard'.

We left about 4:15 knowing we were driving dead into rush hour traffic, which automatically means a 25 minute drive will take 45 minutes, and that is just how long it took.  I always forget how loud it can be inside the Yard House, and when the host led us to our table it became clear to me that if we wanted to have a conversation inside was not going to work, so we asked to be seated in the outdoor seating area, and I'm glad we did.  It was a balmy SoCal evening, and with the addition of one outdoor heater we were more than comfortable as we spent close to three hours chatting, enjoying the ambiance and brews (Young's Double Chocolate draft for me).  TLE had some sort of chopped salad, Laureen and I had the Blackened Swordfish Street Tacos (OMG!), and Glenn had a Carnita, I believe.

Yard House outdoor seating area (internet stock photo)

By the time 8 pm rolled around (it was really 10 pm for Glenn and Laureen who hail from Austin, TX.......a two hour time difference combined with a day of traveling), so we bid each other adieu until Friday......

The parade of relatives will continue Friday and into Saturday morning just prior to the 3 pm wedding so our plate is full along with our hearts......our little baby girl will have a new last name sometime after 3 pm on Saturday.

*TBT = Throw Back Thursday
**ONT = Ontario International Airport
***TLE = The Lovely Elaine