After another couple of days in California, Mike and Eliza returned to Montana. Before then, they continued helping Papa and Alie and played tourist for a little bit. Hallie kept the pets company and started at her new job.
On Monday, Eliza joined her cousins at the beach while Mike ran errands.
In the process, Eliza got hit by a wave that knocked off her glasses. She spent the next few days in a very nearsighted state.
If Mike hasn't mentioned this before, these Jorgito alfajorcitos are bite-sized bundles of heavenly bliss. Maybe it's for the best that they're so hard to come by.
All too soon (although it's been two weeks!), Mike and Eliza made their way back to Missoula. But first, they spent the day in downtown LA. They boarded the train in Simi.
Bye, Papa and Alie!
Then from Union Station they went to Little Tokyo.
We attempted to get new glasses for E at an optometrist in a local mall. Unfortunately, her prescription was not the one-hour variety.
She had to look at the items up close as we went through the shops.
We got onigiri, gyoza, sushi, and a strawberry and cream sando.
Some embroidered kimonos and bomber jackets grabbed her interest.
But she got most excited for the character cards and blind boxes!
From Little Tokyo, we went to Grand Central Market and got some aguas frescas.
We caught sight of the
Pope of Broadway mural of Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek by Eloy Torrez,
City Hall,
LAPD Headquarters (Eliza's a big fan of SWAT),
Millard Sheets' (untitled)
The Family of Man at City Hall East,
some civic heraldry (because heraldry in any form is heraldry nonetheless),
and Olvera Street.
Check out this calavera-inspired art by
Jose Pulido!
Eliza browsed through the Olvera Street shops, admiring the folklorico attire.
And then it was time to go back to Union Station and catch the FlyAway to LAX.
Let's just say Eliza walked a lot more than usual today. She checked out within minutes of getting on the bus.
We were both quite happy when we finally got to board the plane and make our way back home.
The pets tried their best to keep lonely Hallie company.
Hallie's not a fan of Ferg using her blanket, but he is a cutie.
Eliza does own another pair of glasses in Missoula, but they lack temples (new vocabulary achievement unlocked). Apparently that's one name for the parts of the rim that rest on the ears (AKA arms, legs, sides).
Mike took her over to the eye doctor to get new glasses, and she got the idea to just get new frames that fit her current lens shape. Tah-dah! New glasses in less than 20 minutes.
It took a few months, but Dr. Mike has a name plaque on his office door now.
On our walk down to Starbucks, Mike noticed a ripe blackberry plant en route. We have harvested a small handful every day since. These canes come with some pretty sharp thorns, so it takes a little work to avoid getting jabbed.
Fergus decided to join us for one morning's walk. He hasn't ventured with us this far. Mike stayed outside the store with the boys while Hallie got her drink.
In addition to the heat, it's fire season in the valley. You can smell the smoke in the air, and visibility has been cut way down.
Fergus has been confined indoors at night. He's not a fan, but we're not a fan of his misadventures.
Hallie snapped a pic of these flowers on campus.
The boys like to stop and smell them on occasion.
Looks like E got more sun on Monday than she thought.
Here she is dressed to join her new friend Emma at the
Western Montana Fair. The girls spent a few hours braving scary rides and generally taking in the atmosphere (while trying to avoid inhaling too much wildfire and other smoke).
Some of Hallie's trinkets for her upcoming WDW trip came in the mail. Here are a couple of mouse ear holders. Who knew that was a thing? Hallie likes Minnie ears, but they hurt her head. Don't tell Amanda she is getting one. Ha ha! She reads the blog.
On our Friday evening walk, we spied this local doe.
We didn't realize that she found herself captivated by the small orange animal drinking from the gutter (hello, Fergus).
"Wanna be my friend?"
"Umm, no." We would have caught a video had Mike not been talking with Papa O. on the phone right at that particular moment. Suffice it to say deer do make noise when cats swipe at them, and cats don't hold their ground when the odds of successfully doing so are not in their favor.
These two. Happy Saturday morning! You'd think they may actually like each other.
Eliza sported her vintage Pendleton as she hit the road.
Unfortunately, today she really did hit the road. Good thing she had jeans on. Being that Mike was already nearby at the library after checking out the farmers market, we went ahead and finished getting Eliza her library card before treating her road rash at home.
Later, the three humans ran some errands in town, including a stop at
Murdoch's Ranch & Home Supply for a back-to-school make-and-take.
We got Mike some clothes at Costco. He hasn't considered wearing a puffer vest for going out when a jacket is too warm. He'll have to see whether he really likes it or not. Earlier in the week while shopping at the local grocery store, the checker asked him if he wanted the senior discount (for people aged 55+). This was a first, and he's not sure he's ready to start hearing people ask him that sort of question.
Hallie's Minnie-themed ears arrived in the mail along with other items to complete the Halloween costumes she and Amanda will wear at WDW. Mouseketeers? Slightly different. You will have to wait until the end of October to see the whole costume.
We managed to get E to come with on our Saturday evening walk. Eliza doesn't usually want to come with us on our walk. However, she always seems to have fun with Kai while we are out. We have just three more days with our best four-legged friend.
The promise of sweet berries proved to be the dealmaker.
Imagine having a college campus that encourages you to bring your hammock and hang out on the Oval. We need to get one.
Sunday morning took us out to Bonner and the River City Grill. Hallie was so right about the cinnamon roll. Eliza made a face of "oh, wow!" before Hallie got this one of her getting ready to dig in.
They may be a little hard to see, but she and Mike made mini origami from the paper napkin rings and left them as a memento.
Eliza decided she needed a shower once we got home, and she took a couple of selfies with her natural waves.
She also went out riding to see how far the smoke had spread. She made it up to one of the Glacial Lake Missoula high point markers and got panoramic views of the valleys.
Landon has applied for several jobs lately and got hired at one of them. Now he needs to decide if he wants to commute to Salt Lake. Also, he might be working in Utah County. Details are still a bit sketchy at the moment.
Diamond, Caleb, and Katara continue doing their thing. Baby is growing and showing off her adorableness. The three drove to Arkansas for the day to see some of Caleb's relatives.
