March Gladness

A lot has happened since I posted about being Chilly in Philly.

Most obviously, Julie and I took another "once in a lifetime" trip to South Africa.

March in Ardmore included Emma's first public solo performance on ice at a competition held at her home rink.  She was terrific, nailing the routine which she had built and practiced for weeks.  We were all very proud of her.

Laszlo's parents came to town for his mother's birthday.  Gina. Laszlo and Emma hosted a nice celebration dinner at their home. We went to Chinatown to visit the fabric museum and walk around various shops, taking in the ambiance.

A delicious Dim Sum lunch was the highlight for Ria, Laszlo and me, who stayed on after the others returned home.

Soon, we were off to Big Sky, Montana, to go skiing.  Amy and Lukas, Sasha, Jay and Owen stayed with Julie and me at a Hidden Valley condo we rented in our first return since moving from Big Sky last year. 

 

It was learning that my sister's family would be spending one last season at Yellowstone Club that prompted the kids to join us for our Big Sky return.  Gina's family had conflicting school calendars.

We enjoyed all of the things we love in Big Sky once again, including the best skiing in the world courtesy of Darlene, Brooks and BG3.  

We took turns hanging out with Owen while others skied.

Owen loved playing basketball --- both on the hardwood court and arcade versions --- at 20 Below, an area with lots of activities for kids located on the bottom floor of the Warren Miller Lodge.

He also loved riding an inflated "ski-biscuit" (innertube) down the slopes.

Amazing vacation as a last hurrah in Big Sky!

Rather than returning directly home, Julie and I flew to Santa Monica for a few days with Owen and his parents.

We walked many miles and visited their favorite haunts, including the lovely Fairmont Hotel for coffee.  Owen likes looking at the koi in the pond there.

Owen showed us his favorite park activities, including slipping down slides and playing with trucks brought by other kids.

He especially liked doing slam dunks at a basketball goal about four feet off the ground.

Between that and similarly lifting Owen to play on a giant Connect Four board on Third Street Promenade, I managed to wear out my back to the point of several weeks of chronic pain, but it was worth it.

In light of my dad having been a barber for many years, a highlight was Owen's first haircut at a vintage barber shop.  He watched his daddy get a haircut.  When thrice asked if he wanted a haircut, Owen said yes.

Owen did not wiggle around or try to jump down from the board across the arms on which he perched throughout.

What a big boy!

And he loves his music.

Before we spent all that time playing with Owen, however, we had taken an Uber from LAX to check in at the Bayside Hotel.  While 8:30 PM, we were looking forward to checking in so we could go out for a late dinner.

As such, we were more than a bit miffed to find a sign on the door saying, "Back in 30 minutes."  Worse yet, there was not time given for when that half hour had started.  Let's just say he must have just left and was a little late getting back.  In any case, the small room was clean, and our stay turned out fine after that bad start.

By the time we checked in, we could only find the upscale Casa Del Mar Hotel Lobby Lounge open for business, so we went there for overpriced drinks.

A singer songwriter in the lounge quit for the evening a song after we ordered our drinks.  If only we had been able to check into our hotel instead of being delayed

Over the extended weekend, we dined out several times, including at the outdoor patio lounge near one of Owen's favorite parks.  The attached restaurant is called Chez Jay.

It was another wonderful vacation.

More photos from Big Sky

View from living room at Hidden Valley condo we rented.

Owen's fingers sticky with BBQ ribs at River House Grill (Not a Vegan!)

P.S. For our grand finale dinner in Montana, Gina, Lukas, Julie and I went to Ted's Montana Grill in Bozeman for dinner.

Ted Turner owns a huge bison ranch just outside of Bozeman, so the specialty of the house is bison.

Lukas went with bison brisket, but Amy stuck with her vegan ways but loved Ted's version of an Impossible Burger with all the veggie fixings.  I had bison chili and split a beef burger with Julie.  All of us enjoyed our meals.

We spent our last night at Extended Stay America Suites, so getting to BZN airport the next morning would be convenient, with Amy and Lukas flying out a few hours earlier than Jay and me.  The room was spacious and included a kitchenette for people doing extended stays.  It was clean and a cheap alternative about an hour north of Big Sky.

Goodbye Yellowstone Road