Pickup Entry

I promised a piece about my week off before the wedding, so I'm making good. First, we start with a picture of my brother Steve and myself. He hit me over the head with a pogo stick when we were kids (not on purpose) and cut my face open with a ballpoint pen (not on purpose, either). Amazingly, I don't detect guilt issues in either one of us. We see each other every few years and have deep and profound discussions. I like hanging out with him because he makes me feel smart.

Here I am with "the girls," as I like to call them, because every gay man should have someone he calls "the girls," and I prefer mine to actually be girls. This is, from left, Amanda, Pam, me and Emily at the Grover Beach train station. Actually, it all began on Monday, Aug. 4...

Steve and the girls (doesn't that sound great?) flew into LAX from Wisconsin. They took the FlyAway bus from the airport into Union Station. I took the Gold Line in from Pasadena and met them at Patsouras Plaza (the modern end of Union Station where the buses come in), then we all took the Amtrak Surfliner train up to Grover Beach for a visit with the moms and others.

Tuesday we went to Pismo Beach, had clam chowder and bought some shells (I got a really nice one for Steve [my Steve]). I only stayed until Tuesday afternoon and came back to L.A. on the train, since I had to get ready for the license-getting and wedding-doing on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Well, we have lots written about that, so I'll skip to Saturday, when Steve and I actually did some grocery shopping (but not enough) and watched a DVD before heading down to Olvera Street, which is the historic center of Los Angeles and happens to be across the street not only from Union Station, but also from the hotel at which Steve et al., were overnighting before jumping the FlyAway to LAX and a return to Wisconsin.

Dinner was at El Paseo Inn, which is a restaurant that's been on Olvera Street forever. Mom, sister Kittie and her husband David drove down just for the dinner, which was really touching for me (you know how I hate to drive). Robin and Evan (refer to wedding entries) also joined us.

The appetizer platters were excellent but the mole sauce (a wedding meal staple) was pedestrian. There were 13 in the party and the waiter didn't seem to know how to deal with that many people. Also Dave Willmon, a longtime friend of Steve's (which doesn't mean what it used to) attended with his new(ish) wife, so the party devolved into several jabbering groups (which every good party should do).

We all broke up around 10; Amanda and Emily wanted to go drinking. Cousin Robin wanted to join them. Me, I had to get home and get ready for a workday on Sunday.

We had loads of fun and are considered it a dry run for the reception we're planning for next spring. More on that as it develops. (Note to self: Hawaiian shirt/Tiki theme may not be that tacky after all.)