Day #936 - Eat, Love, Shop

Our Aussie guests continued to bolster the US Economy by eating, loving, and shopping their way through another day.

Since pancakes at breakfast are a rarity in Australia, our guests once again chose IHOP for breakfast. After eating, Doc and Shirlee found a penny under a table. (Coin #1).

Last year I discovered a batch of teak wagonwheels and benches from Thailand which were stored in the back of a local warehouse. They were impressive. Big, heavy, items which each seemed to exude stories. They “spoke” to me. I returned a few months ago to see them again. Said I would be back for two wheels once we had the house built. Today I just had to show Merril and Shirlee the items. Shirlee bought one of the wheels for the garden of the new house! That will be such a special remembrance every day when we drive up to the house. A welcome also to each person who approaches the front door.

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We went home for an hour or two to take care of some business for the new house, then it was off and about for the afternoon. We stopped at a few places to search for shipping boxes. (The Aussies have bought so much stuff, it will not fit into their suitcases).

Then we headed for the mall to experience a Macy’s store and a bookstore. Of course there were dozens of shops to explore in between those two intended destinations. Lunch was at Barnes and Nobles while surrounded with all those books. (Merril was a librarian). They found many things of interest to them. I didn’t find a single coin in the mall. On the return to the van, Doc found a penny. (Coin #2)

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We left the shopping mall at 4 pm and headed for Pasadena. We parked, then took the Gold Line into Union Station, downtown LA. While Doc visited the bathroom, I was determined to find a coin. Found two pennies and a quarter under the counter at the convenience store while Shirlee was buying post cards. (Coins #3-5). As we walked out of Union Station, Shirlee was nearly trod upon when she stooped over to fetch a dime. (Coin #6).

We now had three of the four coins needed for a “Hit for the Cycle” so we were all saying, “nickel, nickel, nickel…”

We headed across the street to explore the carts and shops along historical Olvera Street and Mexican village. Doc found a penny and handed it to me. (Coin #7) I carried it for a few minutes, then finally paused to put it in my shoe. As I bent over to do that, I was able to see quite deeply under a nearby cart. There was OUR nickel under it! It was deep and required a 2-knee retrieval to capture it. (Coin #8). We found another penny before leaving there. (Coin #9)

We hailed a taxi for the one mile journey to dinner in China Town. The taxi driver recommended the Full House restaurant. The food was delicious and plentiful! Our bellies were definitely full. One penny found as we rolled ourselves down the hill back to the Metro Station. (Coin #10)

Another wonderful day enjoyed with good friends.

Total: 10 Coins P (7), N (1), D (1), Q (1) = $0.47