Beneath the Wraps

I was searching through various posts in search for specific memories of Universal Studios.   I was floored when I came across one labeled L abor Day Weekend  in which the first line reads Roland said he wanted to take Jenna to Universal this weekend The date read September 1 – that is when we left the house this year – when did I write that?   Apparently it was a thought that had existed in 2019 which became a reality this year – only it wasn’t on a Sunday that we left.   It was on a Thursday.   We drove to Modesto, California – which I had believed was a halfway point to Monterey Park.   It wasn’t.   It was so out of the way that it proved my point about why I don’t like making reservations.   We should have just looked for something in Sacramento.   Modesto was such a waste of driving and the pool was closed.   VERY contaminated pool We continued our drive to LA – another gamble in industrial area that didn’t appear to be a safe part ...

There was one year when Roland seemed to make more money than in previous years or even the ones that followed. He had managed to find a package deal through a travel agency and took us all to California just right after Christmas.   The boys were out of high school for the holidays.   Jenna was two. I have heard that between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the best time to visit Disneyland.   From personal experience, I know that between Christmas and New Years is the absolutely worse time to go. I remember riding the tram the first day we went to the park.   Jenna’s enthusiasm at riding the tram from the parking lot to the park was awesome.   All four of them were excited and enjoyed every moment. I’m not exactly certain why we had driven or taken the tram.   We spent two days at the park.   As I recall we just walked to the park the second day.  I know Richard and I went back to the hotel about four hours before...