October 4
Waking up Sunday morning I thought that some scones would be great for breakfast. I tried LaBou on the GPS, but it didn’t come up. Then I tried Starbucks. Three or four popped up nearby so I followed the GPS directions. I didn’t realize what a mess I was getting into. The first Starbucks was at LAX inaccessible except to those dropped off at the terminal. After driving past every airline terminal in LAX I tried the second Starbucks. It was in the lobby of a hotel but only valet parking was available. The third Starbucks was across the parking lot from a Ralphs. I joined the long line. The clerk was amused when I bought three scones and no coffee. The quest for scones had taken over an hour. Now it was nearly time to go to Mass, so I drove back to Rachel’s apartment.
We had just enough time to have a scone with some coffee without breaking the one hour fast. Then Barbara and I jumped in the Highlander and headed for the Church of the Visitation in Westminster. As we entered the church we saw that the parishioners were busy chit-chatting. Very few were kneeling or showing any reverence for the tabernacle. When Mass began the church was half empty. The adult choir was well trained. A woman played the piano with vigor, a man led the congregation, while another man directed the choir. Most of the songs were jazzy and swinging. The priest started into his sermon then introduced a speaker for Right to Life Sunday. The speaker was articulate and knowledgeable. The congregation clapped at the end of his presentation. After Communion we returned to Rachel’s.
We decided to rent some bikes in Redondo Beach. Rachel knew the back roads which avoided the traffic and a good place to rent bikes. Soon we were biking down the beach towards Venice.
The wind picked up and we struggled to peddle against it. Barbara pulled over for a rest while Rachel and I went on a little further until we were exhausted by the increasing winds. We turned around with the wind to our backs and were blown back to Barbara’s resting spot. Then Rachel led us to a restaurant on the beach where we had beer and fish tacos. It was a short bike ride back to the rental place where we escaped the wind at last.
Rachel had some errands to run so Barbara and I went downstairs to the Jacuzzi and pool where we nursed painful thighs and sore rears. Later we enjoyed a simple dinner, watched some TV, and tried to get some rest for Monday’s trip to London.