November 17, 2014

Today was really a fun day for us, as we were guests of Joe Mantegna, as he directed a segment of the TV Series, Criminal Minds in Los Angeles at the National Cemetery, and also over at the VA Homeless campus. We were able to take a number of pictures and got to meet and get to know a little, some of the other actors, as well as some of the guests. Two of the guests were Marine Generals (ret.) and one of the original Tuskegee Airmen (96 year young retired Lt. Col. Robert "Bob" Friend), and two of his daughters. Actually, Bob was quite a kick - when we told him we had been speaking with his daughters he said he didn't believe it. "Nobody can get a word in when they're talking. All you can do is listen." His two daughters, Sherrie and Karen were both very focused on keeping him comfortable and dotted over their father very well. We exchanged  contact information and hope to be able to stay in touch. They were also taken with Jason, as were several of the other people there.

I can  only tell you this, the episode was about a funeral and I don't know when this particular episode is going to air. Also, for those wondering... No, we were not a part of the episode, we were just there to observe, and to relax. The crew there was excellent and professional and didn't seem to mind us being around, because I know we must have gotten in the way, yet they were polite and patient with us. If any of you get a chance to go watch the making of a show, please take advantage, it is fun and interesting. Oh, and one last thing... Linda sat down with some of the crew and listened in on head phones, during a part of it. She was very excited about that.

I guess, since I didn't blog last night (I had some difficulties with the local wifi) I should provide you with a little bit of what happened yesterday.

We started off by taking the girls to church with us, and had an enjoyable start to the day. I know this may sound a little corny, but there was a problem with the churches projection system. They use this to project the hymns on the wall, so that people can sing along during the songs. Well, Pastor John announced we would have to resort back to the old fashioned method of actually using the hymnals in the pews. Heck, I kind of liked doing that, and who knows maybe it will happen again. Anyway, we knew we were going to be heading up to Los Angeles shortly after church so we came back to the house right after services.

We took the girls over to their mother's home, after providing them their lunch (our's too), and then finished packing. We decided to come up in the van because we thought the trip up was going to be rough with bad traffic, and it wasn't. We just hope the ride home is as good as the one coming up. We found our hotel, the Royal Palace, and checked in before 16:00 (4pm), and found the place to be much better on the inside than we expected. Jason has his own room and is quite happy being down the hall from us. Actually this is good as it gives him a little more independence, and I am all for him getting more independence.

Because of the time that we came to the hotel, it afforded us the opportunity to get a little rest, before we went out to dinner. Since the day before was our anniversary, we decided to let yesterday's dinner count as our Anniversary Dinner... Then, when we sat down Jason announced that he was paying for it. That kind of surprised us, and it made it all the better. Our meal was very nice and when we got back to the hotel we were able to relax and sleep very well, as we just felt very relaxed (I wasn't going to let that wifi thing bother me). The end of a nice day.

This morning we were hoping to find some time to get to visit with David and his family while we were here, but it just wasn't to be this trip. Besides we will be visiting with them over Thanksgiving, and that will be a more relaxed time, and we won't have to drive clear across town (Los Angeles is a very large city and David and Miriam live way over across on the other side. What happened was that David surprised us and came to the hotel, right after we got back from Criminal Minds filming. He was doing some work over at UCLA for the law firm, and since he was in the area he was able to come for a short visit. It was really nice to see him, and it gave him and Jason a chance to talk a little and do some catching up. We were also hoping to get up to see the Gary Sinise Foundation offices, and stop in and visit with some of those folks. As it turns out, we are going to be visiting them tomorrow, just prior to heading back to San Diego. They are only about 30 minutes from here, so it won't be much of a change to our trip plans, and it will be good to see them again.

 So far, this has been a very good trip, and we are having a nice and relaxed time together. We had a nice Chinese dinner tonight (haven't had Chinese food in a long time) and we're going to be able to get another relaxed sleep. Thank you, all for all the continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.

Comments

  1. Glad you're having such a good time. I can't handle watching Criminal Minds but have been on a couple of sets before and know how fun it can be.
    Lifting up prayers!
    Psalms 57:1-2 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

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January 2017
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January 2017
With Gary at the GSF Office

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