JANUARY 1988 - SKIING AT MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN Rick and I Skiing Mammoth.

FEBRUARY 14, 1988 VIRGINIA (VIRG) DAD’S YOUNGEST SISTER DIED

VIRGINIA MILLER (MARTIN)
b. June 9, 1925 d. Feb 14, 1988

Virginia was the seventh of nine children and the youngest of three sisters. She lived with us in East L.A. for a year or so. She was only about 17 when she came to live with her big brother. She was a redhead like her grandmother Elisabeth Ann ( Porter) Martin and the personality to go with it. We had a lot of fun those days in E.L.A.. She was seventeen and I was seven. She and mother worked in the defense plant during the war. She lived with us until she met and married Blaine Miller and moved to Las Vegas..

MARCH 1988 - SKIING AT LAKE TAHOE Jean and I sighed up for a ski package at South Lake Tahoe. Jean got the package, It was recommended by someone at Citrus, but we can’t remember who. Anyway it was a great deal. We skied Heavenly Valley in the south and they took us on a large boat to the north shore and we served us a nice hot breakfast. Then they bused us to Squaw Valley. We finished the day by going back to the boat and they served us diner on the ride home. One of the things I loved, they valeted your equipment from time you arrived until you left that night.

JUNE 1988 - KEVIN GRADUATES FROM GLENDORA HIGH SCHOOL

AUGUST 1988 - OUR SECOND GRANDCHILD WAS BORN On August 19, 1988 our second grandchild, Scott Matthew Martin was born to Michele Lynn Martin and Victor Artiaga. I believe this was truly Michele’s only true love. Vic did not want to get married. She asked him for help and he refused. I remember asking Vic to meet me in the park in San Dimas. I literally begged him to sit down and come to some reasonable agreement on what was good for this child. I think he believed that she did it on purpose and he was very bitter. So they went to court and the court awarded over a thousand dollars a month in support. Vic was so bitter that he wanted nothing to do with either Michele or Scott. Unfortunately’ the losers here are both Vic and Scott. Vic has missed a relationship with an outstanding young man and Scott missed a father and son bonding. Scott has a good relationship with his half brother and sister Victor and Lisa. It would be real nice if some day somehow Vic and Scott could work things out. Vic was at a very bad stage in his life at the time he met Michele, his young wife had died suddenly leaving him with two young children. He was not in the market for a relationship. She was. When she got pregnant, he got angry. When I talked to him he said he had no say in the matter. She made all of the decisions, therefore she could live with the consequences. I liked Vic, he was a good man and a good father to his children, and he was still hurting from the loss of his young wife, and Michele did make some self serving choices. But, that did not relieve him of his responsibility to this child. Instead of sitting down with Michele and working out something between the two of them, he let it go to the court. He got killed by the court. Vic was a mechanic or electrician for the railroad and if he made over $1500 a month at that time, I’d be surprised. This all just added bitterness to his anger. The problem is Scott was/is just an innocent party in this whole mess. How can we correct such an injustice? These two men, father and son, should be bonding not brooding. Life is too short to waste it being stubborn.

AUGUST 1988 - KEVIN STARTED COLLEGE Kevin started college at SDSU in August 1988. I remember the day. They had an open house for new students and their parents. We went with Kevin to check into his dorm. We met Matt, his roommate and had lunch. It was kind of funny, Matt was a clean cut young man, a member of the crewing team. On the other hand was Kevin, with long hair and earrings. We walked the campus and just spent some time with him before we cut him loose. You have to understand, Kevin was only seventeen. He thought he was ready to be on his own. But, I will never forget the look on his face, standing at the curb when we pulled away. He looked like he was going to throw up.

MARCH 1989 Jean and I were in San Diego visiting Kevin and there was a cruise ship at the dock that caught our eye, and they were giving tours. We had nothing better to do, so we went on board. The Bermuda Star was a small ship, maybe 20,000 tons, and we like the small cruise ships. The state rooms were large and they seemed to have a very friendly crew. The cruise was down the Mexican Riviera and very reasonable. When we got home, we just happened to mention it to Gary Shepherd who was looking for a cruise to take with all his friends from high school. We booked the cruise for the whole bunch. There was Gary and Linda and their friends, Fred and Joan Peterson, Jack and Molly, and Randy and Gina, the couple that managed Gary’s Glendora Popeye’s Chicken store. It turned out to be one of our best cruises. We cruised from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Then to Puerto Vallarta for a couple of days. The highlight of this trip was Mazatlan. First thing we did was go find a beach where they had parasailing. Everybody in our group signed up. This was not the parasailing where they reel you out from the boat. This was on a narrow beach lined with hotels. They strapped you in a harness and you stand in a 6 foot diameter circle. The boat takes off and the line starts to pull, you run and jump in the air and you are airborne. To get down they tie a bandana on the lanyards to the parachute. Then when you come back down the beach you aim for the circle and when they give you the signal you pull the bandana down to your chest. They promise to land you in the circle and they do. Everyone did it and landed safely. After that, we went to Senior Frogs for Margaritas. Boy did we drink Margaritas. I’ve never seen so many happy drunks. Jean and I were with Fred and Joan Peterson and we almost got on the wrong ship. In fact we were walking up the gang plank and I asked Fred what color is our ship. He said blue and this ship was white and it was Russian. We were anchored out in the harbor.

When we were coming back into San Diego, we found out that there was a sister ship, The Queen of Bermuda that sailed out of New Orleans to Cozumel. So, Gary and I decided to get a group together for a cruise a year from then.

AUGUST 1989 - WE BOUGHT THE CONDO Kevin spent his first year at SDSU in the dorm. He started out his sophomore year renting an apartment with three guys. Kevin found a condo complex just off campus that he wanted us to look at. There were 92, two bedroom two bath units. It was called Collwood Meadows. They were only a couple of years old, and very nice. Also, with Rick going to SDSU the following year, it made sense. So we bought a condo for $95,000. Kevin moved into our new condo and got a couple of roommates to share the rent. Kevin lived there for almost three years and Rick spent the first half of his freshman year in the dorm (his choice) and the next four and a half years in the condo.

JANUARY 1990 - MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN January we rented a condo at Mammoth and took a load of young men skiing. There was Brian, Bruce, Derek, Garrick, Rick and Kevin. We got a condo by Warming Hut 2. The beginning lift was right across the parking lot from the condo. We would take the lift to the top of the mountain

FEBRUARY 1990 - SKIING AT BRIAN HEAD Then in February Jean and I and Kevin and Rick went to Brian Head for a week of skiing. I think of all of the places we skied, Brian Head had the most consistent snow and was never crowded. It was like having your own private resort. And the price was right.

MARCH 1990 - CRUISE OUT OF NEW ORLEANS ON THE BERMUDA QUEEN Gary Shepherd and I put together the cruise on the Bermuda Queen out of New Orleans, that we talked about when we were cruising on the Bermuda Star. It was the sister ship of the Bermuda Star. The ships were identical and we booked the same state rooms for March 1990. We had a good group on this trip. There were Vic and Lois Donnell, Jean and I along with Gary and Linda and six of their friends from high school. We boarded the ship at the dock in the French Quarter. We didn’t realize that we had to sail about a hundred miles down the Mississippi delta to get to the Gulf. Our first stop was Key West. We spent a half day moseying around key west before we set sail for Playa Del Carmen Mexico on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula about forty miles south of Cancun. We dropped anchor about a half a mile from shore and about a mile north of Playa Del Carmen. We were on the ship looking at the white sandy beach and the water that had the clarity of a swimming pool. That’s when we spotted Shangri La Caribe, a piece of paradise, on the beach about a mile north of Playa Del Carmen.a hotel on the beach, with thatched roof cabanas. We went ashore and walked up the beach and got all of the information. Because we knew we were coming back. From Playa Del Carmen we sailed the ten miles across to the island of Cozumel. Everyone in our group spent the day at a snorkeling park on this beautiful island in the Caribbean. Some of us shopped. I remember Vic Donnell buying a large bottle of Tequila. When the ship pulled out that afternoon we all gathered around the pool and drank Tequila shooters with lime and salt. The sea was a little choppy and there were waves in the pool, so Jean and Lois got their bathing suits on and rode the surf. Some of us had more fun than the others. Gary and I came up missing and they searched the ship and found us passed out in lounge chairs on the Promenade deck with our formal attire on and ready for the formal night. Which it was not. The next night was the dress up night and Gary and I were all set.

When we got back to New Orleans we stayed a couple of days at the LeRichileu Hotel in the French Quarter. The first morning we got up early and met in the lobby. It was a little early for breakfast, so we decided to tour the French Quarter and come back for breakfast a little later. We got back to the hotel after midnight. We had a ball. We hit every joint. Got caught in the rain and tried every kind of food they had. It was great fun.

The next day we caught our flight home. We were scheduled for a stop in Denver. Which we did. Then we proceeded to take off and return to the airport twice. Just a little unnerving for the average passenger. More for some. Vic Donnell is a retired L.A. motorcycle cop. But he has a terrible fear of flying. They finally cancelled the flight because the captain would not get back on the airplane. I thought Vic was going to take a bus home, but he flew home with us the next morning.

NOVEMBER 1990 - OUR FIRST TRIP TO SHANGRI-LA Remember back in March when we were on that cruise to Cozumel when we spotted that hotel on the beach in Playa Del Carmen. We made a pledge to return to Shangri La Caribe, and it’s November and here we are. As soon as we got home from that cruise we called to make reservations. To get there we took a flight from LAX to Cancun, then you must to get from Cancun to the hotel, which is about 40 miles south. When we landed in Cancun it was just getting dark and it was raining. Back then the services were not very organized, so to get a taxi you just started bargaining. I found a driver who spoke pretty good English and said he knew where Shangri-La was. He loaded us into his VW bus and headed south in the dark and pouring rain. To top it off his defrosters didn’t work. We were flying down the Yucatan highway, which was only two lanes, with the driver driving with one hand and wiping the windshield with the other. We drove for quite a while through the rain, then he slowed down and made a left turn onto a muddy road for about a quarter of a mile to a thatched roof check in desk at the rear of the hotel. We made it. The assistant manager was waiting for us. He was standing in about 3 to 4 inches of water. We checked in and they took us to the dining room to have dinner. As a side note I might add that the assistant manager, Jose was loaded.

We had a beach front thatched roof cabana with two hammocks on the porch overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The water has the clarity of your swimming pool. The beach is white sand, and the sand never gets hot. Dinner and breakfast are included. For breakfast you get a choice of fresh fruits like papaya, pineapple, bananas and just about any Mexican or American style breakfast you like. The evening menu is your choice of two or three entrees and dessert. You pay for bar drinks. The place is paradise. Since the reservation centers for the hotel are in Paris and Denver the clientele are predominately Europeans and Americans. We went snorkeling at Xcaret Park with a couple, George and Linda Berkmen, from Seattle. Xcaret is located about five kilometers south of Playa Del Carmen and there are caves and Mayan ruins to explore and coral reefs for snorkeling. There was no charge to get into the park. It was really a fascinating place. There was nothing but white sandy beach as far as you could see to the north and to the south there was Playa Del Carmen. About a mile from Shangri-La you come to hotels, bars and restaurants along the beach like the Blue Parrot Hotel and bar. To get to the center of town you had to walk about another half mile. The pier at the center of town is where you get the boat to Cozumel. And this is the place where cruise ships drop people off to tour the Yucatan. Jean and I took the boat to Cozumel, but since we were there in March (on the New Orleans cruise) we didn’t spend a lot of time there. We had to rush back to Shangri-La for some hammock time. The next day we decided to rent a VW bus with George and Linda and their friends Gordon and Karin, and tour the ruins at Tulum and Coba. Tulum is 30 miles south of the hotel on the coast and Coba is about 30 miles inland from Tulum through the Yucatan jungle. Jean and I had been to Tulum in 1981 when we were at Club Med in Cancun, but the drive is interesting because you see how the Mayan Indians live today. The ruins at Coba were being excavated at that time

We discovered this piece of paradise in 1990 and returned 15 times. There were no telephones or TV.

MEXICAN HISTORY The Mayan history starts in the Yucatan around 2600 B.C. Their classic period, when most artistic and cultural achievements occurred was during the period from 300 A.D. and 900 A.D.

NOVEMBER 1990 - OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH OLD FRIENDS A little get together at our house to on our 25th anniversary on our return from a amazing trip to Shangri-La. It was nice surprise after a wonderful twenty fifth anniversary honeymoon,

JANUARY 1991- SKING AT ELK MEADOWS It’s January and we’re skiing at Elk Meadows in the Beaver mountains. The snow is good and the lines are short. Dan and Eyvon run the concessions at the lodge and we get to use their ski passes. All of the cousins join us on the hill and my dad and mother come up to watch. Brought Kevin, Rick, Marci, Brian and Rick’s friend Phil from the dorm at SDSU. Marci took lessons for three days a is skiing pretty well.

FEBRUARY 1991 - SKIING COLORADO WITH GEORGE AND CAROL (MY BIRTHDAY) Next thing we know it’s February and Jean and I are skiing in Colorado with George and Carol and Tracy and her friend Norm. We flew to Denver, rented a van and drove to the Sunlight Inn up the hill from Glenwood Springs Colorado. The Sunlight Inn is a fabulous place found in a skiing magazine by the one and only Jean Martin. Sunlight skiing is good but small (about the size of June Mountain), but from there it’s within a short driving distance to Aspen, Snowmass and Vail. We celebrated my 56th birthday in the hot tub at Sunlight. That was a very good trip with old friends.

FEBRUARY 1991 - VISIT FROM WILMA’S SISTERS SHIRLEY AND VERYL Jean’s aunt’s and their spouses Shirley and Art and Veryl and Al came to visit. They are fun to have as guests. It was good to see them again. We always had a great time when came to visit.

FEBRUARY 1991 - WE DROVE TO SEATTLE AND TOOK THE WHOLE FAMILY Jean wanted to go home and visit her family and friends, so we loaded up the station wagon and drove to Seattle. This is the house that Jean grew up in with her two sisters, cousin Deanna, mother and dad. That’s 5 women and one bathroom, two bedrooms a basement with a bed. I would guess 800 square feet. Don had a tree and hose in the back yard.

SUMMER OF 1991 - ZION, GRAND CANYON AND BRYCE LOOP AGAIN This time we have Wilma, Deanna, Linda and Gary Shepherd and Jean and I. As usual, it was a great trip.

JANUARY 1992 - OUR TRIP TO THE YUCATAN WITH KEVIN AND RICK Jean and I had been to the Yucatan on several occasions and we loved the area. So we decided to take Kevin and Rick on a trip to that area. We flew into Cancun and stayed in a hotel on a beautiful beach. The first time we were in Cancun was 1981 with the Knapp’s at Club Med. At that time there were only three hotels including Club Med. There was white sand beaches as far as you could see. Now all you could see was miles of hotels and Pizza Huts and McDonalds. It was better when it was old Mexico. It’s still a beautiful place, but it’s too commercial now. Rick wanted to para sail but Kevin didn’t want him to because he said if he killed himself it would just ruin our vacation. Jean and had already para sailed in Mazatlán on one of our cruises. Rick went up and returned safely. Kevin passed.

From there we went south from Cancun to one of our favorite places in the world, Shangri La Caribe. Jean and I discovered this place in 1990. Shangri La is a piece of paradise just about forty miles south of Cancun the village of Playa Del Carmen. I think it was a big hit with the kids. We had a great time snorkeling, laying in our hammocks and just enjoying the Caribbean Sea.

Our next destination was the Island of Cozumel Playa Del Carmen is where get the ferry across the sea about ten miles. We had made reservations at a hotel in Cozumel six months in advance. We wanted two ground level beach front rooms. When we arrived, all they had available were two rooms on the third floor overlooking the parking lot. So, Jean and I told the kids to watch our luggage and we walked down the beach about a half mile to a much nicer hotel called the El Cozumeleno. They just happened to have two lovely beach front rooms for less money.

The boys wanted to rent a Jeep, I went down town with them to shop for a Jeep. Well, there were all kinds of brand new Jeeps available, but they insisted on renting this old beat-up piece of crap that had bald tires and no working gauges. The third day Kevin took the Jeep for a ride. A little while later, I was laying on the beach and Kevin came running across the beach in a panic with a problem. He had taken the Jeep to an area on the north end of the island where he was not supposed to go, and it broke down. Then some guy gave him a ride back to the hotel where he called the rental place. Hey came out and got the Jeep started, but the guy who gave Kevin the ride back to the hotel had gone back and took the top off of the Jeep. The rental place wanted 500 Pecos for the top. I told them I would give them 50 Pecos and they took it.

Kevin just did not like to fly. On our flight to Cancun we were on a DC10 and it worried him when people got up and walked around because he thought it might tip the airplane. He said he felt safer on the smaller turbo prop airplanes than on the large jumbos. On our trip home we took a small turbo prop from Cozumel to Cancun. He didn’t care for that either.

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