Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library

We woke up early this morning and had our coffee together. Then we hurried up and got dressed and loaded up the truck and headed north to Simi Valley. The one item that we wanted to see was the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The pictures below are just the ones that touched us.

We don't usually buy staged photo's but this one was just to memorable to pass up.


Ronald Reagan "Rawhide" statue at the entrance


A piece of concrete that he poured in 1952 at their first home as newlyweds


Air Force One (A beautiful Exhibit)

This plane served seven presidents. As we were walking through it we told one another, "if only these walls could talk what a story they could tell".

We are both fascinated with the Presidential Seal


The oval office

The quote on the desk states "it can be done". This is an exact replica of the oval office. President Reagan insisted on it. In order for it to be exact they had to dig down into the foundation to get the exact height. It was told to us that it was Ronald Reagan's desire to make it identical to the oval office in the White House since most Americans will never have a chance to see the real oval office.

After he and Nancy moved back to California from the White House he engraved this wooden heart. The one theme that stands out in all his letters and actions was his love for Nancy.

President Reagan loved sports too


An actual piece of the Berlin wall


Rest in Peace President Reagan

I will not talk politics in our blog. However, we both believe Ronald Reagan was and will be the best president in our lifetime. This is a must see if you ever come close to Southern California. In addition to the library they have the last Air Force One fully restored.

We spent the day there and really enjoyed ourselves. We will go back again if we are ever out here again. After we left there we drove around Simi Valley just to sight see and to get something to eat. Around eight o’clock we decided to drive back home.

Later in the week we went for a bike ride. The mountains around the campground are beautiful. I guess I needed a little adventure while Gina was looking for rocks.

Picture of the campground from the other side of the lake


Couldn't pass up this picture while we were bike riding


Of course Gina had to stop to look for rocks


My adventure, really the boy in me comes out


Ok, I did crash and Gina couldn't resist capturing it with pictures


Sweetheart, I'm OK no broken bones just a few scratches


I did make it down and Wow, was it FUN!!!

Now leave it to Gina to bring reality to the situation that it probably wasn't to smart of me to ride my bike down the hill. She gave me the lecture of having to leave me there hurt while she had to go get help which would have been over two miles away. Maybe next time I'll rethink my adrenline rushing adventures but then again maybe not, there will always be the boy in me.

Gina walking her bike through the water, look close at her basket it's full of rocks


Looking back at the hill that I rode my bike down


There are a lot of ducks here and this one Gina caught eating


After the bike ride we then went for a walk around the lake so Gina could search for more rocks

We haven’t really been going anywhere so our sightseeing has been here on base and visiting with some new friends we have met here.

Paul & Roberta, They were here for a Marine reunion

We really have enjoyed our time with Thomas. Orginally, he was told that he would be deploying at end of January. However, his schedule has changed and he should have at least six months here. With Camp Pendleton being so big and instead of Thomas trying to buy a car we decided to ship our car from Louisiana instead. I do want to thank Rickey my brother in law for meeting the truck with the car otherwise I don't know how it could have happened. Saturday morning we were awakened by Thomas surprising us with bacon and homemade biscuits. Breakfast tasted great and Thomas and I really thanked Gina for cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. Thomas wanted to chill out for the day. So while he chilled Gina gave me a haircut. After she finished we decided to run a few errands today. The most important errand was to stop by a unique grocery store called Trader Joe’s. Our good friends Mike and Pat had asked us to pick up some stuff for them since we will see them later this month in Congress, Arizona. After we got home I grilled the last steak we had bought while we were in Kansas. Instead of baked potatoes Gina made homemade mashed potatoes. The steak tasted great and we’ll have to buy more when we get back to Kansas.

Sunday morning found us excited and on edge waiting for the Super Bowl. It’s amazing how all the Sunday morning political shows kind of put politics to the side and instead talked Super Bowl. Gina was going to make Gumbo but since no one was coming over to watch the game we decided to grill sausage and make dirty rice. Thomas fried chicken strips and Gina made Velveeta cheese dip. We’re ready for the Super Bowl. What a game and Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints!!!! WHO DAT

After our exhilarating evening watching the New Orleans Saints win their first Super Bowl we decided to just take it easy today. Gina made a ham and cheese quiche for breakfast then she bathed and groomed Angel and Zoey. From there we just sat outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Temperature was a fantastic 65 degrees. We are going to San Diego on Wednesday morning to get our inverter looked at. Everything works fine except the transfer relay which allows the AC power to be transferred through it. I hope it doesn’t take long to troubleshoot the problem. We really need it fixed before we head to Arizona.

I would like to apologize since I forgot to add the link to Jim and Ellie's blog in my last post where she posted the recipe for the smore's brownies. Here is the link and we both agree that they taste wonderful!! http://www.justravelin.blogspot.com/

Gina & I hope everyone has a pleasant and wonderful day, enjoying what our Father has so graciously blessed us with.