July 23, 2024 – kickasstravel.net

It has been a while since I have posted, because life sometimes gets in the way.

After my last big trip with my sister, the partially successful Viking river cruise in October of 2023, it was evident that I would need to have surgery on my hip if I wanted to continue to lead an active lifestyle, so on February 13, 2024 I had successful total hip replacement surgery.

With visits from my sister and my friend Marilyn, as well as help from my neighbors and friends, my progress was rapid. I suffered no pain and went from walker to cane to nothing to aid me. After five months, I am almost back to normal with a lovely new hip. However, an X-ray indicated that I now have a bone-on-bone right knee. I blame my bad luck to my arthritic Swedish ancestors. Many of my cousins have had hip and knee replacements, and my father and uncle suffered with the disease. I had a cortisone shot in my right knee last week and it seems to be working! Surgery will be my future. In the meantime, I will still travel but a little slower and more carefully as in the past.

I was able to go on outings about three months after surgery, with a trip into San Francisco with my pal Bessie in May. We went to SFMOMA, meeting on BART. I used my cane for stability.

A month later we were off to San Francisco again via BART + muni for a visit to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park We were excited to see the blockbuster exhibit of Herb Ritts’ iconic photography, a fashion display that highlighted elegant clothing from the Gold Rush on, and, as a special treat for one week only, a floral design display in the galleries. It was very crowded but fun. Ladies dressed up with fancy hats. Fascinators ( ladies’ hats) were on sale in the gift shop. It was quite a wonderful event. I took my cane for stability again though I only needed it on stairs.

I enjoyed lunch out with “the girls,” long time friends with whom I endured and enjoyed the trials and tribulations of teaching.

My next challenge was a quick trip to Los Angeles to visit my pal Marilyn and test my endurance. She is the world’s best tour guide and enjoys showing her her home city with enthusiasm. Here are a few highlights:

She picked me up at Burbank airport, we saw an exhibition at LACMA and ended the day at a rooftop restaurant in Venice, nibbling on vittles as we watched the sun set.

A friend mentioned that Levain bakery had the world’s BEST chocolate chip cookies, which she’d experienced in New York City. I checked their website and it turned out there was one in the Larchmont area of L.A., so we spent the afternoon in our quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie..and found it! We spent the time strolling the streets and sniffing in the shops. The French have a term for it: <<faire du lèche- vitrine>> means to go window shopping. We did more than that. We tried on shoes ( of course!) and indulged in a few beauty products at a specialty shop along the way.

She also took me to the perfect cafe in which to indulge our gluttony, with the perfect cappuccino to add to the cookie

That evening we had a glorious Italian dinner in her neighborhood, where we secured one of the two outside tables . The food and ambiance were outstanding! She also feted me with a humongous belated tiramisu birthday cake! What a treat!!

Before I left the next morning, it was time for another indulgence: breakfast at Figaro Bistro in her old neighborhood. It’s been one of our go-to restaurants for years and has become our breakfast tradition. The gorgeous furnishings were brought over from France, the zinc bar is authentic and massive and even the ladies’ room is oh so French! It’s a great way to say not goodbye but <<A bientôt>>, see you soon.