"California Here We Come" by Phantom Planet. I heard it on the radio yesterday and it took me right back to Eastertime 2005 and our wonderful family holiday in California - just before this blog first saw the light of day.
We had taken a non-stop Virgin flight all the way from London Heathrow to Los Angeles and in the bright California morning the first thing we had to do was to pick up our hire car from Hertz - a brand new black Jeep.
Then we were out of the airport area and heading for our first hotel in nearby Santa Monica. My then fifteen year old daughter - Frances handed me a CD that unbeknownst to me she had prepared especially for that California trip. And the very first track was "California Here We Come".
It became the theme music for our holiday. As I recall the road trip itinerary went like this - L.A. to Las Vegas (Nevada) to Boron to Bakersfield to Four Rivers near the Sequoia National Park to Lombard Street in San Francisco to Salinas to Santa Maria and back to L.A... It was a great holiday in which we saw marvellous things and had many interesting experiences.
When we returned to Heathrow who should be walking right next to us on our way to baggage claim but Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach. Surprisingly, he didn't ask me for my autograph. I guess the little squirt felt intimidated.
Music is a great way to create memories!
ReplyDeleteAlso around 2005 we took a family road trip through New South Wales and Victoria. By accident we took just one cassette, a Beatles compilation. The kids still hear a Beatles song and refer to the road trip.
I learnt that on a recent trip with his GF, my son Liam picked up a CD in a petrol station, hoping to create memories of a specific trip and sound track.
What a great trip! Did you find driving on the right difficult?
I have driven on the right many times and have no problem with it Kylie but one must guard against over-confidence. In America I loved listening to random Country and Western radio channels while driving along. It just seemed so right.
DeleteWow! That is QUITE the celebrity sighting. There's no shortage of amazing things to see in California! (Considering it's larger and more populous than many countries...)
ReplyDeleteYou are right. California is like a world in itself. Ringo was so close to me I could have touched him - but you never know what you might catch.
DeleteCalifornia dreamin'....on such a winter's day...πΌπΆπ΅
ReplyDeleteYou've seen more of this country than I have! Lucky you!
Ringo is my least favorite Beatle. George was my favorite.
Ringo is about to become Sir Ringo Starr even though he effectively emigrated years ago and has been most unpleasant about his home city - Liverpool. My favourite Beatle was John Lennon.
DeleteIn 1990, my husband, I and small son stayed in Mountain View, Silicon Valley for eight months. We fell in love with California and we even considered moving there; but business plans changed. (I'd be speaking English fluently by now!)
ReplyDeleteThe Eagles' Hotel California brings back lovely memories for me.
Greetings Maria x
You can't speak English fluently? Are you from Scotland Maria?
DeleteGreat that you have those special Silicon Valley months to look back upon.
California has really been copping a tough time of it lately...first, the wild fires...then the rain, and then the mudslides...poor devils.
ReplyDeleteKnowing what happened near Santa Barbara last night I cannot jest. Love to California x
DeleteI had a great time in Baja California. We were messing about rescuing Whales. Took nine months, an impossible task as they are too big to push and a bit thick to communicate with. All Mexicans there. One bugger called me a Gringo, He got a good slap little wet back or whatever Hilary called them. Flew out of LA and what a misty dump it looked.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Mexican chap mistook you for The Beatles' drummer - Gringo Starr.
DeleteWhat a great theme tune for your trip!
ReplyDeleteA good theme tune for visiting Red Deer in January would be "Baby it's Cold Outside"
DeleteI have a couple of good friends and blogger buddies who live in California (poor sods) and we enjoy trading insults about our respective homes. (Mine is in Arizona.) None of us were born or raised in either California or Arizona. By the way I had never heard of Phantom Planet before but I like this song. Those lads certainly seem to have a lot of energy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling by again Catalyst. If you are not from Arizona where are you really from?
DeleteWhat a sweet and thoughtful thing for your daughter to have done; and to have done that at age 15 is quite astonishing. She must really like you and Mrs. Pudding. When I was 15 I would have insisted that my parents leave me home -- there would have been no way in hell that I would have consented to a long road trip with them (I think I effectively stopped talking to them when I was 10).
ReplyDeleteThe last time I was in Heathrow (2016) I shared the waiting lounge with Henry Cavill. He is an astonishingly handsome man, and tall, too. But I'd trade that for a Beatle sighting.
I had to google Henry Cavill as I had never hear of him. I hope that this does not burst your Cavill-shaped bubble Vivian! As for our children there was never a teenage rift. Communication and love was always there and it remains mutual.
DeleteWhat a great memory that is! California is having a hard time the last number of years.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a big state that the pain of disaster isn't felt everywhere.
DeleteMore disaster in CA this week, and yet it is the preferred playground to millions with some of the world's most amazing places.
ReplyDeleteYes sad news. Wild nature does not respect human vanity.
DeleteSuch family memories are great, aren't they, and I am glad you had the chance to go on such an epic trip together.
ReplyDeleteEven at the time I knew we were making memories that would last forever.
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