Bill and Nichol visited with us on July 7th and November 17, 2016 and great to visit with them in their new home.

It didn't take Bill long to get from the San Diego International Airport to their home in Vista, CA, 42 miles +- and after arriving, it was time to unload our bags and kick back.  I had talked with Bill earlier about my brides health issues and we decided not to do any extended sight seeing requiring walking about as we had done in the past.  Below are some archived pixs of Bill and Nichol's home which is a showplace for sure.  I advised Bill that he would do the photography since I didn't plan to bring my 35mm DSLR camera and accessories.  His Obamaphone got a good workout!  By the way, he chastised me right off for calling his cell phones Obamaphones, but I call all cell phones Obamaphones, whether they are IPhone, Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime, S9 Plus, Oppo A57 and R11, Sony, LG, Motorola, TracFone or any knock off aka clone of the same.

THE PORTER HOME

As stated above, Bill and Nichol's home is a showplace for sure!

We got a chance to relax by the pool the second day and the weather was extremely nice and cool without all the North Carolina humidity.  In fact, most of the days were in the lower to mid 60s and much cooler than our North Carolina weather.  I had to "borrow" one of Bill's long sleeve shirts later in the afternoon and evenings to keep the chill off!  

Bill's youngest son "Jake" came by for a visit.  He emailed a pix of him and his prom date:

A good looking couple there for sure!

Below, a night time pix of the pool, Jacuzzi, rear and side view of their home.

Bill calls the below pix his nighttime glamour pool shot.  Bill is awesome with a camera!

Bill used his high dollar Canon 35mm DSLR camera and tripod to get the above pix which required 8 seconds of exposure time.  Great photography....hard to get low level light pixs like this with an Obamaphone; that includes the IPhone X and Galaxy S9Plus as well!

View from the rear area (balcony) aka patio on the upper level above the pool looking west.  The main living room opens onto the patio.

Their home has plenty of room and I believe is over 2800 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 3 baths.  The home has been well maintained over the years and everything is first class, top quality.  The previous original owner was into woodworking and I believe built the custom red oak kitchen cabinets, etc., which had some type of light colored pickled stain which is on Bill's later "to do" list of refurbishing and/or replacing.

Bill and Nichol have a weekly yard man and pool man to come by for yard and pool maintenance.  I got a mental image of the Jefferson's theme song, Moving On Up......grin if you must!  Bill and Nichol have done very well for themselves and dedicated to serving our Country!

The appliances are also first quality with a Bluetooth hood/exhaust system.  One thing about Bill and Nichol, they are high tech gurus and/or tech geeks stemmed from their early Naval careers in Electronics, another grin is in order.  They have more video security features installed than some small prisons.  I will later get to Bill's woodworking area, but for now will add a few of the restaurants we visited and consumed some wonderful food.

VISTA VILLAGE PUB

We had eaten at the Vista Village and Pub on a prior visit and this place is one of Bill and Nichol's favorite places there in Vista.  Bill captured my bride consuming a monster size burger and fries.  Click on the below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view:

I believe my bride challenged herself to consume that humongous burger and as evidenced by the last pix taken; the burger might have won out!  I had a large burger, but don't believe it was the same DNA as that one.

BRUNCH AND DINNER 05-11-18

We had an earlier light breakfast aka brunch and below pix Bill took.  The pix of my bride reminds me of a deer caught in the headlights of a car in the late evening:

Country folks of which I am speaking for my bride and myself, refer to meals as:  Breakfast, Dinner and Supper.  Currently the meals are designated as:  Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Dinner.  It is very hard to break old habits especially when you are in your 70s.

NICHOLS POT OF GOODNESS

Our evening dinner aka supper on 05-11-18 consisted of a salad, meat sauce over pasta and followed by designer ice cream and chocolate éclairs and was "off the chain good!"  I asked Nichol what she called the recipe and she said POG aka Pot of Goodness which is a good name for it.

Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to seal the deal.

Main dining room.

Pix of the kitchen.....plenty of working space.

Bill plans to do a remake on the kitchen cabinet doors in the future.

I guarantee you, I was tight as a Georgia tick on the back of a coonhound in the month of July after finishing that wonderful meal!

Bill and Nichol make a good team in the kitchen and their kitchen is very well equipment and spacious for sure.  Those double vertical stacked convection ovens, gas range top with the Blue Tube exhaust vent system is top notch too.

Pix of their smaller dining room.

BILL UPGRADING WI-FI SYSTEM

Bill and myself went to Fry's Electronics there in Vista, CA which is a Geek's heaven for sure.  Below pix of the front of the facility:

Bill purchased a base station and two receiver/transmitters to extend his home wi-fi system to cover his entire home; inside and outside.  Below is a pix of Bill taken the next day in his home office; (05-12-18) by yours truly using his Obamaphone:

Bill had to reconfigure a ton of his devices to get his add on system compatible.  Pix of the right hand screen is a flow chart which shows all his devices which he is updating....too high tech for me!

To reiterate, Bill had to verbally chastise myself when I referred to his cell phones as Obamaphones.  He told me those were not Obamaphones, he paid good money for them and I replied that I call all cell phones Obamaphones.  I understand why they are called cell phones depending on cell phone towers for them to function in specific modes; whereas it is a fact, "people are prisoners to their cell phones"; therefore cell phones are a great name for them; I rest my case.  Look at all the zombies walking around every where you go, glued and mesmerized to the cell phone screen not paying attention to their surroundings and not to mention texting while driving which is a serious safety hazard and against the law in many states.  That is one easy analogy to make.  I grin because I have an 18 dollar TracFone mainly for emergencies and keep it powered down most of the time.  At some point in time, I no doubt will upgrade to a smart phone, but at the moment, I do fine without one and enjoy not being mentally chained to one.

ATTABOY WALL

I call this Bill's attaboy wall with some of his US Navy career awards, etc.

IN-N-OUT

I had Bill to drive me to one of the In-n-Out Burger places and purchased a tee shirt for my good friend Linda Driggers, Retired NCDPS who lives in Cheraw, SC with her husband Jack and their hairy friends.

NOTE:  I forgot to pack the tee shirts purchased for Linda and our Youngest Grandson Xander Gonzales.  I called Bill and he is going to mail them to me.

TIME FOR THE GAS LOGS

It was a little nippy the evening of 05-11-18 and Bill "fired" up the gas logs:

I don't think Bill could get a larger flat screen TV between the mantle and the angular ceiling.

Close up pix of the fireplace and you could about smell the burning embers, although it would be only in your mind!

Another pix of the living room. 

SPROCKET PORTER, HAIRY GRANDSON

Bill and Nichol purchased an Irish Terrier with a pedigree about a mile long, figuratively speaking that is.   He had sent us pixs of Sprocket since he was a pup and we thoroughly enjoyed playing with him.  I don't know who has who spoiled, but he is riot of fun to be around.  A few pixs of Sprocket:

He not only is a Terrier, but is a terror when it comes to getting into trouble; snatching socks and he will go through the laundry basket if given access to the laundry room and his favorite item is Nichol's bra.....grin if you must!   He was left along and got quiet for a minute or two and this is the results in Bill and Nichol's bedroom:

He decimated a box of Kleenexes.

BILL'S WOODWORKING SHOP

Bill gave me a tour of his basement woodworking shop and he has the art of maximizing space and storage to a science.   Everything is well thought out of for maximum efficiency and he has a good eye for detail and doing something right.  We are definitely proud of Him and Nichol and their accomplishments.

Bill manufactured his own dust collection system for the various pieces of equipment.  Bill has some growing room in the rear behind his table saw if he desires to dig out to the foundation level.

Bill made this red oak style and rail raised door panel for his kitchen trash compartment.

Above is a planter and dog house for Sprocket; one of his latest woodworking projects.  Bill added a heavy plastic liner to the top in preparation for Nichol adding plants, etc., to it.  It should last a long time being made from cedar and redwood finished with Marine Spar Varnish.  I believe he has to add a pvc drain system from the upper deck aka planter box.

Bill sent me the above pix of his Work Sharp sharpening station he made using a recycled bourbon wood box and scrap materials.  Bill knows a thing or two about organization....need to take some lessons from him!

BREAKFAST AND/OR BRUNCH AT MARY'S

We asked Bill and Nichol to take us to Mary's Restaurant in Ocean Side, California being one of our favorite breakfast places since our early visits way back when.   I had trouble editing a couple of pixs that Bill took outside with his Obamaphone and emailed them to him to resize and email them back to me.  I didn't have trouble but with a few pixs.  I will post what I have at this time.

The place is about the same decor wise and even thought it has changed owners several times, the food is still outstanding!

Pix above of my plate.....I don't think I finished all the pancake....too maxed out.

You definitely get a platter full of some beautimous "groceries" at this restaurant.

There was a good wait time for a table of four, but the wait was definitely worth it.  Bill brought my bride one of the outside table chairs and my bride sat down until a table was available for us.  I pulled a fast one of Bill and asked the waitress to "slip" me the tab for the meal of which she did.  My money isn't any good when visiting with Bill and Nichol, but had to go to plan B on this one!

MOTHER DAYS 05-13-18

We heard Nichol mention about wanting a lime tree since they already have an orange and lemon tree.  I had Bill look up some of the closest nurseries there in Vista and we went to one of them that covered many acres of all types of trees, shrubbery, plants, flowers, etc., both for the commercial folks and home owners as well.   We looked at many lime trees and decided on the one below, whereas most already had small limes on them and full of blooms too.  Below is a pix of Nichol and her lime tree; combination house warming and Mother's Day gift.

Bill had already picked out a place for it and hooked up a temporary watering line until he builds a larger container for it and will allow the roots to penetrate the ground via the concrete lattice tile work on the right hand side of their home.

My bride wanted to give Bill and Nichol a house warming gift and this was a perfect time to do so.  

My bad on getting a Mother's Day card for my bride and Grandson Sprocket, however my bride aka Joyce made Sprocket a cute hand drawn card which said, I Woof You!  Nichol got a good grin out of that one.

Again, it was great that my bride and myself could share Mother's Day with Bill and Nichol and like I said earlier, it has been thirty-two years since my bride celebrated Mother's Day with Bill.

LIME TREE BOX

Bill build a box for the lime tree with the bottom open, whereas the lime tree roots could migrate into the soil.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 01-07-2020.

NICHOL CAR SHOPPING

Nichol had been looking on the internet at dealers for a new 2017 Honda, whereas she didn't like the front body design of the 2018s and finally found the color and interior she want plus the rims.  Bill drove her to the dealership and returned with her older 2000 year Honda.  Below is pix of Nichol and her new car.  Her old Honda has 201,000 miles on it and still going strong.  She plans to donate it to charity.

Nichol arrived in the afternoon and we loaded up and went down US Route 101 South to one of their favorite Mexican Restaurants for Dinner.  Pixs below:

That Honda is one nice smooth ride with all the whistles and bells!

Las Olas

Below is a pix of Las Olas, Cardiff By The Sea with a screen capture from the Internet of where we enjoyed an outstanding Mexican meal:

You definitely get the feel of Mexico at Las Olas.

Above close-up pix of Bill's plate.

I took a pix of Bill with his Obamaphone after he put it in the camera mode.

The Mexican food was very good.  I got a combination plate with sides of rice and beans along with a Beef Taco and Pork Burrito; if my memory is correct on the Beef Taco versus Pork Taco.  My bride enjoyed the same.  Again, my money wasn't any good; I couldn't outdraw Bill with his plastic.

RETURN TRIP TO CHARLOTTE, NC 05-15-18

Time really goes by quickly when you are having fun and the 15th rolled around like greased lightening.

Bill got us to the San Diego International Airport in plenty of time.  It is hard for me to get adjusted to the fast moving traffic and I believe there were six (6) lanes of traffic going in one direction.  As before, we were TSA Preflight checked, Priority First Class and booked on American Airlines flight 487 which started loading around 10:15 A.M. 

About the time everyone was loaded except one passenger, the Captain made an announcement that there would be at least 15 minutes or more delay due to a leak in the hydraulic system.  During that time, the remaining passenger arrived with a total passenger manifest of 188 persons.

After about 30 minutes to an hour, we were told to exit the aircraft and those with connecting flights in Charlotte, NC were to head to the ticket counter for further instructions and retrieve their luggage.

To make a long story short, the flight was delayed six (6) hours and during the wait, the personnel manning the counter at Gate 25 and passengers were backed up considerably.  The two personnel were handling the long lines the best they could do to reroute passengers and give out additional flight rescheduling information.   One irate white headed senior citizen was using all types of profanity using the Lord's name in vain and a total disgrace to humanity in general.  He finally left in a frenzy and glad he never came back.  I know what I would like to have done, but a born again Christian cannot do such.  Satan uses every means he can muster up to attempt to derail and keep one from God's grace, mercy and salvation.

I personally thanked the attendant for his professionalism; being calm, cool and collected! 

When, we finally got back onto the repaired plane, there were only thirty-five (35) passengers on board and our flight time back to Charlotte, NC was estimated at a little over 4 hours due to the less payload aka passengers.

The weather was rough coming back and the Fasten Seat Belt sign was on most of the time due to the turbulence.   I got twelve (12) chapters read from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament, KJV Bible.  To keep the above theme going, when we touched down on the runway at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, NC, sometime around 11:15 P.M. EST, there was a slight delay taxiing to terminal C15 due to an emergency landing and we were diverted to an adjacent terminal. 

There wasn't a wheel chair waiting for my bride and we remain seated on the plane until support staff showed up with the wheelchair.  The wheel chair delay was due to the emergency aircraft that landed using the terminal originally scheduled for our flight.  One of the AA supervisors showed up and wheeled my bride to an area and called for another support staff member to get us to the baggage claims.  In the mean time, I called my Brother and advised him that we had arrived at the airport.  I planned to do it earlier, but my cheap TracFone did not have service until we were on the ground.  A nice young man arrived and got us to the baggage claims, whereas we retrieved our two checked in pieces of luggage and he got us to the front of the terminal lounge area.  By this time, the majority of airline personnel were off duty and very few passengers were in the terminal.

My Brother Allen arrived with his wife Betty Jo and it didn't take too long to get to his home and we loaded the little Red Ford Ranger truck and headed back to Wadesboro, NC.  There was misting rain on the ride back home and Allen stated there was a tremendous storm in the area earlier.  It was after 3:00 A.M. before we got back home and I slept in until 11:54 A.M. and my bride got up sometime after myself.

In Summation, we had a wonderful visit with Bill and Nichol and enjoyed their beautiful home along with some outstanding food.  At every chance I get to say or publish, "Two of the Greatest Ships that ever Sailed; Friendship and Fellowship" and those six days with Bill and Nichol were no exception, not to mention the fun with had with Sprocket.  

We look forward when Bill and Nichol can visit with us here again in North Carolina.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 05-17-18, updated on 05-20-18.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE