2011 Apr 07 - L and L Hawaiian Barbecue

2011 Apr 07 - L and L Hawaiian Barbecue
Stockton, CA

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Mom has moved to her own studio apartment in a Senior Independent Living facility about one mile east of where she was before moving. At 89 it was in her best interest to have someone else do the cleaning and cooking for her. She has been living at Atria Bayside Landing since Sunday, March 27, 2011 so less than two weeks.

Here is the introduction at their web site:

At Atria Bayside Landing, residents will enjoy elegant independent living with the security of constantly available caregivers. Keep fit at the on-site wellness center and physical therapy studio, and relish frequent outings to theaters, museums and parks that enhance retirement living. Atria Bayside Landing is conveniently located in the beautiful Brookside development, a safe and desirable location in Stockton, California, surrounded by several lakes, a championship golf course, and miles of wide, tree-lined walking paths.

With a maximum of 76 residents it is not too big. Plus their food is tasty I had dinner last Thursday night with Mom at Bayside Landing.
The entrance just south of March Lane


Today would have been Mom's 68th wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad celebrated 64 anniversaries before Dad passed away in August of 2007 at the age of 94. So we took some flowers to the cemetery before going to lunch.

L&L Hawaiian BBQ is a fast food chain with close to 200 restaurants in Hawaii, California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Texas, New York, American Samoa, New Zealand and Japan.
The front of the restaurant


The menu is on the wall. The plate lunch comes with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad and a meat entree.
We get there before the lunch crowd


Since this particular L&L is located between UOP and Delta College there is a lot of collegiate stuff on the walls.
Mom waiting for her order


Mom has the traditional Japanese dish of Spam Saimin. Actually:

The favorite local fast food of the Hawaiian islands (also considered the national dish of Hawaii) is Saimin, an inexpensive noodle and broth soup. It is considered the supreme comfort food of the Islands, eaten at any time of day. You can find this soup at snack bars, coffee shops, and even on the McDonald's menu (in Hawaii only). Saimin is basically the same thing as ramen, a Japanese noodle soup.

Grilled spam in the noodle soup. Mom knows the owner pretty well and I think her order has more Spam than normal.


The owner also adds the side of sunomono or cucumber salad.
Mom only finished half of the bowl and took the rest with her


My lunch is a Mini, which has a little less meat, one scoop of rice and I took the green salad over the scoop of macaroni salad.
My BBQ Chicken Mini lunch plate with the complimentary sunomono



Mom is waiting for the soup to cool down some


Mom eating her lunch


Mom is still drinking her green tea and is carrying it with her.


Back at Bayside Landing we will have to sign Mom back in. Residents can come and go at will, but the staff needs to know their whereabouts if someone should inquire or there is an emergency. So there is a sign out/in book.


Walking through the lobby


Walking down the hall


Unlocking her apartment door still carrying her cup of tea


Note the dog on her window sill in the shadows on the left.
The view from her apartment window onto the Courtyard


Mom decides to rest up before the 2:00 PM Bingo game in the Activity Room


~end for now
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2011 Mar 27 - Mom Moves to Bayside Landing

2011 Mar 27 - Mom Moves to Bayside Landing
Stockton, CA

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Mom has always been a very independent person. Always busy. Always trying to do. Too much at times. And she had become tired and frustrated in the past year or so because she could no longer keep up with her daily routines. Then too she started sending her weekday companion home after a couple of hours instead of the 6 hours she was paid to stay with Mom.

So she was ready to move into a Senior Independent Living Facility. Her new residence is only a mile east of my sister's home where she has lived for the past 13 years. It is also a just a little over a half a mile from my home. So she is remaining in the neighborhood.
Bayside Landing at Brookside Road and March Lane

Mom will have her own Studio Apartment. She has an interior ground floor room in this two story building.
The view from her window

Mom's apartment is a mirror image of this floor plan.
The floor plan of her Studio Apartment

I drove her to her new place on Sunday morning and stayed a couple of hours watching the Sacramento Kings game on television. Then her Resident mentor would take her to lunch at the dining room. I sat at her table until she got her food; then I left. My sister and her friend would be there after lunch to bring a weeks worth of Mom's clothes and a few other items.
Mom watching the Kings game on television

Three meals a day, seven days a week. And the dining room has waiter service.
The dining room is open from 7:30AM to 6:30PM and you can eat anytime during those hours. You can have breakfast anytime. The daily lunch specials are available from 11:30AM to 1:00PM and the daily dinner specials from 4:30PM to 6:00PM. Besides breakfast items there is a café menu available that has sandwiches and salads.
Mom has her first meal a lunch of ham, potato salad, mac and cheese and a veggie with hot green tea


Here is a sample of part of the March 2011 Resident Activity Calendar:
Click on the image to view it fullsize


~end for now
....

2011 Mar 23 - Park Woods Yogurt and Deli

2011 Mar 23 - Park Woods Yogurt and Deli
Stockton, CA

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Mom had to go get some Medical Lab work done today, so we went right before lunch. Her favorite sandwich shop is less than a half mile from her Clinic. So today's lunch is at the Park Woods Yogurt and Deli Shoppe in the Park Woods Shopping Center.
The place is long and narrow with just 5 tables for two along the west wall


It's now Spring but it is cool and rainy with Flood Warnings for large parts of Northern California.
The Shoppe's new Spring hours


The owner usually only has one helper as she is making part of our order.
Mom, Cousin Millie and I are each having a Chicken Salad Sandwich on the Lunch Special


She just finished making Millie's and my sandwiches


Mom is having her sandwich on a croissant. Millie is having her's on a Genova soft roll. And I am having mine on a Podesto's Dutch Crunch roll. The Lunch Special includes a soft drink, a bag of chips and a pickle spear for $7.00.
From left to right, Mom's, mine and Millie's


Mom has lettuce, onion, tomato and cucumbers


I have lettuce, tomato and cucumbers


Starting to eat lunch.
I am giving Mom and Millie a head start


Mom taking another bite


Oops. That is enough of a head start as I am getting hungry.


Leaving after lunch



~end of this lunch
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2011 Mar 04 - Cafe Rolle

2011 Mar 04 - Cafe Rolle - French Bistro
East Sacramento, CA

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Today mom and I are headed to Sacramento and a favorite little eatery:
Click here to open the Cafe Rollé web site in a new browser window.
The waiter seats mom


That is William Rolle, owner and chef in the kitchen


Shrimp, patés and chicken


William smokes all of the salmon for the Café himself


Here is a semi posed photo of William Rolle


The Café is located in a mixed use neighborhood a few miles due east of downtown Sacramento.


He has a specially painted car for his cooking lessons and catering.


There are even a few tables for al fresco dining.


A neighboring table has Duck Paté for an appetizer.


William brings out our lunch himself.
Mom has the Hot Poached Salmon Sandwich on Foccacia Bread


Mom deciding where to start


This is my Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich on a bagutte


The Marinated Shrimp Salad from the next table


The Hot Shrimp Sandwich from the next table


Mom finished all but the last piece of her sandwich


Mom drinking her tea. This is the last piece of her sandwich.


Café Rolle even has a table for two in the kitchen.


After lunch we head back to Stockton.

Then it is time for mom's daily trip to the park to feed the birds. She started this about 12 years ago when she used to take dad to the park for his daily walk around the park.
Mom scattering bread and pop corn for the birds


Birds are eating and lately Sea Gulls have come this far inland


There is a Port of Stockton where ocean going freighters drop off and pick up stuff.
There happened to be one departing as we were in the park.
A young fisherman waves good bye to the ship


The channel is not very wide and a specially trained River Pilot is at the helm until San Francisco Bay


~end for now
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