November

On this night, Mary joins them in the front seat of Cassandra and the three of them head to Kobe Sushi, where they meet David, Pete, and by coincidence, Elena and Chu Phat, Kim's masseuse and her mechanic, respectively. It's a small world after all, and they eat and eat and eat Smiley's wonderful creations. Kim and Richie both ingest their first oyster shots with Pete that night and after the fest is over, David, Mary, Richie and Kim meet up at the Broadway Cafe for a jazz tune. (As in one song.) The band then takes a break and Mary, Richie and Kim go to LR for their last Friday night in business.

Richie takes Kim on the train ride to LA where they shop and walk and shop some more. And walk some more beyond that. They manage to get so shit-faced that Kim sits down on the curb long before they ever reach the bus stop that takes them to the train that takes them to the car that takes them home. Richie sways and Kim swaggers, but they somehow manage to find the train.

They have another sushi dinner at Kobe sushi, this time, with Kim's family. On this day, Smiley improvises a tempura shrimp/california/who-knows-what-else-cut roll that is to die for. Kim's mom tried unsuccessfully to finish off her first Sake bomb. They go home to Kim's parents for awhile, singing and playing. Mom sends them home with lots of yummy goodies.

Richie gets his first little birthday present this evening and his second at midnight while he turns a year older in that miraculous second.

Fern, Luis, Lynette, Rebec, Kelly, Don and Mary all meet Scott, Vince, Eric, Kim and the birthday boy at La Cave, where the Todd Oliver quartet is expectedly playing. They have a fun time and Rebec, Kelly, Don and Mary all come back to Studio 69 for that last round. Or two.

Unbeknownst to Richie and Kim, the car keys fall onto the lawn as they sit and wait outside of their complex for Rebec, Kelly, Don and Mary, which makes for an interesting morning...

What always starts as an innocent question quickly becomes a question of desperation in this particular event. They cannot find the keys. Richie does a quick sweep of their trail last night and finds no keys either along the path or in the car. After Fred , Richie and Kim turn the house upside down, (Richie and Kim cursing and spitting the whole time, though never at each other, of course!) Kim calls Enterprise to find out what to do. She finds that Enterprise is closed (it's sunday) and call a larger headquarter. They connect Kim with a man in the know, Rob, who helps them out by calling local key makers or locksmiths and what-have-yous to price check. Halfway through the call, Rob puts Kim on hold for awhile and tends to "something." When he gets back on the phone, he tells Kim that the key has a computer chip in it. Transponder keys cost $275 take one day to make/deliver. He admitted that he gasped when he heard the total to. Kim just says, "Oh, my Lord!"

Car rental companies, at least Enterprise, if not all of them, (I dunno) do not keep a set of spare keys. There's one set for them at the rental location and the other set gets mailed to corporate headquarters. Be vewy, vewy careful!

Hearing that bit of news, they take one final walk along their path and Kim sees...what's that?

Kim finds the whole experience of loosing the keys and thinking that the trip's off is worth it just for the feeling she now has.

They soujourn to Angelus Oaks for a night of retreat and a concept called "shared solitude" at The Lodge in honor of Richie's big day. They check in and head to their little cabin, where Richie is welcomed to his room with colorful balloons and a sign that reads, "Happy 29th Birthday Richie," a very nice touch Kim must thank Diane for later. After unloading, they drink hot apricot/peach tea and eat little cookies. Later, they refill their mugs and head to the Lodge for a game of pool and have a nice, chilly afternoon. Back at the cabin, they nap until evening, when they cook dinner, drink pear cider and eat.

Kim breaks the cabin that night trying to put a plug in the wall and they're left, voluntarily stranded in the mountains, without electricity. However, the good little trip planner that Kim is, they're not totally unprepared and light the 5 or so tealights and candles that she packs.

They head home. They walk across the street to The Oaks Restaurant to notify the manager of The Lodge/waitress at the restaurant that the electricity is no more in Cabin 12.. Kim drives Richie to Jenks Lake to find that it's closed. Undeterred, they drive on and see their first snow of the season, a most welcome and unexpected surprise. They soon head home and make their gradual way down the mountain, stopping at every turnout.

They drop off the car at Enterprise in Orange with about a minute and 43 miles left to spare.

At Studio 69 that night, Kim makes banana sandwiches on cranberry rolls and Fred has his first banana and mayo sandwich. Kim makes Richie a sandwich that vaguely resembles a monkey's head, since Richie is, and will forever be, part monkey.

Richie and Kim spend the day alone (more of that "shared solitude" they love) cooking candied yams, a green bean casserole, and oven-fried chicken. Kim improvises a candied yam sauce/custard of blended yams, honey and cool whip for the yams that tastes remarkably refreshing. They spend the night watching movies and vegging.