"A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year."
~Unknown
"Marriage is finding the person who puts up with your shit, admires your weird little ways,
and still says they love you at the end of the day."
~Unknown
Bonnie and I were married on October 26, 1961. Many things have changed over the 56 years that have passed since then, but one thing remains - it was the best decision that I ever made. Like all young married couples, we struggled a little financially in the early years, but basically we have lived a good life, raised three wonderful daughters, and now have a great (although not large) extended family. We've been very lucky! Remembering our anniversary in a special way during my Year 77 was on my Updated Bucket List and we chose to celebrate at the Wrigley Mansion (now known as The Inn on Mt. Ada) on Catalina Island. Our wedding party (second photo below) included Diane Finch as the Maid of Honor (Bonnie's friend since childhood in Spanish Fork) and Quentin Covert (Ron's friend since high school in Logan) as the Best Man. We have remained best friends with Finch and Covert over all these years. To our delight, Grant and Finch, whose 50th Anniversary is a week after ours, decided to go to Catalina on our anniversary trip with us. The third photo below is us with Finch & Grant when we visited them in San Francisco in 1969, and final photo is Covert & Barbara and us when they came to visit us a few years ago in Monrovia.
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Grant & Finch drove to Monrovia from their home in Yuba City on Tuesday, October 24th and the four of us left early the next morning and drove to Long Beach where we caught the Catalina Express to Catalina Island. The first two photos below are in the boat waiting area. The 3rd and 4th photos are in the boat with us having Bloody Marys on the way to the Island. When the photos are enlarged you can see Passenger Nick between Bonnie and I joining us in our toast and his girl friend laughing at him. When we arrived in Avalon, we began walking along the dock and there was Lisa waiting to take us and our luggage up the mountain to the Inn on Mt Ada.
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The Inn at Mt Ada is very impressive, whether viewing it from the harbor or when you arrive at the property. Lisa drove us up the mountain to the Inn and you can see how nice the property is from the photos. Lunch was being served on the deck when we arrived so we sat down to a delicious lunch. Sean was our server and he helped make lunch a very welcoming experience.
Photos below from the left; 1st row- The entrance gate to the Inn property; the first view of the Inn as you drive up from the gate; the entry and view of the stairs to the second story where the bedrooms are located (there are six bedrooms, which is the limiting factor for the number of guests). 2nd row- The main living room; an adjacent room with TV (where we watched the 2nd game of the world series); the breakfast room, although breakfast is also served on the outside balcony. 3rd row- The main deck area where we had lunch; us having lunch; and finally the luncheon menus - the food was delicious.
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After lunch, Lisa gave us a tour of other parts of the facility and showed us to our rooms. Photos below from the left: 1st row- Big Foot- a Feral polydactyl cat (left paw has six toes) that has adopted the Inn; a view of the Inn including the parking lot for the "autoettes" (which I had previously called golf carts); we were assigned a 4-seat autoette to drive to town and around the Island. Note that it is number 7. 2nd row- These three photos are of our room, which was designated The Windsor Room. The description is: "The Windsor Room was reserved for Wrigley's special guests. The Prince of Wales, who later became the Duke of Windsor, was a guest in the 1920s. Situated at the corner of the mansion, the room has a wrap-around view of both the bay and Pacific. The Windsor has a step-up queen bed, fireplace and full bath."
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Wednesday was our first day on the Island so we decided to drive our autoette down the hill and walk around Avalon for a while. Parking is really at a premium on the Island and we finally were advised by a local workman where we could find a dirt lot where he said we could park. We strolled along Crescent Ave. and did some minor shopping. As we were walking along we heard someone call at us from a hotel balcony above us. It was Nick and his girl friend, the guy that sneaked into our photo on the boat to the Island. My favorite shop is Buoys & Gulls, where I have bought some of my favorite shirts over the years. Ultimately, and not surprisingly, we ended up in Luau Larry's for a beer and then headed back to the Inn to watch the World Series. Arleen was our hostess and drink-master at the Inn while we watched the Dodgers lose Game 2.
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The weather was surprisingly hot for Catalina on our first day, but I went for a walk early on Thursday morning and temperature was delightful. I walked further up the mountain from the Inn and took the photos below of the sunrise and of Avalon Bay showing the Casino.
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Bonnie & I had breakfast earlier than Grant & Finch. Later, the four of us drove down the hill to Avalon and found a parking spot for the autoette on Descanso Ave., which was a short walk to Crescent Ave where all the shops and restaurants are located. As we walked to town we passed a small home for sale, which gave us an idea of the real estate values on the Island. The homes are built "wall-to-wall" so there are no yards; this home was 3BR, 2 Ba, 1,400 sq. ft. priced at $1,150,000. Not shocking, given California prices, but still over $800 per sq. ft.
One of our missions on this morning was to find Finch's prescription sunglasses which she had lost the day before. We checked several places we had been but to no avail. Then, to our surprise, one of the clerks at Buoy's & Gulls showed Finch a photo of a pair of sunglasses that someone had posted on the Lost & Found section of Catalina's Web Site, saying that these glasses were found at Coyote Joe's Bar & Grill. We had not been at Coyote Joe's, so it was really a long-shot, but Finch said the photo looked like her glasses so we went there to check it out. Sure enough, they were Finch's glasses. It's a mystery how they ended up at Coyote Joe's (we have one idea) but nevertheless they did and we were happy to find them. Finch tipped the clerk at Buoy's & Gulls, but Israel, the bartender at Coyote Joe's, would absolutely not accept any money for his efforts, so we were "forced" to buy beers from him as a reward.
Photos below from the left are the breakfast menu at the Inn (the food was wonderful), Bonnie & I having breakfast on the side-deck, and the four of us at the end of the Avalon Bay Dock with the Casino in the background.
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We went back to the Inn for lunch and then went back down the hill for a 90 minute "Behind The Scenes Tour" of the Casino, a tour that was complimentary for us from the Inn. The tour guide called himself "Frankie from Avalon" and it was a very interesting and informative tour.
Below are photos of me, Bonnie and Finch at the Casino entrance, then Frankie the tour guide, and the last two photos are inside the ground floor theater, which was beautiful. One the most interesting things about the Casino is the huge ballroom on the top level where all the famous dance bands of the 20s and 30s played. Mr Wrigley purchased two large steamer ships that brought big crowds to the Island to dance and be entertained at the Casino. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the ballroom.
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We had been doing some research as to where we should have our anniversary dinner Thursday night and had received strong recommendations for Steve's Steakhouse & Seafood Restaurant. So I made reservations there at a time immediately after the Casino Tour was to end. The restaurant is on the second floor of a building on Crescent Ave. and we were seated at an open arch overlooking the the avenue and Avalon Bay. The weather had been great on this day, and the restaurant atmosphere and the view were terrific. And as it turned out, we all enjoyed the meals that we ordered. The second photo below is after dinner from the main deck at the Inn overlooking Avalon Bay.
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This was a very special and enjoyable few days. We were so happy that Grant & Finch came on the trip so we could celebrate our long-time anniversaries together. We are all in good health, so we may make a few more anniversaries at the Inn on Mt. Ada, which I think is the ultimate Bed and Breakfast facility. We left on Catalina Express back to Long Beach on a slightly foggy morning. You might can make out Finch, Grant and Bonnie at the back of the line below.
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A Little History: Santa Catalina Island is a rocky island off the coast of California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island name is often shortened to Catalina Island or just Catalina. The island is 22 miles long and 8 miles across at its greatest width (it's interesting to me that these dimensions are identical to Bear Lake, my old stomping ground in Utah) . The island is located about 26 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is 2,097 feet Mt. Orizaba. Santa Catalina is part of the Channel Islands of California archipelago and lies within Los Angeles County.
William Wrigley Jr, founder of Wrigley chewing gum, bought Catalina Island in February 1919 for three million dollars. He built the Wrigley Mansion on the Island in 1921 as a "summer retreat." Since he owned the Island at the time, he named the mountain where he chose to build the home, Mount Ada, after his wife Ada. During the 1960s visitors could tour the mansion, until the Wrigley family donated it to the University of Southern California to be used as a Marine Science Center. In 1985 the property was leased to a private party that created The Inn on Mt. Ada as a Bed and Breakfast. It became highly successful and has won many travel related awards over the years. Bonnie and I have visited the Island many times.
Photos from the left: 1st row- Our group of close friends at Catalina in 2011-Bonnie and I were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary, and since we were all married around the same time, others were celebrating as well (back row- Ted, Grant, Susan O, Mel, Ron and Covert- front row- Dixie, Finch, Bonnie, Barbara and Linda); next is our original wedding party, 50 years later; the silver goblets are from our 25th anniversary. 2nd row- Bonnie & I making a toast in 2011 with the 25th anniversary silver goblets; Bonnie & I sitting on a patio at the Inn on Mt. Ada in 1991 celebrating our 30th anniversary; a photo of the Inn at that time.
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