I was worried that we were going to be late because of the traffic, but it turns out that Nora was running late from a meeting. Whew! We went to the Redondo Beach Pier in order to stretch our legs before our tour, and I needed to wake up a bit. The girls loved being back down in the South Bay, and I was starting to enjoy the salt air a bit.
We got back to the plant and prepared for our tour. Unfortunately, Nora was rushed because she had a full day planned, but it was amazing for us to see how everything was made as well as all of the products that they have - I really didn't know the extent of their product line. I found it awesome that no one minded Jordan touching or her questions.
I am so used to everyone stopping her, but everyone loved her questions and no one ever got tired of answering her. The girls loved seeing how the flashlights were made from beginning to end. I adored the idea of Purge Cases - when a case is made during the process when they are trying to purge colors to change them over. I think it would be completely great to be able to get my hands on one of those, but Pelican doesn't sell them. Bummer! I wasn't brave enough to take any pictures during the tour, and Nora wasn't able to hear me asking over the noise of the machines.
We watched the robotic arms take care of everything large, we saw the workstations of those who did the manual assemblies. Ken and I thought it was great that Pelican engineers designed everything - the workstations, the molding machines, etc. Most all of the product was recycled if it wasn't going to be used, and their quality control is strict!!
Nora, once again, spoiled everyone at the end of our tour. The girls walked away with iPod cases and general cases, and then we got a couple of camera cases, an iPhone case and a gun case. Wow! We felt like it was Christmas in June!! Jordan loved the purge patty that she was able to take home, and she kept calling it her "brain."
After we left, we immediately headed over for lunch. Ken suggested Souplantation, and it was a great idea!! The salads were perfectly needed, and the girls loved being able to choose whatever they wanted to eat. Jordan and Mandy loved the electric blue jello!
Our plans were to spend supper with Jeff and Brie Wells, but we had a lot of time to kill. We went to Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach for the girls to run and play and for us to stretch and walk around.
The girls did spend time talking about their visits with their Daddy C. Apparently, when he would take them out, it was to drive around and show them where I grew up, and take them to the same parks and beaches. Mandy told us that he always promised to take them somewhere fun if they would just talk about me and Ken to him so he would know what was going on. Ken and I were crushed to hear everything that they were saying to us about their visits, and while Ken was completely elated about their love and preference for him, he felt horrible for the girls that they had to go through all of this. Each of the girls all said that they really wished that I had met Ken first so they could have this totally awesome dad without having to deal with Daddy C.
I had put on Facebook that we were at Polliwog, so I got a message from Cathie if we were going to be around for a while. She showed up with her son, Miles, and the kids played for a while while Ken finished his nap and she and I caught up. I love that my man can take a nap anywhere he wants or needs to!
We took the kids down to the Manhattan Creamery for some ice-cream while we continued chatting and enjoying the time with friends. She knew we were killing time until Jeff got off work, and it turned out perfect - as soon as she had to go, I got a text that Jeff was taking off from work.
As has become customary, we got our supper from Tomboys and then headed over to Jeff's house. We enjoyed spending the time with Jeff and Brie and visiting. The girls wore out their puppies which Jeff and Brie totally appreciated, and then we headed home.
To say I was exhausted at the end of this trip would be an understatement. Not only were we up early and stayed out late, but I hadn't slept well the night before AND I was the one who did all of the driving. (Ken hates driving in the LA area.) Oh - and then there was the fun of the road work on the Cajon Pass where 3 lanes were shut down at 10 pm. Ugh! I'm not sure why so many people were on the road at that time of night, but it was a mess. I pretty much collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately.
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