John & Leslie’s Christmas Trip to California (Version 3 - 12/22/2025)
TRAVEL ITINERARY
TO CALIFORNIA - Friday, December 26
BACK TO MICHIGAN - Tuesday, December 30
Depart Los Angeles: 12:17 p.m., Delta 802
Arrive Detroit: 7:44 p.m.
Depart Detroit: 9:30 p.m.
Arrive MBS: 10:33 p.m.
Arrive at home: Approximately 11:00 p.m.
We don’t know what your schedule is/will be, but Cali will love it if you are able to arrive on Friday in the morning and stay until evening on Tuesday.
WHERE WE’RE STAYING
Airbnb
297 Calle Larios
Camarillo, CA 93010
HOW TO REACH US
John Soyster’s cell: 805-302-3475
Leslie Soyster’s cell: 805-302-3438
THE HOUSE
YOUR BED. Is in Leslie’s Library. Lots of extra blankets in the closet in that room. Extra towels are in the cupboard in the small bathroom off the kitchen.
HEAT/COOL
ALEXA. The two lights on the table near the front door turn on automatically at 5:00 p.m. and off at 9:00 p.m. To turn them on or off, say “Alexa, turn on/off first plug.”
WI-FI. T-Mobile Internet
Network: Seminole
Password: Paris.2017.kiss
KEYS.
#1 – For the front door (but not the glass outer door).
#2 – For the door that leads from the garage into the house.*
#3 – For the extra garage at the back of the property (John’s woodshop). You probably won’t need to use that one.
GARAGE. Feel free to park in the garage. We’ll leave you a door opener. The code on the outside pad is 1031.
TELEVISION. See separate sheet of instructions on coffee table with the two remotes.
TOILET. It works best if you hold the handle down until all the water leaves the tank. Prevents overflow.
MAIL. Our mailbox is the one on the left of the three across the street. You don't have to check it every day (we don't get much mail). You can put the mail in the box on the counter in the kitchen. Check the front porch before you go to bed at night - sometimes Amazon delivers late in the day.
FOOD. Please feel free to eat or drink anything in the kitchen, fridge or freezer.
TRASH. The trash and recycling bins are in the garage. Trash pick-up is on Monday, but you can leave the trash bin in the garage (we almost never fill it past half way most weeks).
BIRD FEEDER. [Birds will have been fed on Friday morning before we leave.]
On the small deck (outside the Music Room) there is a feeding platform. In the Music Room there is a card table with the bird seeds & peanuts. Each morning, use the white Birdbuddy cup and pour into the silver bowl: one scoop of birdseed, one scoop of sunflower seeds and one scoop of peanuts. Pour all of that on the platform. However…if it hasn’t snowed, and you can see the grass, you can throw the birdseed and the sunflower seeds off the end of the deck onto the lawn. Peanuts still go on the platform.
FAMILY & NEIGHBORS
Barb Hare. This is Leslie’s mom. She lives in Freeland. Her cell/text number is 989-860-2297
Willie Williams. He and his wife, Nikkia, live next door (1470). He’s a great guy and helps many neighbors with different things. He knows you'll be staying in our home. Just in case, his cell phone: 989-213-2338. If it snows, he will use his snowblower to clear the driveway for you.
Mary Jo Hudson. She lives directly across the street (1451). She is the priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, just behind her house. Phone: 989-753-5236.
CLEANING SUPPLIES. There's a cardboard box with cleaning supplies in the same pantry/closet where we keep the cat food.
Vacuum, mop, broom & dustpan are in the garage
Extra cat litter is in the garage
DISHWASHER. Cascade pods are under the kitchen sink.
MISCELLANEOUS
Don’t worry about washing sheets or towels. Just leave them on the floor in your room. The washer, overflow sink, and pump are a little quirky. Best to ignore.
We have no cameras in the house. We do have Alexa in the living room and in our bed room.
IF WE FORGOT ANYTHING. Call, text or email any time. John’s email is [email protected]
WHEN YOU LEAVE. Leave the keys and the garage door opener on the kitchen table. Go out through the garage and use the keypad to close the door.
MANY THANKS!!!
--------------------------------------------------
CARING FOR CALI. She always likes to smell a person’s hand to be reminded who they are. We’ve had her for over seven years, and she still has to be reassured that it really is us ;-) She doesn’t care to be picked up. And if her tail is twitching, she’d be best left alone for a while.
SHE’S AN INSIDE CAT. We never let her outside. If she ever hides, it is usually under the bed in our room. If she hears a phone ring, she will often take off and hide there.
LITTER BOX. The litter box is cleaned every morning. The scoop is hanging on the wall on the other side of the toilet. There are plastic bags under the kitchen sink. The filled bags go into the trash can in the garage.
CALI LOVES TO BE BRUSHED. There is a brush in a plastic container in the pantry with the cat food.
PLAY TIME. There is an assortment of toys, tunnels, etc. on the couch in the Music Room. The ones that run on battery or USB will all be charged or have fresh batteries and will be in a box at the end of the couch.
She sometimes likes chasing the strings on the ends of the two sticks.
She sometimes likes chasing hair ties across the kitchen floor (in the cup on top of the microwave).
There is also a laser pointer in the cup on the microwave.
In warm weather Cali enjoys watching the world from Music Room. If she stands in the hallway by the door that leads to the garage and cries, you can open the door to the Music Room and leave it open wide enough for her to get in and out. She may also cry to get into the garage, but don't let her out there. The door into the kitchen has a rubber band on it and will close by itself. And she knows how to open it. She also watches the world from the other end of the house from the platform by the window in John’s office. I close and lock the music room and garage doors at night and shut the kitchen door that leads to the basement.
She loves sitting in front of the fireplace (with a fire), but we don’t want you to have to mess with the gas logs. She may sit in front of the screen (her not so subtle hint that it is time to light the fire), but ignore her. She may find a warm lap is an acceptable substitute.
FEEDING. Her wet food, dry food and Temptations are in the pantry next to the door that leads to the garage and basement. You can alternate them throughout the days. We try to rotate the wet food between the three available. Lately she’s been kind of a picky eater. Throw out old wet food after 3-4 hours. Bowls are dishwasher safe.
Morning [Cali will have had her soup, Temptations and food before we leave on Friday]
First thing in the morning, put fresh water in her bowl. Take up the dry food & the wet food bowl from last night. We use a small plate to cover the dry food until it is time to put it down again at night.
Put down half a can of wet food (but she probably won’t touch it until later)
What she is really waiting for first is a bowl of the L’il Soups. We put them in the wooden holder, so she doesn’t have to chase the plastic cup all over the kitchen. Be careful when opening the foil cover; the stuff spills easily. And she only gets one of these each day.
After she finishes the soup, she can have a few Temptations. You can drop them on top of the wet food in her bowl.
During the day
We feed half a can during the day when her bowl is empty, or…
…when she tells you she’s hungry and wants to eat.
Evening.
Before you go to bed for the night, put down half a can of wet food and a bowl with dry food.
BED TIME. Feel free to either close the door to the room where your bed is, or leave it open. If the door is closed, she may cry a little bit. If it is open, she may sleep on your bed (she sleeps with us at night).
ANY PROBLEMS WITH HOUSE OR CAT. Call us and we’ll tell you what to do or who to call.
Her shots are up to date. Her information folder is on the kitchen table.
Our vet is Cole Veterinary Hospital, 2615 Schust Rd, Saginaw, MI 48603. Phone: (989) 899-0953
Her car carrier is on top of the lumber in the garage.
TRAVEL ITINERARY
TO CALIFORNIA - Friday, December 26
- We leave for airport about 5:00 a.m.
- Depart MBS: 6:45 a.m., Delta 3962
- Arrive Detroit: 7:45 a.m.
- Depart Detroit: 8:30 a.m.. Delta 523 (was 794)
- Arrive: Los Angeles: 10:43 a.m.
BACK TO MICHIGAN - Tuesday, December 30
Depart Los Angeles: 12:17 p.m., Delta 802
Arrive Detroit: 7:44 p.m.
Depart Detroit: 9:30 p.m.
Arrive MBS: 10:33 p.m.
Arrive at home: Approximately 11:00 p.m.
We don’t know what your schedule is/will be, but Cali will love it if you are able to arrive on Friday in the morning and stay until evening on Tuesday.
WHERE WE’RE STAYING
Airbnb
297 Calle Larios
Camarillo, CA 93010
HOW TO REACH US
John Soyster’s cell: 805-302-3475
Leslie Soyster’s cell: 805-302-3438
THE HOUSE
YOUR BED. Is in Leslie’s Library. Lots of extra blankets in the closet in that room. Extra towels are in the cupboard in the small bathroom off the kitchen.
HEAT/COOL
- I will check in with you to learn what your temperature preferences are and set the thermostat accordingly.
- The heat/cool control is at the end of the hallway in the living room.
- Normally (unless we change it for you) the thermostat is set to heat the house to 66 degrees during the day (7 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and 61 degrees during the night (9 p.m. to 7 a.m.).
- Feel free to adjust the temperature to whatever is comfortable to you. Just turn the Nest dial up or down.
- And if you need help adjusting it, call or text John – he can change the settings from his phone.
- Just in case, there is a space heater in your room, if it gets too cold.
ALEXA. The two lights on the table near the front door turn on automatically at 5:00 p.m. and off at 9:00 p.m. To turn them on or off, say “Alexa, turn on/off first plug.”
WI-FI. T-Mobile Internet
Network: Seminole
Password: Paris.2017.kiss
KEYS.
#1 – For the front door (but not the glass outer door).
#2 – For the door that leads from the garage into the house.*
#3 – For the extra garage at the back of the property (John’s woodshop). You probably won’t need to use that one.
- When you leave, make sure this door is unlocked.
GARAGE. Feel free to park in the garage. We’ll leave you a door opener. The code on the outside pad is 1031.
TELEVISION. See separate sheet of instructions on coffee table with the two remotes.
TOILET. It works best if you hold the handle down until all the water leaves the tank. Prevents overflow.
MAIL. Our mailbox is the one on the left of the three across the street. You don't have to check it every day (we don't get much mail). You can put the mail in the box on the counter in the kitchen. Check the front porch before you go to bed at night - sometimes Amazon delivers late in the day.
FOOD. Please feel free to eat or drink anything in the kitchen, fridge or freezer.
TRASH. The trash and recycling bins are in the garage. Trash pick-up is on Monday, but you can leave the trash bin in the garage (we almost never fill it past half way most weeks).
BIRD FEEDER. [Birds will have been fed on Friday morning before we leave.]
On the small deck (outside the Music Room) there is a feeding platform. In the Music Room there is a card table with the bird seeds & peanuts. Each morning, use the white Birdbuddy cup and pour into the silver bowl: one scoop of birdseed, one scoop of sunflower seeds and one scoop of peanuts. Pour all of that on the platform. However…if it hasn’t snowed, and you can see the grass, you can throw the birdseed and the sunflower seeds off the end of the deck onto the lawn. Peanuts still go on the platform.
FAMILY & NEIGHBORS
Barb Hare. This is Leslie’s mom. She lives in Freeland. Her cell/text number is 989-860-2297
Willie Williams. He and his wife, Nikkia, live next door (1470). He’s a great guy and helps many neighbors with different things. He knows you'll be staying in our home. Just in case, his cell phone: 989-213-2338. If it snows, he will use his snowblower to clear the driveway for you.
Mary Jo Hudson. She lives directly across the street (1451). She is the priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, just behind her house. Phone: 989-753-5236.
CLEANING SUPPLIES. There's a cardboard box with cleaning supplies in the same pantry/closet where we keep the cat food.
Vacuum, mop, broom & dustpan are in the garage
Extra cat litter is in the garage
DISHWASHER. Cascade pods are under the kitchen sink.
MISCELLANEOUS
Don’t worry about washing sheets or towels. Just leave them on the floor in your room. The washer, overflow sink, and pump are a little quirky. Best to ignore.
We have no cameras in the house. We do have Alexa in the living room and in our bed room.
IF WE FORGOT ANYTHING. Call, text or email any time. John’s email is [email protected]
WHEN YOU LEAVE. Leave the keys and the garage door opener on the kitchen table. Go out through the garage and use the keypad to close the door.
MANY THANKS!!!
--------------------------------------------------
CARING FOR CALI. She always likes to smell a person’s hand to be reminded who they are. We’ve had her for over seven years, and she still has to be reassured that it really is us ;-) She doesn’t care to be picked up. And if her tail is twitching, she’d be best left alone for a while.
SHE’S AN INSIDE CAT. We never let her outside. If she ever hides, it is usually under the bed in our room. If she hears a phone ring, she will often take off and hide there.
LITTER BOX. The litter box is cleaned every morning. The scoop is hanging on the wall on the other side of the toilet. There are plastic bags under the kitchen sink. The filled bags go into the trash can in the garage.
CALI LOVES TO BE BRUSHED. There is a brush in a plastic container in the pantry with the cat food.
PLAY TIME. There is an assortment of toys, tunnels, etc. on the couch in the Music Room. The ones that run on battery or USB will all be charged or have fresh batteries and will be in a box at the end of the couch.
She sometimes likes chasing the strings on the ends of the two sticks.
She sometimes likes chasing hair ties across the kitchen floor (in the cup on top of the microwave).
There is also a laser pointer in the cup on the microwave.
In warm weather Cali enjoys watching the world from Music Room. If she stands in the hallway by the door that leads to the garage and cries, you can open the door to the Music Room and leave it open wide enough for her to get in and out. She may also cry to get into the garage, but don't let her out there. The door into the kitchen has a rubber band on it and will close by itself. And she knows how to open it. She also watches the world from the other end of the house from the platform by the window in John’s office. I close and lock the music room and garage doors at night and shut the kitchen door that leads to the basement.
She loves sitting in front of the fireplace (with a fire), but we don’t want you to have to mess with the gas logs. She may sit in front of the screen (her not so subtle hint that it is time to light the fire), but ignore her. She may find a warm lap is an acceptable substitute.
FEEDING. Her wet food, dry food and Temptations are in the pantry next to the door that leads to the garage and basement. You can alternate them throughout the days. We try to rotate the wet food between the three available. Lately she’s been kind of a picky eater. Throw out old wet food after 3-4 hours. Bowls are dishwasher safe.
Morning [Cali will have had her soup, Temptations and food before we leave on Friday]
First thing in the morning, put fresh water in her bowl. Take up the dry food & the wet food bowl from last night. We use a small plate to cover the dry food until it is time to put it down again at night.
Put down half a can of wet food (but she probably won’t touch it until later)
What she is really waiting for first is a bowl of the L’il Soups. We put them in the wooden holder, so she doesn’t have to chase the plastic cup all over the kitchen. Be careful when opening the foil cover; the stuff spills easily. And she only gets one of these each day.
After she finishes the soup, she can have a few Temptations. You can drop them on top of the wet food in her bowl.
During the day
We feed half a can during the day when her bowl is empty, or…
…when she tells you she’s hungry and wants to eat.
Evening.
Before you go to bed for the night, put down half a can of wet food and a bowl with dry food.
BED TIME. Feel free to either close the door to the room where your bed is, or leave it open. If the door is closed, she may cry a little bit. If it is open, she may sleep on your bed (she sleeps with us at night).
ANY PROBLEMS WITH HOUSE OR CAT. Call us and we’ll tell you what to do or who to call.
Her shots are up to date. Her information folder is on the kitchen table.
Our vet is Cole Veterinary Hospital, 2615 Schust Rd, Saginaw, MI 48603. Phone: (989) 899-0953
Her car carrier is on top of the lumber in the garage.