Santa Barbara Glowing

Our southbound trip was a bit odd and fragmented; but this time I really enjoyed Santa Barbara. Well, in its incarnation over the Thanksgiving holiday, who would not? .... the weather was plu-perfect; first a hearty overnight rain on the Tuesday evening we arrived; then a series of sparkling clean-washed and sunny days, right through until Julie and I drove back north on Monday. Our old hometown is at its very best this time of year: and we were graced with the spectacular winter sunsets and sunrises, plus the conjunction just after dark of Jupiter/Venus/New Moon to bejewel the skies even further.

After a rainy, blustery drive down through the Salinas Valley, we arrived safely at Melissa's on Tuesday just after dark, and she had a delicious hot dinner ready for us; we slept deeply.

On the day before Thanksgiving, we woke to a clear, rain-washed sunrise, and hopped out of bed to drink coffee and munch on croissants with butter and strawberry jam (thanks, Poo!). I sat in the big lounge chair looking out at the brilliant red Bougainvillea vine trailing across her neighbor's green hillside, with the mountains beyond, silhouetted against blue sky -- and I remembered why Santa Barbara always looks like a photo on a tourist brochure, or a large-size postcard photo! After breakfast, we headed out and got a lot of SB Chores done: dental appointments, shopping, banking, etc. In the evening, my bro made Spaghetti Carbonara for us for dinner at his place -- our traditional Thanksgiving Eve supper, in tribute to Calvin Trillin (who wishes that the natives of his fictional Caribbean paradise of Santa Prosciutto Island had planned the first Thanksgiving feast).

Thursday morning, before John drove down to Pasadena, we had a Kaffee-Klatsch with our friends Sarah and Steve; and then he departed to "stand in for Marie" who was back in CT with sister Stella for the start of her chemo, and to help oversee the feast "chez Cocks". John's was a male-bonding dinner over a hunk of Roast Beast, with Bob, Mark, and the two nephews (Mikey and Stephen). Meanwhile, I had a quiet day and a traditional turkey with my two sibs -- and went to bed very much too full of food.

Friday morning I met my old friend and mentor, Harriet Burke, for coffee and a small yogurt at Starbucks; and at noon, John drove back up from the south and Julie arrived from Aptos; we snarked turkey sandwiches from Poo's larder, and then John headed on north to Boulder Creek. Julie and I met Nina's plane at SBA and we three were off to the little Hermitage cottage on the grounds of La Casa de Maria, for a religious retreat that couldn't be beat!

It really was a wonderful weekend there; we each had our own little room in the 3-bedroom cottage, and although of course we did a lot of gabbing and giggling and guffawing, we also had lots of quiet times. Nina studied like a scholar (she's preparing for a career shift, from accounting to running a fitness center; and she has to be certified.) I tease her that she's certainly certifiably nuts! Julie slept, and read, and did photography walks. My girls hiked in the mountains on Saturday. And we ate and ate, all that great food that my buddy Theresa cooks up in their fine kitchen. I slept very well, did some writing and reading (in Nina's bible, which she's reading from cover to cover, Old and New Testaments: what an ambitious girl!) We took walks, and rested on the porch, and just had a splendid time. On Sunday morning I borrowed Julie's car and went to church at my beloved Trinity parish; it was delightful to hear that superb choir again and to see and be hugged by a lot of dear friends there.

Nina left on Sunday afternoon, much refreshed. She's got a nice new male friend (HTP, PA, whatever) named Greg; her divorce is final, but she's not making any commitments yet; Greg's an old friend and very supportive pal since a couple of years, works at her golf club. (If Nina marries a Greg, we'll know for sure that she is Leenie's "doppelganger" as we've always thought.)

While we were still together on Sunday afternoon, the three of us drove down a bit south of La Casa, to take a look at the beach house in Mussel Shoals, where the Hornes and the Drysdales will spend Easter Week 2009; it looks like a fine Spring Break for those lucky folks!

Sunday evening, I took my sibs and Julie out for a Thai dinner; and then Ju stayed overnight at her Daddy's house and I slept at Poo's; and us girls drove back up here Monday morning.

I'm very glad to be home in my mountain paradise; but this time the Santa Barbara experience was really wonderful, and I'm glad I went!