May it already have left you with a open mind and an open heart.
Three day weekends have always been an extra special treat for us working folks, but this weekend was gilded on the calendar for me. I'm averaging six days a work week, more typically seven; having a two day weekend is extraordinary, so when three full days of openness appeared in my sights, my spine began to tingle with excitement. A three day holiday, three days of freedom. It was a daunting task to wait for this weekend of liberty, but I think I performed the task and saw through the dream masterfully. Curious? Well, settle in and come along for the adventure.
The flu had been staring me in the face all week, seeping it's creeping clutches into my body, but my determination to enjoy my weekend was champion!
The holiday started when I hopped off a boat with ripped pants, a large new throbbing bruise on my thigh, and a broken nail. (Working on ships is not always so glamorous as Hollywood makes you believe, but it is still wonderfully fun.) Even these seemingly negative moments were nothing to weigh down my good mood. I rushed to the house of my bestie, borrowed a pair of her jeans (a thousand thank yous to you, Toriiiiii!) and we were off! I had endured a tougher than usual week at work, fighting the flu being the least of my worries, so even seeing my bestie was enough to make my weekend great. But we were off of one of our adventures - laughter, silliness, and good food are standard details in our time together.
We drove to La Jolla to enjoy tapas and happy hour at Roppongi, an exquisit sushi bar. We shared three yummy dishes of spicy calamari, ahi tuna, and hummus. We laughed and tasted delicious food and sipped superb cocktails.
From there we went on a little walk to find a sweet spot for wine and dessert. We found a little restaurant, called the Hake, that neither of us had noticed before, but boy were we glad when we did! Victoria enjoyed a wonderful chocolatey cake and I ate a savory cheesecake paired with a sweet port. Soooooo good! Once our bellies were full, we hopped back in the car and headed back to her house to watch Gaaaaaaalaaaaavaaaaaant! It is hard not to say it without singing it. I have never laughed so hard at a comedy as I did watching the first few episodes of Galavant. If you haven't started seeing this yet, start watching.
The next morning, I slept in before skipping off to an hour massage. After a stressful week, there is no better way to relax than with a deep tissue massage. I found a Jamba Juice on my way home and treated myself to their new ginger kale drink. It was really refreshing, but I've been consistently impressed with their new veggie line. The rest of the day, I was able to get some much needed errands done, including purchasing a new pair of jeans after losing yet another pair to the ships. At the end of the day my mom and I went on a lovely sunset walk around Mission Bay. It was beautiful. One of my favorite things to do is to inhale the sunset on the coast. There is something primordial, earthly, empowering and clarifying about the crisp, color filled hour of twilight.
It was a wonderful, peaceful day and the evening I spent working on my books and sipping tea.
The next day, I had a fun surprise planned for my mom.
We spent an easy morning enjoying breakfast before heading out, eastward bound to a lovely mountain town known as Julian. Julian is a historic mining town in San Diego county, but it is perhaps best known for its pies. Yep, pies. The charming town is surrounded by apple orchards and honest to goodness, the pies that come out of that town are divine! And while of course an object of this adventure was to get a pie or two, my mom and I went to Julian to enjoy a wine tasting at Orfila. (We brought home a traditional apple pie and a boysenberry apple crumble pie...soooo good.)
For my Southern California readers, you may think it odd for us to go to Julian for a winery that is in Escondido, but, indeed they have a brand new tasting room in the mountain town, and it was the cuteset and best wine tasting experience I have yet enjoyed.
We sat at a little table and before we got our first 2 ounce round, I set up our little spread. As I would soon tell many people who were so impressed by our table, "This isn't my first time at a wine tasting." I'm sure that paints me in a flattering light, but one thing you do when you wine taste is to try to find a wine that pairs with your favorite foods, so why not bring them with you? Crackers, Brie, hummus, salted meat, and a box of See's chocolates were the spread that I set out. I'm sure you can understand why we received attention. Hopefully we served as inspiration for future wine tasters, although bringing one's own snacks is hardly innovative.
The wine we sampled was absolutely wonderful and we brought back three bottles to continue our appreciation of the wine later.
The drive home was a long, lovely ride. The sunsets in Southern California during this time of year have something extra about them. Something beyond this world.
We made it home safe and sound. We opened up our bottle of Grenache and after dinner heated up and gobbled down boysenberry pie.
It was a lovely holiday.
If there is to be any morale from this tale of my holiday, don't wait for planning and schedules. Maybe set a few goals, but don't marry yourself to limits or boundaries of time. We're constricted enough by the clock. Take a deep breath, take a leap, get out, and go.
Until next week dear readers, and expect big things to come from me in this new year...
Your humble author,
S. Faxon
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