Easter has passed, and Billy and I are taking a five-day mini-break up the coast. The origins of this exodus, from LA and our business, goes back to last year, when Billy declared that he would never again go all the way through mid-winter and all of spring without a break. Last year, he was working six-days a week, and it was killing. But with the housing market and economics looking up, he is back to his normal five-day work week. In spite of that, I had it in my brain that he needed a spring break. He was resistant. I persevered.
We've come to Santa Barbara for a salsa event at Santa Barbara Museum of Art. One of my favorite groups, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, is performing there. I figured this was exactly the kind of high-browed salsa event that I could get Billy out to, what with food and drink along with the salsa music. I don't know if there will be dancing, but frankly, where there is salsa music, there is dancing--dance floor not necessary under all circumstances.
From here we are returning to Carmel. It's been almost four months since we left, and a longing develops. The difficulty will be to narrow down our favorite activities. Billy wants us to golf. I want to go to the Mission. There will be shopping. And the restaurants: our trad first nighter is Rio Grill. But we absolutely must get to The Bench at Pebble Beach. And at the tail end of January we discovered 1833 where I had the most amazing cocktail called Commander-In-Chief which you can learn more about here. In our short time there, we will need to pack in, like, a lot.
When we return home on Monday, it will be the middle of April and we will begin our progression towards summer at Casa Healy. We are busy prepping the house for this time of long afternoons and warm summer nights. We have houseguests coming in just before the solstice, and that is always a good excuse to spruce up. Carpets have been cleaned, trees will be trimmed, windows will be washed and lots of food will be stocked. I love the change of seasons and the different produce it provides. I'm looking forward to roasting asparagus in the manner of Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp (recipe available right here and now on this very blog). I am looking forward to the fragrance of barbecued ribs and grilled corn. I am looking forward to the tomatoes that Billy planted. Hell, I'm just looking forward to summer, as usual.
But that doesn't take away from the delight of a road trip, taken in the early spring when the hills of the California coast are lush and green, and we listen and sing along with a playlist designed for the road, just as we have been doing since we first met in our twenties. That's part of the beauty of a mini-break. You get to break away from it all: work; responsibilities; the long slog of the dark days of winter. You get to sing, play, and make memories in favorite places. It's spring. And, while we're no longer crazily celebrating the spring break of our school years, for us, our spring mini-break is every bit as joyful. Happy Spring to you all, and thank you for reading my blog!
But that doesn't take away from the delight of a road trip, taken in the early spring when the hills of the California coast are lush and green, and we listen and sing along with a playlist designed for the road, just as we have been doing since we first met in our twenties. That's part of the beauty of a mini-break. You get to break away from it all: work; responsibilities; the long slog of the dark days of winter. You get to sing, play, and make memories in favorite places. It's spring. And, while we're no longer crazily celebrating the spring break of our school years, for us, our spring mini-break is every bit as joyful. Happy Spring to you all, and thank you for reading my blog!
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