Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Mini Break
It couldn't have come at a better time.
My friend Michelle and I decided to take advantage of the holiday and took off to the land of the north for a quick getaway over the river and through the woods.
We went to my grandmother's house on the central coast.
She doesn't live there anymore. She lives with my mom, of course. But we still have the house, which is in great condition and makes a perfect vacation home.
(It's fun to pretend my family has money for things like "Vacation Homes on the coast.")
Anyway, we got to the house Friday night and enjoyed a VERY quiet evening in the practically silent neighborhood that is populated mostly by old people. I don't think we ever saw a single neighbor in the entire weekend, come to think of it. Maybe the whole neighborhood was deserted...
On Saturday, we wanted to see Oscar-nominated film Hugo, and the closest theater playing it was in San Luis Obispo, about thirty minutes away. It was a beautiful drive that took us into the heart of the very crowded downtown that was overrun with college kids enjoying their own long breaks. A parking space was not to be found within two miles of the theater. Frustrated, we left and went back south to Pismo Beach instead.
We took a walk on the pier, enjoyed the sites, and I finally got to test out my new camera.
We even caught a group of sea otters playing in the surf.
I love the beauty of Pismo Beach. It's never too crowded. You can enjoy the salty aroma of the ocean without the mingled odors of rotting fish and dead sea weed. And the weather always seems to be just right.
We left the beach and tried to go to a movie. Hugo wasn't playing at the local theater, but Star Wars was. Except that it was ONLY available in 3D--
(Yes, I KNOW that's the point of the re-release...)
--and neither of us wanted to pay the extra four bucks to watch a 3D version of the just-okay Episode 1, so we went to the store, stocked up on provisions and movies from Red Box, and went back to Grandma's house to watch DVDs for the rest of the night.
Midnight in Paris is FANTASTIC. Absolutely loved it. And then I also made Michelle watch Crazy, Stupid, Love.
(O Ryan Gosling. How do I love thee.)
On Sunday, we attempted to attend church at the local ward. I say "attempted" because the times listed on the church website were a little confusing. It's kind of a long story, but first we showed up at 9. The parking lot was empty, save for a few visitors that were also trying to attend an apparently non-existent early service.
We went back at 1pm, which was actually the time the website claimed. Again, we were greeted by an empty parking lot.
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| Hello?? I'm trying to be a good girl here! |
It was a very quiet, relaxing Sunday. Even if we couldn't go to church.
We figure we get extra blessings for trying so hard.
On Monday morning, we got up, packed our bags, and took off because we wanted to stop in Solvang. Michelle had been shocked to learn that we were driving right past it on the way home. So, of course we had to take a quick detour
.
If you've never been to Solvang, and you happen to be north of Santa Barbara on the 101, it's worth stopping in for a little while. It's this Scandinavian village full of shops and restaurants. Definitely not a destination, but certainly fun for a quick visit.
Of course, I mostly go for the fudge.
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| Old Danish Food Farm, Fudge Kitchen |
Sadly, the weekend was over before I knew it. But it was exactly the breath of fresh air I desperately needed.
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Sounds like a great extended weekend! Sorry about the movies and church. Guess you just weren't supposed to go anywhere.
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds like a wonderful weekend. We had a four day weekend too, but ours was spent at home. Glad you had such a good time, even with the hurdles!
ReplyDeleteI love weekends like that. I hope we have fun this weekend, and if you want to see Hugo I'm game. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize otters hung out in CA waters. We have tons of them up here, so I just figured they were northern creatures! They are so cute, but the fishermen hate them because they're always stealing fish, ruining nets, etc.
ReplyDeleteHurray! I'm so glad that you got what you needed out of the trip. :) I want copies of the pictures!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, my family vacationed in Pismo Beach every few years. In fact, that was the last place we took a family vacation (before I started having kids, and before my dad got sick). I have many fond memories of the place. Solvang, too!
ReplyDeleteYay for a new camera! Cute pictures. Sounds like a fun trip.
ReplyDeleteCool
ReplyDeleteAhhh. To be in California instead of being trapped in snowy, cold Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteI've been stuck in snowy, cold Ottawa, Geoff. I feel your pain!
DeleteYour camera is taking beautiful pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that area...Is it anywhere near Monterey, or further south?
I'm not reading the post about Revenge...I want to watch it but haven't started yet. :)
It's south of Monterey, but north of Santa Barbara.
DeleteAnd thank you! I am falling in love with this camera already. Funny that it's the one I wanted in the first place!
Now that is an awesome way to spend a vacation! I really could have used the 4 days.
ReplyDeleteThat weekend sounds wonderful. It makes me miss the ocean so much.
ReplyDeleteFudge is an underrated treasure
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had fun.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hate it when you try to be righteous and you are thwarted? :)
Maybe it was stake conference and that was not the stake center? I blogged about our attempt to go to church on vacation once that was a total flop- we were in the overflow along with several others and they couldn't get the doors open. So we went to the lobby and the speakers weren't working in the lobby- so we waited could kind of hear that the sacrament was happening and they never brought it to the lobby! We left after that.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I hear Pismo Beach I think of the movie Clueless. :). Thanks for your comments on my post at Emily's blog.
That sounds like the perfect vacation to me! No rushing here and there, no major money laid out for hotels and such, just enjoying movies, food, nature and good friendships! Awesome!!
ReplyDeleteYou're making me want to move to California! What a perfect, lovely weekend. And I LOVE Midnight in Paris. :)
ReplyDeleteI know SLO really well. I used to go there all the time. I can tell you some yummy places to eat the next time you drop in.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was a well needed weekend. Now I wanna come back to cali and go up the coast!
ReplyDeleteThat's such a beautiful area! I love it. This weekend had some awesome weather too! Sounds like a great relaxing weekend!
ReplyDeleteSolvang. Oh, how I love thee...the chocolate shops, I mean.
ReplyDeleteThat seems like such a beautiful day!
ReplyDelete(I mean weekend!)
ReplyDelete