Small Worlds
Last weekend I jetted down to the coast and hooked up with my old pal Victoria and her husband Todd.
I've known Victoria since we went to school in Sweden and spent a year living overseas and traveling. She was the one friend who stood true to herself and to me. We had some good times over there, and brought a lot of good times back. She later settled in Long Beach, California (where I was from) and lived just blocks away... so you could say we continued the party. Until of course she got married and moved to Fresno. Marriage and Fresno -- that'll put a little damper on your adventures.
So we go way back, although I haven't seen her for nearly two years. I'm proud to say though, that despite these long dry spells, we've really worked at getting together and doing fun stuff. We've shared the Big Ass BBQ, reunions, visits to the Shaver Lake Cabin, Two Sticks shows, and now Santa Cruz.
She and her sisters inherited a small 2-bedroom house on a big lot. The tenant, a massage therapist, had lived there for 10 years -- with dirt cheap rent and a landlord who didn't want to hear about leaks or problems. By the time Vic and her sisters were able to move her out and check out the house, it was overgrown, leaky, and falling apart. But Todd saw its potential and they've spent the last couple of years fixing it up and making it a weekend getaway. When they started digging up the dirt, they found old appliances and lawn mowers buried under the piles. Now they're buying out her sisters and have created a nice little cabin by the beach. So this is where we went.
We ended up arriving late in the afternoon and hung out at the house talking. We decided we would do some wine tasting down the road and jaunted over to the wine bar. A few hours and $300+ dollars later, we had finished massive plates of food, 4 bottles of wine, and bought another bottle of wine to finish at the cabin. I think the bartender/wine guy actually took a picture, but the evening was a bit of a blur. Thank the Lord we were walking home. The next day was cloudy, overcast, but I did 6+ miles along the beach. I remembered how the route went from my Santa Cruz triathlon so it was nice to enjoy the run rather than racing through pain. Then I kicked back, ate a sandwich and watched the ocean. Nice.
By the next afternoon we were having fish on the wharf and downing margaritas at the local Mexican joint, where we continued the party. I made it home by Monday evening to pick up O at the airport, but I admit that it took a few days to recover. This was Vic -- all fun, all the time.
As for me, it all goes back to my personal philosophy, Live Large, Nap Later. We're heading back to the cabin in May for my cousin Eric's wedding, so we'll continue the Santa Cruz party, although with new people and probably a little slower-paced. Weddings are everywhere these days.
I've known Victoria since we went to school in Sweden and spent a year living overseas and traveling. She was the one friend who stood true to herself and to me. We had some good times over there, and brought a lot of good times back. She later settled in Long Beach, California (where I was from) and lived just blocks away... so you could say we continued the party. Until of course she got married and moved to Fresno. Marriage and Fresno -- that'll put a little damper on your adventures.
So we go way back, although I haven't seen her for nearly two years. I'm proud to say though, that despite these long dry spells, we've really worked at getting together and doing fun stuff. We've shared the Big Ass BBQ, reunions, visits to the Shaver Lake Cabin, Two Sticks shows, and now Santa Cruz.
She and her sisters inherited a small 2-bedroom house on a big lot. The tenant, a massage therapist, had lived there for 10 years -- with dirt cheap rent and a landlord who didn't want to hear about leaks or problems. By the time Vic and her sisters were able to move her out and check out the house, it was overgrown, leaky, and falling apart. But Todd saw its potential and they've spent the last couple of years fixing it up and making it a weekend getaway. When they started digging up the dirt, they found old appliances and lawn mowers buried under the piles. Now they're buying out her sisters and have created a nice little cabin by the beach. So this is where we went.
We ended up arriving late in the afternoon and hung out at the house talking. We decided we would do some wine tasting down the road and jaunted over to the wine bar. A few hours and $300+ dollars later, we had finished massive plates of food, 4 bottles of wine, and bought another bottle of wine to finish at the cabin. I think the bartender/wine guy actually took a picture, but the evening was a bit of a blur. Thank the Lord we were walking home. The next day was cloudy, overcast, but I did 6+ miles along the beach. I remembered how the route went from my Santa Cruz triathlon so it was nice to enjoy the run rather than racing through pain. Then I kicked back, ate a sandwich and watched the ocean. Nice.
By the next afternoon we were having fish on the wharf and downing margaritas at the local Mexican joint, where we continued the party. I made it home by Monday evening to pick up O at the airport, but I admit that it took a few days to recover. This was Vic -- all fun, all the time.
As for me, it all goes back to my personal philosophy, Live Large, Nap Later. We're heading back to the cabin in May for my cousin Eric's wedding, so we'll continue the Santa Cruz party, although with new people and probably a little slower-paced. Weddings are everywhere these days.
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