Early on St. Patrick's Day we packed up the truck with garden tools, hiking gear, books, and a cooler of cookables. We were headed to a friend's cabin at the beach for three days of unplugged bliss with no distractions but for the sound of the ocean.
We did our gardening chores first: trimming the weeds, pruning shrubs, repotting plants for the patio. Why is it always so much more fun and less of a chore when you are puttering in someone else's garden? Never could figure that out but we've volunteered to return on a monthly basis to work and stay.
With the chores done, the next stop was the reading room, to read of course, but to also work on warming the tones and reducing the glare of winter skin. I worked at the coast for 34 years and springs were always windy and cold. The big exception was El Nino in 1997 and this sure seemed a carbon copy. It was 70 degrees with only a light breeze in the afternoon. We're talking shorts and a tank top weather! Coffee in the same spot at dawn to watch the sun come up, though in long pants, bundled against the morning chill.
Presents Everywhere
The ride home was awe inspiring. We headed south on Hwy 1 for a few miles and then turned up into Mt. Tamalpais State Park. We have a couple of favorite places up on the mountain to sit and just be. This view looks south towards SF west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Off to our left was a view of Oakland, Berkeley, Mt. Diablo and SF and to our right the Farrallon Islands. When it was time to go we dropped down to Bolinas and headed home on Hwy 1, one of our roads travelled.
