Beaches, Powerball, and Llamas
To define is to limit. --Oscar Wilde
It was a bit of an endurance run to get here on Thursday. We decided to drive down to Victoria to get the direct flight, which meant we had to bank on a couple of hours of extra time before the flight to ensure we would get there on time (all we needed was to encounter and accident on the Malahat to send me straight into panic).
We got onto the plane and settled in for the nearly two-hour flight. I felt the plane start to descend, so I put away my books and my knitting and settled in to wait...
... and wait...
... and then the pilot came on and said that, due to bad weather and lack of fuel to remain holding any longer, we were being diverted to Sacramento...
... and when we got to Sacramento, we were told that, since we hadn't cleared customs, we'd have to stay on the plane...
... and when the plane was refueled, we took off again and finally landed in San Francisco. We got off the plane and got into a huge line at customs, where we waited...
... and waited...
... because the computers went down, and no one was allowed to move until everyone restarted and logged back in...
Luckily, there was this Rascal look-alike in the line to make me smile. Even he looked a bit fed up.
Anyway, here we are, clear and free and away from all of that silliness to enjoy ourselves, and so far, it's been really pleasant.
People kept asking me what we were going to do while we were here, but I really hadn't anything planned. It doesn't help that the Canadian dollar is so weak right now. This is not going to be a shopping trip, that's for sure.
Lately, when we travel, we keep the itinerary free and open. Sometimes, I don't even look to see what there is to do at our destination until we get there, and even then, that usually means that I pick up a magazine in the hotel lobby and flip through the first few pages before I toss it aside and just get on a train. It steers me clear of the tourist traps, and it gives me a better chance to see what life is really like for the people who live here.
And sometimes, I just want to do crazy-extravagant things like use TWO towels to dry myself after a shower. Whoa, slow down, I know. (Where do people dry all of these extra towels anyway??)
The weather was clear and bright and dry yesterday, so we drove to nearby Mori Point and walked the trails and enjoyed the scenery:
We drove further south and stopped at Moss Beach Distillery for lunch, where I had fish tacos and the most delicious grilled vegetables that changed my mind about brussel sprouts. It's apparently haunted by "the blue lady," which meant that using the restrooms was more creepy that it ought to have been. After that, we carried on south and stopped for a walk at Half Moon Bay:
There seemed to be a nature area next to it, where I saw lots of birds: egrets, hawks, little swifts, and the biggest crows I have ever seen. The crows were the only ones that allowed me close enough to photograph. This one even turned in profile when he saw me coming, and sat perfectly still for me. I think he expected me to tip him afterward:
I like this no-plan plan. It means that the lovely, unexpected things are possible, like seeing not one, not two, but THREE llamas in one day. People sure like llamas around here. There are two in the photo below:
And this one didn't seem to like the look of me. Thank goodness for zoom lenses:
And of course, there's the knitting. I've been working on this in the evenings as I muse about the day:
I think it will be a cowl. I'm using this bubble wrap stitch and working it until I run out of yarn, after which I'll graft the ends together. The alpaca in this Berroco Folio combined with this stitch is soft and delicious to the touch:
And even the wrong side is fascinating and beautiful:
Today, we're getting on the train to go into downtown San Francisco. No plans again, apart from checking out a few markets and the wharf. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens. Maybe I'll see another llama. And I'll buy a Powerball ticket, too. Now that the big jackpot has been claimed, I'll have a better chance at the measley one million...
... but maybe the llama is more likely. Later y'all.
Comments