Bay Area
California
This was really our first trip out of town. My birthday and the Masters always coincide, so it is one of my favorite times.
We booked into the Marriot at Oyster Bay and it was a lovely suite overlooking the bay. Full kitchen and separate bedroom but the TVs were a little small.
I was on my best behavior because we seem to be so right for one another, and this was our first overnighter.
We divided our mornings into sightseeing and our afternoons into snacks and golf. It was so much fun to lay in bed and watch the Masters while sipping wine and snacking.
We soon discovered that we could play a little and still watch golf. So all four days we would spend in bed while the golf was on and then we would nap a bit and hit the town.
The wind was really up and we were all but blown away trying to get into the Beach Chalet for sunset.
Once I discovered that they have a magnificent Basil Martini it has become one of my favorites. We sat at the window and ate while the wind raged and the sun slowly set. Our neighbors were kind enough to take a photo of us with my camera, and that picture is one of our favorites.
There is a special place that I go to often at the end of Sloat Street where the North American Continent meet the Pacific Ocean. There is some parking, but the coastal erosion has ate into much of the viewing area.
But it is special, before I had Outer Space radio I would go there and listen to the excellent space music on the local radio at night.
The waves would be crashing and the perpetual fog would be in various states of thickness and I would zone out and think of many things.
I took The Lady there.
We sat and listened to the night and felt the chill of the cold water and air. It was beautiful.
We had Bloody Marys at the Cliff House - trite but still a nice time, and then went to the Ferry House for the Farmers Market.
It was pretty much your tourist itinerary except for the golf in the afternoon. Not a bad first excursion.
We discovered that we liked each other and that there was a hell of a lot of chemistry between the two of us.
And so it began - The Lady and I.
Tonight we are home at her house and I am still writing while she talks on the phone.
Some of the sod is not looking too well, perhaps the sprinkler in that corner is not providing coverage. That would explain the dead grass in the first place.
It is nice to see all the birds drink in the fountain in the front yard. It rained yesterday but it is dry and hot today.
Today she spoke with her daughter and broke the news that the widow has a boyfriend. It helps that I know and have spent time with her daughter a few years ago when she lived in the area.
The good news is that it seems we have the daughters blessing, it may not be a big thing but it was very much on the mind of The Lady. I can see that she is relieved to have broken the news.
And so it goes, the sun is setting and life seems all quiet and peaceful. All six zones of the irrigation system have cycled off and I will shortly move from the office to the back bedroom where she is happy and waiting.
I am never certain which way the wind will blow, and there is a part of me that looks for trouble, not searching but ever vigilant for the possibility that this dream is transitory.
There is a different feel in what we share. I have been alone for quite some time now and it is very refreshing to not be complacent and complete during my time separated from her - I enjoy the togetherness and it is hard to imagine how numb I once was.