A Simple, Lovely Day « debby weighs in
Yesterday found me on the other side of the state, looking out at the Pacific Ocean. Here’s what happened:
Needed to spend a bit of time with my dad. He suggested a trip over to Pescadero, one of his favorite places to visit. First I planned to go down to the bay area the night before, either to visit with my mom, or just to relax in a hotel room and get a good start on the day. But sometimes it is actually more work to ‘get away’ than to stay put. And I decided Sunday morning that I was just too tired and that I wanted to stay home for the day. So that’s what I did. I tried not to fill it too full of fun stuff. ’Cause that’s tiring too. It turned out to be a great, relaxing day. A good talk on the phone with my BFF, then on to church with the goal to be simply to fellowship and worship. Went to the gym for a huff and puff weights workout, followed by a few laps in the pool and a little relaxation in the spa. I also checked out the thrift store and a couple of antique stores–I am on the hunt for buttons for a project I am working on. Back home I watched the movie ‘Its Complicated’ and had this great dinner. I felt so healthful when I chose to eat this! Somewhere in there Noah and I got in two very good walks.
That’s the brussel sprouts saute, asiago cheese garlic pita chips, almond milk, and a big glass of H2O.
So staying home Sunday meant A LOT of driving on Monday. But that was a good trade-off. I guess I wanted to make the point that sometimes in our pursuit of relaxation we sometimes actually make it more work for ourselves.
Pescadero is home to a little store that makes world-famous garlic-herb french bread. And I decided to go with that. I got some cherries and strawberries at a farm stand on the way down, picked up my dad and nabbed some butter pats and a plastic knife out of the dining room (of his retirement center) and headed across the bay. We bought a loaf of STILL WARM FROM THE OVEN bread and a few slices of dry salami (another food I used to like but never eat any more.) And then we just headed back to the beach and sat in the car watching the ocean while we ate our ‘picnic.’ That’s what dad likes to do. Just a very simply pleasure.
We watched the waves crashing against this big rock. Do you know how hard it is to catch a wave in mid-crash?
The only glitch in the day was when we got back to Casa (where dad lives) and I discovered that we had left his EXCALIBER WALKER in Half Moon Bay. Oh, that was almost a terrible disaster. Fortunately there was a ‘walker store’ about four blocks away and I raced over there to get another walker.
As always, when I travel, I am obsessed with frozen yogurt. And I had directions to a frozen yogurt shop in San Mateo, which would have been right on our way home. But we were still full from our bread feast, and so skipped the frozen yogurt. Then I noticed one right near where dad lives, and he decided he would like that instead of dinner (which he missed due to the walker fiasco.) Well, we went in there, and that place was a dive. So I got dad some, and got myself a little bowl, most of which I did not eat. Man, there is frozen yogurt, and there is frozen yogurt. I think I am becoming a frozen yogurt snob.
So I knew there was a frozen yogurt place I liked on my way home. After doing a few more chores for dad, I headed towards home at 7:15. The good part about leaving the bay area this late is that you miss all the commuter traffic. I stopped at Blush, the GOOD frozen yogurt place, and didn’t get any toppings, because I had a plan. I had some walnuts in the car that I put on top, and then I pinched off pieces of one of those fudgy ‘Jay Bars.’ YUMM YUMM YUMM. Frozen yogurt fix taken care of! Home by 10pm. Spent a little ‘quality time’ with the doggies and I was in bed and asleep by 11:30.
And now I resume my regularly scheduled healthy eating active life.
Noah and I got in a good 3 mile walk/run, and now I’m off to the gym for a workout and a swim, followed by a trip to Starbuck’s for a little reading and coffee (and a treat from home…)