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| Sometimes I need a little direction |
I have really needed a break from routine. I needed a
weekend getaway. I needed to spend time with a really amazing girlfriend. So,
after talking about a girl's weekend for a
year and a half,
Sarah (Publicist Extraordinaire) and I finally made
plans for Memorial Day Weekend. Sarah lives in the San Francisco Bay area, so
on Friday, I flew in to San Francisco and hopped in her car. We stopped for
decadent breakfast before hitting the road.
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| Mount Shasta |
What a beautiful drive to Ashland,
OR. On the way, we stopped for lunch at
the base of Mount Shasta.
Mount Shasta City must be the hippie capital. We wandered into an aromatherapy shop for dogs and ate lunch at the local
grocery store. It's like the most organic and natural section of Whole Foods on steroids. Nothing in the store wasn't natural and organic. They have a little cafe with amazing food options. I had a beet and hummus wrap. YUM!!!
We checked into our hotel and settled in before heading downtown for dinner. What a super-cute
college town. It's quiet and quaint and filled with intellectual retirees. We wandered and looked at the shops. So many cute places and not a single chain ...except Starbucks. We had dinner at an italian restaurant that was probably the only place in town that did not have a huge vegetarian menu.
The Shakespeare Festival is apparently famous, but I admit I hadn't heard of it before and the season was just starting. We saw Comedy of Errors, but set in Harlem in the 1920s, with characters from New Orleans. Imagine Auld English, spoken at a rapid fire pace, in a Cajun accent. It was really fun!!
Saturday, we started with vegan brunch at
Brothers. Another amazing restaurant in town. Then we wandered around the shops and farmer's market. I picked up some
amazing infused salts. The tastings were divine. I'm a big fan of the rosemary garlic on tomatoes. I picked up a few things for The Musician, like honey sticks. Apparently, honey has different flavors when the bees pollinate different plants. Interesting.
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| This is Boo . . .He is a Klee Kai |
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| I picked this up for Robert. |
The
used bookstore was super cool. I love the
proprietor. She retired to a town where "she didn't have to wear a bra or
shave her legs." She was bored with her previous retirement in Hawaii. She
opened the book store and "works 2 days a week and shops the remaining
5." She collects items from estate sales, etc. and is very proud of her
high quality. She has the most interesting book collections, but also other
items. She had some very old Lladros that I couldn't not buy at the price. I
asked if she knew what she had, and she did, but she says she loves beautiful
and rare things and wants to be able to share them. I came home with 3 new
pieces for my collection and an antique necklace. She gave me (for free!) a Baby Jesus Lladro Christmas Ornament because I was the only person she had met who knew what it was.
Then we hiked Grizzly Peak. It was a hilly 5-mile hike with beautiful flowers and awe inspiring views. Words won't describe it. So, I'll let pictures do it for me.
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| Surprise . . .I stopped to take a picture of a flower |
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| Distant view of Mt. Shasta |
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Cool, when this tree fell,
it pulled up boulders in it's roots |
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| Sparkly nails... I never do this!! |
We did some girly stuff, like paint each other's nails and
then off to dinner again before going to see a movie downtown.
Sunday morning, we checked out and ate at a famous breakfast
place,
Morning Glory, and it was also incredibly tasty. We continued our window shopping and went to
see The Tempest. With minimal props, it was very powerful presentation of the
corruption of power and how love can overcome evil. Then back to the car for a
long drive home. We stopped for dinner in Weed (yes, that is a town in
California) and then made it to bed at Sarah's house.
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| Mount Shasta from Week |
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| Ducks that came to visit Sarah |
Monday was time to say good-bye. After a relaxing breakfast
and conversation with Anna (Sarah's precocious daughter), we took a leisurely
walk around Coyote Point before going to the airport to say good-bye.
