Stormy Weather

The blue skies were too good to last, so the clouds began to roll in this morning. And it was still very cold outside. Inside, though, it was nice and warm and time for another escape room – this time from a company called “Escape room in a box.” This one was very different from the exit the room ones in two ways – first, it had a lot of plastic pieces, and second, it had many different puzzles that had to be solved simultaneously (the answer to four of the puzzles went into solving another puzzle, and so on) which meant that everybody

could be struggling with something at the same time, but we all needed to be talking to each other to put all the bits together. We pretty much felt like we had no idea what was going on for the whole time, but we just kept solving the challenges and suddenly discovered we’d solved the whole thing, in under the allotted hour. We did miss the ambient music from the Kosmos version.

 

Thrilled with our success, we had some downtime before our next activity (lunch at Pelican), which everyone made good use of. We had a brisk walk to Pelican which was not crowded at all, and then Jen and Reagan stayed home to work on the impossible puzzle while Tim, Dave and I did the 4.5 mile round trip hike to Cape Falcon. On the way out the sun was shining nicely. The path was quite muddy in places and slippery in others, but doesn’t go up and down too much which I like. It was very crowded – everybody and their dogs seemed to be out for a walk. The hike ends up out on a point way up high, with great views. On the way back it was cold and cloudy and we were glad to get back to the car. Dave and I did some comparing of steps, and over about 10,000 steps I took about 500 more steps than he did. I’d always thought I would take many more steps than he does, but it turns out not so much.

When we got back to the house impressive progress had been made on the puzzle. I had put 1 piece in before we left, and I put several in when we got back, so I feel that I have made a great contribution. We had a nice break, and Jen and Reagan finished the puzzle (except for one piece, which I was pretty sure Ben had stolen). Eventually it was time to head over to Irish Table.

We had a fantastic time at Irish table, where the food and service were exceptional. Even though the restaurant and kitchen are both small, and even though the restaurant went from shut to full in moments, they manage to keep the food and drink coming without excessive pauses. As always, I had the curried mussels and everyb

ody helped to eat the broth. We also shared two bottles of the Dr Loosen Riesling, which went so well with the mussels that now we always have to have it. Jen got the pumpkin bread pudding for dessert, which is a seasonal delight.

 

It had completely clouded up by the time we got home from our hike, and was cloudy to and from Irish Table, but not noticeably warmer. Still, it’s been super fun to walk everywhere. It was game time when we got home, and we had several rousing games of Happy Salmon, which always make my stomach hurt from laughing so hard, and it’s especially true when you ate too much dinner just before! Also during the playing of Happy Salmon the missing puzzle piece got shaken out of its hiding place, so Jen and Reagan could have the thrill of completion (although not the thrill of solving the riddles associated with the puzzle, which we were all too tired to do). We also played Chronology and I won both games, which is unusual. A couple games of tenzies and one of pepper rounded out our evening.

Meanwhile in the Horn Of Africa, Josh says it’s soooo hooottff that his t’s are melting into f’s.

We are all sad to think about leaving this house and all its hooks tomorrow. It has been a fantastic vacation, even though we all miss Josh!.

Blue Friday

Ready to go to yoga - it's cold out!

I call it blue Friday because the sky was so incredibly blue all day – still cold, but just lovely. Dave ad I were up and out early (me by foot, him by car) to Christen’s annual after-Thanksgiving yoga class. This class focuses on twists, and we both got a good workout and also enjoyed how good a teacher

she is when she’s not in her automaton “I teach this same class over and over” mode. She would start each pose simply, then gradually add complexity and intensity until one side of you was going one way and the other side the other way – I swear at one point I turned my head all the way around like an owl.

Dave went home  after class to change, but I took my cool-santa-with-sunglasses leggings vibe out into Mimosa Madness. I found a couple of tops and pleated metallic skirt at Josephine’s (just downstairs from yoga – how convenient!) that I am very pleased with, as well as visiting many other of my favorite places. Everybody else walked into town at various times and we met at Bill’s for lunch (of course!). The beer list was a little one-note, but all the beers (and the cider) were tasty, and I got my hamburger on toasted sourdough bread which was the bomb. We split up after lunch for more shopping, and I stopped by coastal yarns to see if by any chance their blue sky cotton worsted was on sale. No luck.

I headed home after I finished shopping and Dave and I went for a walk through Haystack Park, a hidden gem of a park with giant trees just a couple of blocks south of here. Tim had planned to come, but had succumbed to the couch by the time I got home & was unable to break free of its grip.  We had a nice hike up and over the hill, with some pretty views of Haystack from high up, including a good photo-op at the top of a questionable looking platform – we went for it. We came down onto 101 just north of the S-curves and walked out onto the beach. Dave headed home at that point, but I’d gotten it in my head to walk to the Rock Wahii, so I set off down the beach. By the time I got to Mo’s and there was still a mile to go I decided I’d turn around, and had a fun time exploring the little back roads that are just off the beach.

When I got home Jen and Reagan were working on a puzzle they’d bought which has no picture and very little color variation – and all the edge pieces fit together even if they’re not supposed to go there. That is too hard for the rest of us, so we did our various reading/surfing (the internet) knitting things until it was time to head back to town for dinner. Dave drove in while the rest of us walked. I took them on the unlighted secret back way; it was an adventure.

We got to the Bistro a couple of minutes before Dave, and once we’d figured out whose name the rezzie was under we got seated. Like Newman’s, the Bistro’s menu hasn’t changed for years (since they rebuilt it, in fact), but unlike Newman’s it doesn’t seem to bother us. It’s also always a second choice (we were there tonight because Castaway’s wasn’t open), and it often delights. Tonight was a delightful night – the food was exceptional and our server was funny and attentive. Everyone liked the food they chose and we all enjoyed ourselves. Also while we were there it was morning for Josh so we got a good morning picture from him.

Reagan and I walked home while everyone else went with Dave in the wimpmobile. By the time we got home the cars in the street were covered with frost and our thighs were very cold. Reagan and Jen stared at their puzzle for a while, and then it was game time. We played a little pepper (I did not win, to no-one’s surprise), and then we played a dice game called tenzies which has a lot of throwing dice and yelling and was very fun. We are all still in love with this house.

The Actual Thanksgiving Day

We’ve all fallen head over heels in love with this house. It’s spacious and quiet and well-stocked and everything works. It has the fewest number of notes-for-renters (be sure to keep this closed; this doesn’t work; turn this that way to make it open, that sort of thing) that I’ve ever seen. It has 3 bedrooms, but also has a den and a closet over the stairs that would be good for sleeping too. And just the right number of Christmas decorations. Also, more hooks for hanging things on (jackets, towels) than you can imagine – and I know you can imagine a lot. There are 10 in the downstairs bathroom alone.

I got up and went for a short walk to the beach and to the market next to the fun cycles to get milk. It was a beautiful clear day, very cold, and I found a secret back way to the beach that suddenly comes out into a wonderful view of Haystack rock.

When I got home we were preparing to chat with Josh, for whom Thanksgiving was almost over. It is an odd experience chatting halfway across the world – you have to learn to wait for the other person to respond, and their facial expression doesn’t change with what you’re saying. Josh seemed well and had eaten some special army thanksgiving food. The tent he was in is lined with foil for insulation (so they can keep it cold), and at first some of us thought it was a window looking out on a snowy forest. Which it wasn’t, of course.

After our chat Dave made pancakes eggs and sausages, which we happily ate. I was on dish duty as always, but there is a dishwasher here, hooray! So cleanup didn’t take very long. We’d planned on a later breakfast but we were all starving, so we decided to have an earlier breakfast and a snack in the afternoon. So we all bundled up and went for a walk on the beach down to the fancy market at Tolovana (in a location where at least 3 restaurants failed) and got some cheese and crackers, which has been Dave’s and my traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the past two years. We also got Mama Lil’s pickled green beans, which are delicious.

When we got back it was time to Escape the Room – or, as the manufacturer (Kosmos) calls it, Exit the Game. This was our second game from them, and it was as delightful and clever as the first one. This was a difficulty 2, and with one exception we got all of the riddles solved without much difficulty, but it still took almost an hour and a half and all of our brains to get it down. It turns out there is an app that goes with it that shows a timer and plays “ambient music to set the scene”, which just added to the fun. If you’re looking for a fun activity for 2-5 people, check out these games. The only downside is you can only play them once. In the past we’ve been able to pass them on to other people, but this one you destroy as you’re playing.

We had an early dinner reservation at Bridgewater Bistro, so we got on the road not long after we escaped. We think this might have been their first thanksgiving, and they’d badly miscalculated how long each party would stay. When we arrived we were the third group waiting for our reserved table, and the number continued to grow. The food was excellent, but the service was slow, and getting a drink from the bar was difficult. Also the “death by chocolate” cookie was a sugar cookie with no discernable chocolate. How can they say that? However, the mashed potatoes and stuffing were excellent, as were the proteins that came with them (duck for me, turkey for Dave, salmon for Reagan and Jen, and a quinoa-mushroom patty for Tim that may have been the best one), and the chocolate mousse ice cream and pumpkin-cranberry bread pudding were terrific.

After we got home Dave and I took a walk. I brought every warm thing I own, but he didn’t, and it’s cold out – especially when the wind kicked up. So we walked very fast into town and were surprised to see that the folks dining at EVOO were already out. When we got home it was time for games in our wonderful house.

Tonight’s puzzler: why is earl gray tea make me think of the internet?

The Arrival

After the past two years of it being just Dave and me for Thanksgiving, we have a houseful this year. We are missing Josh, who is deployed in the horn of Africa, but enjoying having Tim, Jen, and Reagan. I don’t know of a word that means “sister-of-my-daughter-in-law”, so Reagan gains the official status of semi-daughter.

Tim flew in yesterday afternoon, and Jen and Reagan drove up late yesterday to avoid the big snowstorm. Tim and I stopped at Grand Central Bakery on the way home from the airport to get him a basil egg salad sandwich and they were OUT. Tim’s face was so sad that one of the women behind the counter immediately put a sticky bun in a bag and handed it to him, and I’m pretty sure the other one would have come home with us to make him one if she could have. Good chatting and dinner at Cornerstone rounded out the evening. Jen and Reagan arrived after I’d gone to bed.

It was a work day for me, so I was up and out early and there late. Interestingly, it’s only 20 minutes longer to get here from work than home. I left work at 6 and was here by 8, with a stop for gas and food. At McDonald’s I discovered that hamburgers are $1.00 each, but a double hamburger is $2.05, even though you only get one bun. I did work to combine them myself, and feel good about the savings.

When I got here everyone was settled in. It was dark, but the house is very cute (good cute). It was built in the 1940s and is very spacious, with 3 nice sized bedrooms and plenty of comfy couches for everyone – once you take off all the extra pillows. We played a couple of games (I didn’t win either of them), including an epic round of trouble that Jen didn’t win – Reagan won, and in fact Jen came in last. That’s ever happened before so it was very exciting.

The house is just south of midtown and the weather is supposed to be cold but clear, so I am looking forward to much good walking and eating.