Pre-Wedding: Santa Cruz

We had an easy flight from PDX to SJC in primero classe. Dave met us at the airport in San Jose, and we got checked in to our fantastic AirBnB and then headed to Venus Spirits for a delightful dinner with Tim and Alyssa. It’s amazing to see Tim beaming like that all the time, and Alyssa seemed happy and extremely calm for someone whose wedding was in only a few days. 

Just a word here about our AirBnB – 4 bedrooms, a huge kitchen stocked with every kitchen gadget you can imagine (and some I never have, like the faucet that swivels to fill pots on the stove) and seating for 15, a giant living room with huge TV, throw blankets everywhere (Bubby was pleased) and a gigantic backyard with outdoor kitchen, lots of tables and chairs, and lemon, lime, and satsuma mandarin bushes – all about 5 short blocks from the ocean. We were exhausted and ready for bed when we got home.

 Thursday11/3 Started with Dave kindly being my student for an hour of Pilates, then we got cleaned up (the only downside to our fabulous house is that it only has 2 tiny bathrooms, one of which is in Bubby’s room) and headed to the Marine Center to MEET THE DOLPHINS. Bubby was a little hesitant but with a little encouragement got into the swing of things, and enjoyed meeting the dolphins and the elephant seal almost as much as I had exactly 4 years before. The part where you walk out and suddenly there are two dolphins right there will never cease to make me smile, and I loved that Alyssa had taught Tim to do a trick with the dolphins.

Photograph taken under NMFS permit # 24054

We went to Jack’s for lunch, which is where we ate 4 years ago when I first met the dolphins (and Alyssa), and I had the salmon burger which was yummy. After lunch we went back to the house and had a relaxed afternoon, including a very nice walk on the shore for Dave and I. We went back to the Seymour Center for the rehearsal, which was very sunny and nice. They had a wedding coordinator who was really great and managed all the details – maybe that’s why Alyssa was relaxed? Afterwards we headed to Avant restauranti for the dinner, which turned out very very well – we were in a side room and they’d not put anyone in the other tables, and I had the idea to order apps for the table which worked out great. The food was way better than expected also. By the time we got back to the house it was bedtime, although the bridal party apparently went out clubbing (aller en boite in French, if you wondered).

Friday morning Dave once again was my pilates student, and then we headed downtown for a little sightseeing and lunch. I got a cute T shirt with a bee on it and Bubby fell in love with the bookstore. We stopped in at a shop called Artisans & Agency which had art by Doug Ross which I liked very much. We had lunch at Mozaic, a mediocre-to-poor middle eastern restaurant. 

Ben and Ira arrived after lunch, and we took them to Humble Sea for a beer and to see Tim and Alyssa. We walked around a little bit and found the most amazing charcuterie store, where we bought a bunch of stuff including some Meat Sticks for Ben.  Josh and Jen showed up in the late afternoon, and we had a pizza night – Tim and Alyssa stopped by for a short visit, which was so nice. The house performed beautifully, although Ira’s fold-out couch was not very comfortable.

We’d all been watching the weather and sadly it wasn’t encouraging – Rain was coming in addition to the unusual cold (highs in the low 60s). The hourly forecast was not all bad – the rain wasn’t supposed to start until after the ceremony, and Alyssa said it might not rain at all.

Bonus photo: Bubby's Cozy Spot