Adventures with Bettie – Trip #1: Half Moon Bay

Today I should have cleaned the house, gone through cookbooks looking for new recipes, and done some laundry.  Instead I decided that since this was my first Saturday owning the new VW Beetle Convertible, I was going to take her for a spin.

My first stop was Michael’s, because what kind of Beetle owner would I be if I didn’t fill that bud vase right away?  I new I wanted a gerbera daisy, and I was hoping for a hot pink one, but they didn’t have much of a selection.  I settled on this one, and I really like it:

It’s the must-have accessory that I needed to make the car feel like my own.

My next stop was Radio Shack, to buy an MP3 cord so I could listen to my iPod songs while driving.  I have tons of songs loaded on my iPhone, just waiting for a long car ride.

I’d decided on driving to Half Moon Bay, which is one of my favorite spots.  What better place for a convertible than the beach, right?  Half Moon Bay is a lot easier to get to (even though it’s farther) than Santa Cruz, because on a hot Saturday, everyone in my city heads over the hill to go to Santa Cruz to escape the heat.

I thought I’d take a “short cut” that my parents’ friend had told them about – taking Hwy 84 through Woodside to avoid the traffic on 92.  Well, the road was beautiful and lined with redwoods on both sides, but it was a scary, winding path that had my heart in my mouth a few times.  Come to find out, it was no short cut at all because it took twice as long and brought me right to 92 where all of the traffic begins.  Still, it was nice to drive along a beautiful road with “Swoon” from the Silversun Pickups blairing on the stereo.  It was along this road that I though of the Beetle’s name – Bettie!  Bettie the Beetle Convertible! Don’t you love it?!

The ride to Half Moon Bay was so beautiful that I just couldn’t resist snapping a few photos on the iPhone’s camera.  I know it probably breaks tons of traffic laws, but there wasn’t much traffic, and we weren’t driving too fast, so I took the risk, and I’m so glad I did.  The pictures are fantastic.  A bit blurry in some cases, but so gorgeous.

Once I got to Half Moon Bay, I headed directly to Granada Beach, which is my favorite spot.  It is the spot I used to go all the time to just get away from my life and clear my head.  I used to write in my journal while sitting on a boulder along the ocean’s edge.  So peaceful and tranquil.  It also happens to be the spot where the love of my life propsed to me many years ago.  (We split up over 12 years ago, but I still think of him and wonder “what if.”).  The spot holds so many great memories that I love going there.

Afterward, I headed into downtown Half Moon Bay to get something to eat.  There’s a little cafe that I like to go to because it’s very quaint and easy going.  The food is good and the prices aren’t too high.  I ordered a BLT, and it was delcious.  I didn’t realize how famished I was (it was 2:30pm) until I started eating.  I guess I was so taken by my beautiful surroundings that I wasn’t paying attention to my grumbling stomach.

I left shortly thereafter because I wanted to beat the traffic out.  As I was driving I just kept thinking about how lucky I am to live this life.  I have my health, my wonderful friends and family, and now I have this new, dream car.  Sure, I would’ve loved to have a cute guy sitting in my passenger seat today, but that’s not where my life is right now, and that’s OK.   I feel so blessed, and I don’t usually talk that way, but that’s really the only way I can describe it.  I’ve worked so hard for so long and struggled quite a bit to get where I am, but now I feel like I’m leading a charmed life and I’m so grateful that I’m able to enjoy it.

To see pictures of Bettie’s first trip to Half Moon Bay, click here.

BTW, as I was eating lunch I decided that I’m going to make “Adventures with Bettie” a regular feature on this blog.  I’m not sure how often I’ll post new road trips with Bettie, but I’d like to shoot for at least once a month.  There are so many fabulous places within an hour or two from my house that I really do want to take advantage of it.  Plus, getting out in the car and driving is so much fun and so calming to me.

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A day or two at The Cape (and a bracelet to prove it)

Cape Cod has to be one of my most favorite places that I’ve ever been to.  The views are magnificent, the vibe is relaxing, and the houses are adorable.  And rather affordable, compared to Bay Area prices.  Who knows, maybe someday I’ll be able to buy a “summer home” on The Cape?  (Well, only if I marry a rich husband, or win the lottery, or some other windfall occurs).

CBCB’s Aunt Pam and Uncle Fred have a charming house in Bourne, MA, right across the street from the Maritime Academy on the canal.  They were kind enough to let us stay with them for 3 nights, and I have to say, this was my favorite place to sleep, by far.  Partly because of the views, but also because of the fact that I was able to have my own bedroom.  You see, CBCB had a hard time sleeping in the guest room with me because I snore.  (My mom used to tell me that I snored all the time, but I never knew it was so bad, until poor CBCB couldn’t get a good night’s rest).  Luckily, Aunt Pam and Uncle Fred have another spare bedroom, so CBCB was finally able to get some shut-eye.

After our first night on The Cape, Aunt Pam took CBCB and me to Hyannis, so I could see the JFK memorial.  It was really nice, but somehow I expected more.  I thought it was going to have a museum attached to it, but it didn’t.  It had a really nice fountain, though, and a plaque.

Aunt Pam also took us by the Kennedy Compound, which was huge.  The funny thing, to me, was that it wasn’t surrounded by gates or anything that would prevent someone from walking (or driving) right up to it.  I guess if you’re wealthy enough to live on Hyannis near the Kennedy Compound, you’re probably not going to just stroll up to the front door and bother them, right?  We also got to see Ted Kennedy’s boat, docked in the harbor, which was pretty cool.

The next stop on our unofficial Kennedy tour of Hyannis was the church where Ethel and Rose still go for mass.  The church wasn’t as elaborate as I expected, in fact, it was a lot smaller and simpler than my own church at home.  Still, it was beautiful.

I was so touched by the statue of the Virgin Mary with candles at her feet that I knelt down and said a Hail Mary.

The nice thing about our time at The Cape was that the weather was finally good – we had our first sunny, warm days of the vacation while on The Cape, which was perfect.  Although, truthfully, foggy weather is just as wonderful near the water.  Couple with a cup of strong coffee and a good book, I can’t think of anything better.

I would’ve liked to spend some time in Faltmouth, but we ran out of time.  Oh well, you’ve got to leave something for the next trip, right?  Oh, and next time I’m near The Cape, I definitely want to head over to Provincetown, or P-Town, as it’s known.  I’m sure it’s a great time with lots of fun people.  I wonder how it compares to hanging out in the Castro in SF?  Guess I’ll just have to find out the next time.  Also?  I really want to take the ferry and go to Martha’s Vineyard.  FavoriteCousin goes to Martha’s Vineyard every year to help a friend open up the store she has there.  I’d love to tag along some time, because FavoriteCousin raves about how much fun she has each year.

Since I had such a wonderful time at The Cape, I knew I wanted something significant to help me remember it by.  CBCB had mentioned early on in our trip that her mom has a Cape Cod bracelet.  I’d never heard of it, but then we found a jewelry store that sold them, and I really liked them.  I thought it would be the perfect momento for me.  It was expensive, but nice things usually are, and I really like the way it looks.  My goal is to get another Cape Code bracelet each time I go (up to three, otherwise I think it would be overkill).  I think the bracelet looks nice on me, don’t you?

I know I’m no hand model, but I think the bracelet looks nice on my wrist.  Plus, it goes with everything.  Good thing, too, because it’s a pain in the neck to take off.

While the pace of our time in Cape Cod was slower than in other parts of our trip, I definitely enjoyed myself.  It was a nice break from all of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the trip.

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When the 4th of July is on Wednesday…

It makes you feel as though you get 2 Fridays in one week! It also makes you feel like you get 2 Mondays…although really, knowing that I only had to get through Thursday and Friday made it seem very do-able.

I spent my 4th with BeachGirl in Capitola. I met her at her place at 9:10 and we packed my car with all of the goodies we bought the day before at Whole Foods for our “picnic.” We went to Starbucks to get some caffeine and encountered the greatest barista — he was so fun and fabulous, and I whispered to Beach Girl as we made our way outside, “why can’t gay guys be an option for dating?” Now, of course I know why, but when I think of how well I get along with gay guys and how much they seem to appreciate me, it seems like it would be a match made in heaven.

We headed out onto the freeway. I’m usually wary of driving on the particular stretch that takes us to Capitola because of the windiness of the road and the craziness of the other drivers, but the drive was stress free. I think it was because we were headed out so early. The traffic flowed really nicely, and it only took us about 35 minutes to arrive.

Once we got into the village, the first thing on our agenda was to find parking – no easy task considering the number of cars we saw everywhere. Our parking karma was working, because as I drove down the main drag someone was pulling out of space in front of me. Excellent! Beach-side parking. Margaritaville a few steps to the right. I put some coins in the meter and we were on our way to scope out a great spot.

It was still early, around 10am, and the fog hadn’t lifted yet. It looked a bit murky out, but that hadn’t stopped lots of young families from setting up at the beach already. We found a great spot and made “camp.” BeachGirl commented that she had never seen Capitola so mellow. It was true, it was eerily quiet, but since it was still so early, we knew that we should take advantage of the calm while we could.

Before we knew it, we were being surrounded by families. Our beach towels were as close to our neighbors as houses are in San Francisco. Literally inches of space to walk. Crowded! It was fun to see all of the little kids who were discovering sand or the ocean for the first time. And one cute little French boy in particular who was mixing up a concoction of Cheerios and sand and then offering his “creation” to his family. Too funny.

The place where we parked had a meter that was only good for 2 hours, so I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to grab a smoke and go fill the meter. (They recently made a new law for California beaches that you’re not allowed to smoke on the beach, which is hard for die hard smokers, I’m sure. I wasn’t jonesing too badly, but it was about time). As I got to the meter, I read it more carefully and discovered that the car needs to be moved every 2 hours. Feeding the meter wasn’t enough. This was a major problem, since there were absolutely no spaces to be found. I took my chances, fed the meter, and hoped for the best.

We ate a few some of our picnic items and then decided to get down to the serious business of getting a tan. BeachGirl read Eat Pray Love and I turned on the iPod. After a while, she was napping and I decided it was time to turn over and read a bit myself. This went on for about an hour and a half, until we decided it was time to move on to our next item on the agenda — drinks at Margaritaville.

We stopped at the car to “freshen up” and unload some of our stuff and found — you guessed it — a parking ticket. It was for $28, which really isn’t too bad, considering. BeachGirl said she’d be happy to split the ticket cost with me, and so we decided to leave the ticket on the car and make our way to Margaritaville. Surely they wouldn’t give more than one ticket, right?

Margaritaville was surprisingly slow, but then again, it was only 1:30 or so. It was sure to fill up as the day got later and the families strolling Capitola gave way to singles and couples looking to party. We wanted to sit outside, but there was a 20 minute wait. No seats in the bar, so we opted for a table, which meant we had to order appetizers. No problem. We sat and talked and enjoyed our drinks and food, and then decided to stroll around the quaint stores of Capitola.

We walked for a bit and then decided that we really didn’t want to hang out in Capitola for another 4 hours. BeachGirl is taking an online class and had to post to a discussion board by midnight, so we really wouldn’t have been able to see the fireworks in Capitola and make it back in enough time. Plus, her dog (like most dogs, I think) gets really freaked out by fireworks, and she wanted to be home to be with her. I was fine with it, because even though I enjoy fireworks, they don’t hold the same appeal they did when I was younger. The day was really about relaxing and hanging out, and we had accomplished that goal.

Back at the car we found another ticket. This one for $25. Ah well, I guess the city has to make money somehow. I’m sure tickets are a booming business on the 4th. We headed back home and saw that the other side of the freeway was a parking lot. Our side was smooth sailing. We got home in no time and decided to go to a place nearby BeachGirl’s house for a few more drinks, since it was still so early.

We ended up ordering the “Aqui Swirl” which had a bit of sangria at the bottom which was then mixed with frozen margarita from the margarita machine. It looked like some kind of ice cream drink, but it definitely packed a punch. Two of those and were feeling good, but still in control.

We said our goodbyes after I dropped BeachGirl off at her house. I went back home and just planned on watching a movie and relaxing.

I had a sunburn in the spots on my back and shoulders where I guess the sunscreen didn’t reach. Nothing too bad, but enough to be uncomfortable. The sun wore me out, and I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I woke up around 11pm and decided it was time to go to bed, since I had to work the next day.

I put the A/C on and quickly fell asleep. 3 hours later, I was awakened by a firecracker going off right outside my bedroom window. It was actually more than a firecracker, it sparked, and spurted and kind of freaked me out. There are huge trees all around my house and tons of leaves and debris on the ground. Who the hell was lighting fireworks outside my window?

Then I heard the noise of party-goers who were way past drunk. The Ethiopian restaurant next door? No, it sounded more like a frat party. Mad, hot, and sunburned, I made my way outside to bitch someone out and maybe catch a smoke, since it was still officially July 4 (well, not really, since it was 1am, but to me, if it’s dark, it’s still the night before) and I hadn’t planned on quitting until July 5th.

As I rounded the corner, I saw at least 20-30 people on the roof of the building next door. An artist lives above the Ethiopian restaurant and I guess she decided the 4th of July was as good a time as any to have a rooftop party. Great, except for the fact that these people were belligerently drunk and making stupid decisions like lighting firecrackers under my window. I’m usually not one to back down, but seeing all the people in their various stages of drunkenness. I decided to keep my mouth shut and hope that seeing me, a real live person, come out of the house would evoke some human compassion in them and they’d quiet down and go inside. I went back to bed, just hoping they’d go soon. Part of me was jealous of them because if they were still drinking at 1:30, there was probably a good chance that none of them had to work the next day, or at least not early, like I did. It took them about an hour, but eventually they left the roof. I don’t know if it was because other neighbors called the cops, but whatever it was, I was grateful.

All in all, a nice 4th. A bit of sun, quite a few margaritas, and some great company. I can’t really ask for more that.

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