Hello and welcome back to Consistent Distant Love! I hope you all are enjoying what at least here in Northern California is becoming truly spring. Hannah and I went on a mountain bike ride this week and wildflowers were spilling all over the hills and all of the trees were blushing with blossoms. There is nothing quite like springtime so I am trying to take advantage of it while I have the privilege of no being in school. I know many of you just had spring break, so I hope that went well and that you were able to do something fun while remaining covid safe.
Baja on Film
My disposable camera from NOLS came back!! Yay!!
Taking it SLO
Natalia has been living at Cal Poly since the Fall but even though it's only 4 hours away I never made it down to visit. So when I arrived home from NOLS I wanted to get down to see her as soon as I could. This weekend Minty was also dying to get out of the house after a big week of work so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to head down the coast to San Luis Obispo. Covid of course prevented me from getting to see every aspect of the life of a Cal Poly student but because I have yet to start my true college experience, I was desperate to absorb as much of the college energy as I can. I had never spent more than a couple of hours in SLO so I needed Natalia to show me around all the cool spots and of course, she was an excellent tour guide. Given that it is mid-april the campus was also swarmed with many anxious high school seniors trying to decide whether or not to become a mustang.
Downtown SLO was one of the most fun places to explore because it was full of quirky retail and fun dining. From fair-trade mercantile to shops full of repurposed junk it was so fun to experience a shopping change of scenery (instead of fiending around Marin Mart for a change)
Another place that I had been dying to visit was the famous Madonna Inn. Once when I was a child I watched a TV special about the legendary hotel where every room had a different theme and where everything (even the tennis courts) are pink. Natalia, Josie (her roommate), and I all went to pay the grounds of the hotel a visit. We did not eat there because they only had indoor dining and we wanted to be as covid conscious as possible but we got to walk all around, check out the gift shop (where receipts are printed on pink paper), and have a photoshoot.
Avila beach was a gorgeous destination we also got check out which was only about 20 minutes away from campus. We enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the sand and I even went for a dip in the pacific.
I loved my visit to SLO so much and the biggest thing I learned on the trip is that I am dying to go back.
Stuck in the middle of nowhere…
Though the girl’s weekend was very successful it did end on a rather unfortunate note. As Minty and I were driving home, our car began acting up and after 45 minutes of driving, we had to pull over. Once we were on the side of the road our car would not start. We were on the side of 101 in Bradley, CA (which you probably have never heard of because no one has), the closest thing to civilization to be seen was a dilapidated silo in the distance which did not show much promise. We had to wait about 3 hours for a tow truck to come to get us, which was frustrating, to say the least. Minty and I passed the time by chatting and recounting the best part of our trips, and I also explained to her the entire plot of The Good Luck Charlie Christmas Special (which this situation reminded me of). But now as I write I am in the cab of a tow truck driving up to meet my dad in Monterey so everything will be okay.
Music of the Moment
First and foremost so thrilled that Taylor released her Fearless rerecord!!! Natalia and I went to pick up our physical copies at a record store in SLO to support our gal. I am obsessed with it all, more detailed review next week.
Some other songs that have been the vibe as of late:
Destination Vaccination
When I arrived home from NOLS I was shocked to learn that people who were not senior citizens were getting vaccinated, because when I left roll out was looking pretty dismal. Caroline has been the queen bee when it has come to signing up people in the family up for vaccinations, so before I even had thought about getting vaxxed she texted me saying that I had an appointment up in Sacramento. Because I had to make a 2-hour drive for the shot I decided to make a little day trip out of it. Sacramento is of course famous for being the capital of California, but it is arguably even more famous for being the setting of Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird. I found out that the iconic blue house was just around the block from the vaccine clinic so then started my impromptu Ladybird tour.
The blue house was gorgeous to visit but it was a little awkward to take self-timer pics outside of a house where people actually live. The neighborhood was darling and it made me wonder… should I live in Sac when I grow up? But then I remembered the plot of the movie and figured that maybe I shouldn’t. The next stop on my mini-tour was Thrift Town which is the store where Ladybird buys her prom dress in the movie. That was a fabulous destination because not only did I get a couple of cute finds, but the staff was absolutely darling.
After my Ladybird escapade, I headed to one of my favorite places in the world, Davis, CA. As most of your know, I spend the Summer of 2018 in Davis and fell in love with the town and the school so I go back to visit whenever I can. I went for a long walk through the campus looking back at my old haunts and then headed to the Farmer’s Market for some goodies.
I will head back up for my second shot in a couple of weeks so I am up for suggestions of more Sac/Davis adventures.
The Word on Birds
Annika has taken some beautiful bird photos recently and I couldn't help but share!
House Finch
Northern Spotted Owl
Great Egrit
That's all for this week! I love you all!! Don't be a stranger!!
xoxoxo
Claire
Comentários