California Dreamin’

All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey. There’s snow coming this weekend, I’m sad to say. It was sunny and in the 80’s by the bay. Not even close here today.

We been back in Michigan for about a week, and I think I’ve only seen the sun for a few hours. In Mountain View, it was only cloudy for a few hours in the nine days we were there. It was a delightful break to the impending winter in Michigan. The cool mornings passed into warm to even hot afternoons. I was surprised to see some trees changing color. I anticipated seeing the brown landscape. Flying over the Sierra Nevada’s, you could see the snow at the higher elevations, but mainly it was brown. The first morning in California, we traveled to the San José Museum of Art.
To my Michigan eyes, the landscape was parched. This was an adjustment, as were the palm trees. Our body clocks shifted dramatically that night as we went a tech. rehearsal for Caberet in Sunnyvale. An amazingly smooth rehearsal for the first rehearsal on stage with orchestra. That said, we got home around midnight local time (3am Michigan time). The cast was excellent, and I hope the show is well attended.

The tall redwood trees in Big Basin the next day were also astonishing. I felt so incredibly young and very small in comparison. These trees have stood for centuries. I’m so glad they have been preserved in a state park.

We borrowed bicycles and went for a nice ride on our Friday in California along the western shore of the bay. In the marshes, the wildlife and birds were amazing. The paths we took felt like a real network for commuting and recreation.

Saturday, we stayed closer to home, having lunch and a museum tour with dear friends, visited Andrea’s cider house in San Carlos and had an early evening. We sang on Sunday with our son’s church choir, and went for an afternoon bike ride for ice cream.

Monday, we headed north over the Golden Gate Bridge, along the coast and into wine country to pick up a case of wine. Tuesday, a train ride to San Francisco for an early lunch and play at the Exploratorium. Wednesday, we traveled to Santa Cruz, spending time in the tidal pools, with the monarch butterflies, picked up lunch and sat on the Davenport Bluffs to eat it. In the distance, humpback whales surfaced to breathe.

It was a delightful trip, spending time with Chris and Andrea, eating well with all of the fresh foods in season (when in Michigan, we have potatoes and apples at the farmer’s market). The pace was slower than our first trip five years ago and that was really good. Having warmth and sunshine deep into October is almost a culture shock, and I could sense how my mood had raised up being there.

Naturally, our arrival in Michigan was in darkness and damp. So, we’ll hunker down, and persevere until Spring comes next April. Using artificial light to hold off the gloom, it’s only six months until sailing season.

And we will dream of our next visit to family and friends in the big and beautiful state of California. (Not five years away, I hope.)