There and Back

Marta Cormier with granddaughters Sophia (c)
and Bea at Betty's Take out in Berkeley

It's been a month since the last post. I didn't blog because I wasn't traveling. On this last trip however, I realized that I am now living in a very distinctive place that deserves to be written about. First, a few words about this last trip.

The day before my birthday I drove to the east bay area of San Francisco on a partially planned road trip. I lived in the Walnut Creek - Lafayette area for a total of 13 years. It's familiar turf, but as with everything else these days, unexpected things happened when I went back to visit. A serendipitous invitation from a dear friend in Tarzana added an additional two-day stopover on may way back to Palm Springs at a paradisiacal oasis in the Dantean inferno of Los Angeles. But I am getting ahead of myself.

At the Temescal Street Festival

After a scenic drive through the high desert, I hit Interstate 5 at Gorman near the peak of the grapevine. From there it was a straight, not very visual, shot to the Tracy exit where I took 580 and then 680 to Walnut Creek.

I spent my 67th birthday eve and day wallowing in blissful companionship with long-time friends. I'd say old friends, but I don't think any of us know what to do with the word "old," much less the age demographic. We ate good, delicious food (a lot healthier than the sybaritic feasts of our younger days), drank vintage wine (a lot less than the sybaritic feasts of our younger days), and engaged in the kind of conversation you have with people you've shared peak experiences with. Past memories mingle with current events and conjectures about the future. Even though our paths have diverged in the woods of life somewhat, we share a spiritual grounding and genuine heart connection.

Escott Jones, cabinet maker, designer,
egg carver, renaissance man.

The actual birth anniversary day was a moveable feast  of friends and food culminating in fireworks in honor of the country with which I share the tradition.

The week past with people and things left for next time, always a good sign. I enjoyed some quality city time, and discovered  a new (to me) restaurant in Rockridge, Sommerset's. Two serendipitous events were an unexpected bonus.  I had dinner with a young woman I've know since she was twelve who is now a successful rep for a distinguished furniture line with a showroom in the SF Design Center. She was a fountain of constructive feedback and ideas about the viability of the idea. And she is as lively and engaging as he was at twelve, only more so.

Outside these gardens are the seven circles
of hell, but inside it's Il Paradiso

I also met a true bohemian craftsman-artist-radio engineer who restores carousels and carves eggs among many other fascinating activities. He too was helpful about the business idea when we weren't sidetracked by shared recollections of our salad days.

My drive to Tarzana was smooth, punctuated by my nearly traditional lunch at Harris Ranch. I spent four days in the home of a dear firend who has created a paradisiacal oasis in the Los Angelian dystopia. Imagine a Souzhou garden designed by Frida Kahlo and you might have some idea what a special place this is. We ventured out for a few meals and to catch Moonrise Kingdom (highly recommended), but mostly we luxuriated in the garden, in the pool, or on the verands playing Scrabble.

Imagine a Chinese garden designed by Frida Kahlo

After ten days out, I was actually starting to miss Palm Springs, even with the triple digit temperature. The longer I am here in the desert cities, the more I realize what a fascinating and diverse place it is. I'll write more about that in future posts, but now I have to get back to slogging through creating a business plan. There are more pictures from my trip on my Facebook page if you are interested.