Postcards in the Air : EXPLORING

Friday, October 6, 2023

EXPLORING

Flowers outside Gail's Bakery in Capitola

We are good explorers. We are also homebodies. We are between homes for now and exploring new places to test what part of the Bay Area we would like to settle in once again. I was born in California, Bill is a transplant from Illinois, and we have been in the Bay Area since college. We know the famous places. We've walked San Francisco, Palo Alto, Carmel, and Oakland many times.

In 1998, we began our first exploration of a new town with our move to Tokyo where Bill went to work and I set out immediately to explore our neighborhood, one block at a time. As I walked the busy streets, I turned around and looked down the street I'd just walked so that I would remember how to get home. Without breadcrumbs to drop, it would be easy to get lost, especially with our move I became illiterate and couldn't read the street signs.

Back in the U.S., exploring is a lot easier for us. When we sat down to dinner at At Water Restaurant next to the San Francisco Port, we let Jordan our server know we were new to the City. He regaled us with a list of all his favorite places and events including the upcoming Cirque du Soleil, which performs in a tent right across the street. He reminded us that this is Fleet Week. We took mental notes of his recommendations because you never know when you will spot something new in a familiar place. As we walked out of the restaurant, we spotted a strange grey-clad ship docked right next to the SF Port entrance. It looked like a spaceship that had landed, though actually, it was a Marine supply ship offering tours. We watched as a group of navy personnel strolled out of the area. Fleet Week had arrived.

Flowers outside the Seabreeze Cafe in Santa Cruz

Local knowledge helped us during our stay in Aptos and directed us to some excellent restaurants and events we would have missed. Santa Cruz, known for its surfing, also hosts a Shakespeare festival in a local park and a skateboard festival. Capitola next door offers an art festival right next to the beach. Caroline's, a thrift shop in Aptos raises money for programs for children with special needs. The store has contributed over $3 million dollars to these vital programs. The shop is a good way to buy a different kind of souvenir after a trip to Aptos. We spent our last night at Bittersweet, our favorite restaurant in Aptos.

Barn near Watsonville

We felt sad about leaving Aptos. We had begun to find the community we look for when we are in a new place. We found good restaurants and friendly, helpful people. The weather was great and everywhere we looked flowers grew in abundance. As we drove around the area, I noticed the barns next to fields on Highway 129 near Watsonville. They have inspired my next watercolor project (once I unpack my essential watercolor supplies).

Next barn to paint

As we drove out Highway 1 to San Francisco, we saw the beginnings of the annual pumpkin festival in Half Moon Bay with cars lined along the road and groups of people wandering among the pumpkins. A sure sign that Autumn is here and new adventures await.