California Dreaming

Tuesday I fly out to California for a four days. This trip I am using my travel budget to stay close - as in walking distance to Meagan, the beach, the town center, all things quaint about the "artist colony" where she lives. I fly in to a little airport less than 30 minutes from her house, and my inn (no chain hotels here) is only a few blocks away on the same street as her house.

I am excited to go and see her world, it will be very different from the Baltimore world. Growing up in Baltimore, and keeping my Baltimore roots made going to visit like coming home but without the same stresses. There was a Nana room that was not my childhood bedroom with all of the accompanying ghosts and drama. It was a lovely neutral room, completely ghost free. Since she lived downtown I got to indulge my love of Indian delivered to the door, or Thai, or well if you wanted to eat it, they would bring it or worst case we could make a quick run for takeaway. It was the best of both worlds yummy food without stressing out the pre-schooler. Her house in Baltimore indulged my love of city living without any of the grittiness. She lived in a new house, lovely high ceilings, level floors, straight staircases and a view of the skyline from the roof. Because she was at the end of the road, there were no drunks living on the front porch in the morning, and no eau de human on the sidewalks walking to the water taxi. All the wonderfulness of city living without the grit.

California will be so different, there will be no comparison. It isn't like she moved to the suburbs in Annapolis. It is the other side of the country. The sun sets in California. It is probably as dramatically different as when I moved from Virginia (lush and green, with four seasons) to Lubbock Texas. Flat, brown, one season three temperatures - warm, hot, hotter. Lubbock had its own culture which included men in big hats driving pick-up trucks. I suddenly became a damn Yankee.

So I have my suitcase out and have started to think about what to bring, trying to keep in mid that I am really only there for four days, travel days have their own requirements, and it is an artist colony. She tells me that I should search my memory for wealthy, dressed down, organic, casual but meaningful attire. I am thinking Middleburg on a Wednesday. That could be jeans and expensive booties. Maybe topped with an imported from Peru hand knit sweater. I will definitely leave the heels and hairspray home. Wish me luck. I'll tell you all about it when I get home.

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