01.28.06
The SB
Thursday night I was invited on a roadtrip to Santa Barbara. Twenty hours later, we hit the road. My friend Jen and I, and two of Jen’s next door neighbors, Josh and Jackson were going to support Jen’s friend Suz, who had a gig (playing guitar and singing) at a small, but classy restaurant in the downtown of the SB. After some trouble with one way streets and questionable addresses, we found the place in time for Suz’s second set. We got a table and ordered dinner. We were able to eat in a leisurely manner and enjoy the show.
Afterward, we followed Suz and her friend Steve to Suz’s uncle Elliot’s house where we were to stay the night. It was a very nice house nestled in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains–high enough to escape light pollution and afford a beautiful view of the ocean. Uncle Elliot greeted us and offered us soda, chips, and frozen pizza, then retired to the den to watch a movie. The six of us kids got in the hot tub and admired the stars. After a while, the ladies segregated themselves to talk and make pizza. When the pizzas were done, we joined them inside, then went upstairs to watch Hitch. We didn’t get to sleep until four in the morning. Josh, Jackson and I slept on a balcony that connected the girls’ room and Steve’s room. We woke to an awesome view. The sun was rising behind the house and beautiful colours reflected on the water. Oil rigs stuck up out of the fog like black pirate ships, and in the distance, the silhouette of the Channel Islands could just be made out against the clouds. I admired the view for about thirty seconds without getting up, then slept in until 10:30.
Uncle Elliot made us a wonderful breakfast. We finally left his house at noon. Suz and Steve went to buy new tires for Suz’s car. The rest of us went to the beach. We leisurely walked up the beach, skipping rocks, watching dolphins, admiring starfish and sea anemones and hermit crabs, and collecting shark pods. Then we drove back. It was a really beautiful twenty-four-hour vacation.