California Once Again

I wrote this entry last Thursday night but couldn't post it right away due to connectivity issues while I was out of town...

I'm in the midst of a whirlwind couple of weeks and find myself writing on a cold, misty evening in Pacific Grove, CA. I'm here for a work conference, and while I'm all the way across the country from home, there's something so peaceful and beautiful about California that makes it almost feel like home. If my husband was with me, I could see myself living here quite happily. I spent a trimester in California my sophomore year at Carleton for an incredibly fun and interesting American Studies seminar. We traveled throughout the state, learning about California history, art, architecture, water issues, and public policy. The trip was even more fun because several of my good friends and my boyfriend at the time also participated in the trip. I've been back to CA several times since that trip - softball tourneys, an amazing family trip in wine country, and a friend's wedding, but for some reason this trip reminds me most strongly of my off campus study trip. The smell of the ocean, cool air, flora, Highway 1, long walks - I'm transported back about 10 years.

Tonight I ventured out on my own after dinner and walked a couple of miles from the conference center into town through the misty, eerie weather. The conference center is right on the Pacific Ocean on the Monterey Peninsula, but you could hardly see the ocean today due to the thick fog. It was refreshing to be alone with my thoughts after several busy days of conference events. My ultimate destination was the Ice Cream Shoppe in downtown Pacific Grove. It was worth the long and cold walk - I'm not sure I've ever gone to an ice cream shop on my own, but I'm glad I did. I got a scoop of brownie truffle raspberry ice cream. It was excellent - on par, if not better, than my favorite Boston area ice creamery Toscanini's.

I'm heading home tomorrow night on a red eye - arriving home early Saturday morning. Before my CA trip, Chris and I took a fabulous trip to Minnesota for my friend's wedding. But we didn't just attend the wedding (which was wonderful) - we spent time with friends and family who I've missed very much, saw the Dead Sea Scrolls (at least a few fragments) at the Science Museum, went to a game at Target Field (and had Kramarczuk's) and of course stopped by Mim's for a long-awaited chicken muraf sandwich. California may feel like home in some ways, but Minnesota will always be at least a secondary home, no matter where we are living. That being said, I was happy to head back to my real home in Arlington after 5 days in Minnesota, if not to leave for California 36 hours later.

It's been an excellent couple of weeks of travel, and I'm looking forward to getting back to my husband and garden (which has been super productive!) and enjoy the pleasures of home back in MA.