road trip

Even if you have nothing planned, nothing in mind, just getting out of town (yeah, into another town, but still out of your own) lends itself to a freshness, a clearing of the cobwebs. W (my DH) had meetings on the UC Berkeley campus earlier this week. I went along for a chance to breathe sea air, take in sites, and meander through book stores as well as a couple yarn stores.

We had planned to be there only Monday so I had planned out my routes for the day, trying to maximize time. Time for some walking in a park along the shore, time for knitting, and time for shopping.

**Now, I'm not one for shopping. I don't like to go to the grocery store. Too many people. Usually too crowded (it doesn't help that I go when I'm tired and hungry). I don't like the mall. I have an idea, a fairly firm idea, of what I want, but have no patience to look for it.**

Armed with the technology of a GPS in the Prius, addresses in my notebook, and a cell phone, I found Article Pract, the yummy yarn store I have been dieing to go to for months. I parked, noticed that it was just after 10am (the store didn't open for an hour), fed the meter (which was good for one hour only--strictly enforced), and set my sights on a little coffee shop next door. I walked over to the yarn shop, confirmed on the sign that the open time was 11am (yup, 11am), and prepared to load up on caffeine.

This coffee shop only had fresh bread (for toast), fresh jams, and expresso drinks. Oh, but they decorate their drinks with pretty designs in the foam of the milk. So nifty (don't laugh at my word). I ordered two but didn't think to get the camera out until the second cup of double expresso.

Wired with caffeine and with purpose, at 11:10am I walked next door to the yarn shop. Huhh...no lights on, door locked. Looked at the watch. Double checked by looking at my cell phone time. Yup. Time correct. Ha, those of you who live in the Bay Area can chuckle all you want now...I looked again at the sign on the door with numbers and letters big enough to read from the busy street: CLOSED MONDAY. But this is Monday, I thought. Still not quite registering, I tried the door one more time, just in case someone might be there, knowing that there are knitters out there looking (needing) to touch and buy. Like a nerd, I even pressed my nose against the window with hands at each side of my face to peer into the window. Yup. There were many, many skeins of yummy yarn there.

That night we had reservations for Chez Panisse, a restaurant started by Alice Waters, who is mentioned in Ruth Reichl's books. Yummy fresh food. Happy birthday (June 25) to my husband of almost 29 years. He's been with me more than half his life.

The following morning we had breakfast at Guerilla Cafe. W decided to stay for another day of meetings, so I was left to sit by the San Francisco Bay and knit my little heart out. The result was two hats for the Charmed Knits KAL: one for Ravenclaw (with 7 stripes, one for each of the 7 books of Harry Potter), and one for Gryffindor (with checks that somewhat mirror the seal of the house of Gryffindor). My entry for these two hats can be seen here.

On my way meandering through town to the UC Berkeley campus, I came across a local restaurant celebrating their 5th anniversary. They had blocked off the street, filled it with tables covered in white cotton table cloths, and provided fresh food from the their kitchen of roasted pig, couscous with almonds and currants, and fresh bread free of charge. To complete the atmosphere, there were musicians playing French music. I found it wonderful and soul-filling to see couples dancing together amidst the crowd.