Perhaps the British use of "holiday" would better serve me here or simply a getaway. Yes, getaway it must be. We got away from the laundry hamper and the cloth diapers, the meal planning and bags of items to return to other people and the floors that need a good scrubbing. We left Lee with the grandma's, and we packed Rose with us on the way up to Monterey, California.
It was a getaway. It was a celebration of Phil and my's seven years of marriage together. It was a sweet time alone with our little Rose. And how lovely and sweet she was.
She traveled well, eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping on the six plus hour drive. She rode along merrily in the stroller on our walks up and down Cannery Row and on our visit to the aquarium. She fell asleep for the feeding at the Open Sea, but was awake once again for the Kelp Forest tank cleaning and the jelly fish.
She also took her naps in our Baby Becco carrier, which we used daily on our walks down to the beaches along 17 Mile Drive.
Those views—the dripping Spanish Moss on the Cypress, Pine, and Oak, the yarrow and hearty grasses growing right out of the sand, the weather-beaten rocks and continuously gray skies and foaming tide pools and spanning coastlines and piles of blue disks left over from the otter's meals and barking sea lions—this is what awakens the heart. It's like the interruption that forbids further distractions. The cold wind that gets us breathing again. I think we need respites, getaways that do just that, get us away from the ruts we've made for ourselves.
Rose got the chance to meet Grandma Taylor's cousin, Ed Dickenson, before he had to drive north to help Barb with their new grand baby.
Phil and I had many a conversation to ourselves without interruptions about digging trucks or cutting palm trees or falling down. Though I should note here that we were so eager to hear all about the digging trucks when we returned home. This getaway didn't include Lee though. This getaway helped us get to know our six-month-old. And what a joy it was to see her shining in her own light. She flirted with other diners while Phil and I ate bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes at First Awakenings, which is just around the corner from the Montery Bay Aquarium. She did the same, completely ignoring the views and clam chowder and salmon and meatloaf at Lois Linguini's and The Beach restaurants.
She loved playing with the little toys that Ed and Barb left for her, and she was excited to eat the ribbon that tied up the package for her, a new outfit also from the Dickensons.
Those Dickensons! Their hospitality can't be beat. They opened their luxurious home for us. They provided maps, aquarium passes, restaurant recommendations, a pile of cookbooks, the company of their cat, and a free entry pass to 17-Mile-Drive. Such generosity was what made this respite possible.
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