Do You Know the Way to Half Moon Bay?

Our first full weekend in NoCal was spent visiting Half Moon Bay for the Pumpkin and Arts Festival. When you stand on our street and look to the East, you see the "brown mountains" (locals call it GOLDEN). If you look to the West, you see the "green mountains". We took one of the windy roads over the green mountains toward the coast. I think everybody in the Bay Area had the same idea. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic . But very pretty and nice to just be a vegetable in the back seat.... Well, I suppose it would have been more polite to engage my hostess in polite adult conversation (and yes - VERY SEXIST - girls in back, boys in front). But I was pretty wiped and not very chatty. So every now and then, I would turn to her and say, "So ...... what do you like to do?" And then after her answer and a long pause....... I'd say, "So..... what do you like to do? Oh, sorry. I just asked that." I wasn't really that bad, but close. We got to the Festival after admiring wide open vistas of ocean and beach - unlike New England, most of the coast in the West is public. The festival took up all of Main St. and was full of people. Small booths of arts and crafts, lots of live music and food and beer..... and lots of people. Did I say that there were lots of people? Oh, and the sun was shining. I know I sound like a wet blanket, but I was tired..... tired of being admired..... oh, wait a minute!! Wrong movie! I didn't want to buy anything - NO ROOM IN THE MOUSE HOUSE. So just looked. The town (which was hard to really see) was very cute - lots of pretty Victorians and Craftsman-style houses on Main St. Mark and I will go back when it isn't a festival. After a really nice time with our hosts, we headed back to the Bay Area to have dinner at their house. And then it happened...... I did the most rude thing I have ever done with someone I just met..... I fell asleep and I'm SURE that I was AT LEAST drooling.... and maybe a bit of a snore/purr. OMG!!!!! I woke up with a start when Mark asked from the front seat, "Honey..... are you asleep?" and my hostess answered FROM THE BACK SEAT NEXT TO ME, "Yeeeesssssss. She is...." Oh well, so much for a great first impression. After a very nice dinner, Mark and I did the dishes and then beat a hasty retreat promising to have them over when we were unpacked. So, on to Sunday....
I have a new friend! Her name is Garmin Nuvi and she has a GPS for a brain. She loves to ride in the front and talks to us as we drive. And her route she suggests is outlined in pink!
MONDAY:
BOY WERE WE OFF ON SPACE!!!! We barely got everything into the garage and even had to put MORE in the house. Why did I ever think I would need 9 suits or 13 skirts??? And I haven't EVEN found the WAY TOO LARGE box of shoes yet. I had felt so righteous for all the "cleaning out" I did before we moved. HA HA! We now have paths through each room with the only clear space between the kanoodling chair (the leather loveseat recliner) and the Flat screen TV (you have to have SOME priorities!). The cat is happy and wants us to quick unpack the Planet Earth DVD's about birds (her favorite). I am being very organized and flattening all the packing paper, rolling it up and saving it for the next move. I keep hoping I'll make Mark a nice dinner in the mouse house kitchen..... then I get to the stove and everything goes wrong! This time, I decided to avoid the burners - I can never get them to light - and opt for an all-oven dinner. After all, it sprinkled today and was only sunny for a few hours. So we needed a nice cozy sort-of meal. The oven reaches 350 degrees when you have the dial set at 500 degrees. And then every time I open the door to put something in, I burn my hand on the edge of the door. I GIVE UP!! It's microwave TV dinners from now on... either that or cereal. Mark has spent the whole afternoon programing the TIVO - he is so excited to press all those buttons. Good thing he goes back to work tomorrow! Boy, I hope it's sunny tomorrow. This half-day of rain is SO depressing!!! You can shoot me now....