Weekend Bliss

Grant and I left town early Friday afternoon, heading north away from the record-breaking heat. We had two events,  a celebration of life for a longtime childhood neighbor of mine, and the wedding of DD Elaine's best friend. Luckily, though both on the same day, in different cities, they were at least in the same direction from home:). 

We stayed in Arroyo Grande the first night. It's hard to describe what a relief an air-conditioned room was to our long-baked nights of this summer and fall. We had dinner with my old neighborhood family, some of whom I hadn't seen in decades. Their lovely mother had a massive stroke and passed away a few months ago. It was wonderful that her five children were all with her at the hospital. 

We reluctantly left our cooled room at checkout and drove the short distance to Pismo Beach for the Celebration the next day. Being a bit early, we parked at a charming city park in Shell Beach and walked the cliffside path. This view is towards Pismo. Our selfie pic was from this spot. 

And looking west. It was a beautiful day and we greeted other old neighbors with joy. Two of my brothers made it to the celebration too. Grant and I had to leave early to head inland to Solvang/Santa Ynez for the wedding, which was at a winery beside the grapevines. 

It was hot but what a lovely setting. DD Elaine was the Matron of Honor. 

I caught her walking down the aisle. 

The beautiful bride and her groom were married by a very good friend who did a lovely job. The happy couple were cheered and applauded. The reception took place outside as well. Our table was on the lawn beyond a covered patio, near a huge Live Oak tree.  We had a good time chatting with our dinner companions as the sun sank. Just at dusk, a thick concentration of flying insects rose out of some bushes, followed quickly by a squadron of small bats. It was entertaining to watch them swoop and whirl. The rest of the evening went by with plenty of dancing and conversation. It was lovely. 

After another air-conditioned night in a hotel, and breakfast out with our kids, we hit the highway and returned to our hot house , where I promptly took a 2 hour nap. We wrapped up the weekend with another beach visit late in the afternoon, followed by fish tacos at our favorite restaurant. Monday is here too soon, but we'll revisit our fond memories of an enjoyable weekend away.