and the three of us are getting used to all this wind out at Kamp Karlsbad.
We have participated in two Blue House Gatherings, a ritual that can only be experienced by joining these local friends at this coffee house in Carlsbad. The stories spun at that table are something else, but the camaraderie that you feel among this tribe of people who gather every morning (except Sunday, but only because the Blue House is closed that day) is really heartening. You want to know that your mom has a strong community of friends surrounding her when she lives so far away. Brian also is part of this circle of friends and their support of him through his trials and tribulations is significant and very meaningful to him. It is a good group of people who have gathered for years for this morning ritual of friendship and that is a beautiful thing.
We have had multiple good meals here in Carlsbad and are happy to see that at least some restaurants are really thriving here. We also cooked Sunday brunch at Laurie's mom's house for her and Brian and pulled off a pretty impressive meal. On our last night here, Brian wanted us to go out to the Riverside Country Club where he works, which is really members-only dining. The restaurant manager OK'd it though and we had a terrific meal out there tonight, very reasonably priced, but as we went to pay the bill, his boss had picked up the tab! Incredibly nice gesture.
We didn't do any sightseeing on this trip as it was mainly a task-oriented visit. But we did visit one local attraction and broke our rule to never shop at WallyWorld (Wal-Mart). It was a crisis, however, as we somehow forgot to pack our fold-out canvas chairs for this trip. We scored a couple of very nice chairs (with cup holders!) for less than $20 total. They will be a great permanent addition to our camper paraphernalia.
Tomorrow we bid goodbye to the Blue House Crew, Laurie's mom and bro, and start heading towards home. Next stop, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
No comments:
Post a Comment