And from close friends to someone that I have known longer than my own brother!
I awoke early and lay looking out the window at the beauty of early morning on the hilltop.
After a walk around the neighborhood (to our credit we were very good about getting in our morning walks: of course it helped that the scenery in most places was breath-taking)
and a breakfast that only G can make – in terms of pretty table, great food and fresh-squeezed orange juice by husband B – we tore ourselves away from Arroyo Grande.
We chose to drive the lower – and hopefully prettier route – to our former neighbor and her husband’s place near Bakersfield. The drive was all that I could have wanted: small lakes then suddenly over the pass and down into the desert. I will always remember that in the summer when we went camping in Yosemite – or anywhere north for that matter – we had to be up by 4 a.m. and on the road so that we could get to Bakersfield by 8 a.m. or we would suffer even more from the heat.
 |
| the blur of being a passenger |
 |
| and down the other side - less green - of the mountain |
 |
| oil derricks in the desert - many still operate throught the valley |
 |
| Headed towards dry and hot Bakersfield |
We moved into our first real house before I turned six. There were two girls next door that spaced in between us three sisters and for 8 years we were mostly one big family. As her parents never moved although my family did many times, we always visited whilst returning. I attended her wedding – one of the very few of my friends that I made.
She and her husband are now retired and love to travel as much as I: I have joined them on the Christmas Market River Cruise on the Danube in 2015 and will meet them this summer in Scotland. Meanwhile whenever I have gone to California to see my siblings or parents I have tried to squeeze in a visit to them as well. Without giving away our advancing years, I met her before my brother was born! So there’s more than enough to talk about.
We decided to go to a Mexican buffet for lunch then wandered into a couple of antique stores in Bakersfield before going for ice-cream and returning to their (gorgeous) home for drinks.
 |
| A real old-fashioned ice-cream parlor |
 |
| Their inner courtyard |
 |
| Yep, my tipple of choice! |
They have collections of most everything and although their home is full of memories and souvenirs from throughout the world it all works well.
Late night stories and we dropped into bed not even noticing that we were sharing a queen-sized one, we were so tired.
 |
| Our little sister's garden angel has another loving home. |
