This entry is supposed to be about Jason's parents coming to visit. They flew from Texas to California the last weekend of June to meet their grandson. Of course they wanted to be here the minute he was born, but it just wasn't possible -- especially because he surprised us all by arriving three weeks early! Jason's mom is a teacher, so they had to plan the trip for when school was out-of-session. Besides, now that Everett is 2-1/2 months old, it was probably a little more fulfilling for them to spend time interacting with him, whereas if they had visited sooner, they would've spent a lot of time just watching him sleep. (Not that there's anything wrong with that -- it's one of my favorite times!)
Their trip began by spending a night in San Francisco. It's probably a good thing they canceled their plans to stay in the city for two nights, because it was "Pride Weekend", and I hear things can get a little crazy. Anyway, I'm sure it's all they could stand to be so close to us and still not have seen Everett. So it's Sunday afternoon, I'm wearing Everett in the Moby, and I'm folding baby laundry, and I hear the door open... That was the beginning of the whirlwind! The whole week leading up to the Coles' arrival, I was trying to brace myself -- I knew that having guests would probably be a slight disruption to the routine we've worked out, and therefore it could be a little draining on Everett and Jason and me. But I don't think any amount of mental pep talk could have prepared me for the next 10 days.
Don't get me wrong, it was great to see Jason's folks! And it sure was exhausting.
The first day they were here was pretty low-key. Jason drove up to San Francisco to retrieve Gary and Sandy, and the three of them spent a few hours hanging out in the city. A scenic 2-1/2-hour drive and a stop at In-and-Out Burger later, and they were home (at least it was their home-away-from-home). The afternoon was consumed by the official meet-and-greet, a trip to the grocery store, lots of photos of "Gammy" and "Pappy" with Everett, and lots and LOTS of baby-talk. Dinner was leftovers, and we ended the night with bath time.
*****
Monday morning began pretty leisurely. Thankfully, it was the first day of Jason's class break, so he had the entire week off! It was nice that we could all spend time together as a family. We passed the time that day by walking around the Del Monte Center, which is our local "mall" -- it's more of an open-air-concept shopping center. The weather was nice, so we didn't mind just being out for a stroll. Then we went to Whole Foods where Jason spent way too much time at the cheese counter (a favorite pastime of ours), and we left with fresh produce and an afternoon coffee in hand. These little outings may not seem like a big deal, but with a two-month-old in tow, even then smallest errand can be a huge undertaking.
*****
Tuesday was Sandy's birthday. We had grand plans of going to the Farmers' Market in downtown Monterey that afternoon...but the weather clearly had other things in mind.
 |
| Yes, he's feeding coffee grounds to the earth worms... |
Jason did a little gardening, despite the gray skies, but once the rain started, we knew any other outdoor activities were off the agenda. So instead of a jaunt through the market and dinner at Monterey's Fish House (seriously, what restaurant is booked until 9:00pm with reservations on a Tuesday?!), we went to Costco and then headed to Cannery Row. We had dinner at a yummy seafood/Italian restaurant called Paradiso, and we were right on the bay, so we could look out over the water as the sun went down. When we got home, we had a mini celebration for Sandy, complete with a mini birthday cake (chocolate with peanut butter frosting -- YUM!).
And before we realized, it was already after 10:00 and way past Everett's bedtime. Being out of our "early to bed" routine made for kind of a rough night...but we survived.
*****
Wednesday was full of more errand-running. The weather was MUCH better than the day before, so being out and about wasn't as much of a chore. First stop: Babies R Us, which means we headed to Salinas. Sandy already admitted to having some kind of addiction to buying Everett baby clothes, so it took all of Gary's strength to steer her clear of the clothing department. We did get a little sidetracked buying Everett some toys to keep him entertained in his carseat...but the damage was minimal. We went to Monterey Coast Brewing Co. for lunch -- the food is yummy, and we're all in love with their Chocolate Porter! In fact, they sell beer by the growler-full (which is about 64 oz.), and we were due to have ours refilled. ;) Our last stop before heading home was Star Market, a lovely, old-fashioned little gem hidden among a very unassuming shopping center in Salinas. I think Jason left the market with no fewer than four varieties of cheese (yes, we have a problem), and then we went home to prep dinner.
Jason grilled some super-thick-cut filets of tenderloin (and topped them with blue cheese-butter!), baked a few sweet potatoes, roasted some of our home-grown zucchini, and opened a bottle of Rocco Reserve from the local Parsonage winery -- DELICIOUS! And we settled in for the evening. We would need our stamina...
*****
Thursday we knew was going to be rough. Jason planned for us to drive up to Fairfield to visit the Jelly Belly factory. It's about a 2-1/2 to 3-hour drive, including the stop along the way for coffee. We left between 7:30 and 8:00am. Jason and I have made a few trips to San Jose and back since Everett's been born, and we've even driven up to San Francisco for one of my doctor appointments...but he's never been strapped into that stupid carseat for that many hours at one time. Add up all the time we spent driving to lunch and then heading home, and it was just a long day spent crammed in the car. Anyway, back to the Jelly Belly factory.
 |
| They *made* us wear these stupid hats! |
They have free tours of the working factory, they give you samples along the way, and as the tour ends they invite you to visit their "sample bar and gift shop" (which is really a huge sugar-coma waiting to happen). Everett slept through the entire tour, but at least it was fairly entertaining for the other four of us! Lunch was almost a debacle. I'm all for finding a little "local joint" that's kind of off the beaten path...but the little Mexican place where Jason wanted to eat looked a day away from abandonment. Seriously, the entrance was a screen door being held to the door frame with duct tape. No bueno. We ended up at some place called Blue Frog Grog & Grill, which was pretty good, and then we settled in for the long drive home. Sandy, Everett, and I fell asleep pretty quickly in the back seat, and Jason and Gary chatted and listened to classic rock. Dinner that night was pretty low-key -- just a spread of cheese and crackers with various veggies, fruit, and spreads. A very cranky Everett (as the result of spending all day in the car with no quality Awake Time) called Jason and me to bed a little early. It was tough getting him to fall asleep, but his spirits were well-restored overnight.
*****
Friday, the weather was beautiful!
We stayed local and planned to spend the day on Cannery Row. Sandy was scheduled for a one-hour massage (her birthday present!) in the middle of the day, after which we all met for lunch at a little place called Sea Harvest.
We love the small, local feel of the place, and the seafood is super fresh and delicious! After lunch, we walked along Cannery Row (where Gary and Sandy went for a short jaunt on the beach) and made a few stops: first, the Ghirardelli store was a must for an ice cream treat, and second, Jason and I have been dying to shop at The Little Hat Shop since way before Everett was born. But it's hard to shop for the best cute little hat when you don't know whether you're having a boy or a girl, so we waited.
Everything in that store is so adorable, it was hard to limit ourselves to only buying three hats, but we managed.
*****
Saturday was wine-tasting day!
Over breakfast, Jason planned our itinerary. Before a couple months ago, we had no idea just how many wineries were so close to Monterey -- you could spend days stopping at every tasting room and/or vineyard in the Carmel Valley, Salinas Valley, and in Monterey-proper!
Since Jason had already sampled a few wineries in the Carmel Valley (an outing that occurred when my Mom was visiting back in May), we spent our day visiting four locations in the Salinas Valley: Pessagno, Wrath, Hahn, and Paraiso. Our final stop was the Ventana tasting room in Monterey.
Everett and I were really just along for the ride and the scenery (which was lovely, by the way).
The other three had a pretty good time wine-sampling...evidenced by Sandy's *condition* at the end of the day. ;) We were all hungry and kind of tired. So, after a very delicious dinner at Tarpy's Roadhouse, we went home and put ourselves to bed.
*****
The highlight of our Sunday was the dinner Jason prepared: roast duck and mushroom risotto! Jason really loves to cook. Since Everett joined our happy home, his days of lavish cooking have been all but eliminated -- we just no longer have the luxury of hours spent in the kitchen and sitting down to an extravagant meal. But while there were extra hands on deck, Jason took advantage of the occasion and the opportunity to make something special! I definitely didn't complain. :)
*****
Monday was the 4th of July. We were looking forward to an afternoon of grilling and an evening of fireworks on the beach......until we looked online to see what time the fireworks were starting. And that's when we discovered that "due to budget cuts, etc., etc." there would not be a fireworks show on The Peninsula this year. Bummer. To be honest, the weather was so crummy that I didn't really want to drag Everett down to the beach anyway, but I was still kinda bummed about the canceled fireworks.
No worries -- we still dressed Everett in his "Mommy's Little Firecracker" beach outfit and fired up the grill!
*****
Tuesday was the final full day of the Coles' time in Cali. We were keeping our fingers crossed for good weather that afternoon, so we could introduce Mom and Dad to the Farmers' Market. Fortunately, we lucked out...but that's later. Our first outing that day was Crystalfish -- my and Jason's favorite sushi restaurant in town.
After almost filling our bellies, we headed to Pacific Grove for some ice cream, where we continued our diet-derailing indulgences. :) Then we went for a little drive along the bay to Asilomar State Beach. We walked down to the water to get a few pictures, but it was so windy and damp and chilly that we had to make it a very quick stop.
Jason, like a moron, decided to dip his feet in the water -- of course it was freezing -- and then we hurried back to the car. I was wearing Everett in his carrier, and he was completely bundled from head to toe. I'm all for commemorating our time here on the coast, but not at the expense of my two-month-old's warmth and comfort!
Gary and Sandy were hoping for a little different "beach experience", so we drove a few miles north to Del Monte Beach and took a few pictures in the sunshine. (It's amazing what a difference in the weather five miles can make...!) From there, we headed for the Farmers' Market. Since it's summertime, and the weather was pleasant, the market was packed! But it's okay -- it just made for a more *colorful* experience. We strolled up and down the street, sampling fresh fruit, getting our fill of Sparky's root beer and the fresh-made kettle corn, and then it was time for dinner. One of my favorite things about the market is the wide array of food vendors -- you can eat anything from sushi, to tamales, to falafel, etc. On my menu that night: rotisserie chicken. You can pretty much smell the Roli Roti truck from anywhere at the market! I just had to get my hands on some of that roasted chicken and delicious rosemary potatoes! Sandy followed suit. Jason headed toward the Mr. Falafel tent, and I think Gary ended up with a gyro. Some fresh-dripped coffee from Plumes was a great way to end our outing. The evening wrapped up with Gary and Sandy spending a little more quality time with Everett...which included lots more photos, and LOTS more baby talk.
*****
Wednesday morning was bittersweet.... Jason had to return to class, and Gary and Sandy were readying themselves to leave. Everett spent some time that morning saying his good-byes to Grammy and Pappy on the sofa. The Coles rented a car to drive themselves back to San Francisco to catch their flight home, so they loaded up the car and then they were gone. And just like that our whirlwind week came to a close. And all of a sudden it was very, very quiet.
And Everett and I cuddled up together and took a nap. *sigh* :)
No comments:
Post a Comment