chill: north central coast getaway

I was supposed to take a linocut printing class this weekend, but the class was canceled at Cabrillo College. I reached out to the artist teaching the class to request a private lesson in her studio, but she said it was too small even for her and that I should enroll in a similar class that she's teaching in January (I'm already enrolled). Sigh. I already had a room booked in town that I already paid for. Hubs encouraged me to go away for the weekend and just r-e-l-a-x. Sigh. Okay.                     

I started my morning at the Elkhorn Slough. I looked at a pelican and sandpipers on the boardwalk that was still above salty water in the marsh. King Tide (high tide at 10:17 a.m.) covered the muddy flats almost completely, so that all one could see was eel grass and pickleweed. Birds were sleeping while waiting for low tide to happen at around 5:00 p.m. to feed.

 

I was tempted to try the pickleweed below; the plant takes in salt all the way to the tips which turn red and fall off in the autumn--quite bitter. I learned a little bit about the restoration efforts of Hester Marsh and turning the former dairyland back into its natural habitat. I walked a mile to get an aerial view of the marshes.

 

From the Elkhorn Slough, I drove to Aptos for lunch and ate a huge salad with brisket at Aptos Street BBQ. Omigosh I forgot how delicious brisket which I hadn't had since breakfast in Kentucky with Meral and Bob. I tempted to go there for breakfast Sunday morning. After lunch, I made my way back south on Highway 1 to Manresa State Beach and walked for hours.

  

I had made a dinner reservation for David Kinch's latest restaurant in Aptos for 7:30 and then canceled thinking I would find a pizzeria and then take a pie back to my hotel room, knowing I would enjoy it immensely, but what the heck, decided to walk in and eat at the bar at 5:00. Kinch's Italian restaurant is a lot more casual than Manresa.

No fine pottery or bespoke plates like at Manresa. Just unassuming mass-produced porcelain with the restaurant's logo. I ordered a quartino of an Italian chablis and pistachio pesto and mortadella pizze topped with an arugula salad

The pizze is ginormous. The other half is in the backseat of my car because of the cold weather which will help it keep until my afternoon supper.

But what I enjoyed the most was my affogato of a decaf espresso with a fior di latte gelato that had a sprinkling of sea salt.

Dessert was solace for a disappointment of not taking an art class. Let's hope my linocut class is not canceled in January.