Back in the Cockpit

We arrived back home this afternoon to beautiful weather and happy dogs. It was a welcome rest to the three hours it took to wind our way from Los Angeles back to the Central Coast. Parker and I unpacked the car and, after a joyful reunion with the pups, went our separate ways- me for the laptop and he for a work call. He returned to find me cozy on the bed, laptop up and running. "Back in the cockpit already, I see!" he said, not one bit surprised. I tend to do a lot of different things in bed- pay the bills, make phone calls, write- and it is kind of my desk even though we have a really cute Ikea desk in the living room. I should make the transition to the living room soon, though- slouching or curling up all the time is going to have me back at the chiropractor sooner than later.


Oh, I can't forget to tell you all about my last morning in Redondo Beach! Let's backtrack. Parker headed downstairs for the final session of his conference while I packed up our room. On his break, he came upstairs to help me make sure we weren't leaving anything behind. We took our bags to the car, and with a goodbye smooch I was off in search of a "not Starbucks" for breakfast. (Side note: I've had a few people ask me, "Why not Starbucks?" and while I certainly admire their origins as a local chain, I always try first to support local businesses. They are often so passionate about the quality and details of not only coffee and tea but also connecting with their customers- not to mention the boost to the local economies these shops provide. I used to be a huge Starbucks fan, but I've gone local and there's no going back!)

I drove through Redondo Beach, past all the pretty oceanfront homes, and wound my way through Manhattan Beach as well. I found a place to park and started looking around for meter money when I realized that I had left my wallet in the hotel room. Oy! I drove back to the hotel, dreading the walk back up to our room (while it had an amazing view, it happened to be the second to last room furthest away from the elevator). Bribing the valet guy to let me leave the car there for just a minute, I ran upstairs, down the hallways, grabbed that pesky wallet and was soon on my way again. Walking aimlessly and determined not to use my Droid for directions, I found The Tea Exchange.

This place was wonderful. They were chatty and they even had Bavarian pretzels (!). It felt like I was sitting in a beach house, complete with a copy of the Street Art Doodle Book: Outside the Lines and local art hanging on the walls. I sketched away while waiting for my drink, people watching out of the corner of my eye (there were some great outfits today in Manhattan Beach, let me tell you!). They even had a sense of humor- a sign on the wall read, "Unattended children will be given espresso and a free puppy- they break, you buy." I was sad to leave...

...but so happy to be home now!
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 ~VLP~