so i’m currently in santa cruz, california with my mom visiting my aunt and two cousins, j1 and j2. i have to say: if i were to move out west, this place would be tops for me. now, that could be just because of those three people.. but damn if this isn’t an awesome area. there’s always been something about redwoods that just feel like home. the smell, the protection of their canopies, the nettle mats that surround them.. my whole being slows down whenever i’m near them. yes, i know that makes me sound very.. earthy.. but it’s true. i just feel like i’m supposed to grab a book or journal and go sit under them while a silent snow gathers on its branches. i can work a lot out in that space..

j1 and j2 are two of the best.. i mean it, really, they’re two of my favorite people around 😉 j1 is about done with high school and will soon be headed off to college – a crazy thought considering it really does feel like just a couple weeks ago that she was bouncing around and tugging on my shirt to tell me about heading to the boardwalk. now she’s a pretty accomplished dressage rider (i’ll have to ask her if that’s what she’s called) and is a heck of a softball player, too. she’s avoided the lens thus far, though, so we’ll have to pin her down later. j2 is going to be in high school next year and can text faster than i can type. she’s a softballer, too, but she’s also into volleyball. just need to start making climbers out of the two of ‘em. kinda hard, though, when i only get the rare snapshot of their lives. maybe they’ll teach me to text like they do.

the place we’re staying is a little hobbit town called babbling brook. it’s kind of funny in that it really does seem like it’s straight out of a children’s story but it’s fun. there are even a few redwoods on the grounds, the kind it would take you and three of your best friends holding hands and stretching out to try to hug the trunk.

at night, they put out cheese and crackers, wine, and a few other treats. last night we went downstairs to relax before heading over to aunt d’s for dinner. on the radio was what had to be some of the best 1920 music, real 20’s jazz like bessie smith with the crackled sounds of an old vinyl (though i’m sure they were cds). and let me tell you: something about music, the warmth, and my exhaustion made the whole scene perfect.. just one of those warm, anonymous places in the world where you can get lost and pretend, if only for a little bit, that everything is going to be just fine, that you’ll always be warm, and that you can go to sleep every night with someone in your arms.

so in walks amanda and the 1920’s picture was complete. she had pin curls (or are they finger curls.. or is it a bob cut..?) and i swear she walked around in black and white. thin smile and all, i suddenly felt like i was in a smoky speakeasy with jazz and muted trumpets playing distantly. the one other couple there even asked her if she was french, to which she replied quickly and unambiguously, “no”. she was the server/hostess/cook/receptionist for the evening and (wo)manned the desk, kitchen, and dining room all at once. being the wallflower that i am, all i could really do was smile dumbly and eat my cheese.. and so i did until we left for aunt d’s.