March 5 - 6, San Luis Obispo, CA
By Brian Gilbar
Had a really nice dinner at Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo Thursday evening with Chris and his Mom. I had a basic chicken dish but it was very moist and delicious. Tried to eat something somewhat healthy as it feels like we've had a lot of junk. Ulterior motive...I wanted dessert! Dessert was a strange but delicious Lemon Almond Polenta Cake. It had the texture of a cornbread but tasted amazing, and not too sweet. Shortly after that we were in bed. We watched some TV (Family Feud on the Game Channel...a favorite for Chris) and then got some much needed sleep after a very long day. I even managed to sleep through a lot of snoring from my roommates.
Friday morning Chris woke up feeling better although still congested. After a bit of debate and frustration, we managed to choose a bagel place for breakfast. We all have very different breakfast preferences so it wasn't an easy task. The bagels were fine, but we were focused on getting to Hearst Castle. Chris had several errands to run so we did those along the way to the bagel shop as well as right after, and ended up making it to Hearst Castle with just 5 minutes to spare. We got right on the bus to head up a very long, steep and curvy hill. The view of the ocean on the way up was amazing. We had a deer jump across the road in front of the bus which was very cool.
It's tough to describe the Hearst Castle. You really have to see it to get a sense of how grand it is. Although you could look at it as a ridiculous level of extravagance, I felt very connected to the story of William Hearst from his childhood through his death, and in awe of this castle in the clouds. I thought about my Mother and wished she could be there to share in the beauty. I always wish that she could have these experiences with me since she hasn't had many chances to get out of Vermont. It was very hot and I'm not used to the heat so I was happy to get back on the bus.
On the way back we stopped at Morro Beach. Chris' Mother wanted to visit the beach as a remembrance to her Father. She and I walked along the beach and she took pictures of Morro rock and we collected sand dollars while Chris waited in the car. We made a quick trip to Madonna Inn, then back to the hotel to clean up and to Olive Garden for dinner. We had a really great waiter...he was funny and engaging and made our meal really nice. I don't normally drink a lot, but with so much close family time (shared hotel room, lots of together time with no breaks) I decided to have 2 drinks instead of one to try to relax a bit more. Not sure it helped but they tasted great!
Had a really nice dinner at Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo Thursday evening with Chris and his Mom. I had a basic chicken dish but it was very moist and delicious. Tried to eat something somewhat healthy as it feels like we've had a lot of junk. Ulterior motive...I wanted dessert! Dessert was a strange but delicious Lemon Almond Polenta Cake. It had the texture of a cornbread but tasted amazing, and not too sweet. Shortly after that we were in bed. We watched some TV (Family Feud on the Game Channel...a favorite for Chris) and then got some much needed sleep after a very long day. I even managed to sleep through a lot of snoring from my roommates.
Friday morning Chris woke up feeling better although still congested. After a bit of debate and frustration, we managed to choose a bagel place for breakfast. We all have very different breakfast preferences so it wasn't an easy task. The bagels were fine, but we were focused on getting to Hearst Castle. Chris had several errands to run so we did those along the way to the bagel shop as well as right after, and ended up making it to Hearst Castle with just 5 minutes to spare. We got right on the bus to head up a very long, steep and curvy hill. The view of the ocean on the way up was amazing. We had a deer jump across the road in front of the bus which was very cool.
It's tough to describe the Hearst Castle. You really have to see it to get a sense of how grand it is. Although you could look at it as a ridiculous level of extravagance, I felt very connected to the story of William Hearst from his childhood through his death, and in awe of this castle in the clouds. I thought about my Mother and wished she could be there to share in the beauty. I always wish that she could have these experiences with me since she hasn't had many chances to get out of Vermont. It was very hot and I'm not used to the heat so I was happy to get back on the bus.
On the way back we stopped at Morro Beach. Chris' Mother wanted to visit the beach as a remembrance to her Father. She and I walked along the beach and she took pictures of Morro rock and we collected sand dollars while Chris waited in the car. We made a quick trip to Madonna Inn, then back to the hotel to clean up and to Olive Garden for dinner. We had a really great waiter...he was funny and engaging and made our meal really nice. I don't normally drink a lot, but with so much close family time (shared hotel room, lots of together time with no breaks) I decided to have 2 drinks instead of one to try to relax a bit more. Not sure it helped but they tasted great!
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