happy birthday mama


photo found on halfaya.com

so what's your idea of heaven? mine is sitting in a big comfy adirondack chair that is in the sun but with dappled shade from the huge trees that loom near by. oh, and the chair is in the big sur river. welcome to the big sur river inn. and that is where my mom and i went today, but only with not-enough-time-to-spare, so we just looked on at the people enjoying said adirondacks and said sun and said dappled shade and said big sur river. and we didn't even curse them. no. we let them have their happiness, knowing soon enough it would be us in those chairs and others looking on from the lawn...

being able to spend a day in the middle of the week in big sur, in the month of may... well what else can you say but life is good and dear god knock on some wood.



today is my mom's birthday (which she shares with the queen of cool and also my aunt, miss stella; oh, and also the blowing of the top of washington's mount st. helen's). and so the two of us jumped in the car and headed up highway one into the land of sheer bliss.

blue sky. blue ocean. okay and yes, wind up the proverbial yin yang, but it ain't so bad when you are simply in the car driving. elephant seals. white caps. beautiful beaches. quick pit stops. and then we hit mecca (aka the phoenix gift shop).

the phoenix bookstore is basically our given, unspoken, simply understood big sur Destination. we love it. and as far as gifty-types of stores goes, this one is simply inspirational. lots of creativity, from the things they sell to the way they display them. and then there is the view. and then there is nepenthe.

nepenthe is the Restaurant with the View up above the phoenix. they serve $13 burgers (to get fries be prepared to shell out another $8) with a view that just might heal any stress-related illness you may have. i think the view is so therapeutic that it can even save troubled marraiges, ongoing psorisis, any middle east conflict, and/or make chris matthews french kiss al franken with real and sincere passion. this view. i tell you. it's really like the burger cost $3 but comes with a $10 view charge. a $10 ambiance tax. a $10 you're lucky we even let you sit here gratuity.

and you pay it and you don't care that it is ridiculous and ohmigod you just figured out the key to world peace. time to order some triple berry pie! this waitress is the best! and happy birthday mama! thank you for having a birthday and letting me tag along on your coastal lacksidaisical meandering celebration. and that, more than any river-situated adirondack chair, is my own slice of heaven.

x's and o's to my mom and all moms out there.

» check out the nepenthe web cam (this was our view today. the camera was pointed just over our heads)

» mile by mile, slo to montery with pictures

» sea elephant cam