We had a great time at the Visattui Lobsterfest last night. Minutes after 7PM, they carry in huge HUGE strained pots and literally pour them on our tables. It's 'family style' with a twist - no plates, no utensils (except the 'nutcracker' tool to get the shells off). Plenty of napkins, lemons, mayonnaise, spices, etc. You dig in with your hands and plow through! Spicy sausages, potatoes, artichokes, corn on the cob, onions....all piled high with the lobsters. Loafs of bread, too! Of course, plenty of wine, too. The employees wander the tables and pour whatever you'd like, as often as you'd like. There was great music and tons of fun. We sat with some very nice people who live in Livermore. It was a great time - then out to the courtyard for strawberry shortcake and more wine. It was so much fun. J. and I sat outside enjoying the coolness (it was 90 degrees when we got to the winery so the cool evening air and slight breeze was very welcome.
One of my favorite parts of the getaway was the drive - we went north on I-5 then took Highway 12 over - through the Delta. The people we talked to from Livermore said they had really bad traffic - we avoided all that by going the back way - which for us is much easier. It's such a beautiful drive - farms, little towns, draw bridges, marinas....it's really pretty. And you are forced to just take your time - it's 2 lanes most of the way so you can't pass. Just keep moving at whatever pace there is. It was tranquil and a nice break...
We are determined to get away more often - we had a wonderful time! H. did a fantastic job of house-sitting. He took great care of Chloe.
B. had a great triathlon with one minor glitch - because of the bad storms we had a week or so ago, the swim component was cancelled - instead they ran a mile, then biked, then ran 5K. He was actually a 'podium finisher' - third place in his age group! (Admittedly, it was a very small class - but still, it's only his second ever tri. He really did great). Also, considering that he was using a mountain bike - with heavy duty shocks - so every 'pump' he did resulted in part of his effort being wasted by the shocks absorbing the 'downward' motion. Especially hard when a good chunk of the ride was a huge, huge hill. He said another racer complimented him on how well he did 'especially with the bike you had. Impressive'. He got a medal, a big special bottle of ale and a 'podium finisher' glass to go with it.
We are all glad to be home in one place, though heading into Monday dampens the mood. We splurged and had In & Out for dinner....we were going to make spaghetti but B. said 'today is the only day I will allow myself to splurge and eat that stuff - so could we please'? So we did. I've eaten so 'badly' this weekend (compared to my usual) I figured 'what the heck', too. Tomorrow, it's bag to salads, soy yogurt, nuts and lean protein. It was fun to splurge!!
We bought huge bags of navel oranges on the way home today from people selling them along the side of the road. I'm making fresh squeezed OJ and it's phenomenally delicious!
Dreading the week more than I can say....but it will be OK. I know I'll get through it.
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