Day 30-Governor Newsom rescinds restrictions. Outdoor dining reinstated!

B. and I at the Bird Refuge in Santa Barbara…..

The Harbor Restaurant…

2/23/21. Tuesday.

8:00 –8:30 -  I set my alarm today since I’m leaving early.  Downstairs and I greet the dog.  She’s still asleep and doesn’t want to go outside.  I rub her tummy three times, she finds her toy, and we finally make it out to the backyard. She goes potty and back inside we go. Today’s treat consists of pieces of a rice ball; I make my coffee and do a few dishes that L. left in the sink last night.

8:30-9:30 – Shower. Spa Day. Lotion. I dress in my cycling outfit.

9:30-10:30 – Light make-up.  Take my braids out. Finish packing.

10:30 –10:45 -  B. arrives, but I still have to send an email to my students letting them know that I posted AUDIO lecture Chapter 5- PART 2 last night. He loads my things into the car while I send an email blast.

10:45-12:30 – We leave for SANTA BARBARA!!!  Driving. I eat two of L.’s rice balls.

12:30 – 1:00 - Arrive at the Mar Monte Hotel!!! and it is beautiful.  Our room is on the second floor across the street from the ocean.  We can actually hear the waves! The room is light and bright and airy – everything is white and all the walls are filled with windows, most of which look out over the ocean and are covered in a roller-shade window treatment.  I loovvee the décor.

The walls were treated with a “Spanish knife texture” technique and the headboard is a simple, rust-colored PVC pipe.  In the middle of the headboard, on the white wall, is a small, ornate, gilded frame, with a painting of a man diving into water, but a partial painting in that the man’s torso is captured diving into a mere section of water, and the colors are brightly done.  It’s hard to explain, but everything works.

The shower is an extremely narrow rectangle, but it doesn’t matter that it’s small because the largest wall of the shower is covered with this beautiful Spanish tile.  There are details lovingly placed throughout the entire room – a lot of care and planning went into the décor and it absolutely shows. For example, the TV is sitting on a cabinet disguised as a huge, vintage trunk.

1:30-2:30 – B. and I rent bikes and ride to the Bird Refuge, where we hang out and take pictures.

2:30-4:00 – back on the bikes and this time we pedal to Stearns Wharf, lock up the bikes, and walk along to the pier to The Harbor Restaurant. We go to the rooftop for drinks.  Because bars are technically closed, the LA County Dept. of Public Health mandates that food be ordered with all drinks to show what was once a bar is really a restaurant.  We already have dinner reservations at 6:00 so the cheapest item on the menu is French fries. I have an excellent glass of champagne and B. has…something???  I sample the fries they’re surprisingly good – it’s hard to eat just one.

4:00-4:45 - Leave and bike back to our hotel room to get ready for dinner.  We’re on a bike path on the beach and the scenery is great – there is lots to see.

4:45 – 5:45 – I chill for a while and read Strung Out then change into my dinner clothes, i.e., jeans and a nice sweatshirt.

5:45-6:00 – B. and I walk to Convivo. 

6:00-8:00 - Dinner is excellent!  We’re outside, under heat lamps and across the street from the ocean – it’s very comfortable and social distancing is implemented. Another wonderful glass of champagne – I love Convivo’s wine list. I have macaroni and pulled pork and I eat every last bit.  B. has a…meat dish???...I’m not sure what it is, but it’s a lot and cooked to perfection [he likes it medium rare]. For desert, we share the panna cotta, a lemon custard on a shortbread crumble, topped with strawberries.  OMG – it’s amazing!!

8:00-8:15 – Walk back to our hotel room.

8:30-10:00 – Cocktail hour!!! and I read more of Strung Out, while B. reads a Michael Connelly book [Lincoln Lawyer series].

10:00-10:45 – Night time routine. Bed.  Great day.