And… I’m back. I’m back with my going-on and going-strong-4-week old cough, but I’m back home in the office, getting ready to tackle the mountain of emails and work I mostly ignored while I was away. Sistertrip2012, as we dubbed it over a couplefewmany glasses of wine, went off with hardly a hitch*.
We drove down the coast to San Luis Obispo, and rented a little bungalow between wine country and castle country (aka, Hearst Castle). Highway 1 was very foggy on the drive down, which made for more squeals when the fog momentarily disappeared along a few stretches of coastline. We packed picnic supplies, walking shoes and layers for a relatively un-scheduled work-free few days of sister bonding.
For the sisters who were for many years, referred to as “The Bicker Sisters” we attempted the impossible: get along for 5 days and nights, have fun, and make it home safely together without punches or pinches (our last sister-wrestle was probably Seattle, 2004) or drunken brawls with the locals (we’ve only had one of those… Firenze, 2005). We made time for elephant seals, beach walking, dolphin watching, a nighttime farmer’s market in downtown San Luis Obispo, a tour of Hearst Castle, and a fair amount of wine tasting in Paso Robles. We had one fancy meal with lots of fresh seafood and local wine and a handful of picnics, and of course, a tiny bit of button-pushing and sisterly ribbing, just because we can’t seem to help ourselves.
Hearst Castle was well-worth the high entrance fee, but I still wanted more after our guided tour and walk around the grounds. The pools were absolutely insane, as were all the ceilings, tile work and everything else.
*As far as adult sibling relationships go, I think we’re doing pretty good. But holy crap, is it hard! I don’t tend towards the emotional, or the secret-telling here on the blog (NOTE: 1. Give me a good strong cocktail, and I’ll probably overshare all over you, and 2. YES, I am aware that having a blog at all is already a big overshare of information) but let me just say this: Overcoming the roles we played as sisters growing up and transitioning into adult-friends is really difficult. Who else out there is struggling through this very same relationship-building, getting-to-know you game with your brother or sister? Its hard, but if we can learn about each other without killing each other, this will be the most, and I mean it wholeheartedly, the most important relationship in my whole life.
Right there with you
Nice clicks!!
Whoa! Looks like a fun trip! After teaching Citizen Kane so many times, I would love to go to Hearst Castle.
You just happened to pop into my thoughts so I decided to see what you’ve been up to. Looks like you’re living, eating, creating well
Let’s catch up soon….xo
What! this is so weird, I was thinking about YOU this week! I’m emailing you for real!