I'm back in Tofino. I'm only just feeling like myself again. You see, the night before we were all supposed to leave Encinitas, we all got food poisoning. I have never been so sick in mah life. The boys were sick for about 6 hours and then managed to more or less pass out, but I was dry-heaving all night long. I only managed to fall asleep at around 8 in the morning. Shawn stayed up all night with me as best he could. Anyway, we weren't well enough to leave that day as planned. Darren went and payed for another night at the hotel, and we all just lay on our beds and slept and drunk water. We had no choice but to leave the next day though, because Darren had to work in a few days, so we left at 6 in the morning. Pale and ruffled and hungry and still feeling sick. That trip was a trip. We drove non-stop, and it took us almost exactly 24 hours to go from Encinitas (San Diego area) to Vancouver. Midway through California we stopped at a travel centre and got some chicken noodle soup from a soup and salad bar. I slept through most of the dust bowl part of Cali. The worst is when you pass that huge cow farm - all dirt and squished-together cows and it smells sour like you wouldn't believe for miles.
We drove through the Mt Shasta part of Cali right around sunset, which was fortunate, because it set right over Mt Shasta Lake which is so beautiful. It's almost always been dark when i've driven past that spot in the past. In Southern Oregon we hit fog. The fog continued most of the way back to Vancouver.  I exchanged my warm-weather shorts for jeans while stopped for gas going over a mountain pass in Oregon. Sat in the front while Shawn drove for the rest of the night, counting the miles to Portland, than Seattle, then Vancouver. Feeding Shawn occasional bites of Mr. Noodles. We got to Vancouver at 4:30am. Stopped at ma and pops to drop off gifts and pick up my Christmas present from Labee, but they weren't awake. We waited until 5:45, then I left a note for them, set the gift in front of their door, and we left to catch the ferry. By this point we were all loopy with lack of sleep. Er…to say the least. You know, when you're so crazy you don't even know how crazy you are? And then, you know…when someone *cough*Shawn*cough* sits on the edge of a paper cup of coffee and spills it all over where you are sitting in your new acid-washed jeans?  At the ferry terminal. That kind of tired. And of course: the Red Eye returns at this point.

On the ferry it felt like Shawn and I walked to the top deck, back down to the car, up to the passenger deck, and to the car again and it was over. quickest ferry ride of my life. I think the part of my brain responsible for processing time going by was malfunctioned.

The first thing I noticed driving off the ferry in Duke Point was a small hilly, mossy farm, with some dairy cows on it, and arbutus trees. Ahhh. Nothing like the island! Nope. There is NOT.

Since I've been back, I've slept a lot, eaten a LOT, walked around on a mountain, walked around Rathtrevor in the morning fog, slept more and eaten more. Shawn and i got back to Tofino only yesterday. It was with some trepidation that I brought my noticeably-chubbier furred one back home after her 3-week vacation in Parksville. Eastre has developed a shoulder roll, and (although I don't say this within her hearing. she's sensitive) her thighs rub together like two plump drum sticks in a way that is new. Gone is her waist. She is acting really happy to be home, though. I suspect it has to do with being the only cat again.

Food poisoning sucks. But if it must happen, the last night of vacation is the time for it…I mean, rather than midway in between. We had such a nice time…I had such a nice time, walking around everywhere, spending so much time at the beach, playing in the waves, lying in the sun reading scraps of a really good book, sketching in my travel journal, eating tacos…yeah. And no, it was not a taco that gave us all food poisoning. Nor was it the delicious…delicious spicy peanut sauce mussels that I ate at the same restaurant TWICE. But I am a wiser, more cautious 'fub now. I am much less-inclined to go out to eat.

If I did it again though, it would be Shawn and I by ourselves. that much time having no space is…weird. fun and different and good for a change, but a strain for sure. BUT I'M SO GLAD WE WENT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!

My favourite was Swami's garden. I went a second time and found a little circular nook with a stone bench and a blue pot with a flowering plant in it. The flowers were orange. Some palms and bushes opened up to reveal an expansive view of the sea.  Every once in a while a stream of pelicans would fly suddenly and silently through my little picture frame. Afterwards we all visited the book store. There was a huge circular polished wood table in the book area, with seats all around it to sit and read at. We were in there for about an hour reading. All of us left with books. I found myself drawn to two little hardcovers with meditations, affirmations and prayers from paramahansa in them.

It was Shawn's first day back at work today, poor guy. I'm expecting him back home any minute. We've got kind of a project here with our home…I'm determined to clean it all up and organize it better.

updatin'

We've gotten into a rather nice routine. In the morning after usually having a free coffee that tastes like water and used coffee grinds, and a piece of toast or an apple at the hotel, we head to the beach. Our first few days here in Encinitas we drove to Cardiff, an iconic Calif surfing spot jealously guarded by locals - as there is only one workable peak and usually at least a dozen surfers out waiting to catch a ride on it. But then we discovered Beacon's beach. We can walk there from our hotel. Victor, here at the hotel, told us how to get there: walk up the flight of stairs that leads to the upstairs of the hotel, but then instead of taking the next flight up to the second story, there is a little wooden staircase going off into a corridor of greenery and flowers that leads to a quiet residential street. From there, as Victor said (Victor loves us) you go "right, left, right" - like a soldier. After about 5 minutes of walking down a street lined with beautiful mediterranean-style houses, you come to the beach. You've got to walk down a steep trail zig-zagging down a sandy bluff, and then, MILES of sandy beach. Our first day trying it out we just happened upon a random spot, because I was looking for a spot with shade. And this spot had waves breaking that no one was surfing. They didn't look too good. But then when Shawn and Darren paddled out, turns out it was a wave better than Cardiff, and definitely better than Tofino - and no one seemed to know about it. They called it secret spot. next time we went, we met a local who told us that that spot actually was officially named "secrets". Anyway, we've been going there every day since.

We didn't end up going camping, because it's almost as expensive as the hotel.

We're not actually staying IN Encinitas. We're in the community right beside it, called Leucadia. I've learned since staying here that Leucadia was one of the original surfy-hippy spots in the 70's. It's really cool here in that chains are not really allowed in - and thus there is AMAZING food just up and down the street. It's the kind of place full of hole-in-the-wall looking restaurants that serve unbelievable food. There's a donut shoppe that looks almost like an abandoned building that has a line-up out the door every single day. Laura would be in heaven here. I say that because I know that Laura shares my penchant for trying out the new and edgy when it comes to food!

Today we went to Beacon's in the morning, 'till about 1, and then to Carlsbad where we'd heard there is a big outlet shopping mall. I was really excited bout it, but it was kind of disappointing. Mostly they were the same prices as anywhere else, aside from their sales. I only spent $40. On a pair a jeans and a pink hat with the california bear on it. I'm happy with that. That's what I wanted as a souvenir: something with the calif. bear on it.

One week left….*sob*

southern Cali

Shawn and Darren are surfing at the moment. I've been going with them, but they already went today and I spent a good few hours on the beach taking pictures and documenting in my new travel sketch-journal, so I decided to stay behind and maybe start painting on one of those canvasses I brought with me.

The housekeeper stole my tampons today, or thought they were garbage. have you ever?! a WOMAN should know better. had to get driven to an emergency gas station, since there are none within walking distance of our hotel. Darren came up with "horsehair" tampons, and it is now a trip joke. this is apparently what people use south of america. you can also call them "cherokee tampons". we've all gotten a little too close maybe. Darren is like a brother.

We're in Encinitas, California. We're going to stay in this area. Mexico was cancelled because Darren's vehicle won't be able to handle the trip. We had to have the alignment fixed here (luckily we were referred to a very honest mechanic who hardly charged us at all and fixed it so that it feels like a new car), but even with that fixed, the GAS this vehicle consumes is insane. We have to fill up every 135 miles. If you take a look at a map of the Baja, you'll see that there's NO way we'd make it. there is a stretch you must drive, for like a day and a half, with absolutely nothing in between. It is a little bit of a bummer, since Mexico is so different from here and we were going to camp and do the simple life, and I was really looking forward to it, but I'm SO over it. It's impossible not to enjoy yourself here. And tomorrow we're going camping right on the beach.

This area is special to me too, because it's a place where a very special and influential man lived that I've read quite a bit about. Paramahansa Yogananda. there is a beach named after him, Swami's, with a beautiful garden in front called the Self Realization Fellowship. It's so neat to be here because I read all about that fellowship and the making of that garden. Paramahansa Yogananda was a beautiful person who influenced thousands. His was the kind of wisdom that transcended religious dogma. accessible to anyone. He was a gift to the world, for sure. And I'm HERE!! I can't believe it.

Anyway, just wanted to shout out from California!! A Snappi shout-out right here!