Ninety Percent

Well, I had about ninety percent of an enjoyable day on Sunday. The other ten? Read on.
I called Carolyn to ask when she thought she might pick up the table. She mentioned that she, Robyn (Betty's daughter-in-law), and Ellen were planning a joint birthday party for Betty and me next weekend. She thought she and her husband could get the table after that. Okay, I guess I can live with that.
Met Nancy outside just at noon, both of us exactly on time. Introduced her to Tinytown and she said hers may very well be smaller than mine. We chatted for a bit, then headed to Macaroni Grill in the nearby Barnes & Noble Shopping Center for a good pasta lunch.
Nancy didn't know the way and lives in Oakview, near Ojai, so I had promised to drive to Santa Paula for the play. Matinee was at 2:30, it's only ten miles or so, and we got there in plenty of time. We were able to sit and have coffee in the kind of sitting room lobby, which adjoins--very pleasant. The play itself, an original called Clean House, was really, really good. Actors were excellent, the set was superb and the script was both funny and poignant. There was a full house--always more festive than a sparsity, even for the audience--and we had good, unobstructed seats. Very enjoyable and we had a good time.
When we got out, however, it was about 4:30, and we were surprised and a little disconcerted to see it was not only getting dark, but was raining in a misty, somehow menacing way. Nancy had been apprehensive about driving home in the dark and this was even worse, but we set out, me at the wheel.
I took 126, and had planned to get off at Victoria Avenue, but it was so hairy--my windshield clouded up, too--that (my first mistake) I decided to get off at Wells Road and take Telegraph after. Did that, then saw Petit Avenue. I know Petit bisects Telephone, so turned left to get there. That was my second mistake. I had forgotten, or never knew, that there are two Petit Avenues or rather, that it doesn't go straight through.
Well, I'm not going to go on in any detail--I don't quite remember what happened, anyway--but I accidentally took Foothill Road (ominous name!) then, after a number of twists and turns, we found ourselves right back in Santa Paula!
Well, at least I then took Telegraph all the back to Victoria and from there was home in five minutes. However, I never, never want to drive in that combination of dark, rain, and wind--it's fearsome.
I must say Nancy was patient and uncomplaining as she could be, even though this meant she had to drive home not only in pitch black, but in rain, too. I asked her to please call me when she got in, she did, so that was the end of the adventure and I'm breathing a sigh of relief.
Called El after, but she didn't seem alarmed by the saga at all. Not nearly as much as I was, anyway. Betty called just now (Monday, 9:00 am), having gotten back from Florida yesterday. She had a horrendous flight on Spirit, an airline nobody in his or her right mind should ever approach. However, she's back in Ventnor and will be coming in to Pasadena Thursday, then to our joint birthday party Sunday at Ellen's.