...I was feeling a little low and moping around when Stella called about 10 am. Back from the Mayo Clinic (she went on a Road Scholar jaunt), she asked if we could meet for brunch or something. I had just had breakfast, so suggested lunch and, as it turned out, she had been at the Mission for mass, so said she'd pick me up.
By the time she did, it was almost noon and, after trying Two Trees and another place, both of which were jammed, we went to Rincon and had a good lunch and good time. We then went to the Botanic Garden.
What a wonderfully scenic--and invigorating--activity! I climbed the almost vertical stone steps to the first level, while Stella went on the path. I then joined her and we continued up, up, up to the top.
We then walked a bit higher and over to the large cross that--some think miraculously--escaped the fire which had destroyed the rest of the garden. It's still being worked on to restore it in some areas.
We finally had our fill and walked down, down, down to Stella's car. At this point, her friend, Robin, called and asked if we could meet for Happy Hour.
Stella asked if that was all right with me and I said, "Oh, no, no, it's after 4:00 and I don't do such wild things"--NOT! So we told Robin we'd meet her at Pacific, which we did.
Robin is an interesting person. Divorced, no kids, just turned 70, and got back from Pakistan last week. She travels constantly. How so? Because she retired as an airplane mechanic and gets free air fare.
It just boggles my mind that that was her career. I asked how she got into that and she said she had just graduated from college, but didn't want to go into anything mundane. She saw an ad for a course in mechanics, took it, then took more, concentrating on planes. I don't know why I was so amazed--after all, there were lots of female plane mechanics during WW II.
Anyway, Robin is on the somewhat flamboyant side, but not offensively so. She's very talkative and articulate and was wearing a long, flowing white skirt in a kind of homespun fabric, with a lovely Pakistani overblouse, and a long, filmy scarf. Sounds kind of off-putting, but no, she looked great. By the way, we ate on the patio at Pacific and Robin brought 90-pound Susie with her. A friend? No, a golden retriever.
Anyway, we were there for almost two hours, talking and laughing and having a ball. By the time we left, it was after 6:00. Robin and I exchanged cards and we said goodbye. Stella asked if I still wanted go to WinCo. I did, we did, and I was able to get the heavier things--a huge cauliflower, two pounds of frozen peaches, and a sack of onions--that are difficult for me to carry when I take the bus.
Incredibly, it was 8:30 before I got home (I'm getting to be a dirty stay-out, as we used to say) and I stayed up with Frazier and blueberries until after 10. But it was a good, full, and interesting day, and it certainly lifted me out of my low mood.
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