Went to Cambria last weekend. It was something of an impulse.

 

I was invited to a production of High School Musical. OK, it would NOT have been my first choice, but I know the costumer. So, I promised I'd be there. Because I never like to put a large number of miles on my car (a 10-year-old Mazda Protege with less than 80,000 miles - every time I take it into the dealership for service, the Service Manager tells me he has at least 10 people who would love to buy my car.)

 

All right, I'm like everyone else. Trade me a car for car, and I'll love you forever. I want a new car, but I don't want a car note. (See the problem)

 

So, in keeping with my personal tradition, I rented a car. Actually, made a reservation with Enterprise here in my neighborhood. As with all good things, something always goes wrong. This time I thought I had everything in hand. I selected a reservation time for 2-1/2 hours before I needed to leave. Would you believe they managed to screw that up? Apparently, only a handful - a small handful - of people work on Saturdays. This seems to be especially true on the Saturday I need a car. Needless to say, I had to get a neighbor to take me to the office that promises to "pick you up". This would have worked if I lived in their parking lot. Unfortunately, - no, make that fortunately, I don't.

 

I arrived at the office only to discover that they were still very very busy. I might add that no one told me I was suppose to put my name on a list for attention. By the time the young woman behind the desk realized her mistake, it was apparent that "I was not happy." Anyway, I finally got her attention. After completing the paperwork, while apologizing, she walked me to the lot behind the office, pick up the car she said was waiting. At the last minute, she offered me an upgrade . . . . A Tahoe. I had to explain that I don't drive trucks. If she paid close attention, she would see that I wanted a car. Next, she was walking me toward a Pontiac when I saw . . . TADA . . . and asked, "Who gets the convertible?"

 

I was looking at a silver Ford Mustang convertible. "You want it?" "How much is it?" "I'll give it to you for the same price." "Yes, I'd like to have the Ford."

 

And there I was, driving down the highway, top down, Breathe, by Soul Food, coming from the CD player. Life is good.

 

Let's hear it for impulse.

 

The production was great. I publically admitted that I would have never seen that particular production had it not been for a promise to a friend. However, I'm glad I went. Other than the fact the music does make you bounce in your seat, I learned something. If we could figure out how to harness the youthful energy I saw that afternoon, we would have one of the best and cleanest sources of energy in the world. There would be no need to raise energy prices.

 

All right, now I have a car, a convertible, and a whole day (Sunday) ahead with no real commitments. Whoo-hoo!! I heard the highway calling. At 9:00 A.M. Sunday, I was on the highway, headed north toward Cambria, my favorite place in all of California. (I allow for the state limit because I might eventually find another place that I love as much, but it's really hard to imagine at this moment.)

 

I had lunch at Robins (http://www.robinsrestaurant.com/), my favorite restaurant in Cambria. I stopped in to say hello to Terry (or Teri, I keep forgetting to ask) the owner of the Burton Inn. (If you're looking for a quite, but friend place to get away,  check out this website: http://www.burtoninn.com/ . Anyway, this is my place for relaxing.

 

I also visited my favorite winery (http://www.harmonycellars.com/). They have won so many awards, they rotate them on the wall behind the tasting counter.

 

Jeez, I just realized this is looking like a product placement paradise. No, that's not my intent. These are just the places that I enjoy.

 

Anyway, along the way, I took a few photographs. Yes, I'm still learning my cameras.

 

Nothing really exciting happened, but it was a wonderful weekend. I'm only sorry that (1) it was so short and (2) I had to return the car. OK, I know both of those were true and inevitable, but that doesn't change anything. I always return ready to face new challanges. Well, small new challanges. It seems wrong to ruin a good feeling with reality. Oh, such is the way.

 

So, now I've had two full days of my own reality and I'm ready for another weekend. Maybe without the rental, but in the long run, that doesn't really matter. Weekeneds are special, even in an older car. (Its old and dirty, but at least its paid for - doesn't get much better than that.)