Suzy Says

South Coast View

During a break between storms, Megan and I once again wended our way to the south coast. Coming around a corner, we found the view above to be so lovely that we stopped to take a picture. As we got back in the car, Megan observed that it looked like something out of “The Hobbit”, especially as we drove through a wind-snarled tunnel of witchy trees, bending to meet over the road. Not for the first time, I thought that I wouldn’t be surprised if a mythical creature emerged from the tulgy wood.

Arriving in Point Arena, we headed straight for Franny’s Cup & Saucer, as any right-thinking person would. Usually our forays to Point Arena are on Sundays, when Franny is resting up from her culinary endeavors, so we were happy to be there on a day when we could indulge in deliciousness and cuteness. It seems that ballets are scheduled for Sunday and plays for Saturday, though not on the same week.

Besides being a place where you can (and should) buy exquisite confections:

Franny’s is also a place where you can (and should) buy things of great cuteness:

for stocking stuffers, or just because, always the best reason for doing anything. Franny’s is where I bought the sparkly skull ring which I valiantly put in Erica’s Christmas stocking a couple of years ago, and picked up a couple of things for the Fab Girls’ stockings this year.

We also got mini vegetarian pizzas for lunch and decadent chocolate, raspberry and pistachio confections for later.

With a little time before the play began, we went to the garden and pet supply emporium across the street, where we discovered one of Dr. Karen’s vet techs at her Saturday job, along with her adorable dog Rex. It was so nice to catch up with her while shopping for food and treats for our bosses, and a welcome surprise.

The play itself, The Deep Blue Sea, was not my favorite, though the acting was good and I liked the set. The story is set in post WWII London and concerns a very neurotic woman who is married to one man while living with another who is total jerk. I couldn’t understand why she would put up with the boyfriend. I have never had a high tolerance for people who indulge their neuroses and self-destructive behavior, so I just wanted to smack the leading lady and order her to wake up and smell the coffee.

Still, it was interesting, and I am glad that we have access to the National Theater of London out here in the middle of nowhere.

After the play, we decided to go to Libby’s in Anderson Valley to pick up dinner, much like Ben figuring that if he was in Albuquerque, he might as well hit Hooterville. We were extra motivated to go to Libby’s, since we recently received the tragic news that Libby’s is closing forever on December 10. No more al pastor for us! We seriously discussed asking Libby for her recipe now that she is closing the restaurant, and whether we could get 20 orders and freeze them in the body freezer over at Jonathan’s place. These are important matters.

Unfortunately, the culinary gods were once again scowling on us, and Libby’s was defiantly closed at a time when it should have been open. We were not the only ones to drive happily into the restaurant parking lot and dejectedly out again. We added two hours to our drive time home, but it was a beautiful drive through the Valley, with the grape vines flaunting their fall foliage in gold, crimson, and ochre. The hills are already changing from summer gold to winter green, with all the early season rainfall we’ve been getting. All in all, a fun outing, if not an entirely successful one. No matter what, I always have a good time with my sister.

A YEAR AGO: Sigh.