Coronado

Oh my goodness, it turned out to be the RIGHT California to visit after all. I had such a GOOD TIME seeing my cousins and aunts and uncles and my grandpa, I was SO SAD to leave. First of all, let me just note that next to the New York airports I am used to, San Diego's airport is like an ashram in remote India! It is SO CHILL and quiet and easy to navigate. The moment I got off the plane the clear skies and sweet air hit me and I couldn't believe how BEAUTIFUL it was.

After a sweet visit with my grandpa, I walked to the beach and sat in front of the Pacific and just drank it all in.

Both my parents' families settled in the area, so I used to spend every summer of my life on Coronado. It was a fantastic place to be during the summer. If my cousins weren't already staying at my grandparents' house with me, they were down the street at my aunt & uncles. I used to stay barefoot for two whole months, running up and down the street and walking the blocks to the beach EVERY SINGLE DAY. It was HEAVEN.

Graham called me while I was still at the beach and asked me, "So are you FILLED with nostalgia?" I said, "Honey, I am DROWNING in it!"

I was the first of the out of towners to arrive and so I got some good visiting time with my grandpa, who with the upcoming marriage of another granddaughter was ALSO drowning in nostalgia. I got to hear about his childhood in Salem, Indiana, and his inspiration from Charles Lindbergh to start flying, and his courtship with my grandmother, and many other stories he seemed eager to talk about. I loved hearing about all of it and it was good that I came early because the next day was WEDDING DAY,and the household became like a kind of epicenter of activity and shuttles and relatives coming and going and dresses being ironed.

My camera gave up the ghost moments before my cousin Jessica walked down the isle in her blond and bronzed glory. She is a private stewardess, and so were all her bridesmaids. They all walked down the isle like gorgeous models for some shampoo or beauty product that I wanted to go out and BUY IMMEDIATELY. It was a fun wedding filled with slide shows and heartfelt funny toasts, and gardenias, and three kinds of cake. Oh yeah, and because Graham wasn't there, I got hit on so HARD by a relative of a relative that I ended up switching tables. Such EXCITEMENT!

I am having my usual CALIFORNIA-FAMILY pangs returning back to New York. I guess it isn't such a bad thing to have so many people in so many places and such a large state to love. When I left, my grandpa said, "But I never got to tell you about my wedding day with your grandma. Be sure to come back while I can still speak!" If it was up to me, I'd say, "See you next weekend."