When I first started planning out this road trip, I had intended to have a theme. I wanted to maintain one constant variable no matter where I was...think of it, if you will, as a “finding home in a faraway place” sort of mentality.
My choice for constant variable?
Coffeehouses!
More specifically, small, local mom-and-pop type coffee shops (no Starbucks or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf). Like Mama Java's, a great little coffee house down the street from my house in The Valley of The Sun.
I am not much of a coffee drinker, at least not of the at-home-in-the-morning kind. But I am a huge fan of cozy coffeehouses; the vibe is one of relaxed indifference, which I find refreshing in this age of constant in-your-face atmospheres. There's still plenty of chatting and engaging interactions, usually among the staff and their regulars, but it's nice to have the option to remain anonymous, tucked away in a comfy corner. No one holds it against you if you choose to stay to yourself, but you never feel alone because there is so much social energy.
With that in mind, my hope was that in each city I visited on this road trip, I would find find the friendliest place with the plushiest furniture (and wi-fi access!), order a cuppa iced java (my standard: soy mocha latte, decaf of course!), and adjust to each of my new surroundings while relaxing in a familiar atmosphere. Then I would be free to be who I want to be...or at least to do some soul-searching to figure “me” out!
Well. Over the last seven days, I've:
been on a Ferris Wheel and a merry-go-round,
changed my hair color a few times
and lots more.
I've had a great time going everywhere and doing everything, but I haven't had any time to sit back and soul search. I haven't been to a single coffeehouse all week.
Until today.
I had the house to myself all afternoon (Karla and Scott were at work, Kayla at daycare), but I opted to go exploring instead of staying in. So I cruised over to Grass Valley, CA, which Scott had recommended as a great place for sight seeing. Since it was lunch time I went in search of a cute little place to set up camp (I'd dragged my laptop along, with the hope of finally providing y'all with an update!). It took a bit of wandering and searching (both with and without Michelle's help), but I eventually came across a place called Caroline's Coffee Roasters.
It was definitely a local hot spot, with friends popping in every couple minutes and young, energetic staff members keeping up running commentaries. I settled in for the long haul, easily fading into the background even as the atmosphere buzzed with activity and conversation.
I wiled away the afternoon there, mooning over the ceramic dishware
and puzzling over some huge contraptions that had no apparent purpose. I'm pretty sure they were old fashioned coffee grinders!
Oh yeah, and their coffee was really good, too!
When I finally packed up and headed back to Rough and Ready, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. All because I'd taken those few hours to focus on myself and relax.
Which reminds me of a conversation I had with Scott last night. It went something like this:
Scott: “I'm glad you found your way to R and R [Rough and Ready]. There's not really much to do here though.”
Me: “That's funny that you said 'R and R,' because that's what I keep calling it. I say to myself, 'I'm going to R and R to get some R and R [Rest and Relaxation]. I'm liking the sound of this!'”
Scott: “Wow, it's funny because you have some of the exact same mannerisms as Tanya. I keep noticing that.”
Me: “Well...”
Scott: “That shouldn't really be a big surprise, I guess.”
And that's my random conversation tidbit for the day!
Tomorrow I hit the road yet again...and this time there's a pretty big change a-coming!
I got butterflies in my stomach just from typing that...whee!
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