The phone was ringing. An 865 number. It was my sister, Christina.
"Hello?"
"Hey, how was the yut?"
"What?"
"Did. You. Have fun. At the yuts?"
"You mean the yurts?"
"Oh, yeah," Christina giggled. "Well, I knew it was like a hut but with a "y."
Christina is truly hilarious in ways she does not intend.
The two of us take unreasonable pleasure when Mom says something a little off. For example, when driving past the fitness center LA Fitness, Mom said, "Look, la fitness," as if it was a French gym. And then there was the time Christina called me so hysterical that I could barely understand her; she and Mom had been watching an awards show and Penelope Cruz had strutted by and her name had appeared at the bottom of the screen. Mom made some comment about "Pin-uh-lope" Cruz and Christina just lost it, immediately calling me so I could join in the hilarity. And of course we'll never forget the road trip where everything we drove past was "quaint and picturesque" according to Mom. We've gotten a lot of milage out of that one.
But yuts? Lookout, Christina. Guess who you're turning into?
Treebones
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I'm realizing that it looks like we've been celebrating our anniversary for a month now, but we did nothing but work on our actual anniversary, so we've had to stretch things out a bit. Anyway, we just got back from a two night getaway where we got a see a beautiful part of the country that we'd never seen.
On the drive back we pulled over at another vista point and heard loud barking coming from the beach. Sea lion barking. We caught sight of them and listened to them talk for awhile.
We left on Sunday morning and headed north. Our destination was five hours away, but we decided we would stop if anything caught our eye along the way. Once we got on the Pacific Coast Highway (the PCH) that follows the shoreline, there were plenty of things to see. We pulled over at a vista point to take in the view, and were promptly greeted by an aggressive welcoming committee of ground squirrels. They approached without hesitation and I hollered at Zach to get a banana out of the car, partly because I wanted to get a closer look at them, and partly because they looked like they would eat human flesh if they weren't satisfied with people snacks.
Once we had quelled the hunger of the man-eating ground squirrels, we went to check out the ocean view. And what did we promptly spot? An otter! Two otters in fact, swimming around and playing. It's quite possible that it was a mom and a pup, but we can't be certain. It was the first time I've seen them in the wild, and I was delighted to see one floating on her back and trying to break open some food by tap! tap! tapping! it on a rock on her belly. Delight!
Our next stop brought an even more spectacular sight:
Hundreds of seals napping on the beach. They looked so warm and soft, like perfect pillows. Occasionally one would use a flipper to throw sand on his back, and we saw one cover his head with sand and then make a breathing hole in the mound by blowing air out his nose. Further down the beach we saw what we think was an elephant seal. It was like the most enormous slug you've ever seen lobbing itself toward the water bit by bit.
On to our destination: Treebones Resort in Big Sur. "Resort" is an interesting word choice. We loved the place, but when you share a communal bathroom, is it really a resort? Treebones is a series of yurts that offer ocean views and an unplugged experience. No cell phone reception, no tv, no computers. It feels like a campsite but offers more comfort. There is a lodge with a free waffle breakfast, and they also serve dinner and have a little gift shop and games and books to borrow. Really, there was nothing to do, which is just what we wanted. We played a lot of Scrabble, sat by the fireplace, and looked at the ocean. And we tried the homemade pie both nights. Apple and strawberry. Mmmm.
We took a drive up to Big Sur proper...
...and had lunch at a riverside restaurant.
On the drive back we pulled over at another vista point and heard loud barking coming from the beach. Sea lion barking. We caught sight of them and listened to them talk for awhile.
Back at Treebones, we discovered this:
A "bird nest" built by a Bay Area artist. It faces the ocean and you can sleep in it. It has a mattress and is quite cozy. I'd love to come back and do this when the weather is a warmer.
Treebones is a new favorite. But next time, we want one more day. To sit. And do...nothing.
Hootenanny
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We wanted to have an little anniversary party, so last weekend we invited a bunch of folks to join us for a picnic in the park. We had hoped that more people would bring instruments so we could have a regular hootenanny, but we did the best we could with two guitars and a harmonica. We had great fun with our giant frisbee, and served Linda's coleslaw, some potato salad, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. For decorations, I made a posey string out of our left-over wedding invitations. We had wonderful weather and look forward to another picnic, this time with more music!
Change the Waitress
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This week I shot my first television role for a new TNT show called Leverage, and I learned the magical formula that keeps the tv industry going: Hurry Up and Wait.
I arrived at 10 am, and was sent to hair and make-up for an hour. Then I was sent to hang out in my little room in the trailer. For 2 1/2 hours. Then I went over to the set and sat around. For 2 hours. Then I went back to my room, got into costume, went back to the set, did a quick rehearsal of a scene, and mostly sat around for 3 more hours. I had three lines, and they had to be shot outdoors, and the sun was starting to set. "Change the waitress!" someone yelled, and I quickly changed costumes and had a mike put on me. We had one walk-thru of the scene and then they started taping. Tensions were high and there was a lot of pressure to get everything done while there was still light, but I think they got what they needed.
I'm glad I had the chance to spend some time on set and see how things operate. The series regular actors were really nice and offered to rehearse our scene--not an opportunity you always get!
Here's my little honeywagon:
And here's me in it:
This show is under an AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) contract, not SAG, so I had to join AFTRA as well. I am now fully unionized!
Get a Clue
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Two members from my improv group wrote and produced a web series called Get a Clue. The third episode features Zach and me as the voices of a couple of bunnies. Who else could they have asked? Each episode is 3-4 minutes long, and the bunnies are in episode three below. Check out the series website to catch the first two episodes.
Zombie Apocalypse
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It's happening!
Seeking shelter in a high school.
We later learn that zombies can only be killed by paper cuts.
My boyfriend is attacked by a one-armed zombie in a cemetery
Feast of San Gennaro
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Two years ago we discovered an Italian fair called the Feast of San Gennaro. This year we went back with our friend Fred and his parents. There were many booths with Italian food and we ate our way through the place. My favorites were the pink biscotti and strawberry and lemon gelato; Zach loved the italian sausage, but declared that it was not as good as his mom's recipe. Sadly, the pumpkin ravoli in sage butter sauce that we so fondly remembered from our last Feast was elusive. There was a little petting zoo complete with bunnies, and some hilarious singers to entertain the crowd with Sinatra tunes. And as you'll see in the pictures, we met a giant piece of string cheese.
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