Carol's Visit

Carol Concidine and Cathy Baker: Together we pledged the Brownie oath, played Jr. High Softball in hideous, cotton, gym onesies and made our way through cheerleading, toilet-papering, test-taking, High School hijinks. We double dated, graduated, married and lost touch for a few years. Then Christmas cards and phone calls kept our friendship tenuously connected until, with children grown, I started mooching off her generous hospitality, staying with her when Shan and I would make our Summer explorations of L.A. She finally came to see me, leaving the sea breezes and ocean views of her cliff-side home in Rancho Palos Verde, this weekend.
" Oh! It's soo hot!!"
"Yes, but it's a DRY heat", was my oft times repeated reply through the weekend.
We started her whirlwind tour of my little corner of the world by heading downtown for a quick walk through Temple Square. I parallel parked, with Carol's expert coaching, very successfully! I was so excited with our accomplishment! I usually try to avoid any parking that requires backing up at a precise 49.5 angle on a busy metropolitan avenue!

Next, on up to cooler climes in Emigration Canyon and Ruth's Diner. The picture at the right shows Ruth, the founder, with her ever present chihuahua and cigarette hanging from her lip. We sat on the cool patio, under the sycamore trees and enjoyed a relaxing lunch and lots of laughs and talk. We had a lot of catching up to do, hadn't seen each other for 3 years but, as it is with good old friends, picked up like it was yesterday. You know what I mean!

We hit the sidewalk sale at Foothill Village, both deciding that we wanted to dress Chico's style. I told her they would have to open a "Chico's Grande", for plus sized women like me. If they did, I would stop dying my hair, cut it short and funky and only wear Chico's Grande and of course, black and white basics.
On Saturday morning we were greeted with the smells of melons, burning sage and kettle corn at the Farmer's Market. Carol was amazed at the diversity, the jewelry and the Israeli melons. We bought an Asian fusion lamb sandwich, a pastry and wonderful homemade mint lemonade and ate
them while being thoroughly entertained by the joyfully enthusiastic talents of our local gay and lesbian baton and rifle twirlers! What a show! We returned home with overpriced (but beautiful) food and happy hearts!
Carol helped Don and I assemble our new Sleep Number bed and got to see, first hand, marital dysfunction in action. We decided to cook at home, trying to replicate the funky Asian fusion burgers, so she went grocery shopping with me. On the way, to spice up the mundane, I took her up to the new Draper temple and the surrounding houses, many of which are gaudy, humongous, palaces. She was appropriately in awe of the blatant displays of greed. We spent the rest of the day sitting in the adirondacks, just talking and lolling about in the shade. That night, we sat on a cliff overlooking Draper park and had a bird's eye view of the fireworks. Very Pretty! The reverberation of the big booms, echoing off the mountains right behind us, was impressive!
I wanted to cap the weekend off with something special, so we headed up to the Old Mill Market Street Broiler for breakfast. I love that place! After crossing over Cottonwood Creek on the suspension bridge(whee!!) we were seated outside, shaded by a red umbrella. The mountains were beautifully green and gray, seeming to be right next to us, and the sky, blue and fluffy white! Wisteria vines climbed nearby and the creek's lovely music serenaded us as we ate dungeoness crab omelettes and orange rolls. It was heaven! Carol loved it and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!
Thank you for coming to see me, Carol! You are a good friend!