I am here in California vacationing, supposed to be. Our family spent the holidays together and had so much fun. It was my daughter’s visit after two years when she came to get the Covid vaccine. It was my first apo’s airplane ride and a long haul at that. The first visit of Theo to America certainly won’t be the last.
My family is back in Manila and I am hanging around here till mid-February. The idea was to spend time with my son traveling to several US states. America has 50 states and in the past 40 years, I only got to visit a handful. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois (hanggang airport lang), Nevada, Washington State, Maryland, Florida, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, D.C., and Louisiana. I think I had been to Virginia sa airport lang. And of course, to California, California, California, 50x California. There was no desire to see the other states before.
We planned to fly to Portland, to Tennessee to visit a relative, to Utah, to Colorado, wherever. But winter seems not ideal for exploring these places because they are climate-challenged. I don’t like to waddle and paddle in snow so the exploration is postponed till the summer or fall.
I want to go back to Las Vegas to look at some stuff but my son doesn’t want to drive. There’s a Super Bowl next week so flying, driving, and basically being in Las Vegas could be fun but chaotic.
Since my brother’s situation is very uncertain, Las Vegas will have to wait too. I hope I will still have time to visit before I go back to Manila.
My son and I are now here in Napa Valley, staying at a newer hotel called Cambria. I just needed to get away for a change of scenery. I wanted to go to coastal Mendocino but there’s a storm and flood warning, and gusty winds. It’s almost 4 hours away and under a stormy condition, it’s not safe to travel. I decided to just come to Napa, an easy one-hour drive away.
Late lunch of clam chowder, garlic fries, and fresh oysters at Hog Island Oyster Company inside the Oxbow Public Market.
We are staying for two nights at this new hotel along Soscol Avenue. I spent some time deciding on where to go and stay. My first pick hotels were both fully booked on the nights we were staying. Cambria Hotel is one of the few hotels that has a room with two queen-sized beds for me and my son. Others mostly have a king and a sofa. I wanted the two of us to stay in one spacious room. He is stuck with me for the next 48 hours. At home, he is just holed up in his bedroom and does not go out unless called.
I feel restless and agitated. I hope these two days will relax my mind and spirit.
#napavalley #napa #staycation #hotel #relaxation #shortvacation #mentalhealth
