Trip to California

Jonelle and I started our "working vacation" in California with the Shopatron Client Conference held in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Here is a picture of the plane we took to get to San Luis Obispo. Jonelle is not a fan of small planes (even regional jets) and she referred to this one as our "paper airplane to SLO." 

The ride was a bit bumpy, but not bad (even if we did have to sit next to the potty.)

The Shopatron Client Conference was great. Jonelle and I both attended separate classes and during the 5 minutes we had between each, we’d race to the other room to compare notes as quickly as possible, grab some coffee, and then back to our respective rooms. We both learned a ton and walked away with several “pages” of notes (we both have tablet PCs that we take notes on. My laptop is probably the one thing I couldn’t live without…next to yarn.)

Cheryl and Tina from Cherry Tree Yarns also attended the conference, so during the general sessions and breaks, Jonelle and I had great company to knit with. We didn’t remember to have a picture taken with all of us. You wouldn’t need to know what we actually look like to pick us out of the crowd though. We were the ones in the back of the room happily knitting away while listening to the various presentations.

The folks at Shopatron were great hosts and took the entire conference to a restaurant in downtown San Luis Obpiso called Novo. I took this picture from the patio that we had dinner on The weather, food, and company was great.  The picture really does it no justice. It was absolutely perfect outside!

After the conference was over, Jonelle and I headed to the airport to pick up our rental car so we could drive up to Napa to spend the rest of the weekend at Johnnie and Jonette's house. We had decided to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway......bad idea. Here are a few reasons why:

-  The Hearse(t) - When I made the car reservations, I was informed that we would be getting a Mazda 6 or "similar mid-size car." Well, as we were walking across the rental car lot, we passed by Mustangs, Seabrings, and other neato cars. When we got to the stall they said our car was in, our mouths dropped. We'd be cruising around California in what resembles a hearse!!! (No offense for any of you who may drive this model of car, but it was not what we were expecting.)

 

- The Drive - This sounded like a fabulous idea. After all, the weather was in the mid-80s and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Once we got to the point where we were driving along side the ocean, we saw a spot where we could pull off to look at the elephant seals. Here they are:

 

 

Jonelle called her girls to tell them to look for a picture of the seals from me since I had taken some with my phone. (Free plug here - I LOVE my iPhone. If i could take one item with me to a desert island, it would be my iPhone. My iPhone is better than any man - it doesn't sass and it always does what I tell it to.) All her youngest heard was that we went to the beach without her. (Don't worry though - Jonelle brought excellent surprises to her girls and they aren't mad anymore.)

I'm not sure if many of you are aware, but the PCH is a long, windy, twisty road that once on you can't get off. I managed to get car sick and lose my lunch around Big Sur. Not fun. We did manage to get on a regular highway near Monterey.

By this time, we were several hours behind and just wanted to get to Napa. So we were on this regular highway and traffic was a little icky since it was about 5PM on a Friday afternoon. As we were approaching San Fransisco, the highway sort of splits and one part heads off toward San Fransisco and the other toward Berkeley. Jonelle is driving and announces that we need to head toward Berkeley. "OK!" I say as Jonelle's arms involuntarily jerk the car toward San Fransisco. She immediately realized her mistake and we both uttered a stream of words not fitting of any lady.  We pop over the top of this hill and see:

All we could see were brake lights for MILES from cars waiting to pay the toll and then make it across this bridge into SF. There was no where to turn around....we were stuck.

Finally, around 9PM, we get to Johnnie and Jonette's house. The rest of the weekend was fabulous. Napa is beautiful and the Becks' home is fantastic. You definitely need to read Jonelle's blog about the time she spent with her nephew. The pictures are hilarious.

P.S. If you ever get a chance to walk around downtown San Luis Obispo, you have to stop by two places.
The Sock Drawer - where they sell ONLY socks (I know, I know, knitting them is *way* better but this store is pretty neat too.)

And Bubblegum Alley. Here is a really awful pic of me making my contribution to such a historical site. Call me nerdy, but it was a huge rush. I've never stuck my gum anywhere but the trash can and it felt so.....illegal.....to stick it on a wall in public!

Comments

[Becka]

Oh, sounds like fun...well, except for the long and winding road, LOL!
Okay, I'm with you, I've never stuck my gum on a wall and never EVEN knew there was one made of one...very cool, kinda icky, but mostly cool, LOL!

[Megan]

Hey Kat; this is your cousin Megan!

I found you! it took me a bit of searching, but since i'm all over the knitting part of the internet, I figured it was only a matter of time. Your stuff is awesome!