It Might Be Fun to Find Out

I've spent a a lot of time on this chaise.

As I sit in the window of my hotel suite looking out at the ocean, I'm having to work very hard at not depressing myself. Tonight is my last night in California. I'll be flying home tomorrow.

Home. I can't really say that now when talking about Oklahoma. Now that I've been back to my own state I realize that this has always been home. I don't want to leave. I wish I was a millionaire. I'd stay here, begin house-hunting, then I'd just fly my family out when I got a place. That's in a perfect world, of course. In my world moving back to California will take a minor miracle, but I have a fresher outlook on life now and my natural positive attitude is back. I really am not looking forward to returning to all of the seriousness and negativity in Oklahoma. The flatness of it. Not geographically, I mean its personality is flat...

The balcony of my suite.

It has been a perfect trip! How often can someone say that? Everything came and went seamlessly from start to finish. The stay at Ernie's was emotional in a good way and my two days in Solvang were awesome. The three days I spent in Ventura with David and Carole were relaxing and serene and then BandTree... what can I say? That was exceptional! My final stay has been here at The Cliff House Inn, which sits on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. I mean, the Pacific is right there. And I have color! I spent at least an hour sitting on a deck chaise yesterday, and all morning today. I go home red-faced and relaxed.

What I like about this hotel is that quirky mid-century California funkiness. Yes, some of the rooms need to be remodeled and refurnished; they're working on that. The walls could use a little paint and the artwork, lighting, and fixtures are dated. But I love all the character! While in Thousand Oaks for BandTree, I stayed at the Hampton Inn. It was clean. Immaculate, actually, and everything was brand new, but when I posted a picture of my desk in Facebook a friend commented that they'd had the same room when they were in Austin, Texas. This reminds me of something I read a long time ago: When Stevie Wonder was touring back in the 1970s he said that he only stayed at Holiday Inns because they were always the same—easy for him to memorize the layout.

Diners just below my balcony.

The ground floor of this three-storey hotel is a restaurant called The Shoals. I ate there last night and had a divine Ahi tuna steak seasoned with Saffron. Holy smokes, it was good! I had a lovely table overlooking the pool area and ocean, and took my sweet time. Afterward, I took my wine outside and sat with other guests to enjoy the beautiful weather and the surf. They have a spotlight focused on where the waves come to shore, so it was a beautiful sight.

After an hour or so, I came back up to my room and filled the huge jacuzzi tub and soaked for a long time, after which I fell into a soft, dreamless sleep listening to the ocean. I didn't wake up until 9:30 this morning. But I wonder. Could I live by the ocean? The sound is nice when you're on vacation, but what about hearing it every second of every day? Would the absence of quiet get on my nerves after a while, or would I just not hear it anymore? I don't know, but wouldn't it be fun to find out!