This weekend, we decided to go down to Aptos. That is a small town south of Santa Cruz about 30 minutes north of Monterey. This was my first time booking a place from AirBnB that looked inviting. I had a voucher to try it out, so this seemed to fit our requirements.
It usually takes only 2 hours to get to Aptos. Predictably, the traffic was bad since we left just after the rush hour. As a consequence, it took us 3 hours. The worst part of it hit us on Highway 1 after Santa Cruz. It is a two lane highway which needs to be expanded to deal with the huge population growth that has occurred down here. I think that a lot of people live in Santa Cruz and they commute north into the lower part of the Silicon Valley. I don't envy their commute. It took us 40 minutes to get through 6 miles. I am glad that we took the MX-5. We enjoyed the tedium with the top down.
The other two lane highway that we travelled on was Highway 17. That is a beautiful, twisty highway which also needs to be expanded. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be--it was moving along. We saw a couple of people with a banner urging everyone to support Proposition D. This is a proposition to create some expanded on and off ramps to deal with the congestion. Politics has a way of creeping into your life during election season.
We needed to reconnect with the Pacific Ocean before the weather turned crisp and brisk. October is a beautiful month here in the Bay Area. It's the last month before you need to start wearing more layers to ward off the wet cold--the kind of cold that penetrates you to the bone. It is tempered by the clear crisp days. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else for winter outside of Hawaii.
We also needed a break from the incessant political news streams. Our election cycle will be coming to an end in 2 weeks. Whoever wins will have the unenviable task of uniting this country. But, that's just one aspect of the season of politics. The other has to do with a long list of local and state initiatives. In my mind, those are more important since they actually affect your life in more significant ways.
We took the ream of mailings from the various propositions on the ballot with us. Predictably, we had no energy to look at them. I blame the amazing views of the shoreline and the sounds of the waves as they crashed against the beach. Sitting here, I can't figure out how anyone can do any significant work. Or, they just ignore it all.
In search of getting something to eat, we discovered a local gem, the Aptos Street Barbecue. They were very busy and served up 35 different flavors of beer. Even though I'm not a beer connoisseur, I could appreciate the variety of brands that they served. There was a very long line to get a glass of beer. I didn't observe any pitchers of beer being served. The barbecue was so good that they started to run out of various meats by the time we left. I could tell that this was the happening place.
More importantly, they had a blues band playing. They have live music playing every night. There's something about live music that adds atmosphere to a place--not that this place needed any more of that.
The blues band consisted of a guitar player, a bass guitar player, and a drummer. That's really all you need for a blues band. The lead guitarist was an older black man that looked like he lived a full life and didn't have enough time to sing about it. The bass guitarist was a younger black man wearing dreadlocks. The drum player was an older white guy that kept the band in time. We managed to listen to some of it before they took a break.
While they took a break, the old blues band leader talked to us. We heard some great stories of his days in Santa Cruz in the 60s. He was originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He tried to return, but his wife wouldn't have it. So, he ended up "stuck" here. I don't think he minded that. He talked about the hippies and the early days of the civil rights movement. Somehow, he's been able to make a living here as a blues guitarist.
We were amazed by the stories and very honored that he took the time to talk to us during his break. It could be that we were the only people of color in the restaurant. But, I want to believe that it was our curiosity and open manner that made him comfortable enough to talk to us. Whatever it was, it helped add some more flavor to the place while we ate.
He got back to the small stage and started up a whine on his guitar. He channeled some B. B. King and played "The Thrill is Gone" and I could feel it. He played some other classics, as well. They were all served up with a dose of experience and stories untold. What a treat!
And so here we are, looking at an expanse of blue sky and blue ocean. There is truth in the blues. You just have to slow down enough to feel it, to hear it, and to see it.
The Blues trio rocking the house for their last set.
All your sunsets are mine.