~Thursday, December 16, 2021~
Day 550
It’s the little things…..lighting a burner stove without needing a lighter, flushing a toilet with the flow of Niagara Falls, showering without having to turn off the nozzle between sudsing up. Even though we don’t mind the simpler way of life, it’s always a welcome adjustment having a break from it, to lap in a little “luxury”.
Five loads of laundry, and sorting piles of “stuff” from the truck took up most of our day. I’m still feeling disorganized though with 2 months worth of mail and piles of Christmas packages to sort through. Lots of wrapping time ahead. It will all get done in time.
We’d been looking forward to seeing our financial advisor for some time, though tonight would not be the night to talk about such things. It was more about getting together for the Holidays and getting to know each other on a more personal level. Our meeting place…..Sienna Restaurant in El Dorado Hills. It was also the first time we met Steve’s wife Staci…..such a lovely couple. They seemed very interested about our journey as they too would like to get out of California in the next few years. In fact, they had just taken a trip to Tennessee (before the catastrophic tornadoes), to check out school’s for their daughter and to see what cities might be suitable for them. Montana is also on their radar as it is for us too. Sienna was the perfect atmosphere for quiet conversation, great drinks and great food. Staci and I enjoyed a “specialty” margarita while Jeff had a martini and Steve a Manhattan. My meal of “Sparkling Salmon” with a honey-nut crust, parmesan whipped potatoes and green beans was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, the “sparkling” part of the salmon was a shellfish induced sauce so I had to forgo that part of the dish. Jeff had braised short ribs with bacon marmalade on a bed of whipped potatoes and baby carrots. Steve was the healthy one of the group eating a blackened shrimp salad and Staci, a seared scallop risotto. We could have sat even longer, enjoying each other's company, but knew it was time to say our goodbyes with our cue being a diminished staff and dimming restaurant lights. We basically closed the place down.