Rainy weekend:Part 1

 

In my 25 years in Bakersfield I haven’t seen so much snow on the surrounding mountain tops. Wherever you look the horizon is laced with snow. The recent storms brought intercity traffic to a standstill with closure of major highways. This time in February is one where there is so much to look out for. Ornamental cherry blossoms all over town, almond blossoms on the outskirts, wildflowers putting on a show in the mountains. So many beautiful hikes marked on the to-do-list. The rain literally dampened all plans for an outing. Yet it turned out to be a lovely weekend.

My sister had flown in from Dallas on Friday. As per her request, I had made plans for a variety of seafood for her. Grilled shrimp, shrimp pulao, grilled Tilapia, Thai crab fried rice. Home grown grapefruit was something she looked forward for making martini. That with habanero cheese, salads , avocado toasts, French baguettes and fresh juice from homegrown oranges made for fun filled family time. 

My sister has the same blood as me. We can’t sit indoors for long. The roads and skies beckon us. Friday night it was pouring without a pause. As I was making her fresh filter coffee, India style through a stainless steel percolator, thoughts brewed in my mind about where I could take her. It suddenly occurred to me that it was the fourth Saturday in the month. Which means they would have the Ranger guided safari at the Tule Elk Reservation. This was a drive through activity so we could do it. We all were ready and on the road by 9 am. Reaching the Elk Reservation we found ourselves to be the only people on the property! After unsuccessfully attempting to locate anyone to confirm if the safari would go on per schedule Minal( my sister) said “ Tai, let’s go to Paso Robles”. 

We were soon on the freeway heading north and then west, passing by groves of almond trees in blossom and pistachio trees that were all bare , under the umbrella of a heavily clouded sky, the wipers frequently moving across the windshield. We passed the dense jungle of oil fields in the Lost Hills area and thereafter began the wonder. Not only had the usual brown rolling hills turned green from the recent showers, the taller mountains behind them had snow over them. I had never before seen snow on way to Paso Robles! The entire scene was magical. We were not the only people mesmerized with what spread in front of us. People pulled over to take pictures, some  ventured into the snow, a few even had their snow boards out and were having fun on the slopes. 

We made phone calls to find a reservation at some good wineries. One would think who is going to go eat out in this weather! Wrong! We were not the only crazy people out there! Most wineries were tightly booked for the day. We got on the wait list , found a spot at a place in a downtown location but that wasn’t going to be the same as dining around a vineyard! Finally after some more searching around we were lucky to find ourselves a reservation at one estate vineyard. 

Reaching there around noon we were hungry and ready to dig into the starters along with their best wines. It was a beautiful afternoon, enjoying views of the vineyard covered hills while seated at a table laid out with enticing cheeseboard ingredients, colorful salads and the best of local wine. After lunch we walked around enjoying the well groomed property at the ranch. 

Minal wanted to walk around exploring shops in the downtown. Here however the rain played spoilsport! As soon as we parked and were about to walk it began to pour! We decided we had enough fun for the day and headed back home. 

The only regret through the day was “ if I knew we were going to Paso Robles and not just a drive through the Elk reserve, I would have picked a better saree !” Considering the rain and everything I had pulled out a saree that would be ok to get dirty and easy to wash. But the saree, thought not the brightest shining star, still served me comfortably through the day. So really no complaints! It was a beautiful day! Period! 

Here’s my much used, much loved and reliable on a rainy day, silk cotton Maheshwari with Dabu print in indigo.