Sneaking in

We wanted to get away for the long weekend so we went to a favorite spot; a quaint little town in Marin County, California called MILL VALLEY. One of my absolute favorite spots in the United States. It’s tucked away about 20 minutes north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge. To get into downtown, you drive on a windy, one-lane road. There are windy streets all through Mill Valley…streets that go up and up in elevation with trees all around. Wonderful and aromatic Eucalyptus trees fill the streets as one walks along. The downtown consists of just a few streets, more like a square. Most of the shops are independent quaint places that have things you might not find anywhere else. One of my favorite spots is actually a grocery store that also has an incredible wine shop and deli attached. We went in and roamed around and picked out food we would eater later on. Me, my usual, salami and swiss sandwich on a baguette, plain. Perfect. She ordered some other sandwich filled with dressings and such. We perused the wine selection and picked out a 1/2 bottle of chardonnay we would have later on, pre-dinner. The grocery store trip alone was a treat…it felt romantic, it felt special…because as we walked around separately, I would once in a while look up to see what she was looking at…what it was that caught her eye. I love doing that….looking at her when she doesn't know it. Noticing what her hands touch and what she reads…noticing the facial expressions she might make while looking over a particular something.
Anyways, we left the grocery with items in tow and headed up the main street and through the downtown area. Walking up the street and into the neighborhoods, I took a few deep breaths. I love the air here. It always feel fresher, cleaner….on the other side of the hills, lies the pacific ocean. We made our way through a little park and find the STEPS. The 100 or so stairs that mark the Dipsea Trail which is nestled between houses, basically. We climb and climb…noticing the houses along the way and make notes of liking this part or that part of a certain house. After about 1.5 miles up, we find a clearing and had our lunch. It was a clear late September Day and here in Northern California…a perfect temperature that would settle nicely lower as dusk came.
We walked and made the return trip back toward town and then drove to the cottage rental not to far away. We sat on the sofa overlooking the backyard gardnen…the last bit of sunlight sneaking is as we talked of the walk and what we saw…talked of downtown and places we wanted to go and check out…we opened that half bottle of wine, sipped and slowly got ready for our dinner date. She always takes a bit longer than me so I had more time to sit on the sofa and just be…relish in the moment of being in a favorite place with her..the one who makes my heart skip.
We made our way to the restaurant and sat near the open fireplace. She lets me look over the wine list because I know more about wine and she wants me to pick. {I love this, buy the way}. I look across at her and smile inside…she looks lovely sitting there across from me…the dim light shining so perfectly on her skin. The wine comes and we toast. We toast silently, smiling at one another. And I know. I know.