It just happens.

Driving south in CA on 99 or I5 stirs something in me.  I start to see signs for Altadena, Riverside, and Irvine and there is a need. I must hear Tom Petty.  Some Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Even a little Tupac (“In the citaaaaaay! City of Compton.) I like these musicians in a ‘been there, done that’ sort of way but So Cal?  So Cal needs them.

We followed the Big Green Truck down off the Tehatchapi into southern California with the requisite soundtrack.  We headed out of the traffic (not so bad, really) straight to Cousin Kathy’s house where she had pizza and local fruit and the pool!! waiting for us.

In our short stay we visited White Lime (a frozen yogurt place.  Delish.), Old Temecula (best antique store EVER), did an olive oil tasting (Ellie swigged each sample, shot for shot, that Jac and I had.  So fun.), a Mexican Cantina (more food than we could eat and jello cups for the kids), and THE MALL.

And we swam and swam and swam.

It was perfect and the loveliest of ways to say goodbye to California for a little while.  And to hear the music again, too.

*I overheard Tess and Ellie this weekend singing, “And I won’t back down!”  Somehow, though they heard it just once the day we drove south, it stuck.  Says something about them, right?