Lemons anyone? Make some lemonade
Today could have been a bad day. It was one that parents of teenagers can imagine with angst - or maybe have experienced in a similar fashion.
The scene: 18 year old granddaughter, having been home for 2 week getting tonsils out, drives off on Friday, returning to school in Santa Barbara Said granddaughter doesn't have a driver's license; only a driver's permit. Granddaughter has a friend come along, one who's over 18, a licensed driver.
Grandaughter gets stopped for speeding on a rural stretch of Highway 101; friend has a suspended license. Car is impounded; kids spend the night in a roadside hotel (thank goodness they didn't hitchhike!). Kids take a cab ($160 plus tip!) to the nearest city where they could buy bus tickets to Santa Barbara.
The situation to be resolved: Car is in a towing yard, a 2-1/2 hour drive from home; can only be released to a licensed driver, the owner of the car. Yard is closed on the weekend. Busy Realtor® grandmother has a buyer sign off to attend on Monday; a loan contingency to work on removing; a file to organize, scan docs and get to the proper parties before the day is over. Grandfather, an electrical engineer and algorithm designer, has Monday meetings planned with his group.
The resolution: Both grandparents take off Tuesday, drive to King City (where??) to get a release from the Highway Patrol, find the towing yard (where, no kidding, the dog had to be tied up before we could enter to retrieve the car) and pay $475.00 to get the car!
The lemonade:
- First, we had a delightful time driving down together, time to visit, chat, grouse, laugh -- all the things that get rushed in our busy day-to-day lives.
- Second, we drove, separately, north up Highway 101 to the little town of Soledad, in the Salinas Valley (best known for its Correctional Facility) where we parked one car and drove about 30 minutes up Highway 146 to the Pinnacles National Monument. We enjoyed a wonderful 3 hours together, hiking to the top of the High Peaks, cares falling to the wayside.
- The 2-hour drive home, in solitude, allowed time to think--how beautiful our State of California is, how fortunate we are that the CHP stopped a young speeding driver before a tragedy occurred; and --- how special it is to have someone with whom to make lemonade!
Here are a few shots from today's lemonade pitcher:
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