Full disclosure: this post is not about my sons who mocked my attempt at making dinner last night, nor any other males I may or may not know.
As a low budget traveler, I learned early on how to see as much as I could for as little cost as possible. That always meant lots of walking, inexpensive meals (often from ethnic restaurants and grocery stores), and visiting places off season.
My recent West Coast trip was a different situation for a number of reasons. To begin, this vacation was a bit of a consolation prize to my son who has been my intended travel partner to Spain for two summers now. Our inability to leave the country meant that money earmarked specifically for travel has accrued and I was comfortable being more indulgent than I typically might. Plus, there’s nothing like a global pandemic to inject a little YOLO into one’s life, right?
So, my son and I planned ahead by taking advantage of Southwest’s “Bags fly for free” policy (I’ve been going exclusively with carryon luggage for years) and did some shopping while we were away. He prepared for our visits to Seattle and San Francisco by creating a list of thrift and vintage stores he wanted to check out and ended up collecting a few really cool things along our drive down Highway 101.
As for me, I joined him a couple of times and found a few garments that I, too, felt the need to add to my wardrobe. I’ve recently placed my membership with Rent the Runway on hold and wanted to freshen up my closet a bit, something I was successful in accomplishing with my purchases – a couple of dresses, an awesome button down shirt, and a fabulous vintage jumpsuit.
However, none of these items are red.
My two new additions, one permanent and the other more temporary but hopefully fairly long term, are a tattoo and a pair of fantastic shoes. Let’s start with the tat…
Four years ago, shortly after we enjoyed a wonderful visit, my Uncle Wolfgang suddenly and unexpectedly died. He was the first of my mother’s siblings that I met and we shared a special connection and I miss him more than I could have imagined. Since his death, it seems like I see and hear cardinals almost everywhere I go. I’ve been consoled by their presence, and the thought that they represent a loved one lost to this life, and wanted a reminder of the love Wolfgang always showed to me and my boys.
I’d been thinking about this particular inking for a while and it seemed that having the work done while I was in San Francisco would provide the opportunity for me to memorialize my beloved uncle, while also providing a way to commemorate what was an exceptionally enjoyable vacation. After doing some research, I located an artist, scheduled an appointment and less than an hour later walked out with a visual reminder of connections that won’t ever be severed. Despite my tattoo currently being in the icky scabby stage, I love it.
Now, as for the shoes, here they are in all their glory.
While I understand they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think they’re incredible. I can’t imagine ever being sad or shy when they’re on my feet and I can’t wait to bust them out for their debut. They were very much an indulgence, but I know that with care they will last for years and I suspect that I won’t ever encounter anyone else wearing the same pair. Since the store didn’t have the shoes in my size, they offered to mail to my purchase home to Albany for me. This was an unanticipated delight because the packaging was a real treat. The outer wrapper advised me that “Miss Pretty Kitty in the City” had prepared my order and there were a number of things in the box that prompted me to smile. Call it marketing if you like, but it was of a sort that I find pretty appealing.
Returning from vacation in the red, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, right?
