Olivenhain

Thanksgiving at Isaac's parents' house has been one of the few fixed dates on our calendar since the first day of planning the trip.
We are truly grateful that David and Lisa invited us to spend Thanksgiving with them. After all, Thanksgiving is like Christmas, a time to get together with family and close friends and share time, food and drinks. It was very special for us to be invited to such a celebration.

When we arrived at their home in Olivenhain, Encinitas, we were warmly welcomed. We had coffee, chatted for a while, and then decided to spend the evening at the Jacousie instead of going back to the city. Amelia and Isaac had bought some sour beers for us to try, as sour beers are hard to come by in Germany. The Jacousie was probably as warm as the Sheperd Hot Springs north of Bishop, but this time it wasn't below freezing outside the water!

The next day was Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Amelia had to work in Los Angeles and left Encinitas early. She returned in the afternoon to prepare a delicious Portobello Wellington for dinner.

Isaac, Birte and I drove south to San Diego to visit the zoo, which in addition to all the animals is a masterpiece of landscape architecture that is easy to get lost in. The paths go up and down, left and right. It is all very winding and densely overgrown. We saw a lot of animals, some of which you'd find in German zoos, but they also have a big reptile zoo that we really liked. We got to see all the different kinds of rattlesnakes that we didn't want to see up close during our weeks in the desert. We even saw a Gila Monster, which is native to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada, but was in hibernation when we spent the days bouldering there. Here at the zoo they hibernate much later.

Back at Olivenhain, we witnessed a busy Thanksgiving kitchen. Isaac's aunt and cousin were also there and shared the available appliances, pots and bowls with Amelia and Lisa, each preparing one or more dishes for dinner. Now you know why American kitchens are so big! We could not really help much, so David took us aside, filled our glasses with all sorts of liquors and wines, and had an entertaining conversation with us about our trip, Europe, and life in general.

Then it was time to eat. We all filled our plates in the kitchen because there was so much food that it would never fit on the table. As usual, I filled my plate to the brim. It was delicious. Each meal was an experience in itself. David added a few bottles of fine wine to the occasion. With full bellies we sat around the table and talked for hours until one by one we said good night and went to bed.

The day after Thanksgiving is a holiday in the US, but most stores stay open for the insane Black Friday shopping frenzy. I had hoped to go to San Diego to visit the Taylor Guitar Company. Unfortunately, they were still not offering tours, which they had stopped due to the pandemic, but they do have a large store in their factory where you can try out all the different guitars they make. There are a few that I really wanted to try, but I could never find them anywhere in Germany, so this was my chance. Isaac told me to call ahead to make sure they were open since most factories close for the Thanksgiving weekend and the Taylor store was part of their factory. I called and found out that Isaac was right. They were closed and once again I had missed my chance.

Instead, we painted small decorative gourds that can be used as Thanksgiving or Christmas decorations. I planned to give mine to my dad, who collects all kinds of Christmas tree decorations. I painted a Keith Haring motif of a skateboarder, symbolizing my childhood hero Tony Hawk, who also lives in Encinitas. After this meditative task, we went outside and walked through Isaac's old neighborhood before returning to a bourbon and rye tasting that David had prepared for us. Amelia took on the role of reading us all the necessary nerd knowledge about each of the four different spirits. It was our first time drinking bourbon and rye, or at least our first time drinking good quality ones that were not just Jonny Walker or Jack Daniels.
The days in Encinitas were amazing. Aside from meeting all these lovely people and celebrating the holiday with our friends Amelia and Isaac, we really enjoyed the quiet and relaxation of the three days. After that, we were ready for new experiences on the road again.Read more