We had a bonus day yesterday – but not necessarily in a good way. Our plan to visit friends in Healdsburg had been altered due to a somewhat mysterious email from them saying, in essence, they weren’t up to the visit. That was worrisome and we were tempted to ignore the message but decided, in the end, to honor our seventy years of friendship by not intruding. It was a hard call.

So… here we were in not-so-familiar stomping grounds with a “free day” at our disposal. Under ordinary circumstances, we might have wandered around the streets of my childhood but it was a rainy – make that Really Rainy – day. And, as everybody knows, rain when you are on ‘vacation’ is a challenge.

When push came to shove, we did what any good red-blooded folks from the backwaters of Oysterville might do – we went to the movies. A matinee. Daniel Craig was playing Bond about two miles away from our ‘place of residence.’ Two bags of popcorn plus all the classic elements of a James Bond movie turned out to be the perfect solution to rainy day doldrums. After all, what was not to like?

An impeccably dressed Bond, beautiful women, high-tech gadgets, improbable car, plane, and helicopter chases, spectacular explosions, martinis shaken not stirred (albeit ‘dirty’) and, of course, tough guys that just won’t die – the perfect get-away afternoon! It was dark and still rainy when we left the theater… but, so what? And, anyway, we had promised ourselves that this was to be an Adventure rather than a Vacation. What could fit the parameters better than an afternoon with Double-Oh-Seven?

This morning the rain is unrelenting and there is no news from Healdsburg. We are sending healing thoughts up that way as we head south toward sunshine and Christmas with Charlie. And, may the Force be with us… whoops, wrong adventure!