Birthday Bread–Play by Play

More rosemary rolls–20 of them

Mixed: 6:30 pm

Molded: 9 pm (then retarded in fridge all night)

Baked: 7 am

Fed nine on my birthday/island adventure

Last year my birthday was celebrated amidst a wildfire catastrophe, so this year we decided to create our own adventure and take a day trip to Santa Cruz Island, an uninhabited slice of land that graces the Santa Barbara Channel. I’ve wanted to visit this island for years…

There are no services offered on the island, just fresh water and outhouses, so we needed to pack whatever we’d need for the day. Birthday fare included: homemade rosemary rolls (my current favorite!), hard Italian salami from Via Maestra, jazz apples, green olives, gorgonzola cheese, water, and a wee bit of wine. But first! we had to trek to our picnic spot and earn our vittles…

It was a beautiful, warm day and the vistas were inspiring…

Some of us struggled at about mile two. The trail was steep, the wind was blowing, and my daughter is a drama queen!

Finally, we ate lunch at the mountain top, amidst fields of wild grasses. The rosemary rolls were a gigantic hit!

Refueled, we hiked the remaining two miles, played in the valley, climbed trees, marveled at the foxes and soaked up the beauty of that rugged place.

In the afternoon we reboarded the boat, a few rolls left in the backpack for those in our party who don’t like the topsy turvy water. (Munching on bread helps keep the mind and the tummy from rebelling.) But who had time to think about seasickness? The channel was teeming with seals, sea lions, porpoise and humpback whales all playing in the large swells; it was quite a birthday show.

I’m already planning a trip back.

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