Staycation

This week, released reader, we took some time out for a well-deserved staycation. We're probably still under some kind of travel restriction here, although to be honest by this point I've lost track. Anyway, with COVID rising in some places and falling in others, it's probably best to stay put.

We kicked off the week with a driving tour of tech sites in the area. If this sounds a lot like touring some Google offices, then that's more or less what it was, although the Apple fan in me got to go to their old HQ in Cupertino for the first time. Is this dull, or a busman's holiday, dear reader? Well to some extent yes, but as part of the industry, what's happened here in the Valley in the last 50 years will always be a significant part of history and it's fun to revisit it.

Another local site that we'd not previously visited is Winchester Mystery House. This is a rambling and somewhat ramshackle mansion, built by the widow of the person that invented the Winchester rifle, and continuously extended and modified without any semblance of a plan for the 40 years she lived here. The place is unusual and odd in many ways, although perhaps not as illogical as you'd expect from the description. It's also nice to go to one of these places post-COVID, as attractions are a lot emptier than they'd normally be, and there's a chance to see them at a more leisurely pace.

We also went across the Bay to Oakland Zoo, which is nestled in the hills above the city. Compared to a UK zoo, it's relatively tidy and well kept, which is perhaps due to the slightly nicer weather. They also have a very cool cable car system there, somewhat like the one over the Thames in London, for getting you from one end of the zoo to another bit which has inconveniently been situated on top of an adjacent hill.

Finally, Palo Alto's excellent Rose and Crown has reopened for dining, and given an appropriate wait, we were able to purloin some quite acceptable fish and chips:

This was actually pretty good: it was hot, the fish wasn't too greasy, the batter was basically right, and the chips were more-or-less like British chips (maybe a bit on the skinny side).

Not quite a staycation item, but I found the time to apply my inner Marie Kondo to my personal effects, which was a lot of fun and has resulted in everything I own now sparking joy. And as if that wasn't enough, just look at this sock drawer dear reader:

Now, I've had to personally educate the Sock Fairy in how the socks should be stored, so hopefully it's going to stay like this, but I guess we'll see. It's certainly sparking joy with me.

So after a week of well-earned rest, it's back to work next week. That's never fun after a holiday, but with the weather improving there's at least a chance to get outdoors a bit more often.