Mommy's Caviar Dreams

When you live in California, it's easy to get used to pretty awesome stuff...like this. Clear days, gorgeous sky, crisp blue water. You name it...perfection.

Sure, we don't live here exactly. This is Granny's town. She has the pretty rock. But, this nice view, this nice rock, this nice boardwalk stroll; it all starts to get into the blood and become expected. At least for me, anyway. Then, it starts to become a problem. I start to expect MORE!

Like, maybe a gorgeous house, with perhaps a view of this awesome stuff. I don't know, maybe a terrace that overlooks all this stuff. Something with a little guest cottage. Maybe something like this.

Yes, this is the guest house...of Hearst Castle. I'm pretty sure that I could live here. Just in the guest house. I wouldn't expect to live in the main house or anything. That would be rude. Sort of asking too much, I think. Besides, the guest house has this view from the terrace. I could suffer it, I think.

Oh, and did I mention my pool? There's an indoor pool too, but I think I'd probably use the outdoor pool more often because, I mean, who wouldn't? The indoor pool is only coated with real gold tile and is actually too gorgeous to imagine. But this, yeah, I could swim here. It's like the Vegas came here to come up with things to imitate. Hmm, the classy version of Vegas. The statues and stuff are actually real art dragged in from classic Europe. I wanted to touch it! Of course, I also didn't want to go to jail.

So, I decided that I should definitely get to live here. I plotted and schemed and thought about it. I told Collin about the place and he was in on it too. He was pretty sure that he liked the idea too, despite the fact that he didn't get to see the place. Yeah, Granny got to babysit Collin ALL day. She loved it! Mommy was nervous and missed her baby like crazy. Still, we both survived the day and everyone was happy. That is, until I told him about the signs plastered all over the place about patrol dogs being on duty after hours and the surveillance cameras everywhere. He talked me out of squatting on the property. Something about all the priceless art and artifacts makes me think they wouldn't take to kindly to me moving in.

So, Collin is back to eating take-out Jack-in-the-Box on the way back to our military housing in good old San Pedro. He looks pleased, right? I think he looks disappointed to have lost access to the best diggs in history. You know who else looks disappointed? The lady in the background who wonders why the crazy lady with the camera is taking so many pictures in a fast food joint in the middle if central California. Still, I learned that Hearst was inspired to build his great house after spending a year and a half abroad with his mother as a young boy. So, I'm busy trying to convince Bryon that I should get to take Collin to Europe on a "formative" experience for a year.

Bryon seems unenthusiastic about this plan. He keeps saying something about money. Collin, however has recovered from his disappointment because yes, he is getting to watch "Nemo" today. Anything is better when you can watch Nemo!