While sitting reading at Patricia’s Green I saw this young woman getting coffee from the Ritual kiosk. After she got her drink she came and sat next to me so I said, “I was hoping you were going to come sit by me.”
“Oh yeah?” she said in a British accent.
“Yeah, I was sending you energy through the ether.”
“Haha, well it worked.”
“So what’s your story?”
“I’m here from England, I just got back from Burning Man. Fucking amazing experience. Brilliant. Have you been?”
“Not yet, but it’s on the list.”
“I highly recommend it.”
“For sure. So how much longer you in town?”
“Till tomorrow.”
“And what’s on your agenda?”
“Nothing really, just exploring.”
“Well you’re in luck. I’m an professional explorer. Do you like cauliflower?”
“Uh…yeah, why?”
“Cause this place La Boulange has cauliflower tarts that are the shit. Wanna check it out?”
“Okay.”
So we walk over, I order a cauliflower tart and a chocolate croissant, we sit down and start eating and she says, “Wow, this really good.”
“Told you.”
“Look at you feeding me.”
“Well things taste better when you share right?”
“It seems that way. So do you just hang out with tourists and show them around here?”
“Pretty much. I tell stories, take pictures, go on adventures with people and put it all on a blog.”
“Cool. Well, that was really good.”
“Yep, you like tea?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, there’s a tea shop right here that does Chinese style tea ceremony. Loose leaf tea, single steeping in a gaiwan. Really cool stuff. Shall we?”
So we head over to Taste Tea and Vincent, the owner, hooks it up. After tasting the Golden Oolong, which tastes like buttered popcorn, she says, “Well I need to head out to the Richmond to pick up some earrings.”
“Well it’s a beautiful day and I haven’t been to the ocean for awhile. If you want we can head out there together. If you want to do your own thing that’s cool too.”
“No, that sounds fun.”
When we get there she says, “I think I have to put my feet in the water.”
“Definitely a requirement of a beach visit.”
“This is the dream isn’t it?”
“Yep…it sure is."