Saturday
Saturday morning David joins Jack and Tommy in the hot tub. It’s 6AM. It’s true because there’s embarrassing photographic evidence. Breakfast arrives out of nowhere. Guy has whipped up pancakes, eggs, bacon, Deluxe Grahams, leftover poppyseed cake. Good God, the food goes on and on.
Then it’s up to the mountains. The Suburban has been packed up with shotguns (yes, shotguns) and all the associated accessories needed for trap shooting (yes, trap shooting). David is frightened, but he’s decided to hold that feeling deep, deep, deep in his soul and cultivate it as an ulcer that will bloom two or three years from now. We make the thirty minute drive into Los Padres National Forest and by 10:30 we’re taking in the stunning views of Santa Barbara and the Pacific to the west and south, and the mountains to the east and north.
So, Guy has all these shotguns. Each of us in Group 9 (Group 9? I’ll get to that eventually) take two practice shots at targets he’s laid out. Nobody misses. Then it’s off the the trapshooting range, were we all do reasonably okay. We finish our time on the mountain by eating the subs Guy picked up earlier, and then very short hike to take in the view. Mountains and beach within a half-hour of each other. Spectacular.
The Suburban’s brakes heat up and start to stink as we drive down the mountain switchbacks and into Santa Barbara. We walk around the Santa Barbara City College campus, which looks out onto the Pacific Ocean. The temperature his hit 80º. It’s January 13th.
Back at Guy’s, most of Group 9 watches the Eagles playoff game. Tommy and David hang in the shade in the back yard. Later, Tommy goes for a walk and David catches the end of the game, which the Eagles win, much to Jimmy’s consternation.
After the game, Guy splashes some gas on the fire pit and—whoosh— the fire is back, and we all pick up from where we left off the night before. Then the grill is fired up once again and Guy and Francesca cook up barbecued chicken, roast beef, and baked potatoes. We eat on TV trays in front of Guy’s huge flatscreen as we watch the Anaheim Ducks play the LA Kings. Ahh … hockey.
