California Dreaming

Dream dance studio vibes: real teak floors, big real wood fireplace, flowers dangling down from the trellised ceiling, bar in back with all-copper utensils and wine racks galore clad in rich dark woods, doors and windows all open to let in fresh air from the Pacific Ocean…that all sounds so great, and evokes quite an image in my mind. I’d love to have a place like that.

I’m kinda skittish about the whole idea of opening a dance studio, and it’s not something I’d be planning on doing anytime soon even if I wasn’t, but it has quite a hold on my mind; I frequent them enough to daydream a lot about what I’d do if I had one. And ChatGPT seems convinced I’m going to be opening one (hehe), so who knows?

And yes, while I’m dreaming, I want it to be right on the Pacific Ocean, looking out over the water. Let’s say southern California near Los Angeles, since it’s about the only area I’ve ever been to that I actually love, as well as the only area I’ve ever been to where I almost felt like a normal person. I kinda fit in there! I spend decades in the undisclosed location I call home and am treated like a foreign weirdo, yet everyone in coastal California seemed to assume I was a native. People on the streets targeting tourists spared me, and further up the coast I was even asked at a hotel desk if I came from the north coast or the south coast; quite a look of surprise came over them when I revealed I actually came in from far further afield. Hmph.

Anyway, my dream beach house and dream dance studio should be in Greater LA. I’ll have my beloved in there and a whole bunch of kids and we’ll all be happy together on the beach. The location will help in finding that special someone; already in my trip I noticed a far higher density of people I found physically appealing and got along well with me than at home, and I was practically flying blind! A craftier search over a far longer period of time, much like what I’ve done at home, would likely yield a whole social circle I’d actually like! Imagine that. I vibe still better with immigrants from Europe (and the Asian parts of the former Soviet Union), who are the very best people I know…but of course, there’s no shortage of such people in southern California. I don’t have to choose!

While I’m dreaming, I don’t have to choose just one place to call home. Swanky beach houses might be my dream home, but the thought has crossed my mind that it might be wonderful to own a winery in California. Tons of land for these kids of mine to run around in (with their Irish wolf hounds?), and a few of those infamous and totally awesome wine caves. No doubt I’d abscond off with some of those bottles to my dance studio’s bar. 😉

Anyway, I wouldn’t need or necessarily even want a winery in Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley (though I love Williams-Sonoma enough and liked the area enough when I went through it on my trip I can’t help but wonder…); something like Clos de la Tech, T.J. Rodgers’s winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, would do nicely. Particularly considering they make pinot noir there and that’s one of my favorites.

The beach and the winery would be lovely places to host bonfire parties outside, but as a child of the ice I’d just have to have a wintry abode too. Luckily for me the majestic and very snowy Sierra Nevada is right next door; a swanky private ski lodge to call my own would be the perfect way to round out my lifestyle.

Now the not-so-dreamy part: how much would all that cost? Uh…I’m not sure if I even want to know, but from cursory research a ballpark minimum net-worth figure to support such a lifestyle like I have in my head here is $100 million. Suffice it to say if I have that much money anytime soon I’ll be shocked. Realistic? Perhaps not. But hey, who ever built anything great by being “realistic”? Sure, what I outline here might be a bit silly by my usual standards, but we all need dreams, we all need visions, we all need goals, something to look forward to in life. Exercises in thought like this always help me to feel better, imagining those vibes…maybe, if you share my tastes in life, this particular one can help you too. 🥰