30th Anniversary, Part One

The day after the royal newlyweds, William and Kate, appeared at the nearby polo grounds for a charity event, Eleanor and Chauncey found themselves at Island Brewing Company in Carpinteria having a pint of Royal Jubilee.  They were on their way to El Capitan Canyon Resort to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.  Eleanor had always felt an affinity with the royals.  She and Chauncey were married two weeks before Charles and Diana in July, 1981, and were two of the millions who woke up in the middle of the night to watch the ceremony on tv.  Coincidentally, Eleanor and Chauncey’s oldest daughter was married just a year before William and Kate.

Eleanor and Chauncey checked in at the resort and were led to their cabin by a friendly, tanned man who smelled like cigarettes.  They quickly noticed that their private hideaway was surrounded by other like cabins filled with people happily preparing the evening’s meal on outdoor grills provided by the resort.  They could hear the creek, though, despite the faint sounds of a Journey song coming from a nearby cabin.

They were led to their cabin.

Eleanor declared that she needed a nap before attempting to have fun and promptly climbed into the queen sized bed after turning on a fan and putting in her ear plugs to block out the sounds of children playing Marco Polo in the pool.  Chauncey opened his book and began reading.  About an hour later, Eleanor announced that she was refreshed enough to set up for dinner.  Chauncey asked when the BBQ kit was supposed to be delivered.  Eleanor said it would be another hour.  Chauncey groaned.  Eleanor opened up some cheese and crackers and put them on a plate.  She poured them both some wine and they clinked plastic cups.

They practiced being positive.

As they ate their well seasoned chicken and beans and drank some more wine, they practiced being positive so as not to attract any more noise.  By this time, the children were out of the pool and Journey had been replaced by Kenny Chesney.  Chauncey made the observation that the strictly enforced rules against playing music loudly enough for your neighbors to hear was a hoax to get you to pay $255 a night for a cabin in a campground.

As the sky darkened, Chauncey and Eleanor sat by the fire roasting marshmallows.  By the time they finished their smores, the anniversary getaway was beginning to work.