🌄 As Good As It Gets — Contra Loma Edition (A-List Experience)
The path around Contra Loma curved like it had somewhere secret to be. The autumn light was doing that soft-focus trick again — turning every leaf into something worth staring at. Our guide pointed out wild fennel, a red-tailed hawk, and one set of paw prints that looked suspiciously coyote-sized. Nobody minded. We were too busy feeling the breeze pretending it was spring again.
Vivienne was in her element — laughing with the last stragglers, holding court over the sound of crunching gravel. “The trick,” she said, “is to walk slow enough that time gives up trying to pass you.” Nobody argued. By the time we looped back, the sun was laying gold across the reservoir like it owned the place.
Under the trees, tables waited — white cloths, real plates, and a faint halo of wood smoke. Someone handed me a glass of something cool and said, “You earned this.” I’m not sure I did, but I wasn’t about to start a debate. The barbecue came out family-style — fruit glistening in bowls, salads bright enough to make you forget about dessert. Conversation rolled easy, like we’d all known each other longer than an afternoon.
When Viv finally stood, brushing dust from her scarf, she said, “That’s the thing about Contra Costa — she’s always prettier when she thinks no one’s looking.” We raised our cups to that, and the wind carried the toast across the water.
It was an A-List kind of day — simple, surprising, and a little too perfect to plan twice.