Cold Spring Tavern & 9/11 10 Years Later

Ten years.  It's hard to imagine.  In many ways it is still so present and in others, it's so long ago.  Beau and Harry were 5 and 6.  So small.  Their west side NYC condo provided shelter to a crowd of extras on the night of 9/11/  The KC contingent who were all across from the WTC as it happened and worked their way up the FDR then across town.  Parent's friends who all worked in lower Manhattan in the financial district.  Ida & Perry lost so many friends from Cantor Fitzgerald etc.  Ten years marks a lot of progress.  They have grown into young teens.  Beau is driving and Harry's not far behind.  Their memories are more restricted - the chaos at school, the crowd at the house taking over their beds, and the muted conversations of the adults trying to make sense out of the insanity.

It is strange to witness the differences as the 10th anniversary plays out.  Our NYC office is relocated to the new WTC 7 building.  Ground zero had been transformed into a memorial.  As accidents happen, we were in NYC for a wedding when Bin Laden was finally taken out.  It was a marker but not an end.  There is no doubt this a long struggle between freedom and those who want to dominate and destroy everything America stands for. 

Ida, Beau, Harry, Quentin (Harry;s friend) and Peggy all headed to mass this morning.  After the ND vs. Michigan debacle from the night before, Pleep suggested the Irish need to return to their roots, start a novena and recommit to being a Catholic university.  

With 4 house viewings scheduled, Ida decided it was a good idea just to head up to Cold Spring Tavern for the Sunday tri-tip, blues, and bikes ritual.  Built in 1886, Cold Spring Tavern is one of the key historic spots in the Santa Barbara area.  Plus, it is one that is licensed to sell adult beverages which puts it in Pleep's top ten list of places to go when visiting the Parkers.  Located on Stage Coach Road on the San Marcos Pass, it is a collection of old log cabins which originally served the stage coach riders.  Today it serves as a great resturant and gathering spot.  Plus it it is the originator of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing which it still serves in abundance, especially as a dipping sauce for fried onion rings.

On Sundays, the whole area is a gathering place for classic cars, race cars and, most especially, Harley Davidsons.  Pleep found a perfect place for listening to the music and watching the activity.  Tucked between the tricked out Harleys and Ferraris and the band, Peggy, Ian, Harry and Ida had the perfect spot to people watch, vehicle watch and enjoy the day.  

The band does a great job.  The tri-tip sandwiches are well worth the trip up the mountain.  The biker crowd comes from all over the central coast and LA to enjoy the winding road up to the tavern.    All in all, it was a great way to celebrate the freedom Americans enjoy and recognize the thanks we all owe to the relatively few number of police, fire fighters and military who protect us all.