The Three Musketeers, Malibu Country Mart, and Color Me Mine

My nieces and I have been hanging out since they were kids. We are the three Musketeers.  

They’re all grown up now and so it’s difficult to coordinate our schedules. But we make an effort to do things together and always have fun. So, when my younger niece, Ava, had a semester break, we decided to visit the same places we did when they were little. We took Las Virgenes Rd to Pacific Coast Highway, and to the Malibu Country Mart. I’ve been there many times with my family for birthdays and other celebrations. My older niece, Ellie, was modeling for me in the above photo.

It’s a pleasant place to hang out for a few hours. There are a lot of boutiques, places to eat, and a small playground for families with kids. We moved about, trying to figure out where to go. Ava is the finicky eater, and so we let her pick. We ended up at Cafe Habana. The place had a welcoming atmosphere, was clean, and had good service. If someday I go back, I would skip the breakfast burrito because the eggs were runny and didn’t taste all that great, and the guacamole and the lemonade were bland.  But my nieces liked their Chicken Enchilada and quesadilla.

After lunch, we browsed through the stores, and Ava found a cute sweater. As she drove toward our next destination, she was singing along with songs such as I like big butts by Sir Mix-a-lot, Take it off by Kesha, and Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado. Not songs that I normally listen to when I drive, but I enjoy them when I'm in her car.

We picked up drinks on our way to Color Me Mine, and spent ten minutes picking out our ceramics. Ava settled on a butterfly, Ellie, a wine glass, and I, a Buddha. When it comes to art and painting, I’m not the most talented person. So Ava helped out with coloring the Buddha’s eyebrows and the Bindi, the red dot on the forehead of Buddha.

A week later, the ceramics were ready. It takes awhile because the staff is busy, and they need to glaze fire them, before giving it back. They always say to use several coats of paint so that the colors don’t look faded. I haven’t yet seen mine in person. It’s sitting at my brother’s house. But when he sent me the above photo, I told him that he can keep the Buddha, because it didn’t turn out the way I expected. He said that my Buddha isn’t photogenic, and it looks better in person. Lesson learned: the next time I will take a longtime picking out my ceramic. On the day we went, their inventory was low. Maybe it’s better to go a day early and put something on hold. But, it’s all good. My plan was to connect with my nieces, share a memory, and have a nice time which we did.