“Clouds are on top for a reason. They float so high because they refuse to carry any burden.”
—Jasleen Kaur Gumber
Yesterday was a great day for a bike ride. The clouds were in abundance, making all sorts of dazzling patterns. I love how they arrange themselves high up in the sky in interesting and beautiful formations as seen in the photos I took. As a kid I gazed at clouds for long spells daydreaming while laying on the grass. They have the power to bring rain and within hours or days dissipate, reminding me that everything changes in life just like moods, thoughts, emotions, and aging. The air was cool and windy. Trees where swaying in the direction of the wind. There were some dark clouds on the horizon, forewarning rain was on its way today, and here we are the rain came and went for now.
Bill and I got off to a late start. We met at 11:30 AM, close to lunch hour and knew at some point we would be hungry.
We left with the idea of riding our bikes on the protected Los Gatos Creek Trail to the back of downtown Los Gatos and having lunch at Andale’ Mexican Kitchen Taqueria To Go, a little cantina with a lot of heart at edge of the strip. This eatery is not to be confused with the larger Andale’ Mexican Kitchen and Bar Patio across the street, owned by the same family.
I can’t think of a better name than Andale’ for a Mexican Restaurant that is geared up for a quick bite. The Taqueria has very limited seating on the inside as well as seating in front which allowed us to more readily keep an eye on our bikes. One of the most popular uses of the word ‘andale’ is as synonym of ‘hurry up’ or ‘come on.’ As a synonym for ‘come on’ it means to show agreement as to a situation or proposal, in our case we agreed to have lunch. It also fits the synonym of ‘hurry up,’ as in hurry up and eat, we have more riding to do.
Andale has a decent menu. Bill had a burrito and I had fish tacos, though most often I order their fresh mesquite chicken salad. On the way home—virtually a circular loop—we took a quiet scenic short cut to Highway 9 (aka Los Gatos-Saratoga Road), at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains and another short cut to and through West Valley College back to Rinconada Hills where we live, having completed a 15-mile loop.
