Winning Wings
"I want to be a biologist." That was my steadfast answer as a child to the constant questioning by adults regarding my future career plans. To help me along my career path, my dad helped me fashion a butterfly catcher out of discarded netting and an old stick from his workshop. It was clunky and homemade-looking, but it did the trick. I won more than my fair share of ribbons at our little county fair with my butterfly collection.
I didn't land a job as a scientist (that dream ended abruptly after that first organic chem test in college), but I remain fascinated by all the colorful and moving parts of nature. Butterflies, with their ostentatious displays of burnt oranges and irridescent blues, still fill me with the urge to jump out of my lawn chair and chase them like a 6-year-old through the yard.
The folks at St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, a AAA Five-Diamond chill-out haven on the coast just north of Dana Point, agree with me that butterflies possess an almost mystical fascination, and when in large numbers, are even more irrepressable.
Every Saturday evening from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the resort hosts a Butterfly Ritual with pomp and circumstance worthy of their royal moniker. A white-gloved St. Regis Butterfly Butler leads a procession through the lobby to the ocean view terrace, where he offers a toast (champagne for grownups and sparkling cider for kiddos) and shares the legend that if "you whisper your wish to the butterfly, your wish is kept secret from all but the spirits who listen and attend to our dreams."
The kids love it, and the butler makes sure all youngsters get to whisper their wishes and release a monarch.
The Grahams checked it out last summer, and as the monarchs spread their amber wings and flitted into the sunset in search of nectar and mates, I gave a toast to the butterflies of my past. We each whispered our wishes and then wandered down to the resort's fire pits in the resort's expansive lawn for story time and s'mores.
For visitors wishing for a restful, indulgent stay, you don't have to rely on the butterflies to make it come true. Room rates start at $675 per night, but families – many of whom are from California – follow the butterflies for the chance to relax amid the Mediterranean vibe and enjoy family-oriented activities.
We had our own wishes granted – I got a massage, and the resort's private beach club set us up with chairs and drinks while the kids played for hours in the surf, making friends and filling their bathing suits with sand. I had the option of yoga, live music at sunset, pool time, golf or tennis or a cardio beach workout (who are we kidding?).
But I chose to chase the butterflies in my memory, as I watched their wings fade into the sky, making their own wishes come true.
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