STILL CHEESEHEADS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

We will see what happens after the game today. We may be Giants fans for the Super Bowl. Go Packers

THREE SCORE & 10

You guessed it. Dad/Pop-Pop is 70. Amelia likes the idea

Cali 07 III: Down the Coast

The last 3 days of the trip took us back up to Davis to vist Jennifer, Rachel and Ted and then down the coast to Big Sur and a final walk around in LA. The visit to Ted's was short, we spent lots of time on our way up at the Presidio and lunching in Sonoma, but fun. Rachel hammed it up for the relatives, see pics, as we had a great meal in downtown Davis.

The next day, New Year's Eve, took us down the coast sighting whales and seals on the way to Big Sur. Really one of the great sites on the planet. As Henry Miller (he lived in the area for awhile) put it,

“Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked at from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look.”

The photos do not do it justice but I'll let them speak for themselves.



The seals near our hotel:



The last sun of 2007:

Cali 07 II: No SoCal

After a marvelous Xmas in Calabama we headed up the San Joaquin valley to Napa. The valley that is the ugliest agricultural factory I have ever seen gives way to the most beautiful agricultural factory I have ever seen, the Napa Valley. We stayed in an environmentally friendly hotel, it had a moat and no electric lights in the lobby, and met Mary and Paul for a frolic of wine tasting and dinner on the Silvarado Trail. Our first stop was lunch at Auberge du Soleil where the view is as impressive as is the pretensiousness of its name. Its an upscale spa/hotel where we could only slum at the bar for appetizers and the hook is the view. Really a good spot to start to get the lay of the land. After the view we headed to Stags Leap winery, ehh, and for the money, forgettaboutit. Then on to Baldacci Vineyards, the best of the wine we tasted by far. Pricey indeed but the Carbernet and Pinot were sausagey and supple, as all wines should be. A day of wine tasting is hard work indeed so after the toil of the day we settled on Rutherford Grille in Yountsville (pronounced yuntsville by some). Comfort food with incredible service, fancy pants surroundings and packed to the gills. Probably the best meal of the trip and by no means the most expensive. The Napa tour was one of the best days of the trip. Mary and Paul made the day as we crawled a small portion of the Silverado Trail in a day to remember.



After a couple days in Napa we drove to San Francisco for a David Sedaris reading and city walking. Before the Sedaris event we stopped at Muir Woods for a hike. Have been to MW a couple of times but this place never disappoints, natural beauty that parallels few places I have ever seen. And damn are those trees big! After MW we drove across the Golden Gate and got in to our one indulgent hotel, The Adagio, (pretty cheap on line though as a last minute special). Located in the theatre district in SF, this boutiqueeee place was really a treat. I think I may have to invest in a king size bed, oh my house is too small! Anyhoo, David Sedaris turned out to be a play BY David Sedaris! It was quite funny although by this time exhaustion had settled in and it took a Herculian effort just to keep the eyes open. The following day we walked the streets begining the day at the farmers' market on the pier a walk through Chinatown and a late lunch at L'Osteria del forno, an unassuming cafe in North Beach that was probably number two on the best meal list although it was simple and modest.



Ann seems to have adapted to San Francisco, no?

After resting up at our swank digs in SF our final morning their took us to breakfast in the Haight and on to Golden Gate Park and the Presidio path for a last look at the city on a gloriously clear and warm morning. This morning brought us spectacular views of the Golden Gate, surfers under the bridge, lots of birds of all types and a dolphin show-they were actually surfing right by the Cliff House.