A little Renoir, a little shopping find, a fun meal, and the best burger ever.

We are including a link to some pictures of our condo.

http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/March292009California#

We've been here a while now, and have not done this, or described it. it is quite spacious, clean and warm and enjoyable. We do get a kick out of the chaise lounge in one of the bedrooms, however, and wanted to give Matisse some competition.

O.K., after our picture taking, we went to an outlet mall in San Leandro. It was small, but I loved it, as they had a Talbot's outlet, and more importantly, an Eileen Fisher outlet. I did buy some things, I got really good bargains, so that was fun. (for me!) Dan then dropped me off at Jay and Lindsey's, he played golf, and Lindsey and I bought her some maternity clothes, and got some oilcloth material for her to use for their housewarming party coming up. We then just hung out and talked. I really enjoyed this, we haven't had much opportunity with just the two of us.

Dan then picked us up, and we met Jason at dinner in Berekley, at an enjoyable little restaurant named "Sea Salt." We met David, Mya and baby Elias there as well. It was great! They really seemed to all hit it off, which was great. David is really Matt's friend from high school who has lived out here a while, so he and Jay know each other, but only as little brother. I hope they get together on their own. We also really enjoy seeing David and Mya too, so it was fun.

Today, we began the day by taking a bike ride. or, rather, planning to. Ruth had mentioned this ride around Tiburon and Belvedere that we thought we took, but hadn't, so we tried today. Well, we decided to drive it instead! Ruth, you and Tom are more adventurous than us! It was very hilly, steep, narrow, with cars and bicyclists all over the place! But! it was beautiful in the hills of Belvedere, beautiful, beautiful homes. We then tried to ride our bikes to Mill Valley from Tiburon, got a few miles, but it was crazy------the cyclists pay little heed to the cars, dart in and out of traffic, and there were many cars, and arrow bike paths. So, we turned around, and looked at each other---Dan said, "it's time for lunch, should we?" And, of course, I knew what he meant, I had the same thought--------Phatburger! It was why we wanted to bike ride to Mill Valley, though we hadn't said a word to each other. This IS the best burger we had eaten last year, and by golly, it is still the best! Pat
The day was not done, though. We came back and then headed to Alameda where Jason and Lindsey were having a housewarming party, so we saw a lot of his friends, it was great as we know them and really like them. I also must say, Jason makes a better hamburger than Phatburger, it was delice!

still not the end of the day! we then went with Lindsey's parents, to their friends Fred and Mary Ann. Getting there should have been a simple trip, but Ken and I were stuck on the San Mateo bridge for 45 minutes at the toll booth. The traffic here is not enjoyable. The meal was great, asparagus soup, short ribs and panna cottta for dessert. We had a nice evening with them and then drove back to Novato. It was a very busy day.

Dan

I will add a note on Sunday, to catch up. Another Cinema Club sunday. Today's movie was "Every Little Step". It was great, the best movie we've seen in this series. It's a documentary of entertainers trying out for the revival of "Chorus Line", which is a story about the people in the Chorus Line. Very well done, very uplifting and enjoyable. I actually wrote Deb Lake, who is one of the people in charge of the Traverse City Film Festival, about it, and she wrote me back, saying she'd order a "screener" for Michael Moore to check out.

And Oh Yes----GO STATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat
Dan

The Devil's Bike Ride and The Angel of a Wine

We started the morning with a good bike ride around the area, biking to an old Naval Base, Hamilton Field, which has been converted into condos, office space and recreational facilities like the YMCA and a branch of the library. When we got back home, we realized we'd gone 6.66 miles, so we called it the devils ride. I think we should go for this same mileage on future bike trips, it's a good distance!

Yesterday, we returned to Sonoma to pick up a wine at Rochioli Vineyards. Matt and Rachel had gifted a lovely Sauvignon Blanc to me for my birthday, so i went to pick it up. It is indeed a lovely wine, and a beautiful winery, on a beautiful road in Sonoma. I have no idea how anybody ever finds all these wonderful wineries, it is a fun challenge and often a beautiful ride to find them.

We were to meet Kathleen in Healdsburg for dinner, but since we were early, we drove north from Healdsburg, past Geyersville and Cloverdale. We drove up into the hills a bit, found them quite rough and challenging. One road, that went up to "geysers", was gravel and one lane, and very steep. We decided we weren't quite that adventurous in our trusty Chevy Venture van, so we turned around. Found a few other roads, also going up steep inclines. It would be intriguing to go up there, but we didn't really have the time. (or the right vehicle) It's interesting how incredibly rural it is out there in the hills. Again, we saw vineyards and livestock farms. Very different from rural parts of Michigan, where the farms are in the middle of the towns, along the roads, everywhere.

We then drove to Lake Sonoma, which is also quite beautiful, and we had never seen before. It isn't Lake Michigan, however, or even Lake Leelanau!

We then drove to Healdburg, and met Kathleen at Zin, where we had eaten before. We really like this restaurant, and think it will be a regular annual stop. It was great to see Kathleen, she had been off on her own trip to Manhattan, so we hadn't seen much of her.

Another nice day.

Goldilocks would have loved this stairway walk!

We went into the city today, first of all to go to this store called Favor, which Jay wanted me to go to--he had bought my birthday present from there, a very cool bracelet, but wanted me to exchange it for another of my own choosing. So I did, and found it to be a very cool store. I tried taking a picture of it, but cannot. But, you can look for it at www.hotcakesdesign.com. I chose the dancing couples.

We then did the Upper Market walk, taken from the book on stairways of San Francisco, previously noted. This was a delight! It was near Twin Peaks and Noe Valley, not too long a walk or too strenuous, but "just right."

It consisted of about 3 or 4 stairways, walking up and down the neighborhood, as they all do. The best one was the Vulcan Stairway, which was beautiful! Hidden down a small street, the first thing to hit it was the wonderful smell of jasmine. The smells were wonderful all the way down the path, as the residents all keep up their gardens, as well as a community garden at the end of it. There are colorful, delightful cottages that open up on the path, which has many tiers. Many of the stairways are like this, with homes all along the way, though this one was very beautiful with the foliage.

We also saw typically interesting San Francisco homes on the walk, one had a very colorful garage. I will miss these! We are beginning to plan our return home, and are getting sad about this.

I Talk to the Turkeys and They Do Listen to Me

On monday, we played golf at Indian Valley, a beautiful golf course in Novato, in the hills, and by the reservoir. It was a very nice golf course, and we both actually played fairly well. (for us!) We saw hills, horses, geese and turkeys as we were playing. No, they were not all on the golf course, but in the surrounding hills. I have learned to communicate with the turkeys, I am proud to say; when they gobble and I gobble back, they answer me! What a skill.

That night, we went to nearby Dominican University to hear Germaine Greer speak on her book, "Shakespeare's Wife." She was speaking to the students of the University as well as the general public, so her talk was a bit more academic than it normally would be. Here are my thoughts about it---Her whole premise was based on her "anger" at her male colleagues, and the Shakespeare "experts" of the 19th century who all assumed that Ann Hathaway was a sort of "hairy, illiterate older woman who seduced young Will". She is disputing that, but I thought she was motivated by her anger at men, and that she took a position and made assumptions to fit into this. Her saving grace, for me, was that she readily admitted this by the end of her talk, and hopes that we read her book to get curious about Shakespeare's wife and do our own research. Of course, she was talking to the students at Dominican U.

So i thought that was interesting, and i also remembered my feelings of ambivalence during the heydays of the feminist movement---i thought the outcome of their fervent writing, etc. was great, but it was hard for me to go along with them 100% because I can't ever take one side 100%, there is always another side.

I was surprised that Dan enjoyed her, and when i asked him why, he said it was because he found her thoughtful and challenging of what is assumed to be an accepted truth of Shakespeare's wife.

Thither and Yon

On Thursday, went back into the city because Laura really wanted to see the Yves St Laurent exhibit. She really enjoyed it and Pat also was happy to see it again. Dan and Jim took a walk around Golden Gate Park. We all ate hot dogs from the vendor and returned to the condo for a spaghetti dinner, which we all enjoyed.

Friday, we drove out to Armstrong Woods. These are beautiful woods---filled with huge Redwoods, stately and beautiful, yet fragile. It is a feast for the senses to visit these giants---the smell is distinctively woodsy, the earth feels damp on the path, it sounds still and quiet, and you look up to see the sun shining between the high branches. A real moment of presence.

On the way back, we made plans to visit an intriguing vineyard, the Old Hill Ranch. It is in Glen Ellen, and doesn't even have a "tasting room". We had gotten the name from a restaurant list serving wines with their meal, an expensive restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago, near Jim and Laura. I got intrigued by it, and made arrangements for a tasting with the owner, Will Bucklin.


We knew we'd have to buy a bottle or two, so we were hoping we liked it. This turned out to be not only an adventure, but a gem. He and his family own the oldest vineyard in Sonoma County. It's quite small by Sonoma standards. Will is a total iconoclast--he doesn't want his wines "rated" because he just wants to enjoy the growing and making of it, doesn't want to be corporate or competitive. He is his own person, and we really admired that. He sells some of his grapes to Ravenswood, for their most expensive reserve Zinfandel, other than that, he produces his own. His grapes are a mixture of Zin and other grapes, it is called a "field blend", though he calls the wine a Zin because it is 75% Zin grapes.

We then did the tasting, and it did not disappoint! It was really good. We bought a few bottles which were fairly well priced, by Sonoma standards---$34 a bottle. He will ship to Michigan and Illinois, so we can get his wines later, since bringing a case back home cross country seems like a bad idea, and Laura couldn't bring a bottle back either on the plane. So this was really fun to do, more so because we liked the guy and we loved his wine.

We came back home and Jim and Laura took us, and Jay and Lindsey out to dinner. We returned to The Lark Creek Inn, where we had gone previously with Kathleen. We were disappointed this time, however. Service was incredibly slow, items advertised on the on-line menu weren't being served, and the food wasn't nearly as good. The waitress spent most of her time changing our silverware, and passing out rolls!

Saturday we took Jim and Laura to the airport, came home, and vegged out. We had a great time with them. We asked them what their favorite activities were--Laura liked Armstrong Woods and the YSL exhibit, and Jim liked the stairway walks. (well, we ARE related!) They both also loved the ferry ride. It was a fun filled action packed week.

In the evening, we went to Yoshi's in San Francisco, meeting Jay and Lindsey there to see "Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks." This is one of Dan' favorites for years. It was very enjoyable. He had David Grisman with him, described as one of the "best" mandolin players in the world. He was very good, I actually enjoyed him the most. It turns out we share a birthday! (remember that, Jim!) o.k., now we're caught up with our blog! Today, we watch the NCAA, hope Michigan State gets to the Final Four!

The Hills of Berkeley

Wednesday was a low key day. We did things around the condo, and then later went to Berkeley, where we explored the hills of Berkeley a little more. Tilden Park is a very large area on the other side of the hills. Check out the website for more details if you're interested, but it is quite an elaborate park. 

The views from the hills are spectacular, as are some of the houses. The problem is that the houses block the views, so there are few areas that you can actually see the bay unless you are fortunate enough to live in one of the houses. It is still a nice ride and was a good thing to do.

We then went to Alameda for dinner at Paula and Ken's (Lindsey's parents). She made a very tasty meal--Butternut Squash Soup, Rosemary Chicken, Swiss Chard with aioli sauce, Angel food cake with fresh strawberries for dessert.  It was delicious, and the recipes are all in the cookbook Jay and Linds assembled for their wedding!   We then went to Jason and Lindsey's so that Jim and Laura could see their house, then back to Novato.    They loved their house, it is so cute.     Oh, yes, they also met the animals, the dog Matilda, at the Frimans, and of course, Jay and Lindsey's kitties, Ivan and Jack.     Mishpocha!    

The "Best of" Day

We are keeping very busy with Jim and Laura.  Today, we took the ferry from Larkspur into the Ferry Building.  Jim had been wanting to do this since he found out about it in the fall, during Jay and Lindsey's wedding.  it was a beautiful day, just gorgeous.   The sun shone off the water, the sky was blue, you could see clearly, just beautiful.  We love the ferry, it's one of the BEST things we've done.

We then took 2 stairway walks.  These are very well known, and I've done them before, but 2 of the BEST stairways in SF.  We walked up the Greenwich steps---there was a movie made a few years ago called "The Parrots of Telegraph Hill", and this is where it took place.   The parrots are gone, but the stairway is beautiful.  It was quite high, 492 steps.  Laura was unsure of it, but made it like a trooper, and was so happy that she did!   Jim thoroughly enjoyed it, and of course, I was happy that they liked it.   We then walked around a bit, and then walked down the Filbert Steps.   These are quite well known.  They are both near Coit Tower, and Armistad Maupin based his Tale of the City on the Filbert Steps locale.   It was a bit congested, actually, with people walking up and down them.   The first time i did these, I was the only soul on the steps, how that has changed.

Anyway, the Filbert Steps are wonderful, with charming homes along the way, beautiful gardens, little alley ways, and different kinds of staircases on different tiers.

Jim, (in tribute to Alfred Hitchock) had an encounter with a pigeon. For some reason the pigeon decided to drop his load directly on Jim at the precise moment that Jim's mouth was open. Yes, he took a direct hit to the mouth of pigeon shit. Not really a very good appetizer before lunch. 

 We came home after eating lunch at The Fog City Diner, where we first met Lindsey's parents.   Took the ferry back, got some sun, came home.   Went to Boca for their Tuesday night special, which is a bottle of wine at half price, and a bar menu half price.

We came home and watched "Rachel's Wedding."  We had all seen it but Dan, and we all gave it about 2 stars.   Nice, nice day!

Wire Hangers!

It's my birthday today!   Jim and Laura are visiting, and Jim walked down this morning with a broken wire hanger.    Now, who can get this reference?     It IS from a famous movie scene that Jim imitates, and we all laugh at, but you all have to guess as to why this has significance TODAY.

So we did some wine tasting today in Sonoma.  Went to Passacqua, which Matt recommended, and bought a good zin.  

Then we went to Dry Creek, and bought a fabulous Mariner, which is like a Bordelaise.  then went to Mazzocco.  where we bought another Zin!    Had fun driving around, then went to St. Helena.

We came back and cooked steaks, drank the wine!  I didn't do anything, everyone else did. It's been a really fun day.  Everyone called me, and I got a bunch of Happy Birthdays on Facebook, which seems so strange!   I've really enjoyed this day.     Got calls from Matt, Melisa, Adam, Sally and Trudi.   I love birthdays, don't you?

I got really nice gifts today too, from my loved ones.  Melisa always sends her gifts early, so we are sure to get them, but I don't open them til my birthday.    She is so good about that!   She got me a cute little bag, a stretchy top for layering, some really good tea, and some really nice earrings.  I really love the earrings as they look so nice on.   She bought me things with my travels in mind, so everything is portable.    Very thoughtful and appreciated.    And oh, her card was from this weird exhibit we saw together at the Des Moines art museum.     Dan got me biking shorts, a scarf, a foot massager little ball, hiking socks which I desperately need, and yes, flowers!    

Matt and Rachel are arranging a bottle of wine for me from their favorite winery in Sonoma.  I will pick it up, oh, what a shame, to have to return to wine country.

A lovely day!

Hot Jazz, Hot Balboa, Hot Food

We had Dan's brother, Jim and family to dinner tonight, his wife, LeAnn, and his daughter, Aura and her husband, John. We hadn't seen Aura since she was 13, and she's almost 29. It was so good to see her, and of course, Jim and LeAnn. We had the famous Lillian Bernard spaghetti (my mom's recipe) which Jim remembered having before. He wondered if that's all I can make!

We then went to Rancho Nicasio, which I've written about before, to see "Le Jazz Hot". They were really great! They played jazz guitar and violin in the style of Django Reinhart and Stephan Graphelli, so Dan was in heaven. They were wonderful! They looked quite urbane, but made great music.

What made it a magical night were these 4 couples next to us who all danced the night away. But they were spectacular dancers! Some were dressed up in 30's clothes, with chignon hairdos, and vintage dresses, the men in hats, suspenders, and spats. One of the couples was an attractive youngish woman , and the much older man was a short, Woody Allen looking guy, very nebbishy looking . But the best dancer I've ever seen! He was a joy to watch! He danced effortlessly. We just sat and watched them all, tried dancing ourselves once, but were truly outclasses, and it was so much fun to watch them! They brought their dancing shoes with them, changed at the door, carried their shoes in trunk cases.

I couldn't stand it, and went over to their table during the break. They told me they just go to dance clubs all the time, which apparently they have all over San Francisco. (Jim had told me this earlier) The older, short guy used to teach dancing. They all met at these clubs, became friends, and go out dancing together. Also, each of the couples met their mates dancing! When I told them i was from Michigan, one of the guys said that there is a huge, annual "Balboa" dance thing in Detroit every summer. Who knew! I later googled "Balboa", and indeed found that it is a dance from the 30's. It was so enjoyable to watch them all. Their dancing was joyful, yet intimate, with a hint of sexuality to it.   Go google it if you are curious!

The day before is so nice!

In the morning, went to the Cinema Club, although Dan didn't go, instead went to the airport to pick up Jim and Laura.  The movie was "Paris, 36."   It was interesting, sort of a low key "Moulin Rouge".   It was a French movie, and pretty good. 

I then drove with Jay back to Novato, and met Lindsey, Paula and Ken.  Jim and Laura and Dan were here then.  It was busy and hectic and fun.  

We all went to brunch at The Girl and the Fig, a wonderful restaurant in Sonoma, to celebrate my birthday a day early.   We had a lovely lunch, we ate outside, and felt like we belonged there.

We then came back to our condo for the chocolate cake I make for myself every birthday.  It was so nice to be with family members on, or even the day before, my birthday!  it doesn't usually happen.  Although I get to be with my friends, whom I miss dearly, I am rarely with family.   So we all really enjoyed being together.  I loved my gifts.  Jay got me a bracelet that is retro and really cool, Lindsey a shawl/scarf, which I love and she knows I've wanted.  Paula got me a cute tote.   I will open the rest of the gifts tomorrow.   It's so nice to feel loved, and I do!   Pat

The Jimmy Stewart Hike

I am sure most of you will be able to figure out Pat's title of this blog, especially since we are in San Francisco.

After I  went to jazzercize, and Dan took a bike ride, we thought we didn't get enough of our daily dose of exercise, and decided to take a hike in Mill Valley.   We chose a long walk up in the hills in the West Blithedale Canyon Park.   We took Gus with us, we were so happy we finally could.

But this walk!   It was quite scary, as the path was very narrow and steep, with a deep canyon very near the edge.   There were a few short bridges across in a few places, then a plank at another part, though this wasn't over anything steep.    Nearby, we saw a small little hut, and a teepee with  strange objects around, left by people who'd hiked up there.   (it was almost like geocaching)   We also found a labyrinth made out of stones, which Gus and Pat walked.   We found another path nearby , and I thought it was a flatter way down.    Dan did not, didn't think it was much of a path at all.   I went down it a bit by myself, with Gus following.  Well, this was very narrow, and hazardous.  I finally turned around when I saw that you had to walk over a plank over the canyon!    Yikes!  So we turned around and went the other way.   Pat

Pat was quite afraid that we were all going over the edge. It reminded me of the time in the glass elevator in Chicago, where a bouncing ball.....well I'm sure Jason remembers.

Any way it was another beautiful walk in a dark redwood forest that wasn't that long but was quite strenuous. Gus is back to his old self tromping up and down the path. It was his first big hike in a long time and he did great.

The day was the warmest since we have been here, somewhere in the 70's. I took a bike ride for an hour in the morning around Hamilton Field, which is the old Hamilton Air Force Base that has been redeveloped. 

We finished the day watching the NCAA tournament games, and enjoyed the Wisconsin win, and also the OSU loss.  MSU was quite impressive in its game also. They could have a great run in this tournament. Michigan squeaked out a win yesterday, but will have a tough time surviving against a very good Oklahoma team tomorrow. So far the tournament has been fun.

Dan

The Biking Road to Nowhere and The Turkey in the Straw

It's still the same day.  After golf, and my museum adventure, we decided to take a bike ride.   We've wanted to take this flat bike ride between Mill Valley and Sausalito that wasn't very long.  We loaded the bikes, and went on our way.    We are so happy about the warm, sunny weather, that we figure if we're tired, we'll just go to bed early.     This too was disappointing, we went over a marsh.   It was pretty smelly and muddy, and made me think of all those quicksand movies I'd seen when I was young.  (what are the names of some of those anyway?)

The path sort of just ended, and really, went nowhere.   I should mention this though--there are bike paths between all the towns in Marin, and probably beyond.  People bike everywhere,  it is a bit like Copenhagen.  (and can be as harrowing).  At one point on our road to nowhere, there were signs and maps to other bike rides, and they are all numbered, to Corte Madera, Sausalito, Tiburon, Larkspur, etc.    One reason why we wanted to do this bike ride is that every time we drive on 101 past this exit, we see many, many bicyclists, so we were very curious. 

We also have seen the turkeys a lot lately, and their chicks are now around too.   In fact, the Toms were in our backyard!    Gus was told to stay inside, and I got a close up.    They sort of own the road, by the way. They walk wherever they damn well please, and no one or animal seems to bother them.   A cat was just sitting there, didn't even chase them.

Oh, these clothes! And, oh, I feel like I'm in an Ikea!

Yesterday, both Dan and I played golf with Lindsey's mom, Paula, playing at a county golf course in Alameda. A nice little course, and we had a lot of fun. Neither Paula nor I are serious golfers, nor that good, so it was fun. We ate lunch at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant that is right in town. Alameda is so compact and pretty; Jay and Lindsey can walk up to restaurants, movies, etc. and they love that.

Today, Dan played golf with his new friend, Fred, the couple we went out to dinner with. I went to the DeYoung Museum to see several exhibits, a flower exhibit, called "Blossoms to Art" and an Yves St. Laurent clothing exhibit.

The clothing exhibit was magnificant! I managed to take a few pictures before they told me it wasn't allowed, I honestly didn't know because cameras are allowed in the rest of the museum. So I have to describe some of the others. If you aren't interested in clothing, just skip ahead.

This was a large collection, and I overheard some women saying that YSL helped put it together before he died last year. It's the only U.S. city it will be in. My favorite clothes were ones with color. He was one of the first to pair unlikely colors together, like turquoise and peach. My favorite piece of all, and for those of you who know me, you will say, "Oh, that's so Pat", was an evening ensemble. The jacket was a flowing lime green silk with an irregular hem, the top of the gown was yellow silk that was one shouldered, the bottom of it was a beautiful shade of pink (I thought of you, Melisa) and the sash was a deep pink almost a fuschia. The shoes were lime suede, and peeked out of the dress. It was my favorite.
! The other part I really loved were the clothes he made to honor different artists, like Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian and Braque. But he made clothes based on their paintings. The Van Gogh ones were jackets with the sunflowers embroided into it, with sequins all over,and the other one had iris's on it, in the same vivid colors of the paintings. The Matisse one was a long black skirt with the cut-out pattern we've all seen appliqued on. They were gorgeous!

I think a lot of the clothes were in his collection, but many of them were also made for Lauren Bacall, and my gal, Catherine DeNueve. (Dan teases me about Catherine, as she's my woman crush!) It was very enjoyable, and good to go alone, as Dan would not have liked it. Lindsey would, but she is working a lot, and won't get to it, I fear, as it's closing soon. But she should try.

The other exhibit, the "Blossoms to Art" were flower exhibits that were all over the museum. It was displays of art using flowers. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the clothing, and would not have made a point to see it. However, I was certainly in the minority on that one because the rest of the museum was mobbed with women bumping into each other to take pictures of it all. It was mobbed! At one point, I could not move, as I was trying to get out of the museum. I got caught up in the museum, was going from room to room to get out! It was like being in Ikea!

I later did another stairway walk, this one in the Presidio. I used my trusty stairway walk book, but it was a confusing walk, plus, it wasn't very good. I would not rate it very high, it was disappointing.

Not the Cliffs of Moher, but Still, a Jolly Good Day! Also, Another Ethnic Group Heard From

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone, and Happy Birthday to our Laddie, Wally.  But do remember that Dan hates the song, "Danny Boy".  We took a road trip today to the Peninsula, and stopped at beaches at Half Moon Bay and Pacifica.

We were surprised at how cool these towns are--they really look like seaside towns, of the East Coast or of Southern California. The beaches were beautiful, full of surfers, nice waves, and sand. The Grey Whale Cove Beach is a potential lookout for whales, but it was so foggy, we could see very little. There are cliffs that drop directly into the ocean there, making it a bit hazardous to hike near!

We then went down to Half Moon Bay, and had a very nice lunch at Sam's Chowder House, famous for it's lobster sandwich. (which we didn't order!)y good, and we walked near there. We then stopped at Cowell Beach, but didn't go down the path because we had Gus with us and dogs weren't allowed. As it was a long walk to the beach, we didn't want to leave him that long.

We came back, and went to Boca's, to celebrate St. Paddy with a nice glass or 2 of a great Zin, Roshambo, 2006.

And a happy day to all ye lads and lassies!

On Sunday, we went into the city to see an exhibit at the Jewish Contemporary Museum.  The building itself is beautiful, and I later found out from a gal at jazzercize that it's known more for it's architecture rather than it's exhibits, which is apparently true of several new museums here.  There is some controversy about that too.   We saw an exhibit of Seder plates, as Passover is coming up.  It was quite interesting.   There were 80 artists displaying their take on the plates, very interesting.  Afterwards, we voted on our favorite.  My favorite was a Seder Plate made from CD's of contemporary Jewish Music---there were earphones nearby so you could hear the music.  As I was on my way for my standard bathroom stop, a young man stopped me and asked me if he could interview me for a video they will show at the museum.  The question he asked was "what are some of your favorite Passover memories?"    I answered that I had never celebrated Passover as a child, but began to do this when I was married the first time.   We always had non-Jews, family and friends at our Seders, and were very informal.    I carried on this tradition when I was single, and re-married, and always enjoyed it so much.    So it's become one of my favorite celebrations.  The other favorite memory is Jason and Dan making horseradish every year, and how we generally have to leave the house because it's so strong!   The interviewer smiled at this last bit, and when we finished, told me he has horseradish stories too!

A Day of Wine and Mustard

Today we went to the Napa Valley Mustard Festival food and wine "marketplace" at the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville.    I was surprised how elaborate it was!   This is a huge winery, and people were everywhere, in all the rooms---the hallways, the courtyard, garden, barrel rooms, halls, everywhere.  There were wine tastings all over too, from all the many vineyards in Napa, wine tasting tables everywhere!    We couldn't even give a count of how many vineyards were there.   There was food too, although not very much.  What there was, was excellent, Nimen Ranch cheeseburgers to pulled pork to homemade pizzas, cupcakes, snacks around too.   There were many artists there also, including Judy Theo, who is the artist whose prints I bought a few weeks ago in Sonoma.    Musicians, good musicians, were playing all over the place too, so you could just sit and listen to them.  You paid one price and got 5 food tickets and 8 wine tickets. 

It was a nice Napa event, very busy with people. Many of the wines were similar, though I did like the Merlot they were pouring from Robert Mondavi, Napa is always busy on weekends, and today was no exception, though traffic could have been much worse, it took us less than an hour to get back to Novato. Overall a very enjoyable day.

Dan

The Kim Novak Bike Ride, Meeting Jay and Lindsey, and Learning about Evolution in Wonderland

We had a relaxing day on Wednesday morning, then drove into Emeryville to meet Lindsey at Ikea. We are helping them buy a futon for their house, mostly for our future visits there, so she wanted our approval on what she liked. She got our approval! We then shopped near there, and waited for Jay to get out of work so we could all go to dinner together. It was nice and low key, nice to be with them as usual.

On Thursday, we drove up to Sonoma in the morning, as it is close, and it was a beautiful morning. We did some wine tastings in Glen Ellen. Not much, it's hard to do a wine tasting before 3:00 for me!

That evening, we drove into San Francisco for an event at the new Academy of Sciences called "NightLife." You pay $10 for a ticket, and it gives you entry into this new terrific museum. They have a bar and appetizers for sale, but also a free DJ and music, and a lecture. Well, it WAS a young group, we thought maybe 10% of the crowd was over 40! But again, like everything else here, no one cares, and it's not uncomfortable. We wanted to hear the lecture, which was by their science director, Dr. David Mindell, speaking on "Evolution and Solving Crimes." It was so-so, he did a pretty good job, explained alot of evolutionary science. I wanted to talk to him afterwards, but people were asking annoying questions, so we left. I wanted to talk to him because 1) he went to U of M, and 2) I wanted to mention Matt to him, since they are in the same field.

Actually, I got completely distracted (not hard for me) and kept texting Matt about some of the stuff he was lecturing on, like some of the terminology and ideas. I think Matt would have presented this better, by the way, and we really wished he were there! He did try to explain some of the concepts by using Lewis Carroll and his fascination with word play; I did enjoy this part, but I really can't explain it!

Before we went there, we stopped by our neighbor's art gallery. I will include a picture of Philip and his art gallery later, it is a beautiful gallery. We really like Philip, he is very nice, and he took us around the neighborhood where his gallery is, and introduced us to some restauranteurs and other shop owners. The flower shop woman made me a little corsage. Everyone likes Philip, as he is Mr. Friendly. As i had said earlier, his gallery is in a very posh part of San Francisco, so it was really fun.

On Friday, we did one of Dan's goals, we biked the Golden Gate Bridge. I have to say, it was more fun in theory than in actuality. It was very windy, but more than that, it was incredibly congested! It was a Friday, but it was fairly early, so we thought there wouldn't be many tourists. I think it's just always crowded. Actually, if any of you out there ever think about doing this, wait until 3:30 when they open up the other side just for bikes. That probably wouldn't have helped me, however, as I am a slow bicyclist, not entirely confident, and I get freaked out when I am constantly passed by others biking faster, I would still have been a bit nervous. Plus, I have trouble keeping straight, so I drive passerbys crazy. It would probably be like Copenhagen during a weekend!

We to parkwest side of the bridge, and carry our bikes down a STAIRWAY and then walk UNDER the bridge to bike on the east side! Yes, it was nerve wracking. It was a bit shaky, and of course, very noisy from all the traffic and cars above us. I don't usually react to bridges, but walking under it, and then riding on it was a bit nerve wracking. The bridge does sway, I will tell you that.

Oh, the Kim Novak reference, can you guess it? I won't tell you!

A Comment on Stairways

This is a quick comment.  As I re-read the recent blogs, I realized that the 2 hikes we took last week---the Pacheco Valley Walk and the Catarack Trail near Mt. Tam, both had high elevation.  One was 1000 ft. and the other was 800 ft.  But the difference in how strenuous they were seemed alot more than 200 ft.   I think it's because the Catarack Trail one had stairways on it.  True, they were rustic, just wood or rock, but it supports my theory that it's much easier to ascend a stairway than just a path.

Do you agree?

The Way They Play Golf in California

We went into the city today, first of all, for me to get a haircut.  I got it cut by Emily McKeever, a friend of Jason's from childhood days in Ann Arbor, who has moved out here.  She is actually very good friends with Lars.  Anyway, after my haircut, [which is very good  by the way], we played golf at Lincoln Park.

This course is beautiful--it is by the Legion of Honor, and the views from it are beautiful, views of the ocean, of Golden Gate Bridge, of the hills of the city.   Old cypress trees surround it.  It's a very old course, and very difficult---no tee boxes, narrow, uneven fairways, alot of long grass, but still so enjoyable.   And, it's not like we're good anyway, so who cares?

What I mean by the golf in California is that this golf course was on a walking path, so there were continually non-golfers on it.  People taking hikes, people just walking, people playing Frisbee with their dogs, people with the children, whatever. ! And none of the golfers cared.   When we were done with 9 holes, we drove our cart around the back nine, interrupting many golfers, and no one cared, no one cared at all.  "Oh, go on through"  "have a good time"

"don't worry about it" we'd hear over and over.   I really like this kind of golfThe course literally went around the Legion of Honor to the other side of the road, then it ambled back.  It was actually quite hard to follow, but hey, who cares!  Not the other golfers!

Memorable Walks

Of the many walks, hikes and marches that I have taken, a few stand out. The first was when I was about 12 years old. My brother Jerry, my sister Barbara and possibly our younger sister Chris, took a walk down the beach from Wilderness State Park on the Straits of Mackinac. For some reason we misjudged the length of the walk and were gone for hours. Our parents actually called the Park Rangers to look for us. We finally stumbled back into camp about six hours later, hungry and tired. My attempts to calm the younger children, always began with the phrase "it's just around the corner". After a while they became quite annoyed with me saying that.

The second was the march I took in the Air Force in basic training. It was May in Texas in the middle of a record heat wave. Temperatures reached 105f. One day we were lined up in the sun for vaccinations. The Air Force was using air guns, where they gave us several shots at once. If you flinched, you could get hurt and bleed. Some guys were passing out. This took at least an hour for our Squadron to be inoculated. We then marched five miles to a non air conditioned classroom where we took the aptitude tests that determined our job placements for the remainder of our time in the Air Force. Many guys took the opportunity to catch a short nap. We then marched back five miles to the barracks. That's military intelligence for you.

Today was also memorable. The hike was on the Pacheco Valley trail, otherwise known as Big Rock Trail. The five miles of the trail went up and down the mountain that is directly behind our condo. I thought it might be a somewhat strenuous trail that wound around the woods a little, and ended up in our courtyard. Little did I realize we were headed up to the top of the mountain. We were dressed appropriately but didn't bring a map or the GPS, so we had no idea how far we were going. As I looked ahead and saw the trail winding around, I did realize we were going to be walking a long way. At one point I did wonder if we had miscalculated where we would end up because of the direction the path took. My fear was we would end up in Marinwood, which was on the other side of the mountain. As we were ascending one of the highest points, we were passed by a guy on a mountain bike! About ten minutes later, he headed back down, and we stopped him to ask where in the Hell we were. He assured us that the trail split a short ways up the hill, and that if we kept to the left we would end up back in our neighborhood. If we went right, we would end up on the other side of the mountain in Marinwood. We soldiered on up the trail.

He was correct. The total walk took two hours and fifteen minutes, we walked five miles and ascended and descended 1000 ft. The hot tub by the community pool was a welcome reward.

Who knew we were staying so close to such a walk, with such a magnificent view of the Bay? We did forget the camera, so pictures are from my phone, but they did come out OK.
Dan

The Longest Walk, or I'm So Glad I didn't go to Jazzercize

We are stealing the title today from a book called "The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom " by Slavomir Rawicz. It's the story of a man who walks from Siberia back home to Poland to freedom. We think we know how he felt!

We took a hike suggested in the Marin Independent Journal, which is, by the way, a very good newspaper. The walk is behind and around our condo, in the Pacheco Valley. I have never taken such a strenuous hike! (and never hope to again!) It was probably 5 miles, but half of it was uphill, and the other half was downhill. To say it was steep is really an understatement! The elevation was 1000 ft from top to bottom. It was gorgeous! We actually walked up and down a mountain, and from the top could see all the way over the San Francisco Bay to Richmond. We could see the Petaluma Harbor on the way to Sonoma, we could see the bridge near Vallejo. (I don't know the name of it).

On the other side, we could see most of Novato. We don't know how high we were, because we didn't bring the GPS. We did, however, remember our walking sticks this time, which we've been continually forgetting on every other hike and walk.

There is only one other hike I remember that was as strenuous, and it was a climb, not a walk. When Jay was about 12 or so, Dan and I took him and his dear friend Peter to the Pierce Stocking Drive around the National Lakeshore in Leelanau, Michigan. For those who haven't been around there, it is a bit of heaven. Anyway, one of the stops was a 465 ft. dune that ended up in Lake Michigan. Jay and Peter hesitated not a minute, and ran down the steep dune into the water. Dan and I looked at each other, and impulsively followed, and Zeke, our former wonderful, HUGE golden lab, followed us. We playfully ran down the sand, then enjoyed the water. THEN, we had to climb up. Well, Jay and Peter just trotted right up, not even panting. Zeke tried to be a loyal dog and stay with us, but even he got impatient and made his way up. Dan and I took forever, we rested, we climbed, we rested, we crawled, we panted! Jay and Peter found it quite amusing. Well, we finally got to the top, but we have never forgotten that. Today's hike equals that.

To top it off, I had fallen yesterday while walking Gus, after this hoity toity woman chided us for not having him on a leash. She had a "grand champion" French Bulldog, and probably afraid Gus would stick his nose in her dog's royal rear end. Anyway, I was so annoyed at her snobbiness that I wasn't watching where I was going, and I tripped and fell, hurting me knee. So I knew I couldn't handle jazzercize today, but thought a walk would be fine, plus I bought a knee brace. Well, I think it's actually o.k., but it was a little extra handicap on this walk!

This is getting to be a bad pattern, by the way, as when I was in Sweden this summer, I tripped and sprained my ankle. Well, here is Dan's take on today's adventure. I am going to take a hot tub in the spa at our complex! (bring your bathing suits, Laura and Jim, and Jay, when you visit.) Pat

Family Day All Day

We've been feeling a bit lonely lately, so today was really nice.   It's sunday, a family day anyway.  for lunch, we were invited to this couple's house---they aren't really my relatives, they are my cousin Mickie's relatives on her father's side, and older than us.    He is from Chicago originally, was a lawyer and a judge here in Mill Valley.  There names are Sarah and Arne, and they live in Tiburon.   Mickie had given each of us the other ones' names, so we contacted each other.    It was lovely.  They live in a lovely condo, filled with beautiful art work, decorated beautifully, and very warm and inviting.  They are very nice;  Arne has had a stroke, and some of his memory is affected, but he was really pretty sharp.   Sarah is younger than he is, and delightful.  She is a writer,  is currently writing short stories  She is quick and bright, open and delightful.   We had a really nice lunch, it was nice to meet them.

We had to leave there early, however, because Jay and Linsdey were having her parents and us for dinner, to celebrate Paula and Ken's birthdays.   It was so nice!    Jay made delicious "short ribs of beef", although none of us thought they were actually short ribs.  We weren't sure what they were, but they were marinated and cooked wonderfully.  Lindsey made a wonderful salad, sweet and fresh, and a delicious almond torte.   It was sort of a Hawaiian food theme, as both of them are so clever with themes!    Aside from the good food, it felt so good to be there all together.  We are a new extended family, and it truly felt like that.    We toasted that, as well as being their first guests in their new place.   Lindsey's tummy is growing beautifully, as she now has a nice round bump, not too big, but noticeable.    Amazing how she grow everytime we see them. 

so, it was a really nice day, we felt so good and connected.  We had to bring Gus with us because of the length of time we'd be gone, but he can't come in the house because of their kitties, so he was outside.  He is getting used to that there, and was quite happy too.   We do miss friends, and the rest of our family alot.   Jim and Laura are coming out soon, and we are excited about that, wish the rest could be here too.   

And oh, he slept through the night!  yippee.

Waterfalls, stairways, and finally a sunny day

Friday we went for a hike on a trail around Alpine Reservoir .   We got there by driving through Fairfax, and then up some of the mountains.   We think that Mt. Tam is on the other side.  We took the Catarack Trail path , and walked almost all of it, through steep inclines, rustic steps, and narrow paths. It was an incline of 800 feet in .8 miles. Quite strenuous, but very beautiful waterfalls, and yes we had sunshine. Because of all the rain, the water in the hills is quite high. The reservoir at Nicasia is probably 10 feet higher than it was three weeks ago, and water is flowing all over the place, including down the drive in the front of our condo.

 It was nice go be out in dry weather.

We went to Il Dolce Vita in Petaluma for taste of wine, each of ordered a flight, Dan, Italian and Pat , Sonoma. We then went home and watched a horrible video, Tropic Thunder. I thought it was horrible. I couldn't even fall asleep it was so bad, I haven't slept well in three nights, because the dog keeps getting me up every two to three hours. He is much better and we are looking forward to tapering him off of the steroids.  Dan






Saturday we spent a nice sunny day in San Francisco, we took the ferry from Larkspur Landing to the Ferry building, where a Farmers Market is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It is filled with local farmers, and quite an active place. We then took a walk that was in Pat's book on Stairways. ( "Stairway Walks in San Francisco" by Adah Bakalinsky) Once again it was up and down, and we had a great hike.  We walked around Nob Hill, near the Mark Hopkins  and Huntington Park.  One of the spots on the hike was the Grace Cathedral, where they have a labyrinth.    There are rules to walking the Labyrith, you start on the outside and work your way in.   As you walk in, you begin to shed and release tension, to quiet your mind and open your heart.  In the center, you may stay to pray or meditate, or to receive guidance.   As you leave the way you entered, you feel strength and clarity.   Or so it is said.   We actually made a mistake and didn't start at the right place, plus we kept walking into each other, so I can't say we felt any of that!   But I enjoyed the center.

Lest you think we are getting too "New Age-y California Style", we later  ate lunch at Tommy's Joynt which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. I had a Corned Beef sandwich and Pat had a Roast Beef sandwich. It was excellent and reasonably priced. A true San Francisco Dive that has not changed since it was opened in 1947, which was a good year for beginnings. We then took the bus back to the Ferry Building and took the Ferry back to Larkspur. Dan

Our friends, the Kesler's came by our condo, with David and Elias, David's son for a short visit.  It was so great to see them, they had gone to Mt. Tam today, and we were all glad we were able to hook up.   Elias is almost the same age as Isaac, and a real cutie. Pat

Activities for the Mind and Spirit or "Yield for the Present"

We went to Book Passages in the afternoon to hear Thomas Friedman speak. It was, mobbed, but we managed to find a spot. He was really good--his presentation was merely his upcoming Sunday column, but he spent most of his time answering questions, good questions, I might add. He is more enjoyable in person than I thought he'd be, as he had a sense of humor, was clever, and of course, very intelligent and thoughtful. He mentioned that he does like Obama's economic and energy policies, thinks he's doing the right and necessary things. I thought that was great, and significant. He doesn't like his Afghanistan policies, however. One thing he said a was that we went to Afghanistan to get rid of the TERRORISTS, while we went to Iraq to get rid of TERRORISM. I found that to be a very important statement. He is afraid that Obama is confusing that. Interesting.

By the way,  he is describing the huge deficit in the above picture, he is NOT describing other things!   (perhaps some of you received the recent humorous email that's been going around contrasting Bush's and Obama's!)

Of course he talked about the economy, and again, likes what Obama is doing, couldn't make any other suggestions, other than to say the answers are "the banks, the banks, the banks", even though it isn't fair. Fairness isn't going to solve the problem, so we better get over it.

Later that night, we went back to Spirit Rock. This was a 2 hour workshop for therapists about the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in conjunction with Mindfulness and Humility Training to work with anxiety and anger in our clients. It was led by a Ph.D from Stanford, named Shani Robins.   He is also the founder of the Wisdom Therapy Institute.  He explained some of CBT's approach, as a successful means of lessening the degree of anxiety or anger, and then using the other training as a way towards resolution. I liked his theory a lot. CBT provides tools to deal with the degree of anxiety and anger, then, mindfulness helps us to stay in the present, which also lowers the level of anxiety. The Humility training helps us to transcend the ego, to see ourselves in connection with others and the whole universe. It focuses on gratitude and loving kindness.

I did really enjoy what he said, although I sort of put it together myself, as I didn't feel he presented it that well, or that he was all that challenging. He never really engaged the participants, though he tried. I want to learn more about Mindfulness, and Humility, and I think this may be a goal of mine this coming year. I was disappointed that he didn't mention more about that, he was too academic. We did start out with a guided meditation, but to be honest, I think that Dan and I do a better one. Still, I really enjoy going to this center, might want to return one more time. The sign on the way in, by the way, says, "YIELD TO THE PRESENT."

I think this may elicit some comments from our followers, and I hope it does, but I am struggling with the concepts I have learned here so far. It's a different approach than the therapy I have done, but I have done some of these same things without naming it. In same cases, it is very similar. Both Dan and I have done hypnosis, with guided imagery, and this creates an alpha state similar to meditation. My bias is quite entrenched in me, so in many ways, it actually interferes with this approach. I feel like I need to be challenged a little more in this area. On the other hand, I love the idea of expanding the spiritual, of transcending the ego, and certainly, of staying in the moment. Years ago, I had done a "gratitude journal" suggested in a book I had read called "Simple Abundance" and it truly helped me see things differently. Also, having survived a life threatening illness and procedure certainly helped me understand Mindfulness, staying in the present, and gratitude, but it's easy to forget those important lessens.

One more thing about this. I don't know if this will help you readers, but all of us are reacting to the economic disaster we are facing. Friedman talked about it today, and I mentioned it at the workshop. Though neither speaker had a "solution", both gave a helpful focus--Friedman said we need the banks, banks, banks, and the psychologist said we truly need to deal with the anxiety it produces by using Mindfulness, and yes, Humility Training. I feel quite anxious about the situation, as you all do, I am sure. I am truly trying to stay in the moment, to look outside at the flowering trees (you may have to look at the glistening snow!) to take a deep breathe and say that at this moment, I am HERE. I have love, warmth, safety and beauty.

Pat

Later, when I was taking Gus for a walk (yes, he can take a walk again) I noticed some wild iris, about to bloom, and also some Calla Lilies.  it reminded me of my favorite poem/haiku:

Dead my old fine hopes,

and dry my dreaming.

But!  

Still!

Iris, Blue Each Spring.