Wherever I go, there it is.

We took our usual walk with Gus this morning, went a little different way. On the way back, I suddenly saw a jazzercize studio! I excitedly went over to it, to see the schedule, only to find a class in session. The sign in person ran out after me, telling me I could come to a free class. Well, I just joined right in! They quickly saw I was an experienced jazzercizer, as I knew the routines, and just fit right in! I only was there for about 1/2 a class, which was too bad, but I was so happy I found it. Unfortunately, we are leaving Redlands soon, so I probably won't go again. I thought, as I was dancing away in happy oblivion, that I should be an ad for the organization, as I pick up classes wherever I am ! Except upnorth, there is no jazzercize there. I will be lost and sad!

In the afternoon, we went to Palm Springs to play golf. Oh, it was lovely we do like this area, it's green, full of palm trees and beautiful foliage, really nice. It was about 90 degrees out, but you really couldn't tell in the dry heat, and I like that too. The golf course was very beautiful, just what you would think it would be, and we both played well, which is remarkable for us, as usually only one of us plays fairly well. Went out for dinner after that at a place called Billy something, I can't remember the name. Obviously a Palm Springs institution, very casual, many older people, huge menu. On the way out, we saw a dance class going on in their dancing hall, and couples, mostly old, practicing their dance moves. Very cool, and retro. Pat

I really liked Palm Springs, golf course was very nice. There are over a hundred courses in that area, so golf is big. This was a municipal course and was quite tough.

No teabagging allowed

We had a laid back day and played golf this afternoon. It was a nice course, but very busy today. While waiting at a tee box we were talking to a Korean couple. The man explained to me that he was not a Native Born American, and he sometimes doesn't understand political things. He said that in the newspaper today there was an article about people having a tea party. He couldn't quite get it.  I explained to him it was taking the idea of the original  Boston Tea Party,  to  protest tax hikes on tax day, and he then understood.   Pat then added that it was a Republican party thing, and that we liked Obama.  I did not explain to him what teabagging is, I thought that might really confuse him!

Too many pictures, too little time!

Today we went to the Huntington Gardens, in Pasadena. Melisa had told us about this from when she was there doing research several summers ago. What a gem this was! Have you heard of it? Huntington was a wealthy railroad baron who built an estate, with gardens, a library, and art museum, and left it to the public after his death. It is magnificent! The gardens are huge, we could not see all of them. We focused on the "desert gardens" and the "Japanese gardens", could have spent many more hours there. All the cacti were in bloom, in the garden, which is one reason why I took so many pictures. (you will have to follow the link to see all the many pictures) The Japanese gardens were wonderful. Melisa said she'd just come there and sit, just taking it all in. I can see how wonderful that would be, very spiritual and "mindful."

A beautiful place. A beautiful place in what we are coming to feel is somewhat of a vast wasteland! Pat



The L.A. area is not appealing to us. It is the very worst in planning and development in the country if not the world. Not only does it screw up their own ecosystem, but it also impacts the whole west because of the amount of water that they use. The Eastern part of the greater LA area is desert that is irrigated by water from the Colorado river. Believe it or not, there have been actual suggestions that we send Great Lakes water here as well. Well I for one think it is weird to see corn and wheat growing in the desert. Pat and I both agree that what the Bay area may lack in sun it gains in class and for me practical sense sustainability. We laugh because everything in that area is "local and sustainable". But I now have a new respect for that concept. Keep the desert a desert.

Another issue for me is even if it is a nice day, we are still in the desert.
We did like Pasadena, and there are pockets of habitability and some really nice things here. Redlands is a very nice, liveable area.

One of those spots is Huntington Gardens. I am so glad we got to see this place. Melisa was here a few summers ago on a grant to do some research. What a wonderful setting to work in. We were quite surprised at how grand it is.
Check it out at http://www.huntington.org/
Pictures for today are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/HuntingtonGardens#

Pat Can Cross this one off the Bucket List Now

Oh, you will all never guess what has been on my bucket list.   It all started with Sue Grafton's "G is for Gumshoe."   This book takes place near the Salton Sea, and the towns surrounding it.   I decided I had to see this before I  "kicked the bucket".    Don't ask me why, I get these obsessions that are illogical completely, and my family has been teasing me about this one for a long time!  (although Adam actually visited it too)    

It was everything I thought it would be--completely desolate!   The "sea" is quite large, similar to the Great Salt Lake, with no real shore where we were.  We only saw a small part of it, that was all I needed to feed my fix.    The area surrounding it was really not nice,  quite poverty stricken with old, run down trailer parks, dilapidated buildings, unkempt green areas, dirt roads.    This was what I had expected, though.   We met a couple in their 80's also taking in the view, and had an interesting talk with them.    The man told us some information about the area.    They were a cool couple, having been married a mere 2 years.   He was on his 5th wife, the other 4 having died!    

   A pleasant surprise was the drive there, through Box Canyon.   We had gone to the Joshua Tree National Park first, but only saw a little bit of it, so we didn't stay there long.   It was disappointing to learn that all the Joshua Trees were at the north end of the park, and too long a drove to do that, but we did see some interesting cacti.

 We then drove on a surface road from there to the Salton Sea, via a town called "Mecca", going through the Box Canyon.  It was very interesting, looked like a place where Hollywood filmed many Westerns.   At one point, we got out to take a picture, and I was calling Gus to come over to me, and my voice echoed all through the canyon!  I have never heard an echo like that, it was really cool.  On our way back, we drove on a surface road through Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and finally, Palm Springs.    Palm Desert seems to consist of one gated community after another, and we really couldn't see any of them.   The foliage was beautiful, though it's weird to see all this greenery in the midst of a desert.   We quickly grew tired of one development after another, and all the hidden golf courses.    Palm Springs, however, is different.   We didn't see much of it, but found the downtown, which is very charming.    It has cute stores and lively restaurants, casual and outdoorsy.    There are some really beautiful buildings built in the 50's style, that probably do date back to the 50's when Sinatra ruled the place.  It's not glitzy or as hoi polloi as the other nearby communities.

On our way back home, we hit some very good outlet malls and a casino, so we spent a little time at these.    We aren't doing much shopping, however---we need nothing, and we are saving our money for travel, not for clothing.    Plus, we had Gus in the car and it is warm out.   

Oh, the weather is very different here.  It was windy today, but that does not describe it!   It is "WINDY"!     The clouds are dark from sand, and as you walk in the wind, you get all this grit on you that is sand.    The palm trees are swaying from the wind, and Dan had to do the driving as it was very strong.

So here is my question for the day---why is the Great Salt Lake called a "lake", and the Salton Sea called a "sea"?     

Another question----do you know how the Salton Sea was formed?   

Yosemite--Looking for Sam

We hit the road on Saturday for the start of our return to Michigan. Packing and leaving was hard on many levels. First the physical part of finding, packing, and loading all of our stuff after two and a half months was quite taxing. Second, leaving and moving back from California was difficult.

We headed to Yosemite later than we anticipated. When we got to Mariposa we decided to spend the night there, because by the time we would have gotten to the park, it would have been dark. We found a delightful little motel called the Little Rock Inn. Vicki was the owner. We found out that she had spent four months in Lucca, near where we had stayed in Italy. The motel is a small place built in 1941 that has been completely redone.   We found it from our Frommers book, but she is also in Lonely Planet.  When we awoke on Sunday she had a home made breakfast ready. 
She loved Gus, and loved us too, giving us a friendly hug.   I think I will add her to Yelp!

We then went to the park, where the waterfalls were flowing profusely. It was very busy, as it was Easter Sunday, and the water is seasonal. We were surprised at the diversity of terrain, and the overall beauty of this place. Once more I was impressed at the foresight of those who protected such places with the National Park system. As we were hiking to Yosemite falls, we saw a crowd gathering, and there was a Bobcat hunting a squirrel. It was pretty cool and I was able to get a good picture of it.  Some of the park is still closed for winter.   We could have spent days in this park, but didn't really have the time to do that.    I think when you go to National Parks, you either have to decide to spend your whole time there to take advantage of some of the activities, or you just visit and get an overview.

Here is a link to our pictures.   http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/Yosemite#









After we left the park, we headed for Redlands via the Harris Ranch, as per a suggestion from our Novato neighbor Phillip. It was an interesting place and the lunch was very good. We then headed for Redlands, trying to avoid freeway traffic. It was a long trip, but we made it to the house. This is part of a house trade and we are quite happy with this place. It is large, has a nice yard, and Redlands is a nice quite community.

Monday we hung out in the area and took a bike ride.  We were very tired from our travels and just wanted to have a relaxing day.  The weather here is glorious, we had a glass of wine out on the patio.

On the Road again

Jim and Dan at the Oakland game


Well, looks like it's time to hit the road again. This segment of the trip is nearing it's end. We met my brother Jim, his wife Lee Ann, and Jim's daughter Aura and her husband John at the A's home opener. It has good to be able to spend time with them and to get to know Lee Ann. Oakland Coliseum is not made for baseball, it is a football stadium, where they play baseball.



It was packed and for some strange reason they were not ready for such a big crowd. I stood in line for a hot dog for two innings and the line moved about 4 people. I did not get my hot dog at that time. But we did have a great time, and it was fun to be at Opening Day. It was Aura's 29th birthday.

Earlier in the day, we packed and sent a box of clothes back to Michigan. We will probably head out today for Yosemite. The stay here has been as good as it could be. The first three or four weeks, were rain soaked, but we still managed to take advantage of the area and take advantage of every break in the weather that we could. The best part was that we really missed the worst of Michigan winter. The condo worked out good, and we found that this location is very convenient and that everything in the Bay area is very accessible from here. We hope we can return next year, either here or to the East Bay.

Here is what she does in Retirement

Some of you may wonder what we do during our time out here in California. Here is an example.

More thoughts

I feel I have been opened up to new experiences by living here for several months, I have been influenced in ways I didn't realize. This sounds sort of petty, but I feel like I have learned and taken a new interest in wine.  I never thought I'd know much about wine. I now understand why Northern Californians sound sort of snobby about it, but the influence is all over. The media has articles on the vineyards, the owners, the types of wine, and the ratings all the time, everyone talks about it, and it's fun to go visit the wineries in the valleys that are beautiful. So you almost can't help but learn about it. It's similar with food--rather than just talk about menus, the media talks about the chefs as if they are famous, and many of them are, actually, so now I know more about who they are, what restaurants they've owned, etc. If you ask someone if such and such is a good restaurant, no matter who it is, you get a history of the chef, and a review, not just a yes or no. It's the curiosity and the focus that I find influential.

I have also really enjoyed the author talks at Book Passages. This is such a unique store, we love it. They are an independent bookstore first of all, and very successful. They run all these programs, writing groups, reading groups, different kinds of talks, a mystery writers workshop in the summer, etc. They get wonderful authors there, and their events are very well attended. It's just around the corner from us almost, so we've tried to take advantage of this treasure. I love to hear the talks because they always inspire me in some ways.

The other influence has been going to Spirit Rock, and experiencing meditation. I really enjoyed that, felt it opened up some curiosity in me and a desire to explore this more. It is exciting to think about what there is to learn, no matter our age. Always room for more!

I feel I have learned about living in a new climate. I never really got it before, when I'd visit here. It was always hard to pack, as it is so different. It's so hard to explain, and I don't think I can really. Rain is different here, it has a different significance, because there has been a drought, but also the way it rains and what it does to the land.

These are just a few of the ways I feel I have changed or been opened up. This is a wonderful part of travel, be it a short time or longer time. But for me, it's the longest I've ever been away from the midwest, probably the longest time I've been on a "trip" in one place. I think part of what I will now miss is feeling so comfortable here, like I belong, like family is just a short ride away, and we help them move, or bring a piece of furniture home, and the wonderful familiarity of that rather than "visiting. Feeling homesick is the right word. Of course there are challenges. I miss many people a lot, my friends, and the rest of our families. I feel distanced from them, try to keep in touch with email, phone calls, and yes, this blog. But that is hard. We also don't feel connected so much here, we have nothing we really belong to. We have a little, my Jazzercize class has provided me with that, and there is potential there for friendship and activities. But that is hard to establish for short time periods. I think that is a possibility though, and a goal for next year.

We will be going to our upnorth house when we return. I have found some of the same joys up there, the interests are actually similar, and the joy and interest people have in their lives there are similar . They are a similar interest in their wineries, their restaurants, their environment, their independence and their uniqueness, as well as the beauty of the area. Again, there are many things in Ann Arbor that I will miss, but I like to look forward, not behind. My favorite traits that I try to live up to are : curiosity and resilience. I have satisfied both on this trip. Thank you for reading our blog thus far, if you have, our goal was to journal our journey, mostly for our own memories, but also for anyone who was curious. We have tried not to sound "braggy" or self-absorbed, but wanted to share and record our lives.

We have more travels ahead of us on this trip, but this really ends the "Novato" part for now.

To borrow a phrase, "next year, California."

Beginning the Finale

We are now beginning to get ready to leave, saying goodbye to Novato and doing last minute things.

Tuesday, late afternoon and early evening, we went to Corte Madera. I had an Apple One-to-One class, and Dan got a hair-cut. We then went to Book Passages to hear another author speak, David Hewson. He was quite enjoyable---he is British, and his latest mystery book takes place in Rome and in San Francisco, so we are both eager to read it at some point. He used the Apple application "Pages" for his delightful talk, with pictures of the locations that influenced his story. The influences are Dante and his "Divine Comedy" to Hitchcock's "Vertigo". What I enjoyed about him was how he talked about writing, the way the process works for him and how he gets inspiration. I regularly go to a Book and Author's Luncheon in Detroit, where a number of authors are doing their latest tours. The most interesting ones are rarely the ones I go for, it's the ones I don't know. But what I like the best is when their talk makes me want to go home and write my own fiction. The best authors are so inspiring and so articulate about the writing process. He was like that, very articulate, bright and enjoyable to listen to.

On Wednesday, I cooked dinner for Jay and Lindsey and Paula and Ken. I cooked it mostly in Novato and then brought it over to Jay and Lindsey's house. We first met Lindsey at Ikea because we helped them buy a futon, and half the baby's crib, and helped them bring it home. I then finished preparing the dinner. It's Passover today, but having a full Seder was too much to do, and would be bad for all of them to do on a weekday night, so they preferred we didn't do it.

I made both Jewish and Passover foods, as well as Easter, deciding we should celebrate 'em all, at least with the meal if not the ritual. I made deviled eggs which were supposed to look like bunnies (they didn't!) , blue cheese blogs which I knew Lindsey would love, cheese and matzos; noodle kugel, choroses, artichokes with lemon aioli, London broil; Paula brought rolls and butter, Dan made his Polish cucumber salad, Lindsey made a regular salad. Dessert was a lemon buttermilk cake with two different frostings, one side decorated with marshmallow bunnies, green coconut "grass" and jelly beans, and the other side was a Jewish star made out of jelly beans. I also made Jay his favorite cookies, vanilla chocolate cloverleafs.

It was fun to do, and fun to be together!

We stayed to clean up, then said our goodbyes! Oh, dear, it is so hard to do that. Lindsey and Jay are going to Portland for a long weekend, it'll be their last trip before the baby comes, and the best time for them to travel. I am glad, it's easier to leave knowing they are on a trip. But man, it is really hard to go, I feel homesick! I really love it here, because of being near family, but I also love the area, it resonates with

I drive on the highway (something I will not miss) and see the expanse of sky and distant hills and mountains, catching glimpses of the Bay at some turns. It is so inviting, so calming. Even when it is raining, the sky is fascinating, as you can see the clouds over Mt. Tam and other mountains in the background, moving towards the valley areas. When you walk anywhere at this time of year, you see all kinds of wildflowers. There are wild iris in our backyard, along with yellow, orange and other blue flowers. The wisteria is blooming everywhere---I never knew what it was before, and I love it, almost as much as lilacs. It smells like lilacs also, but grows on vines.

Oh yes, we can't forget the wildlife. We do enjoy the deer, though I can understand why people curse them, we just ran them out of our yard for the 4th time today. The turkeys are so funny, and so arrogant, just walk anywhere they please, loudly gobbling. Dan finds them annoying, though I know he will miss them.

Our Schedule

Here is our tentative schedule for the rest of the trip. We will still be blogging and checking our emails and cell phones.


Sunday April 12, Leave Novato for Yosemite
Monday April 13, Yosemite to Redlands
Tuesday April 14-Sunday April 19 Redlands
Monday April 20 to Wednesday April 22 On the road to Salt Lake City Utah
Wednesday April 22 to Sunday April 26 in Salt Lake City
Monday April 27 to Tuesday April 28 on the road to Des Moines
Tuesday April 28 and Wednesday April 29 in Des Moines
Thursday April 30 Arrive in Traverse City

Dan

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!