Category: Rambling
Sunday in Sunny Southern Cali
Yesterday was a bit more relaxed than Saturday :), we started the day with some room service breakfast (mmm mmm good), and then got cleaned up and drove to Oakland to visit a dentist Kris used to work with. Erik and Monica live in a posh neighborhood way up in the Oakland Hills, and their house backs up to a national park. There was a gorgeous view (I have some pictures) and had a great time visiting with them for a few hours. We got all caught up, met their 20 month old son Luc, and Monica is bursting at the seams with a new one on the way (due in 6 weeks she said). Hopefully we can keep in touch with them better in the future.
After that, we decided to take their advice on a restaurant recommendation. Instead of eating in dirty downtown San Fran, we shot over the Golden Gate (the temp drops by 10-15 degrees on top of the bridge brrrrr) and went into Tiburon. It's and fanshy as it sounds. Lots of huge houses on gorgeous hills. At the end of downtown Tiburon, there are a lot of touristy shops and nice restaurants. We ate at Guamay's, a shi shi foo foo Mexican restaurant, and sat out on the deck right on the bay (have some pics of the view from Tiburon to San Fran as well :). After that we browsed the shops a bit, but most were closed since it was past 5 on Sunday.
So we headed back to San Fran, this time with the top down, and you can really feel that 10 degree difference when you're going 45 with the top down :). And yes, Kris and I both want a Sebring now... damn nice car.
We came back to the hotel to a gift from one of my clients, chocolate covered strawberries, delicious oatmeal raisin cookies and a bottle of 1995 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne. A couple glasses of that stuff and you're out for the night :)
All in all, another enjoyable day in the life of Dan...
At Angel's Camp
Kris and I are at Angel's Camp now. It was a decent drive, but we had to keep the top up on the car due to our already reddened necks and the high temperatures. It's supposed to be in the upper 90s all week, and us Portlanders just aren't used to it :).
We got here around noon, and checkin time wasn't until 4, so we drove about 30 minutes in either direction of Angel's Camp, and checked out 3 or 4 teeny towns along the way. Kris was starting to wonder "Why did we choose to vacation here again? It's hot and there's no shopping." But that's exactly why we chose it :). Out of the way and few people.
The land around here is gorgeous. As we drove Kris was giving it all a look of slight distaste. It reminds us both of Texas to some degree, and we're spoiled by the lush greenness of Portland. But I like it... it's like the difference between Martha Stewart and Ikea. Martha loves to have a vase full to the brim of flowers... falling out all over the table. In an Ikea catalog you'd see a single tulip in a glass vase. They're both beautiful in their own way. This area of California is dry, hot and not all that thickly wooded, but gorgeous nonetheless.
Tomorrow we're heading to Murphy where there are several wineries. We'll visit a few and get a better lay of the land. We're also going to check and see how far a drive it is up to Yosemite, and we may take a trip there. Neither of us have been, and it would seem a shame not to go given how close we are.
More updates to come :), but you won't get to see pictures until I get home. No way I'm uploading them over this dialup :)
First day of vacation down...
Kris and I arrived in San Fran yesterday, and immediately started playing with the controls on our rented convertible (a Chrysler Sebring ;). Kris has determined that she does indeed need a convertible now. It's just too shnazzy. :)
After that excitement was over, we headed downtown to the Marriott we're staying at. Kris and I are still of the opinion that San Fran is just a dirty town, and one we'll only visit this once unless it's to see friends or conduct business. Just a little too expensive, and too many vagrants. I was amazed and upset at the number of homeless people on the streets downtown. The touristy area around Fisherman's Wharf didn't have as many people asking for change, but the areas around our hotel were rife with them. Truly saddening.
Well, we did get one of Kris' goals taken care of. A trip to Ghirardelli Square (a bit anti-climactic if you ask me) but we got some chocolate, a few chotzky's and a bit of sunburn (already). Yesterday evening we walked around the huge shopping area around the hotel and checked out the Virgin Megastore (sooooo many CD's... drool drool). Picked up the new Jack Johnson (wonderfully relaxing as usual), new Rod Stewart (he's Rod man..., but I haven't listened to this one yet) and a disk called "Standing In The Shadows of Motown", a disk of classic Motown hits redone by the likes of Meshel Ndegecello, Joan Osborne, Ben Harper and Bootsy Collins (who don't like Bootsy).
Took a few pics, but I won't be fiddling with all of those until we get back to the house, unless I fill up the card on my Canon.
Might post another update tonight, but not sure if I will starting Monday, since I'll be on <gasp>dial-up</gasp>, we have hi-speed in the hotel.