Every so often it is critical to take a rest and look back to see what’s happened and to consider the days ahead. It has been 2 weeks since we drove away from our home in Alhambra. During that time we have visited with great friends – Claudia in Morro Bay, Pete and Jaynese in Lafayette, Myrt in the Bay Area, my sister Georgia and Liz in Cupertino, Susie in Marin area and now Beth in Sonoma. At every stop it has been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends, create new memories and have wonderful times together.
Today is no exception – we will be having lunch with our wine making friends Kirk
and Denise
(WesMarWinery.com – great small batch Pinot Noir) and getting ready for the next push up the coast.
For a late lunch, we met up with our friends Kirk and Denise of WesMar Winery along with Beth
for lunch at a fairly new spot called Gravenstein Grill. 
We shared a fantastic bottle of 2011 Chardonnay and a 2007 Pinot Noir both from their winery. 
After a couple of hours and lots of conversations we had to leave for other commitments.
Tomorrow we pack up our car (which is filled from the back of the front seats to the tail gate) and drive along Hwy 101 to Fortuna amongst the redwood giants. While there, we will explore the coast, Eureka and, who knows, maybe discover something new! From there, staying on Hwy 101, we go to Coos Bay Oregon for a night prior to heading inland to stay with my cousin Barbara in Eugene.
So, stay tuned, more pictures and updates as we move along.
and of course there was a fire engine 
or three, horses 
and a stagecoach, 
decorated cars, 
various floats, a blueberry producer 
passing out his crop 
and of course a wine trolley. 
This place may not look like much from the outside as it’s a little house across from a strip mall, however, as soon as you walk in a wonderful journey begins. The outside courtyard is lovely with an open fire pit that wasn’t cooking today but normally cooks the days vegetable offerings and large pan Paella. Once we got settled at our table in the patio, we ordered a pitcher of White – Cava Sangria, 
some bacon wrapped dates with Blue Chees and Marcona Almonds 
plus a serving of Shiitake Mushrooms Escabeche – toasted ciabatta with smoked sea salt. 
The Sangria was WONDERFUL (we ended up with two pitchers) and the dates and mushrooms were very tasty.
We ordered enough to share plus, as it turns out, to take home; it came with all the right things and was fantastic. I will admit, I had come specifically for the Paella and I was NOT disappointed.
for a wonderful meal 
and then down the block to the Marsh Theatre to see DAUGHTER OF A GARBAGEMAN. 
This is a tale of Maureen Langan’s 1970’s upbringing in New Jersey. Her Irish mother and Bronx-born father, a New York City sanitation worker. 
She presented this one woman show talking about her upbringing and how her father and mother influenced her life. She was particularly upset by the fact that Kim Kardashian gets a book deal after doing a sex tap and when the star of The Apprentice can become the president? WHO IS TO BLAME? Is it her parents’ fault? America’s fault? With humor, honesty, and insight, Maureen taps into the hearts and frustrations of hard-working people everywhere who wonder if they, too, were raised wrong.
Susie’s father was a classmate of my dads at the US Naval Academy and our paths crossed many times over the years. We spent a couple of hours catching up before heading to Sonoma and our friend Beth Harper.
and Bovine Bakery. CowGirl Creamery makes a number of wonderful cheeses – and we picked up some triple cream called Red Hawk 
and some goat milk Gouda – both of which are taste pleasers! If we were not heading to Sonoma, and of course a visit to Vella Cheese, we would have picked up some more. Bovine Bakery 
was a treat with a variety of baked goods we had to sample. 
so we didn’t walk down the 300 steps to the lighthouse but had a very enjoyable visit and view anyway. 