Wednesday, August 29, 2012

o miles driven, 3 miles walked

Today’s photo is of Sierra and her pal, Jessie.  They share a birthday and when Danielle walked Sierra regularly (before the economy bombed and salaries got cut and Danielle had to be cut…) these two were on the same schedule.  They still love each other.  Danielle sent this yesterday and I realized that I didn’t take any food or drink or scenic photos on Wednesday.  So say hi to Jessie and Sierra!

We wake up at 6am every day without an alarm; it’s funny.  I put in two loads of wash on my way to get coffee.  She gave me the local’s discount!!  I ran back to tell Bob.  We are locals here!  haha.

This is our most down-time day yet.  After the laundry was all done and either hanging to dry or folded, we went in search of some “real breakfast” as Bob calls it.  Looked at a couple of places and went to the Blue Moose, right across the street, because Bob wanted pancakes.  It is always packed with breakfasters (or Breck-fasters.. ho ho) and we have been there on previous visits.  I like it because they don’t mind options, special requests…   We sat at the counter and ordered; for Bob, scrambled eggs, two buttermilk pancakes and link sausages with OJ.  For me, two poached eggs and sourdough toast with hot sauce.  Perfection.  And I had a half of one of Bob’s links – they were the old-fashioned spicy kind.

From there we went to a camera shop owned by a photographer who takes the most fantastic and dramatic photographs.  But The Best part: his 5-month old yellow lab, Ellwood, is always on the premises.  Such a cute playful little creature.  He kept lying down right on my feet while we were getting a USB connection for Bob’s camera (liked me best liked me best…).  By now it was about 10 so we went back to the room and worked, caught up, read till about 11:30 when we took off for the Post Office and the real purpose of the day:  to do due diligence as to the possibility of being able to watch the 49ers game on Thursday night — the Broncos play at about the same time so chances are zero that it will be broadcast but we visited all three sports bars in town plus a couple of other places that have several tvs.  This took almost two hours as we wondered in and out of stores and different bars.  It looks doubtful that anyone will be broadcasting it…. it will be on the NFL channel but the cities have control over the pre-season so highly unlikely anyone will allow a 49ers game when Broncos are playing.  Learned something new about the f’d up NFL broadcasting rules…..

We decided we wanted Mi Casa for lunch.  Too hot to sit outside — temperature is only in the mid-70s but the sun is like a laser.  We sat at the bar all by ourselves with a nice bartender, Kelly.  She had Silver margaritas with 100% agave nectar and fresh lime juice as a special… two please!  Bob had his usual Mexican repast: chicken enchilada, red sauce, rice, no beans.  I had a grilled fish taco with black beans and rice.  Bob ate one enchilada and most of the rice; I ate the taco with loads of their hot salsa and a little bit of the beans and rice.  It was good.  We walked back to the Hyatt to go to the pool with our books.  The skies were threatening again but enough sun peeking out that it made jumping in the pool necessary.  We stayed down there till about 4:30 then up for showers and a brisk walk to Our Bar, the Briar Rose.

On the way, we pass someone going the other direction and Bob starts muttering Hitler, Hitler, Hitler.  It was the lady with the nose.  I was laughing out loud.  We get to Our Bar and there are three tables of people and about four people at the bar…. All. Locals.  And us!  We order our two-for-one drinks (I asked for a third blue-cheese stuffed olive….. ) and the hitler nose lady comes in (dressed up) with her boyfriend (flip flops, shorts, NE Patriots t-shirt) and sit right next to us.   I couldn’t look.   They ordered a huge thing of the most-perfect looking french fries that smelled so good.  So we started thinking about dinner.  We decided that we would try the place we almost went to Breck-fast (sorry), Park at Main, which is actually owned by the Briar Rose/Empire Burger/Giampietro’s people.  We even decided what we wanted for dinner because MJ had a menu:  Bob the bacon, cheddar grilled cheese; me a salad with some chicken or something similar on it.  I asked hitler’s nose if the fries were their dinner and she said “No they had steaks at home but if it were up to him, they would just get more fries.”  So we DO have things in common!!!

We said good-bye and thank you to MJ (she is off the rest of the time we are here); I went to the bathroom and Bob waited outside.   I walk out to the curb and he is standing there facing Giampietro’s…. “Would you rather have pizza?” and I said, “No, I’m ok with the other place.”  Bob, “Are you sure?” Me: “Would you rather have pizza?”  “Sort of.”  So we go to Giampietro’s.  It does smell amazing in there!  We get seated right (a half inch separates our tables) next to another couple about our age (who the hell knows?  anywhere between 40 and 80, depending on if either of them had work done; we haven’t so…) which was annoying to them more so than us (and I was annoyed).   The lovely woman who has been there each of the three times we have been waited on us.   I knew immediately that I wanted the same arugula salad and a slice with olives and mushrooms (because it would have my salad on top of it and be fantastic).  Bob looked around the menu and the specials and decided to have the ravioli off the regular menu and his same tomato / mozzarella salad.   When he placed his order, she went ‘um… we have a special ravioli’ and she pointed to the board… ‘braised short ribs in our homemade ravioli’ and then the super-annoyed guy next door (on my side) pipes up “You should order that; it’s fantastic.”  So Bob, who doesn’t much like the idea of short ribs, says “okayyyyyyy.”

So that started us in conversation with the people next door….. they moved here a year ago from the East Coast; still have their other house; he was here for the winter, she wasn’t (the winter we are told is the Test.  Anywhere from 500 to 700 inches of snow); he is the dog person, she isn’t (this was discovered when I whipped out my phone to show the waitress Sierra). And so it went.

I LOVED that we ate there.  My salad was perfect and I saved most of it for the pizza which was better than the other night (crisper crust, more salad on the topping).  Bob loved his salad and the bite I had of his ravioli was fantastic…but he didn’t eat all of it.  He said he liked it but I think he would have preferred the ‘plain’ one.

We bade farewell to the couple next door and walked home — not in the rain!

Random things….

Tee shirt:  Party like a mortician, grab a cold one.

The town of Breckenridge has trucks equipped with special flower basket watering devices to water all of the hanging baskets along Main Street.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

0 miles driven, 6 miles walked

Woke up 6ish again… went to get my coffee and drank it while computing, watching news… Bob wanted to go to Clint’s for breakfast which has been here forever; our first trip here about 10 years ago to ski, we went stopped by there on our way out of town for coffee.   We brought the backpack so we could walk from Clint’s to City Market and buy stuff for dinner.

Clint’s has all sorts of great-looking and sounding baked goods.  And almond milk!  So I had a second cup of coffee, a small almond milk latter.  Bob got a small coffee and a blueberry muffin that was chock full of blueberries and crunchy sugary top.  I got a strawberry pistachio (gluten free even!) muffin.  Bob: ” A MUFFIN?? YOU??”  I ate half and saved the rest for later.  We sat at the counter and Bob read the free daily paper while I eavesdropped on the older local customer  hitting on the pretty 26 yr  old employee behind the counter.

Him: Have you found a place to live yet?

Her: No, I am hoping to find a place without roommates.  Last year I paid $625 for my own room in a house.  I would like my own place.

Him: I have a spare room.

Her: Oh (not enthused)

Him: You always say you will take care of Hunter (dog I guess) but you never do….

Her:  I would take care of him!

Him:  You could bring your cat.

Her:  I left my cat with my parents.

Alas, then we left…..  Walked to the store and got filets, asparagus, sourdough, lettuce and two bottles of water to walk with.  The town gondola is near the store and we found out we could ride it up the mountain and from there take a chairlift higher up the mountain.  So we walked to the Hyatt, dumped the groceries, changed layers, got sunscreen, repacked the backpack and walked back down to the gondola.  It’s free up to what they call Peak 8.  They have a whole summer fun park up there with bounce houses, trampolines, a maze, super slides that you ride a chair life up with a little (flimsy) tobagon thing that you then ride down the mountain on a smooth track…. (Bob was this close to doing it; I told him I didn’t want to drive the whole way home) and a cafeteria/ bar /deck.   We spent $9 each to take a 4-man chair up to 11,000 feet and what is the Horseshoe Bowl.  There is a great little 1 mile loop hike with some signage about the fauna and flora on the mountain and Bob got some great photos.  The chairlift operator took the one above on my phone.

We were up there about an hour hiking around and then took the lift back down.  Bob got a hot dog and a Bud and I got a Breckenridge Amber Ale and a jicama and watermelon side salad (with diced cucumber and mango) and ate some nuts and seeds.  We sat there about 1/2 hour – 45 minutes just watching people come screaming or creeping down the super slide.  There was a little 18-month old chunk of  a toddler who looked exactly like a shrunken John Daly.

Took the gondola down and walked back to the Hyatt to go to the pool before it started to rain as the skies had start to darken.  I went down with my book and Bob came down about half an hour later after checking the progress of Isaac (now a hurricane), the 49er roster, whatever.  When he came down we got in the hot tub (I break the No Public Hot Tubs rule here — and in Aspen – because they are so clean and no kids are allowed; also there are three of them and hardly any people so….)   After about  15 minutes crack! thunder and lightening.  And rain… so up we went to the room and took showers, tried to do a load of laundry but it was busy.

At 4:30 we set out (in raindrops but didn’t get an umbrella; just pulled up my hood) for … surprise… Briar Rose.  MJ was behind the bar and everyone in the place was a local — three at one end of the bar and two tables full in the bar.  Placed our order with the only deviation being I tried the blue cheese stuffed olives this time.  MJ said she stuffed them herself.  I am definitely going to do this at home!  It was sooooo good.  We chatted and got some more restaurant info.  We paid ($7 for two generous cocktails — can. not. beat happy hour in this town.) said good by to our new friends to go home and make dinner and … it was pouring outside.  Rain bouncing off the pavement raining.  So we turned around and ordered two more.  I can count on one finger the times that I have had two martinis  — last night was that one time.  MJ’s godparents who live in the area came in and we all had a great time.  Bob and I are more local here than in Novato….

It did stop raining and we walked home to make dinner — and I was fine.  Bob cooked the filets and asparagus in the one pan on the stove and they were both delicious.  I made a big salad with the last two heirlooms and it was all good!!

Random things……

Me: When we get back to the room, I want a peach.  Bob: You are married to a peach.

Tee shirt: You can see my expression and yet you are still talking.

Bumpersticker:  Martinis… not just for breakfast any more.

The toilets in restaurants here have two buttons:  Whole flush and Half flush.

Monday, August 27, 2012

0 miles driven, 3 +/- walked

Monday was perhaps even more relaxing than Sunday… probably because we are getting the hang of it?  It takes some training to be good at relaxing.  We woke up 6ish and I dozed while Bob turned on the news, weather.  Thunder storms are in the forecast every afternoon and evening through next Saturday when we leave.  Monday morning was clear and still and 48* when I went next door for my cafe au lait just before 7am.  Brought it back and we read, emailed, worked for an hour or so in bed (how fantastic on a Monday morning!!!) then showered up and went back next door with newspapers.  I brought one of the juicy peaches from the market yesterday and got a sausage roll (two little bites of warm, spicy, flakey,buttery goodness; could have eaten a few of them but ……).  Bob got a hot croissant with ham and cheese and  an OJ.  We sat there for an hour, more? reading and enjoying the sunshine.   Went back to the room and re-arranged clothing layers; Bob took off to talk fly fishing and I read outside (Tana French’s new book, Broken Harbor.  I have been dying to read it as her first three — In The Woods, Faithful Place, The Likeness — are all fantastic. I saved Broken Harbor for this trip.  If you haven’t read these, read them in order.)  At about 10:45 we met up and decided to walk/hike.  Started out from the Hyatt and headed up under the lift a bit then followed a path along a really pretty little creek.

We eventually came out into a neighborhood that bordered the creek.. we ended up walking the whole town for almost three hours…. we went in and out of some stores and watched the sky darken up.   It started raining about two blocks short of our destination: Empire Burger!  We sat down just before 2pm in two seats at the bar and ordered two margarita’s (Magave Tequila, 100% agave syrup, fresh lime juice — shout out to Debbie Patane a Godmother whose son is CEO of Magave).  Yum and slurp.  So refreshing.

Bob had a regular beef burger and fries with a side of ranch; I had the buffalo burger with everything but mayo.  Delicious!  Bob’s fries were really good — crispy with the skin on.  I ate all my burger but not the bun, Bob hate about half his burger and most of the fries.   We watched the rain until we could scamper across the street to the hotel.  We hoped for a big thunderstorm because the sky was black but except for a few claps of thunder (no lightening that we could see) it sort of fizzled as a noisemaker though there was a fair amount of rain.  We sat in the room reading, working, Bob flipping the channels between ESPN, the weather channel, food…. he dozed a little bit.  And all of a sudden it was…..  HAPPY HOUR.  haha.  We need more training….. We put on jeans and sweaters, borrowed an umbrella from the front desk and walked the 6 or so blocks to Hearthstone, an old Victorian with a small bar on the top floor that has good cocktails and wine plus small plates during happy hour.   They also have a wonderful dinner menu but tonight we are trolling happy hours.

We got two seats at the bar at 5p sharp and we both ordered the Barrel Aged Manhattans (Breckenridge distillery bourbon, sweet vermouth, oak cask aged bitters in house $6 for happy hour, regularly $9).  It was perfect for a rainy vacation evening!  We got an order of the beef tenderloin tacos ($5) —  three small soft corn tortillas filled with spicy (!) shredded beef accompanied by spicy, fresh pico de gallo and a chipolte mayo.  Really really good.  A bit too hot for Bob so I ate both 🙂

We decided to go back to the Briar Rose on our way to a piece of pizza at Giampietro’s.  It was raining very lightly (so different than at home where it’s either raining or drizzly; here there are actual rain drops just few and far between) and the air smelled so fresh.  We landed two seats at the bar — crowded for a Monday with no Monday Night Football.  Really nice bartender named MJ who poured Bob the same hefty Chivas as Henry, the bartender on Saturday.  So she is his favorite bartender in the world.  I had the Predator’s Zin again since I left half of it the other night.

We were watching the US Open opening ceremonies .. I think?  It looked like a Super Bowl halftime.  There was no sound so hard to tell but quite the extravaganza.  It looked like they had breakdancing and stuff before the color guard and the National Anthem which seems strange but whatever.

A man and woman came in and sat next to us, the woman next to Bob.  All of a sudden Bob is going “honey honey honey” with his mouth barely open.  He was (not subtley) motioning to the woman and saying something… finally I got “Hitler”.  He thought her nose in profile looked like Hitler.  I was laughing so hard I was crying.  And I had to agree.  Of course while he was noticing that I was noticing that the woman was wearing a brown jersey knit dress and platform sandals; she hung a linen jacket on the back of her chair.  The man had on plaid madras shorts, Docksiders with no socks, a long sleeve polo, a baseball cap and a windbreaker on the back of the chair.  How often does it look like each half of a couple dresses for a totally different *date*? haha.

Meanwhile Bob is chatting up MJ and she tells him that their happy hour entails two-for-one cocktails… and it can be two different cocktails.  I thought he was going to fly across the bar and hug her.  “You mean, my wife can have a martini and I can have a scotch?!?!?”  He gets a big grin on his face and tells her we’ll be back tomorrow.

Then we cross the street to Giampietro’s and get the last table, smack in the center of the restaurant.  Bob ordered the same salad as he had last night, tomato and mozzarella and a slice of pepperoni.  I had the arugula salad with big shavings of parmesan and a slice with fresh tomatoes.  This would have been perfect.  Bob ordered a side of garlic bread.  Behold….

I must say that garlic bread was fantastic!!  Especially loaded with my salad.  My salad was equally wonderful on my pizza which was covered edge to edge up and down with fresh tomato slices.  I added hot pepper flakes and vrooom.  Gone.  We each had a glass of the house special Malbec ($5).  Perfect.  Walked home in cool, clean air NOT stopping for cookies.

Sunday August 26, 2012

Breckenridge CO

2 miles driven, 2 miles walked

Leisurely morning and day!!  Woke up, read/ watched ESPN, weather channel, showered…..  went outside about 8:30 to get coffee and to check out the weekly Farmers Market which is in the plaza next to us.  Same lady at the coffee depot!  No almond milk (come on people!!) but it’s ok because she is so nice and she has such good stuff.  I got an au lait with skim (nice dark roast) and Bob got OJ and two little sausage rolls which were tasty!  We are going to make them and throw them in the freezer to be warmed up  for… whatever.   We walked over to the Farmers Market which was very short on farm and very long jewelry, clothes, tie-dye, hats, pottery…..  There was a guy selling fresh pasta who just made a road trip to drop his daughter off at USF and back so we compared routes.  Decided to make dinner in our little studio while watching football tonight.  So we got some of his garlic herb fettucini.   There were two *farmers* tables where we got heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, corn (peaches and cream cause it’s white and yellow; the woman said that it doesn’t even need to be boiled) and bell peppers. Oh and some luscious peaches.  We brought that back to the room and headed to the City Market in the car realizing once we got there that we could walk it.  Got chicken breasts, fresh basil, butter lettuce, sourdough bread, garlic, chicken broth, butter, olive oil, red wine vinegar, two different kinds of cake (guess who), Triscuits, havarti and pepper jack.  From home we brought a bottle of Chivas, a bottle of Absolut Pepper, jar of olives, salt and pepper and a case of wine.  And a good knife.

Dumped that off and walked to one of our favorite places for lunch: Kenosha.

They have a really nice deck, great food and lots of beverage choices — normal stuff and fun (and funny) mixed stuff.   We sat on the deck in sun/shade.  Perfect temperature — high ’60s, low ’70s.   Bob ordered a Lynchberg Lemonade (Jack Daniels, triple sec, sour and sprite. Seriously.) which he really liked; looked refreshing, like a weak ice tea.

I had a Lucky U IPA draught.  Bob ordered his usual (don’t laugh) center cut sirloin with baked potato and cole slaw; I had a cup of buffalo chili and salad with little grape tomatoes and balls of fresh mozzarella with a parmesan crisp.  Balsamic reduction and balsamic vinaigrette on the side.  Ate it all.  Bob almost did.  They use only Certified Angus beef and it is always cooked perfectly.  We walked back by way of some of our favorite stores.  Got a Columbia t-shirt on sale for $18….  Wandered back to the Hyatt where we turned on the 49ers-Denver game (I wore my 49ers sweatshirt all morning) and R E L A X E D.  Worked on our computers, emails, this little  endeavor, read.  All of a sudden it was 5:30!

Bob made a great pasta with garlic, bell peppers, chicken, olives, chicken broth, fresh corn.  I made salad with the rest of the peppers, cucumber, red onion and heirloom tomatoes.  Fresh basil on both.  We drank a bottle of chardonnay while making dinner and finished the Rosenblum Zin from Friday night — held up really well.

We watched the Jets and Panthers, cleaned up and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Friday, August 24

First leg: Novato to Park City, UT

(San Marin/Atherton to Hwy 37 to I-80 East to Hwy 50 East to 6 to 132 to I-15N to 189 to 224)

836 miles

Pinot Grigio and a Chivas

We were going to pack up stuff, car etc Thursday night but .. too exhausted.  So when Bob woke up just after 2am we decided to get up and go.  Sierra very confused with worried eyes as we packed clothes (the dreaded zipping of duffles!), odds and ends, straightened up house, fed, watered, pooped Sierra and packed the car.  We left Sierra in the house, under my desk with the Weather Channel (Food Channel was just stupid infomercials which are annoying even to dogs).  I kept telling her that her favorite dog walker, Danielle, and daughter Zoe would be there soon but… still the Sad Eyes.

We drove out of the driveway at 4:15 with Bob at the wheel and we flew.  Dozens of big trucks sleeping at the rest stops and exits.  At 5:35, just as the horizon was brightening up a bit, we drove by Calvary Cemetery and waved to Mom who would have been 78 yesterday.  May you continue to rest peacefully, Nancy Jane Kennedy Smith 8/23/34 – 5/9/80.

We were listening to the Bridge on XM which is all mellow/schmaltzy rock that you know all the words: Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Cat Stevens, Beatles….  The time flew by with the miles.

At Donner Lake, I Yelped “breakfast nearby” which led to PJ’s Grill in Truckee.  It was at a golf course we had never heard of, Gray’s Crossing.  It was beautiful!  We were the first and only customers at 7am.  A really nice stone/cement room with huge floor to ceiling windows and a big wide stone bar.  We sat at the bar and watched ESPN (all Lance losing his 7 titles…).  Bob had scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sourdough and OJ.  I had The. Best. Breakfast. Burrito. Ever.  Seriously.  Very light scrambled eggs, just enough spicy sausage, salsa in a spinach tortilla that had been grilled with heirloom tomato slices instead of potatoes.  I ate the entire thing.  So good.  It was more time and $$ than we usually spend for breakfast on the road but was totally worth it.

Back on the road at 7:45 and Bob drove til Fernley at 9am where we got gas and water and I took the wheel.  They call 50 The Loneliest Road in America but we both love it — no cars and 75 mph.  Lots of old silver and lead mining towns and historic markers.  I blew by about six before Bob started giving me the heads up.  I blame the book.  At Fernley, we started listening to a new Stuart Woods audiobook featuring our favorite: Stone Barrington (said in a voice about twelve octaves lower than mine).   We love love love listening to these books on the road.  They are far-fetched, corny and so entertaining.  We just laugh out loud.  “Just good stories” as Bob says.  Anyway, I set the cruise control to just a hair under 80 mph, stare at the road as we fly through the scrub of the desert, get involved in the story  and only come to when Bob waves me down to pull off for a marker.   They are all about towns that were booming for a few years in the  late 1800s when the mines start up  — growing quickly to 10,000 people, saloons, Opera Houses, Wells Fargo banks — until the silver / lead dried up and poof!  Now there are just a few still viable towns and those are pretty tired.

At about 12:30 we stopped in Eureka (named for Eureka!! when silver was discovered) for potty and to top off the tank and didn’t stop again til 3pm just before the Utah border for a snack (and, yes, potty…).   Bob was holding out for a burger in Delta that he remembered when we were headed home on our Honeymoon Road Trip five years ago when we had Sierra with us.  The burgers were good and there was shade….   Bob got some chips and a root beer, an iced tea for me.  I had a bunch of baggies from home that I filled with raw nuts, seeds, goji and dried cranberries (I see you rolling your eyes — you know who you are!) for *emergencies* just such as these.  After thousands of miles of road trips, you realize what you can expect as far as snacks go. With the exception of a gas station somewhere in WY that was attached to a natural foods store (!!!), I pack my own snacks.

Hwy 50 through Utah is equally beautiful and desolate as it is through Nevada but the speed limit is only 65 so cruise control set for 73mph.  No other cars.   At 4:30 we hit Delta and all of sudden the landscape turns green.  Bob was about to give up on finding the burger place and there it was at the end of town, Delta Freeze.   He ordered a burger and a Pepsi — and we realize we had lost an hour entering Utah and it’s 5:45.   The burger was as delicious as remembered — I had a couple of bites.

Bob took the wheel for the rest of the trip.   It was really beautiful: lots of small farms, everything really neat and clean.  It was sort of slow from I-15 at Provo up to Park City but enjoyable given the scenery.  Went by BYU stadium and then a vibrant river with a lot of activity — kayaks, early evening picnickers, fly fishermen.  It was a beautiful evening in the low-mid ’70s and very still.   Got to the Best Western in Park City at 8:15; dumped our bags, brushed out teeth and headed to Main Street, about 6 miles away, for dinner.

So different than last year year when we had dinner in Ogden (where the ‘bar’ had one bottle of scotch and bottle of vodka).  This was a happening place with lots of people and bars and restaurants from which to choose.  We chose Bandit’s Bar and Grill, it looked a little more low-key and –AND– smelled delicious.  I have been craving baby back ribs for several weeks for some reason.  Bob was going to make them last weekend when Dennis and the girls were up but Jenna requested fried chicken (a la Barefoot Contessa, a great recipe).  Anyway, Bandit’s is known for bbq pork, beef, etc and when I saw a batch of baby backs being delivered — and smelled them — that was that.   Bob ordered a Chivas rocks olive and I had a glass of Pinot Grigio.  I was driving and since it’s dark and these people like their roundabouts, my dirty martini will wait for tomorrow night.   Bob ordered a 10oz NY strip with baked potato vegetables and salad; I ordered (for the first time ever in my life) baby back ribs with grilled green beans and salad.  They were delicious!!  Bob has to make them when we get home because his (the last time he made them … 5? 6? years ago) are better.  And less fatty.  But they were good.  We ordered a bottle of Rosenblum Zinfandel which didn’t feel like a ripoff and we each had a glass.  Bob ordered chocolate cake to take home to eat in front of ESPN and we corked our wine and went back to the BW.  Fell into bed exhausted at 11p local time.

Random things…..

Bob got a new Garmin GPS (Gladys #2) to use in my car and the truck since Gladys number 1 bit the dust.  This Gladys is so much better and Bob said about 1/5th the price of the old one.  She is much quicker to figure out where we are and doesn’t babble on “Make a U turn” “Make a U turn” incessantly.  Which is why we named her Gladys, after my grandmother Sis.  This Gladys saved us on the drive back to the motel from dinner when we encountered a bad accident; a car had run into a light pole and they had the road blocked off.  Gladys took us through a residential neighborhood back to the motel.

We saw two bad accidents today.   The other one was just west of Cisco Grove on 80.  We were buzzing along and all of a sudden the traffic was dead stopped.  After a few minutes it slowly started and we merged into one lane.  The left lane had an overturned car (with its headlights on) facing us and the attached trailer was on its side with crap all over the road.  They were doing some roadwork — grinding the pavement down it appeared — so the lanes were very narrow.  Whatever they were doing got my nice clean car (got The Works Wash the evening before) all muddy and dusty.  Bob hosed it off at a car wash in Fallon.

“Holding out hope for polygamists”  Billboard just south of Provo UT.

Friday November 18 to Sunday November 20, 2011

This summer I bought a deal on Living Social for two weekend nights at the (pet friendly) St. George Hotel in Volcano, California, in Amador County.   We had never stayed there — or been there — even though we have spent a lot of time in and around Amador County.  We love the wines and the wineries and the wine tasting experience is So much more low-key than in Sonoma and (especially) Napa Counties; i.e., no one charges for tasting…..  All of a sudden we realized that the deal was expiring at the end of November so a few weeks ago we chose this weekend for a mini-road trip.  And what a great trip!!

We left our house Friday about 10am after doing some work, emails, errands, packing…. easy trip to pack for; jeans, jackets, sweaters, Sierra paraphernalia, a couple of bottles of wine in case we don’t buy any (ha!), books….  weather is supposed to be some rain and only in the high ’40s, ’50s.  Easy drive and we arrived at Pepita’s in Sutter Creek for lunch just after noon.  This was our third visit to this Mexican restaurant.  It is run by a really nice family; the father and mom cook, the son and two daughters are the wait staff/ bussers.  One of the daughters looks exactly like Selena Gomez.  She said “people say that all the time” with a lovely, shy smile.  The food is always fresh and just really good.  Anyone who has read an entry or two can guess what we ordered:  chicken enchilada with rice no beans for Bob and fish tacos with rice no beans for me.  We also had a Modelo.  It started to rain a bit as we drove the 15 miles from Sutter Creek to Volcano.

What a  charming town!  The sign says population is 150 but the people say it is only 103.  We were a little early to check in so we went to the Whiskey Flat Saloon next door (part of the hotel) to check it out.   Nice young man, Steven,  was tending bar and we quizzed him on dining, wineries, etc as we scope out the eating plan for the next two days.  I had  a beer on tap that I hadn’t heard of, Longboard which I thought might be a local but in fact was from Kona HI.  So much for local!  But it was quite good, a light lager.  Bob had a small Chivas.  There were three tables of people eating lunch and a few at the bar.  Everyone but us seemed to be a local.

We walked all over the few blocks that is Volcano.  There might be more historical markers and plaques per square foot than in any town we have seen.  Besides the St. George, there are several original buildings or parts of buildings in town; including a stretch of cobblestone sidewalk.  There is another hotel, the Volcano Union Inn, that has four rooms and a restaurant/bar that is recommended by everyone we ask.  It is owned by the same people who own Taste in Plymouth, another highly-rated and oft recommended place that we haven’t visited.  There is also a very small wine bar next to the Saloon that has local musicians.  For such a dinky town, lots of food and drink options!

We checked in to the Emigrant Room at the St. George at about 2:30 and SURPRISE!! no tv.  The only remote in the room worked the (very efficient) heater.  This will be interesting.  Small but nicely furnished with queen bed, quilts, hardwood floors, antique sewing machine table…… We dumped our stuff, loaded Sierra back in the truck and drove back to Sutter Creek to visit a wine tasting room or two.  It was raining pretty hard.  We took a 12-mile ‘shortcut’ from Volcano that follows the creek and was quite pretty; lots of up and down.  It dropped us right into old town Sutter Creek.  We walked under the covered sidewalk on the one side of town and checked out a few shops.  Lots of antiques and gift type shops but not too kitschy.  Again, lots of original, re-purposed buildings, like the old bank vault that is used as a dressing room at a combo men’s store/Chinese antiques/travel agent (when I went in to try on a (man’s) sweater, Bob said “Look for the gold bars, hon” which got a big laugh out of the owner).

We went into the Cinque tasting room which features the wines of the Scotto family — three siblings who each bottle under their own label.  We especially liked the Tempranillo, a grape used mainly for blending in Sonoma and Napa.  The woman who runs the tasting room (Elaine?) was very helpful with restaurant recommendations (and disses) and which wineries we should visit on Saturday.  She has a ranch in the area where she raises cattle so we trusted her opinion of the steak house in the area (thumbs down).  We stayed about an hour and really enjoyed ourselves.

We decided we wanted to go back to Volcano, to feed and walk Sierra and check out the Oklahoma State-Iowa game… in the Saloon.  Bob headed over there while I tended to Sierra.  Spread a blanket on the bed and left her on it with her doll baby as company.  Even so, the sad “you’re leaving me?” eyes kill me every time…..

Bob had already made friends with, Bee, the terrific young woman tending bar for the night.  We had reservations for dinner in the dining room of the hotel so sat for about an hour and a half watching the game and sipping a Chivas (Bob) and a Fiddletown Barbara (me) that Bee recommended and was quite good.   Fun local crowd again and Bee knew everyone.  We felt almost like locals by the time we left for dinner.

There is a massive stone fireplace in the main dining room/living room at the St. George.  It is made from all different sorts of stone found in the area and we were told that there are five similar fireplaces remaining in town, all done by the same guy.  The others are in the cottage at the St. George, at the Volcano Inn and two are in private residences.  There was a roaring fire and we got a nice table in front.  There were four other tables eating dinner and two more came in as were eating.  It was really good food, just as we had heard and read.  Bob started with the onion soup and I started with the special vegetable, which was outstanding.  I ended up writing a mash note to the chef asking for the recipe.  Perfectly cooked beans, zucchini, some tomatoes, a rich chicken broth.  Yum. Bob loved his onion soup too.  He graciously gave me his dinner salad and ordered a bruschetta to share.  The bruschetta was fantastic with goat cheese, tomatoes, lots of garlic and meltingly toasty.  Too much food and the entrees hadn’t even arrived yet!  Bob had the ribeye and I had the filet with mushrooms.  Both were excellent but Sierra will benefit the most in her next few meals…..  We had a bottle of the Shenandoah Old Vine Zin which we always love.  It was so cozy with the fire, rain pounding, good food…..   Bob ordered the cheesecake to go and we stopped in the bar just to check out the score (OK St LOST!) and went to bed.

When I couldn’t sleep around 3ish, Bob asked, “Should I turn on the weather channel?” since that always puts me to sleep in a nanosecond.  haha.  The no-tv jokes never get old….  Bob said it was like camping with Sierra in a queen bed.  She is a total land grabber and seems most comfortable when she is between us and touching us both.  When we finally decided to be awake about 6am Bob made up a song which he sang as he went along.  Sung to the tune of Sunshine on my Shoulders by John Denver (usually his songs are to the tune of America the Beautiful or the USC fight song):

Dog paws in my crotch make me happy.  Pedophiles make me sad.  Tick spray works on both.  Which is good for humanity.

I was crying with laughter.  We showered (small shower but powerful and HOT), watered and fed Sierra and went over to the main room for the continental breakfast.  It had rained most of the night and the morning was sparkly and chilly.  There was a nice fire going, coffee almost done, fruit, cereal, juice.  Bob brought his cheesecake from dinner and was content with a cup of coffee and a book about the Civil War.  I had some coffee (pretty good) and read a magazine for about half an hour.

We had decided to only go to wineries we haven’t been to before (so no Karly, TKC, Bray).  We stopped by the Back Roads Coffee House in Sutter Creek because it looked cute the day before (when it was closed).  Very young girl behind the counter (reading Raising Hannibal when not waiting on people) and it was pretty busy.  They have free WIFI so The Spot.  We each got a cup of coffee (Dark Roast was excellent) and I got an oatmeal cookie from the tasty choices of pastries, pies, sweets, bagels. It was wonderful with lots of oats and not too sweet.  Bob caught up on sports, news, weather on the iPad and I caught up on the past three days of WSJs.  At 10 we left to start the day.  Made a stop in Plymouth to see what Taste was all about.  Looked nice but food too fancy; we can get that at home.  Also read the menus of the other two eating spots — for planning purposes later.  Plymouth not as cute as Volcano — very much more on a main drag — but nice, orderly main street.

Our first stop was Jeff Runquist which had been recommended by a couple of different people (Elaine at Cinque and a guy in the restaurant the night before).  We didn’t like anything we tasted and it got really busy with a tour bus’ arrival so, for probably the first time ever, we left without buying even a bottle.  Our next stop (mainly because I had to pee and didn’t want to wait in line at Runquist without buying anything) was Stonehouse, another winery we never had heard of before.

Stonehouse has a nice tasting room, nice clean bathroom 🙂 and a nice lady manning the room.  She was having issues with a teenage daughter and passed along something that her mother told her:  Parenthood is really just a million baby steps to estrangement.   The wines were so-so.  Ended up getting a bottle of the Zin and the Syrah (mostly cause I felt sorry for the woman….).

The weather was gorgeous and sunny and at the next stop, Helwig, another new winery, the views from the top of a hill were stunning.

Very nice wine bar and good wines.  The young girl who served us turns out to be a childhood friend of Bee at the Saloon.  Haha.  We sort of do feel like locals.   We bought a couple of bottles here.  And met a three-month old German Shepherd puppy who was adorable.   Next stop was Dillian, because the bus from Runquist was in front of us and didn’t turn in there….  Had a nice guy named Kurt serving us who , like so many others, moved to Amador County from the Bay Area about 5-6 years ago.  Sigh.  We liked a few of those wines and bought a couple.

Next stop was (an expensive) bonanza.  We had a tip that Renwood had been bought and would be closing in January to re-work itself under new owners (an Argentinian) and would be having a huge sale after Thanksgiving.  We asked and schmoozed and voila!  We got the sale price list.  And we went crazy.  It was full of zins and syrahs and Bob ended up getting 8 (?) cases — equaling out to about $5 bottle.  For Really.  Good. Wine!

We went next door to Shenandoah because we have always liked their wines (like last night).  They didn’t disappoint and we got a few bottles from there.  Then we were done!

Decided to go back to our New Local, the Saloon to eat, catch up on sports and park the car for good, having decided to eat at the other restaurant in town, the Union Pub at the Volcano Union Hotel.

Bob was our bartender for lunch.  Has been there forever and he knew everyone in the place: bikers, wine guys, garage guys.  We soon became friends.  I had a Sobon Old Vine Zin with a pulled pork sandwich (no bun).  The pulled pork was magnificent!  Spicy and succulent.  Bob had fish and chips and the Harlow Ridge Pinot Noir (better than the zin).  We watched the games and then…. we went back to the room for a NAP.  Yes, we three all took about an hour nap.  It was delightful.  Once again, Bob ‘saved me a seat at the bar’ and I followed after tending to Sierra; she didn’t seem to mind being left on the bed with the doll this time.  Once she has a routine, she likes to stick to it!  We watched part of the USC – Oregon game — I was routing for USC for once — at the Saloon with a Chivas and a Fiddletown Zin.

Bee was back bartending and she was making all sorts of odd-ball drinks for a couple of guys next to us.  Turns out that one of them was the guy working at the St George in the mornings, setting up coffee, then later in the day working the dining room and helping serve in the Saloon.  It was his last day before leaving for Alabama and ‘some science job’ as his friend put it.  He had a long list of drinks he wanted to try.  They were a rainbow of colors and made with gin, vodka, bourbon…. yuck.  Eavesdropping on the conversation was hilarious:  “I’m one of those guys you won’t know how drunk I am.  Until you know.”  “This is the Blue Whale.  Like a Blue Dolphin.  Only bigger.”   When we left to go to dinner we wished him well in case he wasn’t siting / standing if we popped in on our way back.  He just laughed.

So the Union Pub was hopping too!

We got two seats at the end of the bar nearest to the tv (on the right in the photo above).  Full dining room in the bar area (with the fireplace twin of the St George, under the arch to the left) and there was another dining room, across the hall that was full too.  Bob started with a Shake Ridge Red (which is just up the top of the ridge from Volcano) and I had a SP Drummer “Rumpus” Syrah Blend — loved it.  Also big glasses of water!  We couldn’t decide how hungry we were so decided to order in stages.  Bob had the onion soup that he pronounced the best ever.  I had the smoked salmon flat bread that was perfect.  The flat bread was charred a bit so it help up to the mixed greens piled on top with chunks of smoked salmon, pickled red onion and fried capers.  I asked for the dill creme fraiche on the side and just drizzled a bit over the greens.  It was delicious!  Bob got hungrier after the soup and ordered the simple salad with skirt steak added.  The salad was greens, shallots, herbs and viaigrette and the skirt steak perfectly rare slices.   We each ordered another glass of the Rumpus.   We finished watching Oklahoma LOSE to Baylor and then went back to the Saloon to finish USC-Oregon and Stanford-Cal scores.  At the Saloon it was a huge glass of soda water and bitters… I was so full and knew that all the wine acid would catch up with me eventually, even though we were both quite lucid!  A nap, good food, lots of water and, as my mother always told me, only drink good wine!  After USC won, we hit the room and bed.

Woke up early on Sunday, having slept really well and felt good.  It was raining again so we packed up quickly, rearranging the car to accommodate all the wine cases and were on the road by 7:30.  It was too early for coffee in Sutter Creek (or Amador City) so we continued on to Drytown where Bob wanted to have breakfast at a real diner diner that we had stopped at on another trip.

We got to the Old Well Cafe at just after 8am and sat at the counter.

There are 10 seats at the counter and 6 tables, one seats two, 3 seat four and 2 seat six.  Except for the two top (behind our seats, next to the front window) the whole place was full.  Bob the husband cooks and Mary his wife waits and does everything else.  They aren’t young (60s?) and as the guy sitting next to me said to his buddy, “He has one speed.”  It isn’t fast but it’s damn good.  All the people at the counter were regulars (like daily regulars; they are only closed on Mondays) and Mary knew what they wanted before they ordered.  The coffee was perfectly fine for a diner (I had it black cause of course only that fake half and half stuff) and the pancakes seemed to be popular.  Along with the biscuits.  Last time we were here we regretted not having the biscuits so this time we ordered two (sans the gravy, thank you very much).  They. Were. Heaven.  Light as feathers though substantial.  Piping hot and airy and sort of sour with the baking soda.  Fabulous.  I also had two poached eggs that I doused in Tobassco.  Bob had eggs with polish sausage and hash browns which he ate about half of, if that.  The biscuit was the winner.  It took us 90 minutes to get in and out but it was worth it!

The rest of the drive home was uneventful with hardly any traffic — even in all the usual spots on 80.  We were home before 11a.  We will definitely go back to Volcano!!!

2,924 miles total

What a great trip.  We didn’t drive nearly as many miles as we usually do on road trips through the West but then again, we drove zero miles, or almost zero, 0n five days.  

We managed to get one more breakfast at the Cowpoke Cafe in Lovelock NV and then buzzed home stopping only for gas and potty.   I was supposed to stop at Nation’s at the Nut Tree exit so Bob could get a lemon cream pie but we were listening to the last of our second book on tape of the trip (more about those in a second) and I was so engrossed — as was he, umm — that we were at Travis Air Force base before we realized I had passed it by….. 

Very happy dog met us!! Lots of purring and licking.  Tomatoes, zucchini, flowers, herbs, olive trees all look good.  House cool and neat.  Didn’t take long to unpack the car; brought home four bottles of wine from the original case.   About three loads of laundry….  All is well. 

Some random things that didn’t make it in the daily posts…..

Books on tape:   We both love Stuart Woods’ novels.  They aren’t great literature but they are immensely entertaining, laugh out loud funny sometimes, and good mystery-ish stories.  Our favorites star Stone Barrington who is an ex-NYPD detective, attorney, and randy bon-vivant in Manhatten always with a beautiful woman (or three or six) on his arm/ in his bed.  He eats and drinks Extremely well.  Elaine’s in NYC is his regular hang-out (as it was Stuart Woods) and it will be interesting to see how her passing and its closing are handled.   We listened to the two most recent this trip and have completed the entire Stone Barrington series and also listened to a few of Woods’ Ed Eagle series.  They are easy to listen to and don’t require too much thought or concentration so perfect for long drives and getting ‘lost in your mind’.

The Missoni for Target tangent:   When we were at the bar at the Ore House in Durango CO, there was a couple seated next to us who were in town for a wedding (live in Pueblo CO).  When the guy, who was next to me, went to the loo, I told the woman I liked her dress (I didn’t; I am not a fan of Missoni stripes and zigzags but had a hunch it was Target because… well, she was at the bar at the Ore House… yet I didn’t want to be rude…)  Anyway, she was quite proud that she got it online the day Missoni for Target launched.  She said she had a Target account already and was signed in at midnight; the site was slow and it took about 10 minutes for the dress she wanted to be in her shopping cart but that completing the transaction was quick.   She went to bed and when she signed on again in the morning, everything was sold out.

We are at the bar at Brunelleschi’s in Aspen the next night and the manager/hostess had on the same dress.  When she was chatting up Frank, the local who brought in his bottle of wine (grrrr), she was telling him about her experience on the Target site; it took her two slow hours but she got two dresses, one for her sister.   

(When I was a teenager and we lived on Old State Road in Berwyn PA, one of my steady weekend night gigs was babysitting the baby of the Orr’s who lived across the street.  My Dad used to get a kick out of saying to people, “Sharon is spending the evening at the Orr House.”   Guess you had to be there…. )

Saturday, October 1, 2011

774 miles driven, almost zero walked

We left the Hyatt at 5:21am in the pitch black.  Took 82 East to I-70.  There was very little traffic and no errant deer etc on the road, thank goodness.  We stopped in Fruita CO for breakfast and went to Sullivan’s Café, where we stopped for lunch on another trip.  It is very old school, full of farmers and ranchers and everyone knows everyone.  Bob had HUGE pancakes and sausage that he ate less than half.  I had the half breakfast burrito without the hash browns and cheese but with the green chili.  The waitress was disappointed (“It looks so puny without the hash browns and cheese.”) but it was delicious.  I got a soy (alas) latte across the street at Aspen Street Coffee.  I took over driving.

From I-70 we went up 6 North/191 North to I-15.  The route was really pretty; different than we have seen with more red and oranges than yellows, mountains surrounding us but more distant.   We enjoyed it.   As always, the traffic in and around Salt Lake City was a nightmare.  Tons of construction and silly drivers.  I turned it over to Bob in Bluffdale at the Burger King where I went potty.  It was really hot.  We got onto 80 West and breathed a sigh of relief as hardly any traffic and 75mph.  Stopped at a rest stop for Taco Bell.  I LOVE the Fresco Grilled Chicken tacos.   It is the only junk food I will eat and it always hits the spot.

We continued on to Winnemucca.  There were some really bad wild fires north of the highway, evidently started by lightening strikes.  We saw at least three or four of them.   Otherwise, it was a blessedly uneventful day of driving.

Checked in to the Best Western in Winnemucca (more points!) that had at least a dozen fire trucks in the parking lot.   We found the channels with the football games, caught up on the scores and then took off for the Martin Hotel, a Basque restaurant recommended by the (pink haired) woman at reception.  It was awesome!!!  We were the only people who were not locals.  We sat at the bar (duh) and ordered our usual cocktails.  Angie, the fantastic bartender, suggested that I try an organic vodka made in Las Vegas from grains rather than potatoes.  It was really smooth and just a little bit peppery.  There were two flat panels with football on one and baseball on the other so we decided to eat at the bar.  Angie had just returned from a vacation in the Russian River Valley with her boyfriend.  We had the Bradford Mountain in the car so brought that in.  Corkage was $2.  Yes.  $2.  As Angie put it, we don’t believe in charging people to drink wine.  Couldn’t have said it better ourselves!  We gave her a glass.

Oh My Gosh.  The. Food.    Basque is always family style but they don’t specify that it’s enough for a five-person family.  For our first “course”, we each got three bowls with a green salad, baked beans and a hefty serving of minestrone soup.  It was all really good but I only had a couple of bites of each, except the salad, because there was a lot more to come…..  Next, we each got three more bowls: sautéed carrots, a sort of stew of chicken and peppers and some potatoes.  Bob, who prides himself on all things potato especially his own, almost had a stroke over the potatoes.   Red potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, scallions and garlic, sort of smashed up but still chunky.  Decadently delicious!! I had a couple of bites but concentrated on the chicken and peppers; I ate all of mine and the peppers out of Bob’s.

And. Then. More.  We had ordered Rib Eye Lites (as opposed to the regular ones…) which were still as a large as the plate (ate half, maybe less).  Oh and a very huge platter of fantastic skin-on fries.  Once again, the Potato Master was speechless.  We decided that they were probably so good because the potatoes (according to Angie) were grown about a mile away.   Needless to say, we passed on the bread pudding dessert.

The People.  What characters.  When we got there around 6:30 there were three guys at one end of the bar and two at the other and no one was in the restaurant.  Within an hour, there were at least a dozen people to our left at the bar and the dining room was almost full.  We (ok, I) eavesdropped on the conversations and monitored the inherent dramas of people who live in a fairly small town with everyone knowing everyone’s business.  Oh it was entertaining!   And it was a delightful evening.

Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30, 2011

0 miles driven, 1-2, maybe less? walked

Total. Relaxation.

By Thursday, the fifth day here, we perfected the technique that so many people here seem to have already mastered:  How To Relax, mind and body.  We did such a good job at it on Thursday that we had almost the identical day on Friday.

On Thursday, we woke up at 6ish, our more usual time.  Managed to linger even longer over the papers and breakfast.  Spent an hour or so with our email duties then took the dominoes to the pool. Our preferred table is above. Played a couple of hours til we went searching for lunch.  We walked further north than we have been before, behind the courthouse on the other side of Hwy 82.   Another perfect day, clear, sunny, mid-70s.   We ended up back at the 529 Grill where we had exactly the same thing that we had had earlier in the week; hot dog, fries and a pepsi for Bob and kale and quinoa salad with grilled chicken and iced tea for me.  I ate the whole thing.  Again.

We changed in to swimsuits and spent the afternoon reading at the pool, sipping the lemon water they provide, dunking in the pool and occasionally sitting in the Jacuzzi.  R E L A X I N G.  The pool is so quiet with a handful of couples like us (mostly old…) reading, quietly talking and jumping in and out of the pool or one of the two Jacuzzis.

After showers, we took our dominoes to the breakfast room which in the evenings turns into the Grape Bar, a wine bar and cocktail lounge.   The tides turned and I started kicking Bob’s ass in dominoes.  Maybe as a result, he had two Chivas, I had a Lockwood (Monterey) Pinot and a Lange (Oregon) Pinot which were both very good.  We decided to get Mezzaluna take out again and eat in our room.  We really are boring and both had what we had before:  Bob had the chicken parmesan with pasta and I had the spaghettini with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and chicken.  And a glass of C Donatiello Pinot.

Friday was more of the same — dominoes, reading, pool, Jacuzzi — except Bob picked up lunch from City Market (chicken sandwich for him, chicken salad for me) that we ate at the pool.   There is a new group of people who arrived last night – maybe for a wedding? And they are LOUD.  In the breakfast room this morning a twenty-something man and his sibling or cousin were at the table next to us with absolutely no filters or concern for others; arguing, swearing, talking on the phone.  We ended up taking the papers back to our room.

This group arrived en masse at the pool about 10am, about a dozen of them.  Very loud and disruptive to us ‘regulars.’  Amazing how territorial I felt!  Haha.  They were invading our private, quiet space!  After a couple of hours they left and, not surprisingly, left their used towels, empty cups, and half-drunk Gatorade bottles all over.  It wasn’t five minutes after they left this mess that one of the Hyatt people was out cleaning it all up.  Every single one of the people on staff here is terrific.   The pristine pool atmosphere was restored.   Could I be more of a snob??

This is Bob not winning.

That night we went to the J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome for a cocktail.   Chivas for Bob and Absolut Pepper dirty martini for me.  We were watching baseball and eavesdropping on the locals’ conversations.  A biker walked in with a Samoyed puppy in his backpack that melted every heart in the bar, from the drunk guys in cowboy hats to the bachelorette party girls.

We went back to Rustique Bistro for dinner – at the bar, of course.  It was really quiet even though it was after 6:30 on a Friday night.  Bob had another Chivas and I had a glass of Chardonnay from Burgundy which was fantastic; Bob took a sip and liked it too.  He had the onion soup again (just as good as the other evening) and the steak frites; I had smoked salmon tartar with cucumbers, capers and a dollop of caviar.  Delicious! I had the trout again which was even better than last time.  We had a bottle of Kunin Zinfandel from Paso Robles that neither of us had had and we both really liked.  We brought half of it back to the room and started packing up to leave early on Saturday.

We are both very sad to leave.  It is the first time we have been any one place for this many days in a row.  And never, even in the mountains, have I seen Bob this relaxed for so many days.