Soon after we deplaned at SFO, Alec realized he left his prized Red Wings ball cap on the plane...we were long past security and now at the mercy of the luggage claim staff at a sleepy 10:30pm, which are youngin's trying to make a wholesome dollar on a third shift...no such luck recovering the hat that night. We'll be able to check back in on the way home to see if it was recovered...not good enough for Alec. Hard lesson learned for the 11 year old and his prized possession!
We arrived to 679 Waller Street around midnight (our bodies shouting 3am!). My sister-in-law, Andrea, and her family sleeping soundly already. We were instructed to enter her home, grab a set of keys and let ourselves into the neighbor's home. We would be "borrowing" one of their bedrooms for a few days while they were visiting Great Britain. We were so focused on not waking them that we failed to see the note left for us next to the keys...and, therefore; were not informed fully of our sleeping sitch for the eve...more on that later...
We proceeded to unload the Mini Van that we had rented at the airport onto the sidewalk outside of Andrea and Bill's home. The row homes in San Fran are tall...skyscrapper'ish is terms of climbing stairs up until your legs bow...not really, but it seems that way if you're not used to climbing a million stairs every day. Everything is built UP, not OUT and AROUND! So, after unloading we realized that when the Hertz Rental Car guy offered me a free upgrade from a full size car to a Mini Van I should've said "NO", not "sure, i have a lot of stuff and kids and would love the extra room in the car"...(I blame me for this) It took the boys as three guiders and me, thanks to my superior spacial awareness, to wedge the van into the small garage space underneath their home...and the back end of the van hung out onto the sidewalk about 3 ft as well. But, I'll be damned if I didn't park that puppy and climb out the back door to let myself out....
Minivan wedged
Note: Parking in San Fran is not fun...it's very competitive like some sort of ongoing sick "Minute to Win It" parking game where all the contestants vie for spaces, circling the block several times on the hunt for a space that your car will fit into...it's all spacial...whoever manages to wedge their vehicle into the smallest space wins! Mind you, you are attempting to parallel park on 90 degree (some feeling 180 degree) streets...if you have a stick shift, you're either screwed or deserve the Oscar award of parking. (this would be my sis-in-law, Andrea...parking guru).
The good news about the driving in this awesome city....they drive like Detroiters...'nuff said.
So back to the sleeping sitch story...we (I blame Joe) didn't quite get the "which neighbor" we are sleeping at part of the first eve's instructions and proceeded to unlock the door and let ourselves into the wrong neighbor's home...
Seeing a gentleman greet us with a "hello?" as we were "breaking and entering" his home was beyond mortifying... "Robert" was stunned, yet kind and understanding at 12:00 at night and if I could have apologized one more time that night, I would've. Turns out Robert and Scott were friends of Andrea and Bill and we would be staying our last night with them...so, we just showed up on the wrong night...ha! (so damn embarrassing). To make me feel even worse, Robert proceeded to help us carry our mountain of luggage down their flight of steps and back up into the "correct" neighbor's home...I turned to look at him all bloodshot eyes and disheveled look to say thank you and "one of these days while I'm here, I'm gonna sit down with you with a good glass of wine and we're gonna have a good chuckle over this"...the prediction was unnecessary...Robert and I were already chuckling...
Alec in front of The Robb Residence
****
On Thursday, March 30, 2012, our first day found Joe heading to Alcatraz with Alec and Owen. I took the rental behemoth for an unscripted drive out to Napa, CA. Crossing the Bay Bridge into the Oakland area and on to Napa...just me and my new best friend, Siri.Siri first brought me upon the Francis Ford Coppola headquarters. No wine tasting here, but a nice receptionist in the lobby pointed me in the right direction for tasting wineries and chatted about her son who lives with his family in Chelsea, MI. Huh...small world, I thought. I decided that driving the main strip of Napa/Sonoma wineries was not what I flew out here for...I wanted a bit of adventure...wander off the beaten path.
I headed onto Old Sonoma Road and happened upon my first winery..Madonna Winery. The staff was educational, friendly and eager to sell me wine. The tasting room had a very distinct Mediterranean/Tuscan sort of feel. The family is a fourth generation owned and operated team of vintners, the patriarch and matriarch hailing from Italy itself. The pourer proceeded to educate me on the process of "Dry Farming" the grape vines...minimally watering the vines after planting as to "stress" the vines...then mother nature takes over to produced these small, concentrated grapes ripe with sweet concentrated sugar... By the time I left I had bought 6 bottles to ship home and signed up for their Wine of the Quarter Club...ugh! My first stop and I was already a "member"....
Madonna Winery
Second stop was the familiar Black Stallion tasting room...I've tasted their wine in the Detroit area, but uncertain of which wines I liked. The tasting room was bigger and reminded me more of a ski lodge common room with couches and a fireplace. The staff was friendly, younger and seemed to be knowledgeable...but, the wine was more crisp, clean and sterile. Many of their wines are aged in stainless steal as to not lose the fruit flavors to the naturally siphoning of oak. In my opinion, the oak should siphon away! I was a fan of the Pinot Grigio and that was it...I bought one bottle and was on my way.
Black Stallion Winery (below)
Third stop, a winery named Domain Carneros...loved, period.
As I had concert tickets for the Ani Difranco show in downtown Napa that evening, I inquired about a local hot spot for further tasting and dinner. Carpe Diem Wine Bar was suggested and let me tell you I was not disappointed! I first walked into the establishment noticing it was well established (busy) and quaint. The main bar had all of 12 bar stools/chairs and the main eating area held no more than 20 tables. I waited 20 minutes for a bar stool. Once seated I was greeted by a man in his late twenties with a fauxhawk spiked upwards, tats up and down both arms and big smile. Back home I'd expect to be ordering from a tap selection of 20-30 beers at a beer garden or a tequila shot from the local dive from this tender...but, alas...he was pouring up some fine wines and had equal knowledge to boot! The bar did have 4 beers on tap to be fair, but no one was drinking beer....
Carpe Diem!
After a entertaining Cape Diem dinner and a hour of chatting with my bar "neighbors"I eventually moved on to the Uptown Theater for my Ani show. During the bar experience I had the pleasure of chatting up with two young ladies traveling to Napa on a friend trip from Chicago, IL. One would be getting married soon and moving to Kalamazoo, MI. The other turns out to be a closet Michigan fan displaced by birth to a Louisiana childhood and transplant to Chicago. What makes her love Michigan so much was never disclosed, but I instantly liked them both.
The Ani Difranco show blew my mind. This is an artist that would have you believing she's been to the underworld and back...and survived...through her music. The poetry in her music writing is raw, honest and unabashed. The fairly recent pleasure of becoming a mother has softened her around the edges..but, the passion in her singing is still detectable. I posted a couple of live iPhone vids on my YouTube channel...milolady2003 and facebook...The one pivotal moment in the concert for me was Ani's poetry reading mid-concert. She proves to be just as riveting reading poetry as singing poetry. I hope you get a chance to see what I see some day...see below...
more tomorrow...
enjoying life in San Fran....M
Ani Poetry Reading followed by song "Mariachi"
