Sonoma County Wine Tasting – Pezzi King, Sapphire Hill, and Spoon Bar

I took a brief break from writing about Costa Rica over the last weekend to venture out and indulge in some backyard travel, playing tourist in Healdsburg, the town I grew up in.  Of course when I was growing up in Healdsburg the town was vastly different than it is now. 

The agenda was simple: Healdsburg wine tasting and then to Spoon Bar afterwards for some light fare and cocktails.  I was able to twist my mom’s arm to join me in my wine tasting aventura and splashing through the puddles on a rainy day. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! - 2014

 

 

Happy New Year, Everyone!

This is a mostly a travel blog, but I veer from that occasionally if something even remotely fits in the “adventura” category and sometimes just because I can.  My recent posts have been me catching up over the past few months, and while I still have much more travel writing to catch up on from my excursion to Central and South America, this post at least brings things a bit more to the current date and provides some highlights.

2013 was a challenging year for me and some parts were devastatingly difficult on a deeply personal level.  However, I traveled more than I ever have before in my life and experienced things that I wouldn’t trade even to make those devastating things go buh-bye, which says a lot for how highly I regard some of my experiences.  That might be an overstatement of sorts but I’m going with it.

So where did I go in 2013?

Everything But The Turkey

 

Thanksgiving comes around and suddenly everyone is grateful for one thing or another.  The list usually entails friends, sometimes family, and occasionally health.  Yes, I have much to say on that particular ordering of things people are generally grateful for. Half of me is annoyed by the sudden surge of grateful posts on Facebook feeling like so much of it is perfunctory BS and the other half of me is genuinely touched.

Years ago, while living in San Francisco, I was listening to my car radio on my way home and the theme on the talk show I happened to be listening to was, “The Worst Thanksgiving You Ever Had.”  Bitter and alone, go ahead caller!  One guy called in and won hands down with the poignant summary that his worst Thanksgiving was working the night shift by himself at a mortuary eating cold cheeseburgers with cadavers. 

ROARING THROUGH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

I hate waiting.  Inigo Montoyo and I lack the same patience gene. I will avoid waiting at all costs with an unparalleled passion.  I have more important things to work on with myself in this lifetime than to spend enormous amounts of energy focused on being more patient just to yield pitiful results that will still put me far below average with the entire human race.  Why bother?  I’d rather stand at the top of the cliffs of insanity and swear up and down on anything that means everything to me just to hear the waiting is over from the mouth of my mysteriously masked, sword-fighting foe with, “Throw me the rope.”

An exception to this is waiting for airplanes.  I don’t mind arriving an hour or even two earlier than I should at an airport, partially because there is plenty of people-watching I can amuse myself with and partially because I love flying and anything that has to do with airplanes, airports, and travel.  There is also that small caveat worth mentioning where missing my plane sounds like a little nightmare.    

Isn’t missing your flight something every traveler fears? Okay, well maybe at least those who are on a schedule or budget, which I was.  I was headed last minute to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for my friends’ commitment ceremony in October.

Kenneth King – All Grown Up Now: A Friendship in Three Acts

My last blog post, Reverend Na in San Francisco, was a deeply personal post that brought together two story lines. One story line has been ongoing for 17 years involving the life, brief yet profound friendship, and passing of Mark Ankeles, who continues to be a presence in my life throughout the years.  The other story line involves officiating the recent marriage between my two friends, Tim and Burt. The common denominator of Friday the 13^th is one aspect that creates a special intertwining bond between story lines and memories, both old and new, which reside in the beautiful depths of my heart.

Reverend Na in San Francisco

 

It started off as a joke, first in 1998, then years later on Facebook.  I was told I could become a Reverend online and, with a touch of youthful disbelief and curiosity, decided I had to try it for myself. I was quickly ordained, however, aside from labeling CD mixes “Reverend Na”, nothing else became of my Reverend status for years. 

Then a few months ago, a Facebook post by one of my friends I met in Costa Rica caught my eye. 

SPRING LAKE RUMINATIONS

 

Recently I met a friend from High School I haven’t seen in many years. After meeting her husband and seeing her house and garden with a beautiful hand-built arbor, Sheila, her precious dog Penny, and I went for a walk around Spring Lake.  It was so nice to catch up with her and spend some time after being one of those annoying people who says they would like to catch up then takes forever to make it actually happen. 

Including the above, I have had several ruminations and realizations that stemmed from our Spring Lake walk I thought I would share:

HIDDEN GEMS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S SONOMA COUNTY: HEALDSBURG PLAZA & SCHERRER WINERY ADVENTURE WINE TASTING

Hidden Gems In Northern California’s Sonoma County: Healdsburg Plaza & Scherrer Winery Adventure Wine Tasting

In front of a hideous looking power station off of River Road, Spencer sat waiting for me roadside with his luggage.  Despite a few communication hiccups, he only had to wait for a few minutes before I pulled up in my car to start a 24 hour adventura with my friend visiting from Los Angeles. 

The aesthetically offensive power plant gave off a middle-of-nowhere vibe, but just across the street is John Ash & Co., one of the best restaurants in Sonoma County.

SINGLE INGREDIENT "ADVENTURAS"

Single Ingredient “Adventuras”

I am not a calorie counter and have no future plans of becoming one.  I count on my brain using a ¼ of my caloric intake.  I will wait until my stomach feels uncomfortably full for 2-6 weeks straight with daily prospects of wearing a Brazilian bikini before I start saying things like, “I don’t feel so good and look like I am 4 months along.  I think I need to stop eating so much.”  This is called a “perpetual food coma” and the feeling is categorized as being “no bueno”.

UPSTATE NEW YORK

UPSTATE NEW YORK - GROTON, “ITHICKA”, AURORA & SKANEATELES

July 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROLE PLAYING AT THE WILLY WONKA FACTORY OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BENN CONGER INN

There is nothing quite like driving at 3 a.m. in a late rush to catch an early morning flight out of SFO and seeing those flashing police lights come out of nowhere behind you, the only car on that stretch of the dark freeway, to ruin all of that “good time” you were making. 

AN INTERMISSION OF DISCLAIMERS

The day after returning from New York I fell sick with a bad flu/cold which was likely due to being in so many airports and had me out of commission for several days.  I have been delayed on my blog postings for a whole host of reasons and this is just another to add to the growing list. However, as you can see, I am trying *really* hard to get caught up.  Please bear with me, but also be on the lookout for my New York blog which I am working on finalizing as I write this.

FRESNO TO FRESYES

FRESNO to FRESYES

July 2013

IMPROMPTU ROAD TRIP

It is Saturday morning and I have been chatting on the phone with my friend Wendel for two hours when it suddenly hits me that this may actually be a good weekend to visit her in Fresno. 

Fresno is not a choice destination for many people and has been referred to by some as “the armpit of California”.  I am not exactly thrilled at the prospect of driving for 4 or 5 hours to a place known for its record temperatures and where the people generally have more provincial perspectives than those of say, San Francisco.

The impromptu road trip got a later start than I wanted, which I blame on Mercury in Retrograde. Wendel more accurately predicted my departure time than I was able to, despite Mercury’s movement.  Score: Wendel 1; Naomi nada. 

The long drive I was so worried about ended up being great. 

VOODOO UNTO OTHERS BEFORE THEY VOODOO UNTO YOU

Photograph by Dolores Fino 

 

SAN DIEGO  – May 11^th – May 12^th, 2013

GATOR BY THE BAY – ZYDECO, BLUES & CRAWFISH FESTIVAL

My mother was the one who first mentioned the Zydeco music festival in San Diego.  She loves to dance and over the years has learned salsa, west coast swing, night club 2-step, the waltz, and among others, zydeco.  The Zydeco Festival sounded interesting and fun, and since it fell on Mother’s Day weekend, we decided to go for a little weekend get-away and, of course, in celebration of Mother’s Day. 

We had a fantastic time.  That was a few years ago.  This year, we decided to go again for our 4^th annual “Gator By The Bay” Zydeco, Blues & Crawfish Festival in beautiful, temperate, San Diego.