Food Fest #1

It's about time I catch everyone up on what has been going into my tummy for the last 8 days. There is no problem with variety here. Of course sea food is at the top of my list because of the freshness and availability. But then there is also grass fed beef, pork and more grass fed beef and pork. Oh, and let's not forget all of that cheese! And, of course a lot of that great wine we brought home from the wine country.

My first tale will be of the seafood shopping spree Charles and I went on in San Francisco. We went to a Chinese market district on Clement Street to search out fresh crabs, clams and oysters. It nearly brings me to tears when I see this much wonderful sea food in one place. Just can't find this in the mid-west.

Absolutely everything is brought out of the water alive in front of your eyes. Getting home without having a crab attaching itself to one of your fingers or your pant leg isn't easy. We made our selections and drove back across the Golden Gate Bridge to get the pots boiling. Of course we start our seafood feast with oysters. Yum!! That

salty sweet hunk of wonderfulness sliding down your throat is a gift from heaven. Who needs to swim in the ocean when you can eat it instead! Our next chore is to try and separate the crabs as they have now latched on to each other for dear life. Somehow they know that if they grab on to each other, it will be harder to get them in that pot of boiling water. Pretty smart for a delicious little crustacean! Charles risked

the fingers on his right hand to do this. Finally, he decided to just drop the lowest one into the pot, and of course it only took 5 seconds for the other one to be free of his friend. Each crab was a whopping 3 pounds each. And, we still have to eat steamed clams first! Ugh! This is just a little sample of what it is like to dine with Charles. We learned to eat like this back when we were doing the AIDS rides and cycling over 250 miles a week (that was over 8 years ago). Lets hope we can survive it now. Maybe I just won't use as much melted butter for that crab :o)

I will catch you all up on our next food fest in my next blog.

Muir Woods National Monument

One of the things I am enjoying so much about this visit to the Bay Area, is being able to take the time to do so many of the touristy type things one never has the time to do when actually living and working here. Taking a stroll through Muir Woods is one of those things I'm glad we took the time to do. If you are a tree lover, this is the place for you. This is one of the most ancient coastal redwood forests in California. Many of the trees here are over 600 years old. The tallest trees here rise 252 feet into

the air and the widest tree is 14 feet across. The smell of the air is so alive and the undergrowth of mosses, ferns, redwood sorrel, and wildflowers like trillium, clintonia, and redwood violet grace the forest floor and make for a fairy tale type landscape. You can imagine the little Hobbits and Gnomes chasing fairies between the trees. There is something profoundly spiritual that touches you when you walk through this forest. If you are ever in Marin county, do this!

Wine Country - Napa and Sonoma

I couldn't leave the Bay Area without a visit to the wine country. Charles, Kevin and I chose the most beautiful of sunny days last week to take the short drive north from Marin to Napa and Sonoma. Our first stop was the French Chateau winery of Domaine Carneros/Tattinger, in the heart of the Carneros region

of Napa county (Yountville). They are famous for their sparkling

wines, so it was a perfect way to start the day. We ate on a tasty

selection of perfectly matched cheeses, fruit and toasts while sipping our selection of outstanding sparkling wines. We then traveled west to Sonoma county to check out a few much smaller boutique wineries. Our next stop was Loxton Cellars near the Kenwood region. When we arrived, we were the only ones there (a much different experience than at Domaine Carneros).

This provided for a very intimate learning experience with the owner/winemaker Chris Loxton,

an Australian brought up on a Shiraz vineyard in South Australia. Chris' focus is mainly ultra-premium Syrah and Zinfandel wines in a very limited production. What a treat to taste (and buy) some of the best wine I have ever had and to be able to spend an hour talking and learning about how Chris makes his wine. The tasting room was right in the small garage where the wine barrels sit, so we were able to walk around among his future offerings.

Our next stop was next door to Wellington Vineyards where we tasted more Zinfandel and other reds. We couldn't get out of there without purchasing more wine too :o). Our last two stops were also in the Kenwood region - Muscardini Cellars, a double gold award winning winery and Ty Caton Vineyards. We thank our dear friend Charles for being the designated driver for our wine country adventure. Next time, the driving is on me!