Do You Know The Way to San Jose? 
(And Other Highlights from San Francisco)
I was so fortunate that when David had a conference in Sacramento last week, we were able to arrange for me to join him over the weekend. My mom had the kids, and I flew out and met David at his hotel. We drove to Oakland the first night for a baseball game--which was a blast. I do love me some sports, and sports with my husband is pretty much the bomb.com.  The next day we drove to San Francisco and spent the entire day walking. We went to an amazing vegetarian cafe where David was a total sport himself and ate with me.

The United Nations Plaza.

The obligatory cable car.

Entering Chinatown.

Once in Chinatown, David wanted to take me to a tea tasting. There are multiple shops that sell tea and many of them offer tastings. You just walk in, sit down, and they brew up different kinds of tea and let you sample them totally free. Unfortunately, we mistakenly walked into what had to be the most expensive tea shop in the world, and they charged for tastings. We had to politely look interested while the sales clerk explained prices and brews, and when she finally turned her back, David said, "Let's run for it." So we did.

In a "free" tea tasting shop.

I look like I've had too much, don't I? And let me just say right now that the salty sea air
did not agree with my hair. Blah.

I made David buy one of those tapioca drinks that were so popular there. He
drank a few sips and then threw it away. Not such a fan of the tapioca.

Off the main tourist street is the real Chinatown, where residents shop and food vendors are plenty.

The streets of San Francisco. It was a good workout.

Inside Coit Tower, admiring the many post-depression era murals.

Shrouded in fog and clouds. See if you can spot Lombard Street.

The sun came out for an hour. This was off of Fisherman's Wharf. That's Alcatraz in the background.

Me and my honey.

After a lot of walking and a lot of good food, I was ready to leave San Francisco. I love big cities. Love them. But I was tired. We drove to a small beach town and stayed the night there. I'm sure the ocean was beautiful behind all the fog and rain. The next day we discussed our plans. We were an hour from my childhood home, and I had told David that I didn't want to go back and see my old neighborhood. Since my dad died, some things are too hard. But once I was in California, and we were so close, I changed my mind. And I'm so glad I did. It was hard and I sobbed, but sometimes you do hard things and sob to also experience something special.

My bedroom was the top left upstairs. I spent some of the best years of my life at this house and in this neighborhood. The house is a different color and has had some cosmetic changes, but still very recognizable. We walked the street and I called my older brother and my mom and cried a lot, but I was so blessed to remember so many sweet memories with my family.

After leaving San Jose, we drove to Sonoma and Napa Valley. We like wine, but we're not educated enough in wine to really care about touring vineyards or grape varieties. However, we do love good food and lovely landscapes, so Napa was still a pretty sweet place to be.

This is where I'm supposed to say I missed my kids. But I confess I didn't. I really didn't. I think this was the first trip I've been away from them where I did not miss them at all. Perhaps because they're older now and I don't have to worry about them as much. Perhaps because I really needed the break from them. Perhaps because being a plane trip away meant that I couldn't worry about them because I couldn't get to them quickly even if I wanted to. Perhaps because they annoyed me to death the week leading up to my trip.

Perhaps.