California Travels

This is my first travel post since Italy. As with that trip, the itinerary for this trip was planned by others (my favorite way to travel). Matt planned Davis, Sue planned Napa, and Heather planned Hermosa.

Davis

Our stay in Davis was brief – less than 24 hours. Matt’s itinerary started off with lunch (sandwiches from Nugget) and a tour of their new house. I thought the house was perfect – a nice size, nicely decorated, comfortable, with a manageable yard. The house tour was followed by a driving tour of Davis – where UC Davis students were out in full force – and a short walk though the arboretum there (including a small Redwood forest.) I learned that both UC Davis and Megan are big into agriculture / horticulture. She was able to point out different types of trees and crops based on their leaves even as we were whizzing by in the car.

On my brother’s agenda for that evening was dinner with “my blog fans” – Megan’s family. He originally included time for a reading, but I nixed that. Over dinner, her family did bring up a number of specifics from my past posts, and Matt told me they had recently asked him about his toilets. I got a charge out of that. Megan’s niece Sam was there, and “Uncle Moody” quickly became a favorite while they competed in corn hole (all night). There was one rough spot when he frustrated her with his go to card trick, but they quickly moved past that, and, at the end of the evening she asked him when she would see him again.

Dinner included homemade sangria, Nicoise salad with fresh salmon rather than tuna, and peach and apple tarts. If this was a real travel blog, I would give it a five star review.

The next morning we went on a 3.5 mile hike through the area to see more of the Davis sites – like the local Carl’s Jr where Megan’s high school art teacher brought her for lunch one day – and the greenery. At this time of year, the greenery is actually brown and desert-like, but still beautiful. That was followed by more touring by car where, as part of the tour, we stopped by to see some land that Matt and Megan are interested in buying to start farming.

I took on the role of my mother and said “Matthew, it’s too much.” Why anyone would move from that perfect house to a farm is beyond me, but, switching back into Mich mode I told them “to each his own.”

We had lunch at Putah Creek Cafe where I forced my husband to split a meal which he agreed was the right choice in the end. (He never learns.) And then it was on to Napa.

Napa

At this point, Sue hijacked the itinerary from Matt. Originally, Matt had us on the Napa Valley Wine Train for a few hours and then working in his yard for the rest of the visit. Sue, who happened to be out in Napa, quickly scratched that idea and came up with alternative plans.

Before her itinerary kicked into gear, we arrived at the hotel which was nestled between a highway overpass and the largest collection of power lines we had ever seen. Once we were on the grounds though, the overpass and the power lines magically disappeared. Unfortunately, Tuesdays are a slow day in Napa, and there was no place on property to get a pre-dinner cocktail. So we snuck our complimentary warm chardonnay into the pool area which we enjoyed in our plastic cups over ice while floating in the pool and having pleasant conversation.

After we dried off, we met up with Sue and Austin and their friends Robin and Jim for dinner where it was a tapas menu. Robin finds tapas stressful because she is not sure what to order and is concerned about taking more than her fair share. However, our family tends to over order, and we do not hesitate to take our fair share, quickly. We had no problem making Robin feel comfortable that night.

The next day, Sue arranged for personal tours of three excellent wineries. (And to think we could have been on the train.)

As can be seen in the photos, each winery provided each of us with a significant number of wine glasses. A “taste” of wine was poured into each glass. I finished every glass. Several of the others in the group made note of that fact starting with Jim who said something about “pound for pound.”

The next day we were on to Heather’s itinerary, but before I leave Napa, I have to bring attention to the unintentionally coordinated outfits that Dave and I wore.

Hermosa Beach (and Santa Barbara)

Just over three years ago, Heather and Lexi (her college teammate, roommate, and frenemy) packed up their Somerville apartment and drove cross country to LA. Their adventures since then are worthy of their own blog. Their daily life is worthy of a reality TV show.

This was my second visit to their apartment and Dave’s first. The apartment is within view of the ocean, and Heather is three years into her one year stay.

Day 1

Upon arrival, Heather’s COVID rescue dog, Rex, peed all over Dave because he was so excited to see him. Once Rex settled down and before heading to the hotel, we spent some time relaxing in their recently overhauled back courtyard.

We had dinner at Sea Level @Shade where again we had too many tapas – including two orders of the Spicy Tuna over Crispy Rice. Heather was stressed about the weather – she really wanted everything to be perfect for us – which it was. From there it was off to Lexi’s favorite bar – Tony’s – where she bought shots. Their friend Taylor was there on a second date. We didn’t embarrass Taylor at all even though Dave and Lexi tried. Dave and Lexi also got the crowd going with their moves on the dance floor.

Day 2

Day 2 started off with us going on a bike ride. We got off to a slow start because Dave has a knee that doesn’t bend and a leg that sometimes doesn’t work which makes biking a little tricky. This caused Heather some level of stress, but at least the weather was beautiful. We managed to bike along the Strand to El Segundo Beach.

On the way back, we stopped in Manhattan Beach at Brewco for lunch. After lunch, Lexi met up with us on her rollerblades where she made us stop at her favorite bar Shellback for their famed Fanta shots that I do not recommend. We played some silly finger game that I was not very good at.

From there, we played beach tennis where the retirees beat the former college athletes. After her defeat, Lexi was disappointed that she could not talk us into going to happy hour. But they were having guests for dinner, so I told them they had to go get ready.

That evening, Taylor and their neighbors (Maddy, Eric, and their three kids) joined us in the courtyard for two amazing charcuterie boards that Lexi put together, two types of beef that Heather grilled, and a spinach salad that I forced Lexi to make. Everything was delicious, and Lexi complained that I didn’t ask for any of the recipes. Maddy provided warm chocolate chip cookies.

Day 3

Day 3 we ran into Maddy and Eric on their way to soccer with the three kids. Ha! We were on our way to Santa Barbara. For more wine tasting!

By the time we got to Santa Barbara, it was time for lunch. And shots. (These were good.) Dave had the crispy chicken wings beet and arugula salad.

From there, we walked for a few minutes before stopping at Deap Sea Tasting Room where we had a flight each and then shared a bottle. Over wine, Dave and I shared the secrets to our marriage and a bit of our history which the girls found fascinating.

At that point, I forced Lexi to walk to the end of Stearns Wharf before heading to the next drinking establishment which was quickly followed by dinner. I don’t have much to say about those places because I crashed and burned during dinner, and it was a long ride back to Hermosa. For both Lexi and me.

Day 4

Day 4 (I was fine) was football in the courtyard. Heather had set up a large screen TV for the 10am start to the Pat’s game (weird), Lexi made fantastic avocado toast, and Taylor brought a big bowl of fruit salad. There might have also been some Proseco.

It was also project day. The gate to the back fence had fallen off the day before. Their landlord, Marcus, was aware of this, but he likes to think about problems in preparation to addressing them. So we borrowed Eric’s drill and got to work.

At first, it did not go well. Things got testy between Dave and me, and Heather got stressed. So I actually gave up. But Lexi encouraged me to keep going. While working on the gate, Marcus asked us to let him get by a couple times, one time because he forgot something. When this happened, Taylor disappeared into the kitchen to avoid potential confrontation. (She now knows me well enough to know Heather did not fall far from the tree.) But in the end, we succeeded, and I was thrilled.

After being in the courtyard from 10-5, we decided to get out and go to Lexi’s favorite bar, Lighthouse where we listened to live music and had a drink. Though we did forgo the shots.

Then it was on to Sugarfish for sushi where Lexi ordered for Dave because he wanted something with avocado and spicy mayo on it, which the waiter politely told us they did not do. Dave also mistook the tuna sashimi for tomatoes.

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And so ended our three itinerary trip. As with all my trips, I asked myself “Why don’t we do this more often?” Mainly because I’m a home body, that’s why. But still, it was so much fun! Lexi wants us back in March when her parents are there. If that happens, we will definitely have to get the cameras rolling. And next time we’ll have to do the wine train.