The countdown is on, my friends! You're probably thinking, "Wait a minute, the countdown has been on for a very long time now." And you're correct. But the countdown is so far along now that it's almost over. Yes, that's right. The 2011 San Francisco Bay Area 3-Day starts in less than 10 hours!!!
But I digress. The point of this post is to tell you all about the fun day I had today. And what a great day it was!
Bonnie arrived from Phoenix at about 11:00 last night. I'd tried to stay awake, but just couldn't, but I guess I woke up when she arrived, because the first thing I remember after closing my eyes was standing in the open doorway giving her a hug. She later told me that I'd seemed really groggy when I opened the door, and I think I was probably mostly asleep when I did so! We chatted for a little while and then turned out the lights.
We met Mom and Dad at 7:30 this morning at their hotel for breakfast. Mom and Dad hadn't seen Bonnie in over twenty years either, and it was a great hour or so of catching up. Before Bonnie and I left the hotel, we posed for a couple of pictures in the lobby.
Shortly after 8:30 this morning, we said goodbye to Mom and Dad, who were leaving later today to meet up with friends for their nine-day hike in Yosemite, which begins tomorrow. Bonnie and I hopped into a cab headed for the San Francisco Ferry Building to catch the 9:10 ferry to Larkspur. We arrived at the ferry terminal in plenty of time to purchase round-trip tickets.
It was still chilly enough outside that we waited in the ferry building until boarding time, and shortly after 9:10, we pulled away from the pier. The ride to Larkspur took 35 minutes, and we enjoyed pretty views as we made the trip across the Bay. Alcatraz Island was visible through the fog, and as we continued moving northward, we had a view of downtown San Francisco.
Just before 9:45 this morning, we pulled into Larkspur Harbor, where the water and sky were a lovely shade of blue.
Bonnie's friend, Mary, who lives in Novato, picked us up at the ferry, and from there, we headed out for our adventure: wine-tasting and winery touring in Sonoma! What a treat. I had been looking forward to this for weeks and weeks. Bonnie and I figured this would be the perfect way to relax before the start of the 3-Day, and indeed, it was a perfect day.
Our first stop was Viansa Winery, located in southern Sonoma.
Before going inside for a tasting, we had fun exploring the grounds. The grapes growing on the vine were beautiful and just about ready for harvesting.
Bonnie and Mary posed for a picture near the entrance to the winery. Mary actually used to work at Viansa, before she began working at Prudential (where she met Bonnie), and she was a fantastic tourguide.
Viansa Winery is built on a hill overlooking more than 100 acres of wetlands, which was actually used for grazing at the time the winery was built. Viansa has worked with Ducks Unlimited to recreate the wetlands environment, and today, thousands of waterfowl live here.
Inside the winery shop, Bonnie and I enjoyed tasting five different wines, and just before we sampled the last taste of red, Mary snapped this picture. Cheers!
Before leaving Viansa for the next stop on our tour, we paid a visit to Il Porcelino. This statue of a boar is made from the same mold used to replace a similar boar at the Uffizi Gallery in Italy. The original version, commissioned by the Medici family in 1640, was removed after 300 years because his nose had worn thin, given that so many people had rubbed it for good luck. Bonnie and I rubbed the nose of this Il Porcellino before leaving Viansa, for good luck on our walk. I hope it works!
Next, we drove right up the road to the Gloria Ferrer Winery, which was the perfect location for the picnic lunch we had packed earlier in the day at Mary's house.
There are no tastings, per se, at Gloria Ferrer, but we did buy a bottle of rosé brut, which a delicious accompaniment to our lunch. We feasted on tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil; salami and ham; shrimp with cocktail sauce; and bread with olive oil. What a great meal, and the weather could not have been better.
Our last stop was the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, which was opened by the same family that manufactures jacuzzi baths! This fact makes me smile, because one of the most luxurious, enjoyable activities I can think of is drinking wine while relaxing in a jacuzzi. Sigh. . .
The grounds of Jacuzzi are extensive, with many pretty flowers and even a fountain featuring a statue of Neptune wearing sunglasses. And the blue, blue sky over the grounds of the winery was incredible!
The barrel room at Jacuzzi has many paintings, as well as beautiful sculptures around the doorway out to the patio.
In addition to gorgeous surroundings, Jacuzzi was also impressive because the wine tasting was free, and we got to sample many varieties of olive oil as well.
At about 3:30, we got back into the car to return to the ferry and arrived at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal just in the nick of time to catch the 4:15 back to San Francisco. It was a very windy ride across the Bay!
Bonnie and I got back to San Francisco at about 4:45, and because we weren't in a hurry as we had been this morning, we walked back to the hotel rather than taking a cab. From the pier, we had a view of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island, where we'll be camping out tomorrow night and on Saturday night.
We arrived back at the hotel just in time to freshen up before my dear friend, Jeannie, who moved to the West Coast from DC in July 2007, came to pick us up for dinner. After Jeannie parked in a tremendously impressive fashion in a standard shift car on a steep hill in a teeny parking spot facing downhill, we walked a couple of blocks to Trattoria Contadina in North Beach, and we had a delicious meal. I loved my risotto with Dungeness crab, peas, garlic, and tomato sauce, and I ended the meal with Irish coffee. What could be a better treat on a cold San Francisco evening?
And so now here I am, done with my fun Thursday and anxiously anticipating tomorrow's events. I've pulled all of my walk stuff together, so now, I'll try to sleep. The alarm is set for 3:50 tomorrow morning. Good night!
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