California Road Trip: Getting to San Francisco in One Piece

After visiting Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, we got on the road to head into San Francisco.  It was a bit of a rough and tumble (literally!) drive!  We were driving along on the freeway and Jon had moved out of the left lane to allow an SUV to pass us.  It had two bikes on a bike rack in the back.  And then it didn’t!  One of the bikes fell off the rack right into the middle of the freeway lane!  Fortunately, there was nobody (especially us!) in the lane behind them, and the bike bounced a couple of times and landed mostly over on the shoulder of the fast lane.  Ouch – that’s a pricey mistake!  I’m not sure how you would get your bike back.

We were feeling especially lucky that we hadn’t gotten into a wreck with a large bicycle, so the rest of the heavy traffic heading into San Francisco seemed like a breeze.  It was slow going on the Golden Gate Bridge, which allowed me to get some nice shots of the bridge supports from the sunroof as we passed underneath it.

Pirate Ships on San Francisco Bay

Golden Gate Bridge from the Sunroof of the Car

We got into San Francisco at about 4 and got checked into the hotel – we stayed at the Baldwin Hotel, a historic hotel in Union Square.  It is no frills, but close to everything and a great value for the big city.  After checking in, Jon’s first order of business was a visit to the Rasputin music store.  He could spend days in there, but I finally had to pull him away so we could have some dinner – I really can’t complain though, because I found a couple of classic movies that I have never seen for a good price.  Then we got a quick bite to eat at a floating conveyor belt sushi place in Chinatown.  The sushi was average, but it was quick and hit the spot.

The Lion at the Gate to China Town – San Francisco

After dinner, we went to the Rouge et Blanc Wine Bar on Grant Avenue across the street from the hotel.  This wine bar has an EXTENSIVE wine list.  There are A LOT (maybe 50?) wines you can get by the glass, and hundreds more available by the bottle.  Interestingly, there website says that they have 60 selections, but I’m not sure if they are just talking about wines by the glass.  There seemed to be many more than 60 bottle offerings.  They have wine from every part of the world represented.  Per glass prices range from $7 to $17, and they had some happy hour specials too.  They also have beer, hard liquor, and the wine bar does double duty as a coffee shop during the day.

My Beaucanon Estate Sauvignon Blanc at Rouge et Blanc Wine Bar

After perusing the menu for awhile and getting some fantastic suggestions from the server, I settled on a 2010 Beaucanon Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Napa, and Jon had a 2011 À Côté Chardonnay from Santa Barbara.  We were both very pleased with our choices, and the comfortable couches and bold artwork were a great way to relax away the rest of the evening.

Jon and Me at the Rouge et Blanc Wine Bar – San Francisco

I’m Such a Sucker for a Hard Luck Case

I admit it – I’m a sucker.  Many of you read with sympathy my recent stories of Martini and her battle with alimentary lymphoma.  Many of you had very kind words when I made the decision to end her suffering on March 1, 2013.  Maybe some of you have tears in your eyes reading this (like I do writing this).

So when my horse’s vet told me he had kittens – one little girl who had been abandoned at a farm – I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist even though I tried.  I told him I would ask around.  I told him I thought two cats was perfect for me now that Martini was gone.  That lasted about a week, until Gordon emailed me a photo.  I showed Jon.  He told me that it was up to me, but that if I wanted a new kitten, he would be okay with that.  That’s his way of saying he thought I should get her.

So on April 21st, my mom and I drove out to the vet to see her.  And hold her and pet her.  And bring her home.  She’s about 6 months old, and she’s cute and friendly and playful.  And the boys are fine with her – maybe not thrilled, but fine (after Oliver hid under the bed for three hours once I brought her home).

So there’s a new life in the house now.  Adding some noise and energy and laughter.  She loves her feather on a string toy – Oliver does too.  She loves to sit with Jon.  She loves to attack your toes under the covers at 5:30 in the morning.  Her name is Coraline.

Aren’t I the Cutest Thing Ever!?

Oscar Sees Coraline for the First Time

Oliver Says, Maybe She’ll Go Away…

Oliver Is Definitely Not Going Down Those Stairs!

California Road Trip: Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

After our day at the Point Reyes National Seashore, we didn’t really have much planned before heading into San Francisco.  Jon had originally thought he wanted to spend the day in Sonoma and do some wine tasting, but the day dawned and he just wasn’t feeling it.  So we decided to spend it a little more low-key.  We went and checked out the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, which is just outside of Petaluma.

The Petaluma Adobe was built and owned by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo.  Vallejo was born in 1807 in Monterey, California, when California was a Spanish colony.  Once Mexico achieved its independence in 1821, he enrolled in the military and rose up through the ranks.  When the Spanish Missions were secularized, he oversaw the secularization of the Mission San Francisco Solano (in Sonoma), founded the town of Sonoma, and built the Presidio of Sonoma to guard against the nearby Russians at Fort Ross.  He was rewarded with a land grant that became Rancho Petaluma in 1834.  At its largest point, the ranch was 66,000 acres; approximately 100 square miles!

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

Vallejo built a large adobe ranch house in 1836 – the largest privately owned adobe building ever built – it was a quadrangle of two buildings on an open courtyard with a total size of 200 by 145 feet.  Sadly, the east wing of the adobe had fallen into disrepair and collapsed by the 1880, so one U-shaped wing is what you see now at the park.  There is a photo of the adobe from 1880 that shows the crumbling ruined wall.  The adobe building has about 80% of its original adobe bricks, and 20% of the original wood.

Married Servants Quarters – Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park – The Married Servants Got Beds and Curtains to Divide Their Part of the Room

The park shows the Adobe as it was when Vallejo lived there, with servants quarters, storerooms and family rooms.  There is a clear distinction between the rooms that were occupied by servants and the rooms where Vallejo and his family stayed.  The servants rooms and work rooms were very plain, with the adobe walls visible and small, open windows.  The family rooms were much fancier, with plaster on the walls and ceilings,  paint, chandeliers (they would have been candles at the time) and glass in the larger windows.  They seemed like they would have been quite comfortable to stay in.  However, we do enjoy a different standard of living today, as back then all of the family (and their guests) would have slept in the same large bedroom, with blankets sectioning off different areas from view.  Contemporary accounts of the period describe visitors eating a late dinner in the dining room with Indians sleeping wherever there was an open space on the floor.

Dining Room – General Vallejo’s Living Areas Had Plaster Walls, Paint and Real Glass Windows

General Vallejo’s Bedroom – The Whole Family Slept in One Room

During its heyday, the rancho had about 12,000 head of cattle and 3,000 sheep; income was generated by the slaughter of about one quarter of the cattle each year and the selling of their hides.  Curiously, most of the meat was wasted.  The rancho was self-sufficient, and many of the 2,000 Indians who worked on the property also made tallow, candles, saddles, wool blankets and boots and shoes for military troops.  In 1846, once the Mexican American War began, Vallejo was imprisoned and American General John C. Fremont requisitioned most of the animals and supplies for his army in Vallejo’s absence.  Many of the Indians fled from the California 49ers on their way through the area to find gold.  At the end of the war, the rancho had already begun a long, slow decline, and Vallejo tried to lease it out for several years and finally sold it in 1857.  After Vallejo sold it, the building was used for other purposes.  In 1910 a group purchased it and preserved it – it was purchased by the state of California in 1951.

A Stack of Hides – Floor to Ceiling – At the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park

The Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park has a very reasonable admission price of $3;  and for that price you even get admission on the same day to the Presidio, General Vallejo’s home and the Sonoma Mission on the same day.  Sadly, it is one of the California State Parks that has been threatened with closure with the economic issues facing California.  I find it sad that there is so little interest in history (we were alone the whole time we were there, but there was another couple coming in as we were heading out) – because this park was well worth the visit.

After the adobe, we browsed in a few antique shops and shabby chic home decor shops in downtown Petaluma.  We weren’t feeling in the mood for a restaurant lunch, so we hit up Raley’s market for a deli lunch, where I had a delicious Cobb salad and Jon had some smoked turkey; we shared an Orzo pasta salad.  I also tried to find the Long Meadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc that I had enjoyed the evening before, but we had no luck.  Oh well, it was time to head to San Francisco!

California Road Trip: Point Reyes Elephant Seals!

When we last left off, Jon was trying to convince me that I didn’t really want to go see the Elephant Seals – that they were just like Sea Lions.  I told him I was going anyway…

Once you get off the bus at Elephant Seal Beach it is only an eighth of a mile to the overlook.  When we were there, the beach was filled with female Elephant Seals and some babies, but apparently the males hadn’t arrived yet to join the party.  Oh well, the females were still really cool to see.  There is a ranger at the overlook to answer questions and a high powered telescope set up, so you can get a close up view of the beach.  The Elephant Seals here are Northern Elephant Seals – the males can grow between 14 and 16 feet long, and weigh up to 5400 pounds!  The females are up to 10 feet long and 2000 pounds.  As for life expectancy, females live an average of 22 years, and start breeding at 3 or 4 years of age.  The average life span of a male Elephant Seals is about 14 years.  They were really neat to see – even though the distance on the pictures doesn’t do them justice.  I’m so glad we went to see them!

Elephant Seals at Point Reyes – They Are Much Bigger Than They Look Here!

Female Elephant Seals at Point Reyes

Also at the same stop is the lifesaving station.  Had we not been so hungry, I would have gone for a visit, because it looked really interesting.  The United States Life Saving Service (USLSS) – the predecessor to the modern U.S. Coast Guard – was founded in 1871, and first established a presence at Point Reyes in 1890.

The Trail Coming Back from the Overlook

To date, more than 50 ships have foundered on the rocks near Point Reyes; the lifesaving station ensured that those mariners had a fairly good chance at survival.  And they didn’t just rescue boats; the surfmen also saved two survivors of a DC 3 that crashed (sadly the other five aboard were swept away and drowned before rescuers arrived).  Even though they clearly performed a valuable service, the work wasn’t without risks – evidenced by the small cemetery that contains the graves of three surfmen who died in the 1890s.  At least two more men died while serving at the lifesaving station; two surfmen in 1960 radioed the station to say that they were returning after assisting a disabled vessel, but they never arrived.  Their boat was found the next day on the beach with the propellers still turning; their bodies were never found.

The View From Elephant Seal Overlook – the Historic Life Saving Station is in the Distance

After visiting Elephant Seal Beach and seeing the Life Saving Station, we got back on the shuttle bus for a trip back to the Drakes’ Beach Visitor’s Center.  The driver slowed down for a California Blacktail Deer and pointed it out to us.  To recap, all in all, we spotted California Quail, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, California Blacktail Deer, Tule Elk, Bobcat and Elephant Seal.  Not to mention the ever elusive cows, chickens, seagulls and crows.  It was a fantastic visit.

To Give You Some Perspective – From Left: Elephant Seal (Male), California Sea Lion (Male), California Sea Lion (Female), Harbor Seal (Female)

Once we departed from the National Seashore, we stopped for a while at Point Reyes Station, a small town (population 350) close by.  We wandered around the shops and got some coffee and tea pick-me-ups.  We also found a shop called Zuma that sold handmade products from artisans around the world – they had baskets, scarves and shawls, and jewelry.  Jon and I love hand woven baskets, and we found several that we liked there.  We came home with a Cambodian basket and a Nkuringo Wishing basket from Uganda.  And I got a carved and polished wooden heart trinket too.

By this time, even though I had a snack after leaving the park, I was starving.  We decided to check out the Station House Café, so we popped in right as they were opening at 5 pm.  We were seated right away, and we proceeded to have one of the best meals of our trip!  I had the braised short ribs with Rainbow chard, creamy polenta and local mushrooms.  I paired it with a 2011 Long Meadow Ranch Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  My meal was absolutely delicious!  Jon had the Blackened Yellowtail with turnip puree, leeks and cranberries.  Yum!  Our entrees also came with popovers, funnel shaped breads with an egg flavor inside.  The service was great – the food came really quickly, and we enjoyed our visit thoroughly.

My Braised Short Ribs at the Station House Café

After dinner, we headed back to Petaluma and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  Our day at Point Reyes was an amazing day.

Book Review: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

This last winter, I was, as undoubtedly many of you were, sucked into the BBC historical soap opera drama Downton Abbey.  Just for the record, I feel the need to say that I have never watched daytime soaps (well except for the ones in Spanish – but that was homework, and a post for another time).  And Jon got sucked in too, so I feel like I am justified because he typically likes really odd movies (I’m not sure how that’s related, but I’m sticking to it).  And don’t ask Jon about it, because he probably wouldn’t admit it anyway…

So as a result of becoming completely engrossed in Downton Abbey, when I was wandering around the bookstore right before Christmas, this book was one that caught my attention.  Coincidentally, I found out later, Jon’s mom had asked Jon to pick out a book that I would like, so apparently he was trolling along behind me to see what caught my interest.

This is the story of Lady Almina, the Countess of Carnarvon who lived in Highclere Castle during the period covered by the show.  I’m not sure if the producers intentionally used pieces from Lady Almina’s life to create the show, but there certainly are some similarities.  That said, Downton Abbey is obviously fiction, and not intended to be a historical look at the lives of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.  This book is written by Fiona, the current (eighth) Countess of Carnarvon, who assumed that title when her husband became the Earl of Carnarvon in 1999.  They live at Highclere Castle, which is the country estate featured prominently in Downton Abbey.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

Lady Almina was born in 1876, and if you believe the rumors, she was the illegitimate child of Marie Wombwell and Alfred de Rothschild, the millionaire banker.  And since her ancestors are willing to put it in print, it is probably true.  Although Rothschild never publicly announced that she was his daughter, he made sure she was well cared for and gave her huge sums of money over the years.  Due to her connection to Rothschild, she enjoyed a greater social standing than she otherwise would have and was able to meet and fall in love with George Herbert, who was to become the 5th Earl of Carnarvon.  They married in 1895 and had two children.

Most of you probably already know George Herbert, even though you may not realize you do.  He is the guy who financed Howard Carter’s archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings.  Yes, that Howard Carter – the guy who found King Tut’s tomb.  Anyway, among his other passions were horses and fast cars and jetting off on his many adventures.  Given they both had a propensity for spending money, George Herbert and his wife Almina were well suited to each other.

The book also explores in detail Lady Almina’s World War I employment – setting up a hospital for injured troops that were evacuated back to England.  She took on some of the hardest cases, and apparently had a very high survival rate.  There is something to be said for the fact that if you made it back to England in the first place, you probably had a much higher chance of survival, having already survived that long – but Almina and the nurses she hired certainly made the future brighter for the many soldiers who ended up there.

Like I said before, the book was written by the 8th Countess of Carnarvon, but Fiona is a commoner, having married into the family after establishing herself in the accounting field.  As a result, she has a candid and unpretentious perspective on life at the Castle and what it would have been like for Lady Almina.  She has done a great deal of research on her husband’s ancestor and portrays her as an imperfect being, with extraordinary love and generosity, but someone with significant flaws, including her inability to manage money.  Almina comes to life through letters and other documents in the family archive.

It is an interesting read, and you don’t need to have ever watched Downton Abbey to enjoy it.  It is truly a look into an extraordinary life in another time.

Hey! It Tastes Just Like Blackberries

For the last week, I’ve been nursing a bottle of wine.  I had to work late several days this week, so by the time I got home each night I was exhausted.  I only had the time and the energy for one glass of wine before collapsing into bed.  Jon was working the late shift all week, so he wasn’t around to help me split a bottle.

I had a bottle of Blackberry Wine from Pasek Cellars that had been hanging around for awhile.  Pasek Cellars began in 1995, with its first tasting room opening in 1997 in Mount Vernon, Washington.  They grew steadily through the last several years, expanding to a total production of more than 15,000 cases.  Pasek produces mostly fruit wines, although they do have a Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier and a Muscat Canelli too.  Cranberry Wine is their top seller, but they also make Blueberry, Loganberry, Raspberry, Pineapple, Passionfruit and an Arabica Coffee Wine.

Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine

Jon and I had picked up our bottle of Blackberry Wine when we visited the tasting room.  We liked all of their wines, but many of them are very sweet and not really our style.  We purchased the Blackberry Wine that day partly because it wasn’t as sweet as the others.  On Monday night, I popped it open.  It is produced from 100% Oregon Blackberries.  This wine is a sweet wine, bordering on dessert wine, but it isn’t overpoweringly sweet.  I was quite pleased with it.  And the nice thing about this wine is its staying power.  I nursed this bottle all week, and six days later it is still delicious!

Pasek Cellars produces about 3000 cases annually of the Blackberry Wine, and pretty good distribution in Washington and Oregon, plus some limited distribution in some other states.  If you like a sweeter wine, and can find this one, be sure to try it out!

California Road Trip: Point Reyes Lighthouse

When we last left off, Jon and I were making our way from the Tule Elk Reserve over to catch the shuttle bus to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.  It took us awhile to get to the other side of the park, because it is so large (to be honest we were a little unprepared for its size).  Just so you have a little perspective, Point Reyes National Seashore is 100 square miles.  Yep, you read that correctly.  The drive from the Bear Valley Visitor’s Center to the trailhead near the Tule Elk Reserve is 30 minutes.  The drive from the Bear Valley Visitor’s Center to the Lighthouse is 45 minutes!  Our drive from Petaluma to the park itself was only 30 minutes!  Keep that in mind when you visit – and bring food, because there aren’t many services inside the park.

We got to the Visitor Center at Drake’s Beach, the Visitor’s center closest to the lighthouse, and got our tickets for the shuttle bus to the lighthouse.  In the late winter, during the Gray whale migration, they close the road to the lighthouse and make all visitors ride the shuttle bus, because there are so many people there to see the whales and the parking lots can’t accommodate that many cars.  The ticket is only $5 per person though – just be aware that you can’t just come and go whenever (the shuttles run every 15 minutes).

A Gray Whale Skull at Point Reyes Lighthouse

On our way out to the lighthouse, they did play a tape with some historical information about the Seashore and the lighthouse.  The Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 in order to protect ships from the treacherous Point Reyes Headlands, which jut out 10 miles into the open ocean.  The Point Reyes area is the second foggiest place in North America and is known for its high winds, making it a dangerous area for ships to pass.  After helping ships pass safely for over 100 years, the lighthouse was automated in 1975, but it has been maintained with its original Fresnel lens.

The lighthouse was constructed with some difficulty, because the materials had to be hauled by hand down the cliff where the lighthouse was located.  The lighthouse was constructed down the cliff because it needed to be lower than the characteristically high fog that often blanketed the area.  Workers had dynamited a flat spot on the rocks for the lighthouse to sit.  The Point Reyes Lighthouse has a First Order Fresnel lens, which if you remember my blog post on the Battery Point Lighthouse, you know that a First Order is the largest Fresnel lens that was made.  Imagine trying to haul that down the cliff!

The lighthouse was maintained by four families who lived at the site – a head lighthouse keeper and four assistant keepers – they each worked a six hour shift.  It was considered an undesirable post, because of the high winds and frequent fog (the highest winds recorded there were 133 miles per hour!) and the fact that the nearest town, Inverness, was nineteen miles away.  However, the beauty of the area is something to behold, and apparently it was enough of a draw that one lighthouse keeper stayed 24 years.

Once you get off the bus, you have to walk about a half mile from the parking area to the lighthouse.  You are greeted with beautiful views of the rugged coastline, and then you see the lighthouse down the hill.  In order to visit the lighthouse, you have to be prepared for a workout; seeing it close-up requires a trek down 308 steps (roughly a 30 story building!).  That’s the easy part – because once you see it you have to climb back up 308 steps!  But if you can, go down to the bottom; it is well worth the experience of the wind in your hair and seeing the huge Fresnel lens up close.

A View of the Point Reyes Lighthouse from the Top of the 308 Steps

Point Reyes Lighthouse – Built 1870 – A 16 Sided Pyramidal Tower with First Order Fresnel Lens

On the day that we were there, a Park Ranger was answering questions in the lighthouse, and I learned that each lighthouse along the Pacific Coast has a unique flash pattern, so mariners can tell their location by the flash.  The Point Reyes Lighthouse flashes once every five seconds.  The lens is so efficient that it can be seen all the way from the horizon, a distance of about 24 miles.  The lens itself is twelve feet tall and six feet wide, and the building is 37 feet tall.

First Order Fresnel Lens at Point Reyes Lighthouse

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is also one of the best places in the park to see the Gray whales as they return north from their winter feeding grounds.  There were many people there with binoculars and telescopes.  On the day that we were there, there were 24 whale sightings, but we didn’t see any ourselves.

The Rocky Cliffs that the Lighthouse is Built Into

After visiting the lighthouse and climbing back up those 308 steps (my half-marathoning came in handy there), we got back on the bus for the second stop on the tour.  Elephant Seal Beach.  Jon tried to talk me out of this stop (he was grumpy and we were both hungry – see the paragraph above about how big the park is and how you should bring – more – food); he tried to explain to me that seeing an Elephant Seal was really just the same as seeing a Sea Lion.  Ummm… no…  But I was hungry and not thinking quite right, so he almost had me… but I held firm.  I wanted to go see the Elephant Seals…