A Wrap-up...and a wrap-up

So we've been home a week now and I'm still trying to get my life back on track.

Maine's fall weather came as something of a shock to the system after the warmth of Hawaii and then California. Last night I even went so far as to wear my flannel jammies to bed. I know that's extreme, but I was c-o-l-d. I've been wearing socks to bed ever since getting back home. Maybe I'm spleeny, as we Mainers say. (When we say "spleeny," we mean we're a little too delicate, or think we're too delicate, to handle the harsh challenges of whatever situation we're in at the moment.)

A funny story I meant to share from Kauai: As Ken and I were hiking the NaPali, and we were walking through an area of especially dense growth, I said, "Smells jungle-y, doesn't it?" Ken replied, "Yes, it smells like an old car that's been shut up in a damp garage for a long time." I had to chuckle at that. I swear, he sees life through the windshield of a Model-T Ford.

During our week in the San Francisco area, we did a lot of sightseeing. I have some great shots of the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, but danged if I can figure out what I've done with them. I'll locate them and share them soon. They're probably still on my laptop. I swear, there were at least 100 sea lions, big, lumbering creatures, sunbathing on the floating docks next to Pier 39.

We spent one day visiting Sausalito and Tiburon. Beautiful little coastal towns, both of them, with interesting shops.

We had lunch at Angelino's in Sausalito, sitting outside overlooking the harbor. We were a tad taken aback when we realized that there, sitting at another table nearby with his same female friend, was the exact same guy who'd caught our attention at a restaurant on the San Francisco waterfront the day before. He'd caught our attention the first time because he talked loudly and enjoyed bragging about his helicopter, his yacht, his this and his that. Now here he was again. We expected to see him the next day in Sonoma Valley, but he must've decided to go elsewhere.

He was probably as tired of us as we were of him.

Speaking of Sonoma Valley, it was a beautiful day to be there, as you can see from this photo. We toured two wineries and had lunch in a small town. After lunch I told Ken I thought I'd wander into the Baskin Robbins right next door, because I'd been craving an ice cream cone for days. Lo and behold, as I stood at the counter waiting to place my order, I noticed a sign which said, "Thursdays are seniors days. And TODAY is Thursday. $2.49 cone for $1.49; waffle cone regularly 59¢, free."

Well, I wasted no time in hurrying back to the restaurant to let Ken, Jim, and Lynn in on the special deal. Before we knew it, we were all enjoying ice cream cones. There are advantages to having joined the "seniors" status.

During our drive through wine country we decided to take a little side trip to Jack London's museum in Glen Ellen. I used to teach London's The Call of the Wild, so I was eager to see some of his personal mementoes from his trips to far-reaching places, his manuscripts, etc. It was a worthwhile stop. I liked this view of Ken and Jim walking up the slope to the museum, so I snapped a picture of it.

We did a lot of laughing together, the four of us, on this trip. And I must say, the guys did well to put up with our sometimes hard-to-resist backseat driving. They got us good in San Francisco, though. It was the day after we'd flown there from Hawaii, and the guys went to the car rental place to pick up the rental car.

When they got back and we were ready to go out exploring, I asked Ken what they'd gotten for a car this time. He replied, "A gray one." I thought that response seemed odd, because he usually tells me the make and model when I ask that question, seldom the color. I then asked, "What kind?" and just as he said, "A Sil...," Jim stepped in to change the subject.

A little while later I heard Lynn ask Jim what kind of car they'd rented, and he, too, replied, "A gray one."

Very interesting, I thought. We then went down to the parking garage to get into the car and head out for a day of exploring. There, sitting in its parking space and overlapping into the parking spaces on either side sat a big, honking, gray Silverado. Lynn and I, who like to think of ourselves as ladylike, delicate, and image-conscious, just about passed out at the prospect of riding around the San Francisco area in a huge truck. Once we climbed inside, though (and it did take some real climbing to get inside), we had to admit it was downright comfortable. The thing was a six-passenger, for crying out loud, so we had more room in that than we'd had in the sub-compact cars we'd rented. And besides, the back seat windows were tinted, so no one could see Lynn and me in there anyway. The guys still think they were pretty funny for pulling a fast one on us.

And finally:

My knitting project just before leaving on vacation was this baby blanket. I know, I know: it doesn't look much like a baby blanket, but it's for afghans for Afghans, and all knitting for this charity must be in dark, 100% wools. (Their current campaign if for baby blankets for the CURE hospital.) I used various leftover skeins, and I figure its many colors will keep a newborn warm as well as a blanket of one color will.