San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay area is the home of many of our relatives. We started our tour with a weekend visit to Meadow Vista where Jim's cousin Kim and her husband Ted had built a amazing new home near Kim's parents, Uncle Claus and Aunt Dorothy. The house is patterned after a Tuscan Villa with a wonderful view of the golf course below. Each room is a treasure. They are very gracious hosts and they love entertaining. It was like staying at a 5 star resort. Old times were discussed and laughed over. Kim and Ted hosted a BBQ for their family including cousin Stacey and her daughters, Jenai and Taryn as well as Uncle Claus and Aunt Dorothy. It was a scumptious feast topped off by Kim's homemade rhubarb pie. Kim drove us to Nevada City to see a real gold rush town. We enjoyed the farmers market and the quaint shops that lined the streets. We also visited an old gold mine with a fine display of rare and precious stones. Finally,Ted and Kim took us on a tour of their beautiful golf course which they have both mastered(?). It's landscape and design would make the course a challenge for any level of golfer. When we visit again, we'll bring our clubs and lots of balls. It was a very special weekend which we will fondly remember.

The rest of the week was spent riding BART into the city to do the tourist sites. A farmer's market started our day with Geri purchasing some of the finest produce since Nevada City as well as fresh walnuts. We enjoyed walking (downhill only ) in the city and stopped by Marge's office in the Embarquedero building. Quite the impressive office. We rode the cable cars from one end of the city to the other with stops at Lombard St, and the Wharf. Watching the cars drive down Lombard St. made us want to do it, so later in the week we did it. What a gorgeous street filled with flowers and curves. On the wharf, we stopped to taste and buy Bedouin sour dough bread. They also showed how it was made. What a delicious treat.


While in the city we had special times with Marge and her son Dan and daughter Lauren. A visit to Dan's apartment in the city was great. With Ansel Adams and one of his original photographs on the wall, it was hard to tell which was Dan's and which was Ansel's. Dan and Marge took us to one of their favorite restaurants in the city serving Asian- American Fusion cuisine. Each dish was cleverly presented and the food was unique. Another evening, we had dinner with Dave, Marge, and Lauren in Dublin. Dave was reliving their trip in an RV across the country when gasoline was only 39 cents a gallon. ( How old are they??) It was great to catch up on old family stories and RV travelling.

Lauren is a student at Cal in Berkley, so she took us on tour of the campus and her apartment. It was great to see the diversity of the student body, the architecture of the buildings , as well as the natural surroundings. Hearing Lauren's college stories brought back a few memories of our experiences. On Saturday, we attended the Cal- ASU game. It was a close game with lots of action. We enjoyed cheering Cal on to a win. Thanks Lauren for those Cal sweatshirts and those game tickets.

We spent another day driving from Half Moon Bay to the Marin headlands over the Golden Gate Bridge. What sights we saw along the ocean! Rugged rocks with endless beaches and crashing waves delighted our senses. Surfers were visible along the coast. Each beach gave us a different view and angle of the Golden Gate bridge. What an achitectural marvel.

The final highlight of the week was a sensational meal at Aqua, the restaurant where Dan performs his Sommolier duties. Dan invited us to dinner with Marge and we feasted for five hours. It's hard to imagine how one can dine for five hours but at Aqua it happens. Each course is served with impeccable elegance and beautiful presentation.

Dan carefully paired a different type of wine with each course. His choices of wines ranged from California wines to French and German wines. As he poured, he explained each wine's provenance to us novices. Geri's favorite was a Reisling from Germany, while Jim and Marge enjoyed them all.(Surprise) The food at Aqua is prepared by the chef and finished by the server at the table who explains the preparation and ingredients in each dish. The first course was caviar which told us this wouldn't be just any meal. Next our Tuna Tartare was combined at the table with quail egg yolk and a myriad of fresh herbs and spices. A gastronomic delight. The third course included raw oysters,crab and foie gras. Our next course was a delicious cheese souffle with porcini mushrooms.. Our fabulous entrees included ahi tuna, halibut, and scallops. The wonderful cheese course followed. Are we full yet? Dessert was an art to behold. Passion fruit souffle, a chocolate truffle and strawberry glacee were each presented so beautifully, it was tough to eat them. Dan served us our favorite dessert wine from Far Niente Winery. At the completion of the meal, we thanked Dan and the staff of Aqua for making it truly a dining experience of a lifetime.
To all our midwest relatives, this is what you can expect when you come to California.