Day 3 in San Francisco

A little side note: I got behind on the blogging due to being too tuckered out on Saturday, and having a little travel bug on Sunday. I will continue to blog about our travels, just a few days late!

Yesterday we woke up bright and early to meet our tour guide for a trip into Napa Valley. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide who had a "Carol Weber" laugh! She taught us a lot about wine making and trivia about the area. The first tour we went on, V. Sittui was by far the best. We were allowed to choose the wines we wanted to taste and we purchased some excellent artichoke cream cheese spread to eat with crackers and proscuitto. We had a nice picnic lunch with a couple from South San Francisco. The next vineyard made sparkling wines. It was very modern, quite yuppie-ish. The sparkling wine we tasted was good; however, not very sweet. We purchased a rose sparkling wine that we actually didn't taste. I hope we aren't disappointed. We then proceeded to two other wineries, Andretti and Black Stallion. It quickly became apparent to us that these wineries specialize in wines that are much drier than what we usually drink. Jarod enjoyed some of the reds, and we did have a chance to try some quite expensive Moscato.

After our visits to the wineries we then rode the ferry from Vallejo back to San Francisco. It was a wonderful day for many reasons. We met many wonderful people from many parts of the U.S. We got out of the city and had the chance to see the land, and hence the lifestyles of the area. It was about 20 degrees warmer than San Francisco and the sun was heavenly. Of course, the wine was also a huge plus! The tour was absolutely worth every penny, and I think we would both be willing to take another!

Upon our return we took the recommendation of our tour guide and had seafood once again. It was a very nice restaurant, and Jarod had some amazing scallops and I had shrimp scampi. My thoughts on the seafood restaurants are that they are way overpriced for what you get. I realize that it is a specialty; however, prime rib is a specialty around here and we don't charge "an arm and a leg" for it! Just my thoughts! I'd still take a rib eye or a prime rib over scallops anyday!

Day Two in San Francisco

I so badly wanted to sleep in till 10am this morning, but that would have been noon CST, so I should've known better. By 7am I was wide awake and starving. After getting ready at a leisurely rate, we decided to embark on the F-line (an historic bus line) down to the Fisherman's Wharf. It took us through a part of San Francisco we'd never been to and it also gave us an idea of where we need to meet our tour tomorrow. We discovered that we really didn't explore Pier 39 yesterday, and so upon arriving at the wharf we made our way to visit the sea lions.




Around noon we headed over to Sausalito, a little island accessible by ferry or the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we were a little wimpy we decided not to bike across the bridge and opted for the ferry. The reason I wanted to visit Sausalito is because there was a segment on CBS Sunday Morning about all of the houseboats on the island. We were determined to walk until we found some houseboats. We came across a small "colony" of them about 2 miles down the stretch. I am certain that there are many more; however, after walking through on the boardwalk, we quickly got a feel for the eclectic sense associated with this lifestyle. It was unbelievable that people call such a place home. It truly was a culture shock in a very short distance!



Despite the culture shock of the houseboats, Jarod and I both really liked the quaint feel of the island. It reminded both of us of Key West, with its laid back feel. We did venture up one very steep hill to explore a neighborhood away from the tourist attractions. We discovered homes that are built several stories high in a community that is built on a steep island. We found tons of Jupiter's Beard, which I unsuccessfully wintered in my front yard. We stopped to smell many, many beautiful roses and discovered a lemon tree full of huge lemons! I guess you can take the girl out of the small town, but not the small town out of the girl!



The ferry ride took us by Alcatraz. We opted not to visit the prison. Jarod had been there as a kid, and I was just too creeped out by the whole of it. Maybe I have read too many Jodi Picoult books involving prisons and the horrible things that occur in them. Anyway, it is still quite amazing from the bay.



Upon our return to the city, we thought we would take one last trip on a cable car, since we don't intend to go back the the Fisherman's Wharf again. The line was terribly long. We walked a few blocks thinking we could just hop on at an intersection, but the cars were so full they weren't even stopping. So we trekked back down and rode the historic bus back to Union Square. We had scoped out a Thai restaurant on our way down to the bus this morning, and were more than ecstatic this evening when we knew what we were ordering, the food was absolutely to die for, and super cheap (even for Nebraska standards). As we were eating we got to experience our only "rally for a cause" since we've been here. I am not really sure what the cause was; however, the guy in the pink tutu led to the obvious. The rally started with a few motorcycles escorting some bikers, one of which was decked out with huge stereo speakers. This was the start of a bicycle entourage that consisted of probably over 500 bicyclers. They literally stopped all traffic. They were hooting and hollering, as were many of the pedestrians on the sidewalk. It was really amazing to witness. Of course many people did not appreciate the stopped traffic and were honking horns, but Jarod and I thought it was great!



Tomorrow we are headed on our wine tour. We know where we need to go to meet the tour, I just hope our time approximations are somewhat accurate!

Day One in San Francisco

Our day started at 6:30am when we left the Ockanders for the airport. We had two really smooth flights, thank goodness for that! Once we arrived at the airport we managed to get our checked bag and found our way to the BART (subway). We made it to Union Square, and then all heck broke loose! We didn't know where we were supposed to go, there were no square blocks in sight, and some weirdo wanted too badly to give us directions (and I doubt it was just out of the kindness of his heart)! We finally figured out where we were, and only ended up making a huge 2-3 block circle to get back on track. Next came the trek to our hotel - uphill - at at least a 45 degree angle - suitcases in tow! We did arrive in once piece at our hotel and it is very quaint!

After dumping our bags in our room we decided we would trek out to Nobb Hill and see where the day took us. Jarod thought we should go to Sausalito today. After looking at the map, we decided that we could get on the cable car at this one particular intersection. Silly us! You can get on the cable car at pretty much any intersection. Our own personal walking tour took us through some very pretty neighborhoods; however, we are totally amazed that nobody has a patch of grass! A few plants, but that is it! We finally stopped at this little corner cafe and had the best sandwiches. Instead of waiting for the next cable car we decided to keep on walking down to the Fisherman's Wharf. Now, the 2-3 mile trek wouldn't be that big of a deal in DC; however, there is nothing flat about San Fran....and it is not just a hill or two....it is like a walking roller coaster! We were very excited to see the water at the wharf!

After asking some questions and doing some exploring, we definitely now know where the heck we are. We did visit Ghirardelli Square, saw a Degall exhibit, and ate seafood at a back alley restaurant suggested by some guy who tried to get us to visit his timeshare talk. We didn't fall for that! We just did a lot of walking and figured out where the heck we need to go to get on the ferry to tomorrow. We also figured out that we were totally crazy for walking all of that way; however, we both agree it probably was the best thing we could've done to truly get oriented with the area! We rode the cable car back to our hotel and visited with the nicest people from Georgia. They actually are leaving tomorrow and had passes to ride the cable cars and other public transportation through June 1st. They were kind enough to share their passes with us and saved us $36! We are very excited to head out tomorrow, knowing how we might get to our destination and back!

The Rocky Mountains from our airplane! Very cool!

The hills we walked up to get to our hotel and Nobb Hill.

Lombard Street

Diane warned us about this man who hides behind these branches and scares unsuspecting people. We appreciated her warnings, and watched from the other side of the street!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Maybe if I sing that song tomorrow when I am on the runway, I won't be so panicky about flying! Truth be known, I really do hate to fly; however, I am hoping that it will be worth it. I am semi-packed. I am so amazingly calm about the whole ordeal - I wonder if I am sick!

The girls and I are headed with my mom to Walmart for some final items and for dinner while the guys golf men's league. Then we will head to Gretna late tonight so we are that much closer to the airport = that much more sleep on our big day! The girls will be staying with my parents for the majority of the weekend, ending up at the Ockanders so they are in Omaha when we fly in Monday morning.

Watch for daily posts and pictures about our adventures in San Francisco!

Summer

I cannot believe that summer vacation is already many days in the works! It is so liberating to look at the clock and see 10pm and not stress out because your kids are still moving at full force! Summer usually comes with a list of tasks to be accomplished! However, this summer the thing that I hope to accomplish more than anything is to relax and enjoy each and every day!

On Thursday we leave for our trip to San Francisco. I am hoping to tote along a laptop so I can share all of our adventures. I am so excited to escape reality for a few days, sleep in, eat good food not cooked at home, and engage in lots of uninterrupted conversations! Upon our return we will quickly prepare for Youth Theater, and then on to other fun travels!

This weekend was an absolutely perfect start to my summer vacation! On Friday, I convinced Jarod that I need to move 11 of my roses out of their current home to a place uninvaded by other plants. So we traveled to Menards to get 120 half-moon pavers, and I got the garden of my dreams - a circle garden. When I was growing up these old ladies (sisters) lived on our block and I absolutely loved their circle gardens! I have always wanted one of my own...and now I have it!

So Saturday brought a 5am awakening to head to Brownville to the flea market. Lori and I had a blast checking out all of the "treasures" that everyone toted to the market. We got a few fun things, my favorite being vintage flour sacks that will become pillows for my porch swing. We had wine at the winery at 10am (a huge sacrifice to not have to use a port-a-pot!), and spent the rest of the day in Lincoln buying goods for our future summer endeavors. We even took a little break at Diane's for some decadent dessert!

Tonight was spent in great company with April and Diane reminsicing about the "good old days"! What a blessing to be able to share so many memories with such wonderful people. It does make me a little sad though that April lives in Redding, CA. Here she is expecting a baby, and won't make it home again for us to throw her a shower or visit her in the hospital to share in her blessing! Why can't we all just live at home like me!?

The Grand Savings

$48.00! That is how much I saved at Walmart last night using coupons! Start clipping girls!

Savings Update

$52.10 ~ The amount in coupons I have clipped! We'll see how it goes!

Coupons

I cannot believe it has been 15 days since I last posted. We have been very busy working in the yard getting things situated and on their way to full bloom. In the meantime I have started walking with Lori in the evenings. Some evenings....when it works out! She has inspired me to get my rear in gear and start clipping coupons and stocking up when things are on sale. So that is my project for the week. I cleaned off two partial shelves in my storeroom and covered them with contact paper. This will be the "pantry". I am currently printing 11 pages from coupon.com. Thursday will be the big shopping day! If I use all of the coupons I can save a lot of money! Over $40! I will have to let you know how it goes! and if I save all of that money, I won't feel guilty with treating myself to Starbucks for all of my hard work! ;)

Peaceful Morning

I think it would be nice to live in the country on a morning like this. The sun is shining, the sky true blue, and my flowers need watering. I've had a yummy pecan roll from HyVee, a strong cup of Starbucks Breakfast Blend, and now I am ready to go out and start watering. The problem....I want to just do it in my robe. If I lived in the country, nobody would see me out watering my flowers with my coffee in my fuzzy lavendar robe. I think I provide the neighbors with unintended entertainment on a regular basis (i.e. trying to relocate plants that are way too big). I don't need to add robe-gardening to their list of entertaining antics.