Independence Day and more

Friday Annie, the girls, Annie's friend, and I went to Yountville to watch the fireworks from the golf course. I was the only one with a beach chair. Annie reminded me it was okay not to share because I am an old lady, so I was the only one with a chair. Another family joined us. We ate some sticky brownies baked and decorated by two eleven year olds. They had gobs of white frosting, blue sugar and red and blue candy stars. Annie made some desert, too. She brought a can of wiped cream which her girls, at least Tess, has never seen. Tess managed to spray wiped cream on a few people and had a gob hanging from the end of her nose. It was quite a giggle for the kids. Us too.

The kids ran for about an hour, then we all bundled under coats and blankets to watch the fireworks over Napa Valley. We snuck out of town on the back road and missed all the traffic. That daughter of mine knows all the tricks.

I met Maryanne in Phoenix a few years ago. We have a mutual friend. Through Linda we e-mailed a bit since I've been in Napa as she is in Hercules, nearby closer to the bay. So she invited me to go to Alameda to an antique show today.

Might as well come Saturday afternoon so we can get an early start. So off I went yesterday. Didn't know her well, but she extended a lovely invitation. She has a beautifully decorated home, with a Chinese flavor. I had a room and my own bath with fluffy towels and my own new bar of soap on a bamboo dish. Sure hope she wanted me to enjoy it. It was stacked on my towels, so I did. You know, I'm always afraid to touch people's guest soaps because they really don't mean it, but this was so inviting.

Yesterday evening we had dinner at the Dead Fish which overlooks the straights (I can't remember the name) between San Pablo Bay and Suisan Bay. This is Northeast of SF bay. Once you come under the Golden Bridge, you can navigate a long way including to Napa on the Napa river. But anyway. The freeway crosses there on two bridges. One has a pedestrian walkway. We walked across and looked off from the other side. It is such a different experience from anything I do in Phoenix.

Early today we met some friends of Maryanne's; two guys, Kelly and Kelly, so we could have breakfast in China Town (didn't know there is one in Oakland as well as SF, that's where we went). We all had Jook which was the purpose of going there. It is rice porridge which was kinda like a thickened rice soup with chicken meat in in. I asked for a side of bacon which got quite a laugh. Maryanne is Japanese but she really likes Chinese food, not the Caucasian stuff, the stuff the Asians eat. The Jook wasn't bad, it had some green onion pieces in it, but the little bits of unidentified chicken started to bother me. Maybe its the roasted chicken hanging in the window with his head tucked under one wing, or maybe I just got full, but I left behind some chicken parts. It was another part of the big adventure.

Then we went to Alameda which has a huge military base which is no longer used. There were probably 30 rows of antiques and collectibles set up outside. We must have walked for three hours in which Maryanne bought some Japanese habachis (another thing I learned about), Kelly bought some metal bowls and I bought popcorn and a Pepsi case for Annie to make a wall hanging. By the time we left there I was tired, sweaty, and my hips and knees ache.

So I tell you this was a diverse, busy, and tiring week-end.

Tomorrow I am joining another friend of my daughter's and her mom and dad who like to go to casinos on a junket to Cache Creek. I will be worn out by Tuesday. Tess and Chloe have gone to Phoenix to visit the other grandparents so I will be able to devote next week to catching up on Amex business, but tomorrow I am "flexing" my schedule.