SF Trip: Napa Valley, but I don't even like Wine?

Once over the Sierra Nevadas and on through Sacramento, we did a loop through Napa Valley, even though Jon is a pretty dedicated micro beer drinker and I am a "tea tottler", when I do have a glass I actually like really cheap, really sweet wine.

Later in the trip once in San Francisco, at a cafe in Little Italy, I got berated by the waiter in Italian, who I think was informing me that sweet dessert wine was basically a sacrilege to be paired with my crab ravioli- but it was really good to my "undignified palette".

We usually travel with friends that are wine coinsures and just follow their lead in wine tasting at the vineyards, but this time we were alone. We did stopped at one vineyard and tasted a few samples, bought some yummy dessert wine I am savoring now, and a few bottles for friends, but most importantly got directions to the real treasure of Napa- a vineyard that also makes Olive Oil- now you're talking!!

Oh my....I think Jacuzzi Vineyard sells wine, but to be honest I went right to the Olive Oil room, where just like a Wine Tasting room, there was several Olive Oil tasting bars, with pump bottles and cube bread, you could wander around and taste......ohhhhhhh ohhhh! Bread and Olive Oil- what could be better?

Fruit? A extra surprise was the most glorious fruit stand on the lush winding highway back towards San Francisco- Bing Cherries- my all time favorite food, just coming into season, and apricots were feasted on as we made our way to the Golden Gate bridge and did not see our first glimpses of the Bay- which was fogged.

 Mark Twain once said "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" I tend to agree!!

Mirages and Cannibalism

Are you intrigued? Or do I just have such an off the wall reputation you are not surprised, but believe it or not these two things do have something in common.

We just got back from a week in San Francisco and so here I am to share what I thought were the odd and the interesting sights and sounds of the trip....

Don't feel sorry for me this is NOT snow, that has finally melted -this Salt Flats, outside of Salt Lake City, along I-80 going towards Nevada.
Now Jon would tell you all the geological mumbo jumbo of how this massive dead valley, surrounded by mountain ranges was once an ocean and point out that you, or at least he, can still see the lines of the ancient shore lines on all the foothills. He would also point out the train tracks and the distant mining operations that are about the only thing viable that could come from such a desolate place, I did get excited when I saw the Morton's Salt icon of the little girl with the umbrella on one of the warehouse we passed... but the geology of such a place does not really hold me for very long.
What does hold me is how weird it was to drive and drive and drive through what could be described as a Dali painting, all melt-y and surreal.

There is a white salt crust, on both sides of the interstate, above that is probably just a foot of water, which looks like a mirror, so it reflects the sky above or the mountain ranges in the distance, so when there is a mound of salt, it looks like it is hovering above the water.
Periodically there are large blue signs, telling fatigued drives to pull over and rest and apparently many do, going out to make their mark in the salt, where the wind hardly blows, digging up dark rocks to form letters or smiley faces. Sometimes bottle are stuck down in the salt, and designs are made, though driving 75 mph, most messages can't be read going that speed.

Which brings me to Cannibalism, for I-80 is mostly along one of the most famous Overland trial used by pioneers making their way to California, though according to a historical marker at one of the rest stops, it would of taken then two weeks to travel the distance we had that morning, in an air condition car sipping our iced Starbucks. 3 miles is what the pioneers averaged on a good day, 1.5 was as fast as they went a day over the Salt Flats.

Timing was everything for the pioneers trying to make it to California. Timing between having enough grass along the way and making it over the passes before winter, but not getting stuck behind swelling rivers from the spring runoff.
And as today, there were plenty of self professed guides to point the way or publish books declaring the shortest distances, or before GPS leave notes on the trial declaring cut off that would save time and distance.

One such self professed guide was Lanford Hasting, whose advice taken by a group of pioneers now know as the Donner Party, would have devastating and infamous consequences. HERE is the link to read all about the famous winter of 1846-47 on Wikipedia-

We did, driving up into the Sierra Nevedas, off my Smartphone, my children and husband were transfixed and I a little car sick trying to read on such a small phone - about the delays the party made trying to follow the Hasting Cut Off, or get through the Salt Flats, about all the poor choices and arrogance that landed them almost at the top of the Pass that now bears their names...

 and how thanks to detailed diary accounts we have a glimpse of how a human being gets to place to decide to survive they will eat another human being, being careful to keep track of the meat so no one had to eat a family member...below shows the height of the snow that came early that winter, gauged by how far down the party could cut the trees. 

In the comfort of our car, going about 65 mph driving down the pass into Sacramento, our consensus was that if these pioneers had banded together, listened to the Indians, instead of literally eating them, and learned how to fish, since the lakes they were near had fish in them, they probably would of done much better.
We also wondered how a group, today, equipped with light weight gear, Gortex and modern know how would fair, and wondered with the stupid reality shows such a idea had not occurred to anyone.

No disrespect intended- I felt very sorry for the survivors in the accounts of the years that followed- how some admitted what they had done, how there was questions of whether the members who were eaten were really dead or murdered- and why some of the survivors focused on clearing their names and lied or changed their stories. Also what was very interesting was that there was a 66% death rate amongst the males who waited out the winter in the Sierra Nevedas. Only 9 women died. Why- many reasons- including women have more fat cells and can gain energy from our bodies longer, and men are the most likely to give up rations for their families, and use energy to take care of their families, etc.

 And alas once  in California, we really didn't enjoy our In and Out Burgers as much as we had been looking forward to.

The Well is Dry....for now

The last month is a blur- completing the biggest writing and illustration projects I have ever done- both spec- but will keep you updated and then a week focused on the 12 Hour Mesa Verde Bike race- right before a week in Boulder, Colorado for the Big Sur in the Rockies writer's conference put on by the Andrea Brown Agency,  where after the conference was over , I waited a day to come home and sat in my mother's bedroom at a cardtable to finish a requested illustration sample by a publisher, so I wouldn't lose a day on the road driving back, overnighting it from Loveland, which apparently is actually two days to  Maine- and now a week home to regroup get another illustration done, spec for another conference in the Fall- before a week in San Franciso- and that is just the start of the summer!! Was I whining about wanting summer to come- shame on me!

I have a lot to tell, but frankly after a week in Boulder, writing and critquing manuscripts and being critiqued...I got nothing. Will fill you in on all the adventures, when the words can flow.  

12 Hours of Mesa Verde

6 A.M. and getting ready for the race, warming up.

Race meeting, all 600 racers couldn't fit in the building- rules? basically be nice and courteous, most through the day did...

since it was Mother's Day weekend we honored the moms with pink ribbons.

First lap racers had to run to their bikes to spread out the pack..

Lap = a 17 mile loop out in Phil's World at the base of Mesa Verde.

Racers checked in at time table, either heading out again or trading off to the next rider on the team.

No serious injuries this year, one guy flipped into a pond, another came to the time table missing half of his helmet, the stryofoam gone from an endo ( over the handle bars)

Waiting for the riders to come in.

Many faithful dogs!

And lots and lots of pasta eaten from one of the days sponsors- Lotsa Pasta in Cortez Colorado.

Coming in...

Another successful race, 600 racers- all proceeds to benefit the Montezuma  Partners Program.

To see racer results or think about coming next year- see 12 Hours of Mesa Verde

What is your Magnum Opus?

So spent this weekend working the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde mountain bike endurance race, both my husband and daughter were racing. It is out at Phil's World, a 17 mile single track mountain bike trail at the base of Mesa Verde National Park and from 7 in the morning to 7 at night, racers see how many times they can ride it. Winner this year rode it 8 times I think, that is 136 miles if you are wondering.
Friday we check in 600 racers, including the top names in the circuit, from places as far as way as Bozeman, Montana. Since it was Mother's Day weekend, we had little pink ribbons for the moms to tie on their handle bars at the registration table, finding out who the mother's were got downright dangerous.

I would say out of 600 riders, about one fourth were women and out of that one fourth, only one fourth were mothers. The mother's we did find got teary eyed about the ribbons, the others...oh my!
Now the demographic of mountain bike racers is healthy ( very!), educated, and financial secure, and many let us know in no uncertain terms that motherhood was a path of life they had no desire to go down, with comments like "I am a mother of a dog," and my favorite "I have a mother, and have no desire to be one." All the more funny or sad in the fact that all of at the table working to register them were mothers!
Apparently motherhood is not condusive to Endurance Bike Racing. Got me thinking about "Magnum Opus", achieving a great work, a work that tales will be told about - and how much motherhood gets in the way of it!
Please consider these women who achieved a Magnum Opus and the fact......none of them were mothers!

Jane Austen, novalist of Pride and Prejudice and several more and not a mother.

All three Bronte sister, authors of such works as Wethering Heights and Jane Eyre and none of them mothers!

Mary Cassett, friend to the Impressionist and most famous women artist from that time and....not a mother, but is know for her mother and child paintings!!

Georgia O'Keefe, not a mother!

Betrix Potter, not a mother.

Margret Wise Brown, author of many beloved childrens books, but not a mother!

Mothers....are you depressed now? Don't be, never forget that your "Magnum Opus"- your greatest work, is one or many living breathing human beings that your gave life and love to, whatever else you do is just icing on the cake!

This is one of my "Magnum Opus" finishing  her second lap- that is 34 miles for the day!

 

Okay this is cool!!!

I have been checking the Group Publishing website to see whe they are releasing their Summer 2010 cirriculum- guess what....it is out- my major effort this winter, the Preschool Editon Amen, themed on the Sermon on the Mount. Worked with a grea great art director, who really knew how to get the best out of me, Paul Povolni, I hope I can work with him again. Have not received my comp copy, when I do I will show you some more detail.  Check out Group's catalog here.

IF- "Cacoon"

I am not this butterfly, I am still in my "Cacoon" partly because this is what greeted me this morning...

for the record...snow on the morning of May 2, 2010.

No butterflies, saw one hummingbird a few days ago, hope they are still alive.Apricots are all gone...maybe  Spring will come about the time Summer begins?

Also feel like am in a Cacoon because I took on a big, BIG writing all consuming project at the same time I took on the biggest illustration I've done. Finished writing project last night, should finish the illustration today, sense it's deadline is tomorrow. But luckily stitching uses an entirely different part of the brain that is exhausted from writing!