CALIFORNIA, Day 2, June 22, 2011
Dear Friends and Relatives,
So far, no word from any of you! Hopefully, all of you will be able to access my blog without difficulty.
I slept soundly all night long, as there was no air conditioning whirring through the night, and I was able to leave the window open to cool breezes. It is so cool here during the night hours that a light blanket is not unheard of. I was particularly tired last night, after an early getaway from Dallas and a full day of sightseeing.
One correction to last night's last paragraph--we ended up not eating dim sum, but another, totally unfamiliar (to me at least) Indian dish--massala dosa, with sambar (a thin lentil soup) and fresh coconut chutney dips. Massala dosa is a paper-thin, rice flour pancake that is about 20 inches in diameter (I was shocked when the plate came), Tucked inside is a combination of potatoes, onions, and Indian seasonings. And then, after dinner, we did a 360-degree about-face and went to Pinkberry for a cup of yoghurt--mine was mango, with kiwi topping--absolutely scrumptious. Maureen is introducing me to new and fabulous Indian dishes, and I am enjoying my education very much.
This morning, we had breakfast on Maureen's terrace--smoothies, toast, white darjeeling tea. Afterwards, we mapped our course for the day--a sure-fire way of getting organized and making the most of a day of sightseeing.
We started on Skyline Drive, a spectacular, windy corniche that wanders through the Santa Cruz Mountains, in search of the Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyards. Few wine regions on earth can match the climates, soils, and vertigo-inducing views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The winery is situated at 2000 feet above sea level and offers a rare confluence of great vineyard sites and sweeping panoramas of the San Francisco Bay area. It was founded in 1981 by Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon and inventor, and the winery produces single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Merlots, and Cabernets that capture the character of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Maureen and I attended a taste-testing, and I settled on a particularly lighthearted, fresh Riesling, while Maureen bought a Syrah. She tried about four different wines; I stopped at three (the Riesling, a Chardonnay, and a Gewuerztraminer). The view of the vineyards and the mountains cradling them was truly spectacular.
Following our visit to the Fogarty Winery, our next stop was Woodside, with a population of a little more than 5,000 people. From the looks of the cars parked downtown (Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes), the town was not doing badly. Woodside came into being in 1849, when the Gold Rush drastically increased the size and population of San Francisco. The wood needed for wharves, houses and commercial buildings was harvested from virgin redwood forests in this section of San Mateo County. At one time there were 14 lumber mills here.
Our objective was Buck's Restaurant, which is known as a funky restaurant with very important guests such as actor Mel Gibson (not exactly on my to-see list at this point in time), and wheeler-dealers from Silicon Valley. Maureen and I came into a decor which featured items such as a green Statue of Liberty, submarines and planes hanging from the rafters, a chandelier that looked like it belonged in a bordello, and various other curiosities. We had soup and a sandwich, and for dessert one of the most scrumptious pieces of pumpkin pie I have ever had. Afterwards we crossed the street and looked into THE Woodside grocery store, an emporium that featured almost nothing but gourmet delicacies along the lines of the prepared foods to go at Central Market. A look at the local home and garden sealed the thought that this was, indeed, a posh community.
After Woodside we attempted to get to Filoli, a great country estate with gardens, but it was 3:00 by then and they were going to close in 30 minutes. Since we were unable to do the place justice in that amount of time, we put off going there till another day--perhaps this coming Sunday, before we go to hear Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" in San Francisco.
As Filoli was a wash, we went ahead and drove to Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay has a rugged coastline with many sandy beaches for walking and exploring. It is a popular launching spot for sightseeing, fishing, and whale-watching cruises. The whole town and and the coastline was shrouded in fog, but it was spectacular to hear the thundering surf and watch the kittiwakes and gulls flit in and out of the fog. We stopped at several junctures along the coastline and took pictures before heading back inland to Pescadero, a small fishing village, and looking in on a few churches and stores. A beautiful drive back to Mountain View along a tortuously winding road, competing with bikers and an occasional car coming from the opposite direction, completed the day's activities, and right now, the whole area is bathed in a kind of mellow light. Temperatures inland today were in the late 70s, but at the coastline, significantly lower.
At this point, Maureen is fixing dinner, and we may break out the Riesling I bought and toast the day. Wish you were here to celebrate with us! Write, please--I would love to hear from all of you! As ever, Sylvia
So far, no word from any of you! Hopefully, all of you will be able to access my blog without difficulty.
I slept soundly all night long, as there was no air conditioning whirring through the night, and I was able to leave the window open to cool breezes. It is so cool here during the night hours that a light blanket is not unheard of. I was particularly tired last night, after an early getaway from Dallas and a full day of sightseeing.
One correction to last night's last paragraph--we ended up not eating dim sum, but another, totally unfamiliar (to me at least) Indian dish--massala dosa, with sambar (a thin lentil soup) and fresh coconut chutney dips. Massala dosa is a paper-thin, rice flour pancake that is about 20 inches in diameter (I was shocked when the plate came), Tucked inside is a combination of potatoes, onions, and Indian seasonings. And then, after dinner, we did a 360-degree about-face and went to Pinkberry for a cup of yoghurt--mine was mango, with kiwi topping--absolutely scrumptious. Maureen is introducing me to new and fabulous Indian dishes, and I am enjoying my education very much.
This morning, we had breakfast on Maureen's terrace--smoothies, toast, white darjeeling tea. Afterwards, we mapped our course for the day--a sure-fire way of getting organized and making the most of a day of sightseeing.
We started on Skyline Drive, a spectacular, windy corniche that wanders through the Santa Cruz Mountains, in search of the Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyards. Few wine regions on earth can match the climates, soils, and vertigo-inducing views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The winery is situated at 2000 feet above sea level and offers a rare confluence of great vineyard sites and sweeping panoramas of the San Francisco Bay area. It was founded in 1981 by Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon and inventor, and the winery produces single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Merlots, and Cabernets that capture the character of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Maureen and I attended a taste-testing, and I settled on a particularly lighthearted, fresh Riesling, while Maureen bought a Syrah. She tried about four different wines; I stopped at three (the Riesling, a Chardonnay, and a Gewuerztraminer). The view of the vineyards and the mountains cradling them was truly spectacular.
Following our visit to the Fogarty Winery, our next stop was Woodside, with a population of a little more than 5,000 people. From the looks of the cars parked downtown (Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes), the town was not doing badly. Woodside came into being in 1849, when the Gold Rush drastically increased the size and population of San Francisco. The wood needed for wharves, houses and commercial buildings was harvested from virgin redwood forests in this section of San Mateo County. At one time there were 14 lumber mills here.
Our objective was Buck's Restaurant, which is known as a funky restaurant with very important guests such as actor Mel Gibson (not exactly on my to-see list at this point in time), and wheeler-dealers from Silicon Valley. Maureen and I came into a decor which featured items such as a green Statue of Liberty, submarines and planes hanging from the rafters, a chandelier that looked like it belonged in a bordello, and various other curiosities. We had soup and a sandwich, and for dessert one of the most scrumptious pieces of pumpkin pie I have ever had. Afterwards we crossed the street and looked into THE Woodside grocery store, an emporium that featured almost nothing but gourmet delicacies along the lines of the prepared foods to go at Central Market. A look at the local home and garden sealed the thought that this was, indeed, a posh community.
After Woodside we attempted to get to Filoli, a great country estate with gardens, but it was 3:00 by then and they were going to close in 30 minutes. Since we were unable to do the place justice in that amount of time, we put off going there till another day--perhaps this coming Sunday, before we go to hear Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" in San Francisco.
As Filoli was a wash, we went ahead and drove to Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay has a rugged coastline with many sandy beaches for walking and exploring. It is a popular launching spot for sightseeing, fishing, and whale-watching cruises. The whole town and and the coastline was shrouded in fog, but it was spectacular to hear the thundering surf and watch the kittiwakes and gulls flit in and out of the fog. We stopped at several junctures along the coastline and took pictures before heading back inland to Pescadero, a small fishing village, and looking in on a few churches and stores. A beautiful drive back to Mountain View along a tortuously winding road, competing with bikers and an occasional car coming from the opposite direction, completed the day's activities, and right now, the whole area is bathed in a kind of mellow light. Temperatures inland today were in the late 70s, but at the coastline, significantly lower.
At this point, Maureen is fixing dinner, and we may break out the Riesling I bought and toast the day. Wish you were here to celebrate with us! Write, please--I would love to hear from all of you! As ever, Sylvia
Well, I finally have finished my errands today and I'm once again home alone, so I'm able to look at what you've been up to. That winery sound great and I wish I could've been there for the tasting! My palate's not very cultured, no doubt, but I'm sure I would've enjoyed it. Thanks for all the new words...corniche and kittiwake...learn something new every day :)
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