July 1: Boulder Creek to San Francisco

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Back in San Francisco this evening after a return from Boulder Creek.  This morning, we set out from our B & B and traveled through a sun-dappled drive fringed with redwoods.  Low-lying clouds came and went, and the effect was glorious.  We stopped in a town called Saratoga along the way and had breakfast at a cafe in town.  Maureen had a ham and cheese croissant and coffee, while I had something called an "open breakfast," consisting of a scrambled egg, bacon, avocados, tomatoes, and toast, along with a wonderful lemon zest and honey tea.  From there we walked back to the car, and our next stop was Cupertino, home of Apple, a truly astounding and impressive complex.  There was an Apple store on the premises, and I really was smitten by two items: the iMac 21.5-inch desktop computer, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a larger version of the iPad I have now, and lighter.  Eventually, I might like to get serious about one of them.  We will see.  

From Cupertino, our next stop was Mountain View, home of Google.  Since I had seen the headquarters and the Computer Museum there on one of my previous visits, we skipped that and went to two of Maureen's favorite stores in Mountain View, the Milk Pail and Dittmer's Meat Market.  At the Milk Pail, we bought ears of corn, rhubarb, strawberries, artichokes, olives, yellow zucchini, cherries, Golden Delicious melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and blackberries.  At Dittmer's we bought Sheboygan bratwurst and knackwurst, as well as some chocolate-covered marzipan.  

Once back at Maureen's, we put everything up and did some washing of clothes, and then spent the rest of the afternoon reading.  Eventually, evening fell and Maureen and I prepared her favorite "summer supper," which consisted of corn on the cob, chicken tenders, tomatoes and cucumbers sliced and topped with homemade vinaigrette, and lightly fried zucchini medallions--all delicious.  It is now 9:30, and we are going to watch a film.  Lovely, restful day.  Tomorrow night we are off to Symphony Hall to hear Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony."  What a potential treat!  Goodnight!  Sylvia V. 

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas