Re-entry Reunion

Jimmy and Joe take Chloe to prison
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Mark Twain wrote that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.  Thanks to England our blood was thick and our suitcases supplied with jeans and sweaters.  We were ready for it.  We were ready for anything if US Air would simply let us off the plane.  The overseas flight went well, but the leg from Philly to San Fran was like...well, it was like flying US Air.  After being stuck without boarding passes, held up in long lines, and running full speed to make the plane, we boarded feeling triumphant.  Then we sat on the plane for 3.5 hours waiting to take off.  Sweaty, sticky, jet-lagged, without water, and not enough food.  But hey, they gave us free headsets.  Jim's oldest brother Don patiently watched the flight delay from the internet and fetched us at 1:00 am.  Hurry!  We were in San Francisco!  Sleep!

Alcatraz--fierce federal prison turned seagulls' paradise
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Monday was a jet-lagged blur.  Jimmy managed to go for a hike and see redwoods.  I drank coffee and did laundry.  By the afternoon we were ready for some action and the whole clan (21 in all from big to small) went to the San Cruz boardwalk for 75 cent hotdogs and rides.  We took Chloe on the skyglider, the scariest ride ever because Chloe sat on my lap and I couldn't hold her tight enough.  She loved seeing the beach, people, and seagulls from above.  She was a little less sure of the helicopter ride she went on with Joey (age 4) and was calling for Mama while Jimmy, Aunt Theresa, and I cheered and laughed from the sidelines.

The last three wines I tried were all the best I'd tasted all day.

Joe and the giant kelp
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Tuesday was a full family excursion to Alcatraz.  I was looking forward to the ferry boat to the island, not being much for glorifying the US prison scene, but I was happy to find out that the Park Service had turned the island into a bird preserve.  Seagulls galore filled the sky, rocks, old buildings.  I also didn't know that the island had been occupied for a year as part of a protest for Native American rights.  But I was really won over in the small gift store.  After a thorough tour with lots of stories and peering into the tiny cells, we were cold.  Chloe had finally decided to take a nap, so Jim and I made a beeline for warm coffee.  There were Alcatraz chocolate bars for sale, and Jimmy wanted to be sweet and buy one for me.  He had his hand on one and asked how much.  Four US dollars.  He slowly took his hand off the bar and said it would just be the coffee.  The woman behind the counter looked around and then took a bin of chocolate out from under the counter and said, "Don't tell anyone.  I wouldn't pay that price either."

Mary and Pete love the Golden Gate.
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On Wednesday most of the crowd went to the Oakland A's baseball game, and I happily stayed behind with Chloe.  Jimmy almost got hit by a foul ball.  This is a perfect example of one of the many reasons I don't like baseball.  Instead we joined Uncle Doug and cousin Joey for a walk on the beach.  Among the many discoveries from a dead seal to huge pieces of kelp was the fact that the Pacific Ocean is too cold for swimming.  At least if you are from Tucson and your previous beach experience is the Mediterranean.  Chloe put one toe in and headed right back to the warm, dry sand.

Sheila, Patty, and Fran love the wine.
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Thursday was probably my favorite day of the week, if only I could remember it more clearly.  We headed to Napa for wine tasting.  (Jimmy stayed back to play with Chloe and watch a Philly's game--I'm so glad I'm not addicted to baseball.)  I rode in the convertible with Pete, Mary, and Joe.  Once we crossed the Golden Gate and drove into the valley it was suddenly sunny California.  We started at Cakebread, an upscale locals only type of place.  We didn't have a tour reservation, but we still got a free glass of wine.  These guys are all in the restaurant biz, so when the manager asked what they thought of the wine, they all had an opinion.  When he asked me, I said, "it's ok."  I guess I side with Fran who wanted to know if there was really that much difference between this $60/ bottle stuff and a nice red that costs $5.99 at the local grocery store.  However, as we visited the next three vineyards I felt like I could really taste the flavors coming out.  Joe then pointed out that the last three wines I'd tried had been the best I'd tasted all day.  The rest of the day is a blur.

Jimmy, Chloe, and Mary...behind them is CHOCOLATE.
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Finally on Friday we went to the Monterrey Bay aquarium.  Don and Patty made this long drive easily on Miss Chloe.  Patty sings and when knew all of Chloe's nap time songs.  When she woke up, we had a full sing feast with children's songs, show tunes, sitcom songs, basically anything we could think up.  Chloe loved it!  And then there were the FISHES!  I've never seen her so excited.  She glued herself to the first tank, and we nearly lost the group because I couldn't pull her away.  Aunt Fran helped me navigate the crowd and keep the girl moving from one display to the next.  With each tank we saw, Chloe thought it was the best thing in the world.  These tanks are huge with glass the stretches from floor to ceiling the entire length of a house.  And the fish are huge.  There were sunfish over 400 pounds.

Jellyfish are cool.
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On Saturday the inevitable happened.  We packed our bags on last time and flew home.  Jen and Aaron were kind enough to cart us home from the airport at midnight.  After two months away, we exploded through the front door with our two big suitcases, 2 small backpacks, 1 car seat, 1 stroller, 1 diaper bag, and my large (it's not an extra carry-on, just big) purse.  We didn't get to bed until 2:30.  There was too much see and touch.  We had to make up to Teo who missed us but still loves us.  Chloe had to check each book on her shelf and wake up at 6:00 am to reacquaint herself to her toys.  The garden has become a jungle of zucchini, basil, and cucumber.  Life isn't exactly back to normal.  Chloe has started preschool; I've started grad school; we had a big birthday party for Chloe's 2nd birthday--all within a week of returning home.  We really haven't slowed down yet, but we are home.