Mallard House Lakeport

The journey south to Ukiah was fairly uneventful even with my snap decision to pick up a hitcher on the way. I chose Ukiah purely as a stopover on the way back to SFO. I did not want to go all the way to SFO as it was have been a 300 mile drive but most importantly cos I did not want to try and kill a few hours around SFO with all my luggage in the back of the car. Ukiah, then, was a convenient stop off.

As I ...

... and friendly host. The reds were fine but nothing I had not tasted before but the dry white Gewurst thingies were rather nice. The grounds were lovely, aged oaks and Acers with a spectacular autumnal colouring. From there we moved to Lambert bridge where the owner took us through a selection of his fine reds which despite his warning they would be more acidic than we were used to were very crisp and easy to drink. The Voigey ...

... run with his unofficial best man speech. there was laughter, there were tears, it was perfection. and the food--oh the food! it was hands down the best food at a wedding ever (not to offend any previous wedding i've been to) but the apps were divine, the short ribs were amazing, and the veuve cliquot unbeatable. i couldn't even resist the mini desserts.

thanks again kim and greg for a fun and delicious weekend!

... of flowers, and an armful of wine.. TRIPS.. faceplants.. saves wine.. one boquet of flowers down... gets up.. eats piece of salami.. YUM! Makes the worlds largest Bloody Ceasar.. puts on bathing suit.. sits by pool...drinks caesar..falls asleep for 2 hours...wakes up.. refills ceasar.. rotates to hottub. Finds hapiness.


NOTE: California has Clamato juice.. real Mott's Clamato not fake ****. Good! Problem: It's $6.

Today we drove through the Redwoods National Park and were amazed at the height and diameter of the mighty redwood trees. Many areas of the park are off limits to RVs, but we took the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway which had little traffic and lots of places to stop and admire the trees and to take short hikes into the forst. We saw a herd of elk happily lying in a field by the road.
We stopped for lunch in Samoa at the Samoa Cookhouse which was built in 1900 for the workers at a nearby ...

... can make her look like new again: See you soon Rick - It's going to bug the **** out of him til she's pretty again.

For all those who wrote and said they want to see pics of us. I'm trying my best but so far, it's not working out to well. The one time we had one taken with us together, I looked like this tye dyed beached whale. Since I'm the one sending the pics, it's my perogative to destroy the ones I don't look my best ...

... and expensiveness of life will remain the same...but still i can't wait to be out there. And what's even better i might bump into one of my dear estonian friends Liis. I knew about her trip but the time is sneaking pass me...and it came up again so suddenly but with bringing along great feelings... so i, now seems to be a too rushed decicion, bought the ticket. Didn't rob a bank nor inherited a million by overnight but meeting a close friend can make even a budgeted backpacker give ...

... of the heart... - Henry Wadworth Longfellow, Holidays I loved Petra's interview in the May 2005 Vanity Fair; here are just two snippets: "Tragedy gives us the opportunity to put meaning into our lives," she says. "It changes our values, gives us the opportunity to think where we want to go. I lost the person closest to me [her boyfriend vanished and his body was found 69 days later], but I got a second ...

... and adventurers alike when they finally commit to Yes. The pilgrimage does not begin when I land in Thailand. Oh no, it's in full swing right now. Inspired by a private note from Jill Fallon where she shares: "Basically, how do we make life lessons open source? How can we pool our experience so that anyone could benefit when they need it. Lessons in divorce, what to do with a bad diagnosis, how to grieve well, how to handle the death of a parent." - Jill Fallon ...

... knew we were close to home when we saw premium for $2.55 a gallon. Another stop for a burrito in Willits. That was it. Did we stop for the beautiful sea stacks near Brookings, OR? No. The towering splendor of the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt? Nope. As fast as our GPS could reel off the miles, we were on a mission. Besides, after this journey, anything in California is a day trip! We got home, kissed the ground, kissed our faithful Suburban and are staying around Mill Valley for a while.