I had meant to write up the details of the parental visit every evening so the folks back in St. Louis would know what they were up to, but alas it wasn’t to be. We were pretty busy all week and when I finally found some time to do some writing, I didn’t have the inclination. So, here’s a wrap-up of what they did:
Saturday: Monterey Bay Aquarium. Mom wanted to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium and walk along Fisherman’s Wharf. We decided to hit the aquarium first because we figured that it would get crowded since it was a Saturday. We got there early enough that the line to buy tickets was pretty short. Our plan worked pretty well at first, but the aquarium got crowded pretty quickly. By the time we got to the jelly fish exhibit the place was packed. We did get some pretty good pictures of some of the exhibits. The grandkids should ask to see the pictures of the Nemo clown fish.
For lunch we went down to the wharf and ate at Domenico’s On The Wharf. We started off with the Oysters Rockefeller, and they were okay, but not spectacular. For lunch I had the Sea Scallops with Fettuccine, Janet had the fish special, Dad ordered the fish and chips, and mom got the burger. Dad liked his fish and chips, but the rest of us were not impressed. My Sea Scallops with Fettuccine was disappointing. The scallops were cooked correctly, but the sauce was bland, and didn’t have any of the nutmeg flavor promised on the menu. Janet was similarly unimpressed with the special, and mom thought the burger was okay, but not great. I don’t ever plan to go back to Domenico’s On The Wharf again.
Sunday: Wine tasting in Napa. We were nearly out of white wine so we dragged the parents up to Napa to go shopping. We stopped at Cakebread, St. Supery, Grgich Hills, Beringer, Stags Leap, and Chimney Rock. We decided to drop our V. Sattui wine club and add St. Suprey because we really liked St. Suprey’s white wines, and I haven’t been very impressed with V. Sattui lately.
For lunch we stopped at Taylor’s Refresher in St. Helena. Those were some of the best burgers we’ve had in a long time. Janet and I also split an order of sweet potato fries that were dusted with chili powder. They were fantastic. I also had a white pistachio shake which was amazing. We will be stopping at Taylor’s Refresher again. It’s pricy, but it’s good.
Monday: Golf at Pacific Grove. Monday was a gold day, this time at Pacific Grove on the Monterey Bay. The weather could have been better; it was cool and overcast, and quite windy near the ocean. There were deer everywhere and we got some good pictures of deer watching us golf. The wind affected our game but we still had a good time.
Tuesday: San Francisco and Muir Woods. San Francisco was really foggy on Tuesday. We drove along the Embarcadero then crossed the bridge and headed for Muir Woods National Monument. We started off walking around the boardwalk paths they have set up, then came to a map. We decided to walk up the Ocean View trail then take Lost Trail to complete the loop. The hike was a lot tougher then we had planned. The trail was pretty narrow and climbed for a good mile or more. When we got to the Lost Trail trailhead we decided to head down. We could have taken the final .3-mile hike up to the summit but decided against it. I wish we had brought water but we stopped frequently enough that no one was over-taxed. It’s a beautiful hike and everyone enjoyed it.
For lunch we headed over to Stinson Beach and bought sandwiches at a local market. The road to the beach was very rough and under repair, which made for an interesting ride. The weather cleared somewhat, and warmed a bit so it wasn’t too bad.
The trip back took us through San Francisco again (it was still foggy), then it was back home.
Wednesday: Golf at Spring Valley. Spring Valley has become a really nice golf course. The weather was beautiful, and the course was in good shape. My score improved for the third game in a row, so I was pretty happy about that.
When we got home, dad put up a weather vane that Janet and I bought at least three years ago and has been sitting at the side of the house since. I’m glad that job’s finally out of the way.
All the dogs like their grandparents, and Rolfe especially took a liking to his grandma. He’s going to miss her not being around.
Stumble it!