26 August 2014 ~ Coppola Winery

Listening to:  The Flaming Lips ~ She Don't Use Jelly


After lunch at the Taverna Sophia I went to Francis Ford Coppola for a Reserve Wine Tasting.

I had been there before, on my first ever visit to Napa.

The wines are so-so, and readily found in local stores. The real interest is the movie and other memorabilia, such as this car.

 And this is the desk from the "Godfather" movies. I'm pretending to pound the desk while asking Don Corleone for a favor. Haha.

And the Academy Award trophies.

Nice view as well.

25 August 2014 ~ Healdsburg, CA

Listening to: Oh, Rose ~ Prom


Had lunch over the weekend in Healdsburg at Taverna Sophia.

Obviously not crowded, but a nice outside ambiance. I ordered dolmas for appetizer and a Greek salad with gyro meat on top. It's hard to find Turkish doner, so this may be my next quest. I did find sour cherry juice (vişne suyu in Turkish or Ващна in Russian) recently in a local grocery store --- admittedly I have not been looker very hard --  and that was a nice treat.

After lunch I took a stroll through the central park.

In the park resides an 1847 millstone from the gristmill of Cyrus Alexander. I noted that one of the donors was a Wetzel, some of step-siblings last name.

This statue was to honor the residents of Healdsburg that did not return from WWII.

And here is a large Coast Redwood that was planted in 1924 to welcome the completion of the Redwood Highway from the Golden Gate Bridge to the border with Oregan.

 

 

Oh yes, I did feel the earthquake! 

24 August 2014 ~ Geyserville Inn

Listening to: Steely Dan ~ Peg


I went to Sonoma County for the weekend and stayed in Geyserville.

It's very quaint and not as crowded as some other areas along wine country routes like Healdsburg and Calistoga. I stayed at the appropriately named Geyserville Inn.

It's the only non-winery associated hotel/inn that is situated in a vineyard (or so they say and I find suspect).

There was a porch and I was able to have coffee and soak in the morning sun.

The room was nicely decorated with a wine theme.

And there really were grapes. Harvest time has almost arrived. Grapes for champagne are already being picked and the reds are well on their way in a few weeks once the sugar levels are high enough. They tasted delicious right off the vine.

Nearby were some interesting sculptures that seemed like stick people with sofas for brains.

16 August 2014 ~ Closing of Candlestick

Listening to: Paul McCartney ~ Day Tripper (14 August 2014, Candlestick Park, SF)


 I attended the Paul McCartney concert at Candlestick Park. It was so fun, despite the traffic.

The final event at Candlestick Park, former home to the 49'ers football team. It's also the last place the Beatles performed a concert in August 1966.

Traffic was terrible, so got out of the car and walked about 7 blocks to get to the stadium.

This was my first time to attend any event at Candlestick. They didn't cover the grass, and I tried to take a few blades of turf home, but they didn't make it in my pocket.

It was a packed house.

I was there! Had seats on the infield, probably around the 40 yard line. This is near the Official Tour Merchandise stand. I didn't buy anything.

 

 This was given to us on the way out. It took 1 1/2 hours to get out of the park. Long, long night.

There are a few good YouTube posts out there of the show from Tina Case (no, I don't know her). Thanks for sharing Tina!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ji_G8S_sM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXX-mDLFXmg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_YIMhPTWvA

9 August 2014 ~ Japanese Tea Garden Part II

Listening to: Goat ~ Hide From The Sun

This is a Peace Lantern presented by the Japanese Consular to commemorate the signed peace treaty between the US and Japan in 1951. It is made of bronze and weights 9000 pounds! I'm unclear if that includes the base or purely the lantern portion, but that is one heavy flashlight!

This Zen Garden was designed in 1953. Zen monks designed and created dry landscape scenes using stones to symbolize mountains, hills, islands or waterfalls and gravel or sand to symbolize the sea, lakes, rivers or streams.

These tranquil gardens had a religious or mythological meaning, designed to aid the monks in their search for enlightenment.

The koi pond is always mesmerizing with so many shades of green and shapes and reflections. And yes, once in a while a koi would appear.

6 August 2014 ~ Jerry Day

Listening to: The Growlers ~ Big Toe

Sunday was the 12th annual Jerry Day, celebrating the life and music of Jerry Garcia.

It's held at the amphitheater also named after him at McLaren Park in San Francisco.

The weather was fine, and I got to meet up with some friends.

Of course, tie-dyes for sale.

The view from my seat of Stu Allen and Mars Hotel.

 And a closer look at the band.

2 August 2014 ~ Japanese Tea Garden Part I

Listening to: Culture ~ Peace and Love

An afternoon in the Japanese Tea Garden of Golden Gate Park is always enjoyable. I can't believe it's almost 10 years since I last visited. Time sure evaporates.

This bronze Buddha was cast in 1788 in Tajima, Japan.

Pagodas are Buddhist shrines usually make of stone, brick or wood. They derive from the stupa of ancient India, a funeral mound erected over the remains of a holy man or king. Japanese pagodas are based on Chinese prototypes introduced into Japan in the 6th century. The first floor may have been furnished with an alter, the upper floors typically plain and unfurnished.

The "real" deer haven't been around my house, so this one filled the void.