La Boda de mi Hermana

My writing has not been keeping up with my life! I have so many stories to tell, I don’t know where to start.

I came down with a cold this weekend. A lousy line to start a story with, but…

The problem with head colds is you do not feel the need to stay in bed, until walking from the bedroom to the living room leaves you feeling like you ran a marathon. Not that I have ever run a marathon. Nor will I ever, head cold or no. You just become thankful that there is a comfortable piece of furniture at the end of the walk.

I was actually looking forward to working on my own home this weekend but those plans went awry when I returned from a short trip to San Diego with a snotty nose and stuffy head. Instead, I watched as many NCIS reruns as I could stand, and read a few of my books. Nothing was grabbing my attention on HGTV and I perused the NY Sunday Times “cover” to cover.

And then it was 10 am.

So, with no energy for anything but storytelling in the form of typing, here’s the latest. Hop aboard my time travel machine all the way back to…August 2009.

My sister was getting married, finally, to the man of my dreams. Not that I dreamed of him, of course, but he was the kind of man you WANT your sister to marry. Not the kind of man you fantasize about burying in a deep hole the back yard filled with quicklime, but the kind of man who can run the backhoe in case you need just such a hole. A man’s man, and all that, but more importantly, someone I trusted with my sister’s and nephews’ welfare.

They were high school friends, having lost touch over the years because of time and circumstance. She moved to Florida while he finished school. They were reacquainted at, of all places, their high school. My sister accompanied our cousin to her 20^th reunion and just like that, it was 20 years earlier. I won’t bore you with all the dating details, because frankly, they’re boring. We’ll just fast forward 4 years to the best part.

Me.

And my first vacation since 2006.

They decided on a “destination” wedding, which was fine with me because I was ready for a destination. Their destination of choice was Cancun, Mexico. A perfect destination as any and to one I had never been. The resort of choice was the Moon Place Golf and Spa Resort. It was wonderful! It is an all-inclusive resort where all the food you want, all the drinks you want, and most of the attractions you want, plus tips, are included in the room price. The only thing not included is the Older-Sister-Always-a-Bridesmaid-never-the-Bride-have-to-share-with-Mom discount. But for a week in paradise with my family, I could deal.

Besides me, my sister and her two boys, our mother and my (future) brother in law and his two children, a few assorted friends and family members were making the trek down to share in the big day. I tell you, if the whole party can get along, these group vacations are a blast! All told, there were 21 of us at the wedding. We spent most of the week lounging poolside where it was easier to keep the heat at bay. We did take advantage of a few tours offered by the hotel but Mexico in August is best spent in the pool, cool drink in hand, laughing, splashing and chatting, building a lifetime of memories with good friends and family.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

I read on Rob’s Facebook page that he was coming back to the States for a 3-week stint in Milpitas. Knowing his wife was a schoolteacher and assuming she was off for the summer, I asked him if he was bringing her out this time.

And so began the collusion.

In fact, Rob informed me, Amanda WAS coming out this time and would be here for a week. A which time they’d be leaving for a vacation to New Zealand. It was up to me now to figure out how to squeeze in a visit to Milpitas between her arrival and departure times, my work schedule and my own vacation schedule. And to keep my arrival a secret.

4 hours after l left home heading for points north, I got a page from Rob saying they were heading into San Francisco for the day for site seeing and shopping. I arrived just as they were heading into Macy’s to look at watches. Telling Amanda his friend from work wanted to meet up with them, I became “Joe” in this intercontinental conspiracy.

Sneaking around the jewelry counter to one side, while her husband distracted her from the other side, I heard her ask her husband, “What do you think of this watch?”

“I don’t like that one as much as the other”, I replied.

Amanda turned to look at what busy body was butting into her holiday shopping spree. It took her a second to recognize me, being around 17 years older, around 17 lbs heavier with around 17 inches more hair than the last time we saw each other.

We spent the day wandering around San Francisco, catching up on almost two decades of family news, job stories, travels and all those other stories that make life interesting. The next day we headed into Napa Valley, to tour the countryside and visit a vineyard or two.

I’ve never been to the UK, other than getting stranded there on my way to Sicily, but I hear it’s lovely. Probably too cold and rainy for my tastes, but pretty, nonetheless. Of all the places I’ve been to on my drives through California, I don’t think that any of it is as beautiful as the Napa Valley. Judging by Amanda’s comments, she seemed to find Napa just as beautiful as I did.

Driving along Highway 29/128, in search of Sterling Vineyards, my fair-haired, fair-skinned friend almost melted. We heard, through the grapevine, that Calistoga would probably be less busy and more enjoyable. Finding Sterling Vineyards, we took their self guided tour that started with an aerial tram ride up to the Greek architecture inspired winery. Imbibing in some refreshments, we cooled off before again heading off into the heat of the day. 

Down the road from Sterling was Castello di Amorosa, a winery built to look like a 12^th century Tuscan castle. We wandered around the castle, but not being much of a wine drinker, it turned into a wonderful place for a photo. Leaving there, we headed down the Silverado Trail, the roadway that shows the “back door” view of wineries and vineyards. I had taken this path years earlier, during a Thanksgiving holiday and took a picture along a stretch of the roadway. I was searching for the same spot to see how well the view remained.

It was a wonderful visit that ended much too soon.

(more photos at flickr)

5th A.P.P.L.E. Girl’s Weekend at Weesha

– also known as the Annual Pickin’, Peelin’, Laughin’ and Eatin’ Weekend.

Deciding that last year was much fun, almost all chose to arrive as early as possible to the start of the weekend. The two late arrivals were there in time for Saturday morning breakfast. With the whole gang there, it was time to get started! Several headed off to the orchards to pick the ripest of apples while others prepared some mid day treats. It seems that if we weren’t eating, we were preparing something to eat, or cleaning up after we ate!

Part of the weekend was spent trying to remember if it was, in fact, the 5^th annual. I was hoping so, because last year I wrote about the 4^th annual weekend. After much deliberation, the consensus was “5^th” annual.

The weather was much more enjoyable (for me) than last year’s chilly rain. There were mild temperatures during the day and enough of a chill at night to enjoy the heat of the fire. Most of the time I just sat around trying to digest the latest meal, or process the sugar overload. Last year’s “Girl Scout” moment came when Jane led the troops in the raising of the flag ceremony. This year, she impressed us all with her campfire gingerbread treat, cooked in a dutch oven over the open flame.

While I’m sure that none of the fruits of their labor (pun intended) remain, pictures of peeling, laughing, eating and playing are here.