Benicia

Just so you know, I am writing on the run. Trying to let you know I am OK, so you don’t worry. I will write more later when I have time to really think. But this is what’s been going on lately.

It has been a month since I drove away from home where I did my ordinary things in my ordinary way.

The best part so far, as always, as expected, is the people I have visited along the way. I have stepped into their lives just as they are, where they do their ordinary things in their ordinary way. Up loading into my brain thoughts about how to live and about what’s important.

As I said very early on, these people I am visiting are really good people, special people, people I love. They make the world better. They make my world better. They are welcoming and comfortable people. They are both ordinary and extraordinary.

I look at how they live and I think about how I want to live. Having been divorced in the last year and having left most of what was ordinary for me behind, I now get to choose a new life. Imagine that? I have no intention of just letting life happen from here forward without some sort of design. I want to live my best life to whatever extent I can.

I have visited nine lives so far on this journey.

In Benicia I stayed with Nancy and Ken. With the exception of the refineries and the chilly microclimate, I like Benicia. The old town shopping district had a lot of nice shops that allowed for a leisure stroll down a main street with character. There is a lot of open space around town and the area is neat and tidy. Every other home I have shared has pretty much been “early to bed, early to rise.” But this one has two night owls who sleep in. My bed was really comfortable and I think I might consider the sleeping in thing, if I can just do the staying up late thing! (I can be pretty useless after 9:00 PM.)

The conversation along with breakfast, lunch or dinner, on daily road trips, the picnic or the long walks was constant and interesting.

Here is what I have done in the San Francisco Area.

I went to Napa Valley and while it is set in an absolutely beautiful location and the wineries are elegant, it was overwhelmed with tourist who paid $20-25 to tour a winery and $10 to taste the wine. Most wineries I have visited elsewhere gave free tours and free or $5 tastings. Bottles for purchase were $17 and up, mostly up. No bargains here. It is a unique experience worth seeing but the bumper to bumper traffic, crowds, and expense takes something away from it. Then again, this is California all the way! We were particularly fascinated with the Castle Winery which looked every bit like a medieval castle complete with old olive trees, a mote, a vast view, turrets, and dining halls and dungeon like rooms. We could only imagine the imagination of the creator of this castle.

The ferry into San Francisco for dinner made for a nice evening. A long walk along the water front, the wharf, dinner with a view, coffee and conversation. All good.

Nancy and Ken took me on a day trip to Stinson Beach and the Point Reyes Lighthouse. We alternately experienced chill, warm and fog, rocks, forests and rolling hills, cattle and people, cute little towns and awesome open spaces. California certainly doesn’t lack for scenery.

I have spent more time here than anywhere so far, partly because it is the Memorial Day weekend and everywhere is crowded, but also because I feel comfortable here and because they let me stay. It has been really nice.

Today I head north toward Seattle. I expect it to take me a few days to get there. I am hoping the weather will cooperate and I can camp along the Oregon coast.

Talk to you later.

Jan