From 6768' to 17' elevation

I got out of bed at 6:00 to the sound of beeping outside to watch the driveway being cleared -- it was a very specialized sort of tractor, articulated so it could bend in the middle, go forward and backward without shifting gears and instead of a plow there was a giant snowblower attachment, shooting the snow into the air in any direction the driver pointed. I have never seen anything like it.

We had a leisurely morning with muesli, more talk about geothermal and other renewable energy sources, more talk about the architecture of this house and the houses nearby. Bruce said that last winter it snowed so much that the snow falling off the roof didn't have anywhere to go because it was piled all the way up. I couldn't imagine that since the house is three stories up including the garage so he sent us a picture. He said that after all the snow melted last year it was easy to see the various ways houses don't hold up to all that snow.  Some decks just broke right off, some chimneys sheared off when the snow slid off the roof. He said the building code up there is 500 pounds per square foot for the roof. Not only are the mighty beams in his house made of laminated layers of plywood (and aesthetically pleasing, sometimes with a veneer of Douglas Fir), the rafters are also.

Bruce's house, 2023

Bruce's house 2024

Jon decided it was safe to take the chains off in the garage since it seemed like the roads were plowed enough for our car. He was right. Once we got out of the driveway, everything was clear. We sailed down the mountain. 

After a while I noticed there was a light on indicating low tire pressure. We have seen this so many times in so many cars that it didn't alarm us -- we would check it the next time we had to stop.  The car wasn't pulling in any particular way, although the bumps in the road were definitely more pronounced. And then at about 12:30 I could tell something was definitely wrong and I pulled off of the highway.  Front left tire, trashed.  I pulled off the pavement and onto the gravel, further away from the steady stream of trucks hurtling past. It took Jon a couple of tries to get the jack to work well enough on that soft surface -- we used our cutting board as a solid base under the jack and that did the job. Half an hour later we were back on the road with our spare.  Jon did some research to see if there were any tire shops open on Sunday afternoon, and there were many at an exit about ten miles away. We chose the one that got the best reviews that seemed to be a one-of-a-kind.  They had us back on the road in about 15 minutes with a new tire, mounted and balanced. Jon wrote them a good review.

Then, because we had planned to have lunch at an In-N-Out, we went there next, even though we were now about an hour late. The burgers were fine, the fries were crispy, the shake was practically solid.

We continued on to see our friends who are staying in Napa in a resort development where they co-own a house -- the same Paul and Wendy we had seen a week ago in Chicago. By this time it was sunny and warm out, like about 50 degrees. Paul gave us a full tour of the grounds. It is a hotel where each room is a separate little cabin with its own outdoor shower. There are figs and olives and grapevines and all sorts of landscaping. They live in a section where there are about 25 full-size houses that people usually rent for a week or so, maybe with a group. The whole place was swanky and carefully landscaped but low-key. Disney-like. Heated outdoor pools, gardens, restaurants, yoga studio, giant tent for weddings. All surrounded by acres of vineyards and meadows in all directions. It is hard to imagine having that sort of money.  It is a place for celebrities and dignitaries and regular wealthy people. 

Napa valley, vines and hills.

 

Possibly the most luxurious aspect of this fancy resort -- a heated pool and a hot tub with THE view.

On to San Francisco. We stopped briefly to say hello to Sarita and then went to meet up with Jon's college friend Bob at a new Korean restaurant at 9th and Judah. Bob seems to be exactly as he always was -- youthful, likes his work as an environmental lawyer, gets to be in charge of his own work life and doesn't see why he would want to retire anytime soon. He is always so easy to talk to. When Benjamin was a two year old and Bob was living in DC,  Benj referred to him as "my friend Bob."

After we said goodbye, both Jon and I were suddenly struck down by a severe and unstoppable attack of diarrhea. The timing was complicated. We were driving to the apartment that Sarita's friend was generously letting us borrow. By the time we arrived, we both needed a full change of clothes and a shower. What in the world happened to us?! Jon was mortified and could not believe this was happening. Somehow we got ourselves parked and unloaded, told our host that we were in dire straits, he kindly waited until we got ourselves sorted out, and then he welcomed us with pitchers of water and an unflappable demeanor, even though it must have been alarming to have two people arrive who wanted to burn their clothes. Who DOES that? And how fast does food poisoning happen, if that was what it was? Instantly?

Anyway, what a way to end the day. We are clean and comfortable, our clothes are in the washing machine, our stomachs don't hurt, and we will see what happens tomorrow.