Middle Aged and Living Well

Annette and I enjoyed a perfect trip to trip to the Bay Area. A flight direct to SFO, BART to Mission and Powell and then a cable car ride to Fisherman’s Wharf and a short walk to our hotel. Its like we stepped outside our house and instantly transported to San Francisco. It was a great way to start a quick weekend in San Francisco. It was all part of our annual trip to this fine city to volunteer for the annual ZAP wine festival, an event to celebrate the zinfandel grape. At the end of the festival, 350 wineries give 15,000 people a taste of their interpretation of the zinfandel grape. In the morning, the event is open to restaurants, distributors, press and other insiders. In the afternoon, the paying public partake. Our job during this event is to sell wine that benefits the UC Davis research facility and Annette helps run the marketplace, a great place to get your shirts and other trinkets.

Although the event is fun, and we get to hang with friends, the real thrill is to have some quality dinners on Friday and Saturday night. Friday was our annual dinner at McCormick & Kuleto’s in Ghirardelli Square. Here we are treated like rock stars, with visits by the chef and manager and wine provided by the group. There is not a better way to spend an evening with friends. On Saturday, Annette and I entertained my niece and her boyfriend at Bocadillos, a Spanish tapas bar. Its a nice way to eat; a glass of wine, small plates of a variety of flavorful food and good conversation.

On Sunday, we retraced our steps from Friday; a short walk, a cable car ride, BART and onto the plane. It felt like we were transported right back to our house. Only if all weekends were like this.