San Francisco, Modesto and Mining Town Fun

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We got on the road out of San Francisco this morning and headed to Modesto to see Sweetie's Aunt Lydia in Modesto. Aunt Lydia is 95 years old and has lived out in this area for as long as Sweetie can remember. We had a really nice visit and Aunt Lydia gave us a couple of ideas of things to do on our trip as she has travelled extensively throughout the West and the World. One of her suggestions, heading to Murphys and the Big Trees was also a suggestion from Sweetie's co-worker, Tim, so even though we were supposed to go to Merced, Sweetie derailed us to Murphys!

What a cool town! Between 1850 and 1860 it moved $15 million in Gold from the area. We got a room at the Murphys Hotel right on the main drag and settled into one of the newer rooms in the hotel. Murphys has a lot of little restaurants and shops on the main street - we decided on dinner at the hotel. AHole really wanted a steak and the restaurant delivered! We had a bit of a slow start on service but then that changed and all was good. Sweetie ordered a house salad and then made the mistake of talking to the waiter so AHole devoured almost the whole thing. Sweetie also ordered Beef Stroganoff with filet and a Demi Glace sauce - almost as good as hers (yes, occasionally, she uses the kitchen area of the house). We also had a terrific wine from Murphys - BlackSheep 2010 Cabernet. I wish we had planned a little more time in the area so we could try some of the wineries.

After dinner we headed into the 1856 Saloon where the Nationals/Cardinals game was still going strong! AHole found a spot in front of a television and met a local named Joe who filled him in on the area while Sweetie wandered around town and stumbled into an Independent Film Fest. Again, very cool town with very nice people and somewhere to re-visit and spend some quality time.

Tomorrow, we meet up with our niece Brantley, her Dad and her Brother for some Yosemite time and camping - yes, you heard right, Sweetie and Asshole are hitting the great outdoors. Prayers are welcome...

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Photos

On the Way to Modesto
Lamar's new favorite word "Vastness"