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Published: July 18th 2006
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Starting out on Saturday in San Francisco, on sunny-blue-sky-and-cool-air morning, I took the F Line from Fisherman's Wharf down to the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building. How do you eat the best peach in your life... three times in one week (each one being better than before)? Well, you start by buying an organic peach at one of the Ferry Building shops over lunch. Then go to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays and buy one there. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/ (Read on to find out about the best peach)
I toured around the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for a little bit... bought some fresh juice, a peach 😊, a carrot muffin, and a cookie.
I then took BART across the bay to the Oakland city center, where I picked up a car I reserved on the Internet the night before. I had reserved a compact car for $21, but Hertz was out of them when I got there, so they gave me a Grand Prix. 😊
Took off in the Grand Prix up Hwy 80 towards Napa. Driving in the Grand Prix was loads of fun... it accelerates well even at 65 mph, so I could easily weave through
Duckie, Paddington, and Avis
In front of one of the vineyards at Sterling Vineyards. traffic... if anything I had to watch it that I didn't accelerate too fast and hit somebody in front of me... of course, during this I was intermittenly looking at the directions I got off Mapquest and put on my PDA (so very safe, I know).
I arrived at Aunt Nancy and Aunt AG's around noon. We had lunch and spent some time catching up. Then I left to go take a tour of Sterling Vineyards (http://www.sterlingvineyards.com). Before I got there, though, I saw Sawyer Cellars, which I heard had very good merlot... which is my favorite. So, I went in to take a look and ended up doing a wine tasting. I mentioned to the lady at the counter that I had heard that they had pretty good merlot... and she said "NO... our merlot is exceptional." I kid you not. Great, pat yourself on the back. Nevertheless, the merlot is pretty good so I bought a bottle to bring back. I also liked their other wines, too. After tasting four wines, me and the lady guessed that I had probably drank nearly a decent sized glass in total, so I decided to take it easy and pour
Cheers!
In front of Napa Valley. some out after tasting (good to do when tasting and over the weekend whenever I did a tasting, there was also a little bucket to dump the extra out).
From there I drove to Sterling Vineyards and took the tour. It begins with an aerial tram ride to the hilltop winery. I walked around on the self-guided tour, which shows how they make the wine, the history of the winery, and then out to a beautiful panoramic view of Napa Valley.
Oddly, I didn't like any of the four wines at Sterling that I tried. I'm a little baffled... but it has a taste, and I've tasted it in other wines I don't like, that my body just says "no" to. I'm guessing (and this is an unresearched wild-guess) that it might be related to what type of yeast is used in. At any rate, it is still a wonderful tour... educational, great outdoor views, and the architecture of the winery is worth seeing all by itself.
http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/visit-Sterling.html
After that, I headed back to Aunt Nancy and Aunt AG's. My cousin Celeste and her partner, Bob, were there for dinner. We had pizza and talked on the
patio until it was dark.
The next day Aunt Nancy, Aunt AG, and I went to exercise. They swam and walked on the treadmill. I did a mini-outdoor course and then lifted weights for about an hour. It was refreshing to have a good workout (with all of the work and hotel nights, my workout regimen hasn't been what it usually is).
After lunch we went to Copia - The American Center for Wine, Food, & the Arts, where both my Aunts volunteer and give tours. It is an educational and inspirational place. Everything about it is well thought out. We took a short introductory tour of the center, toured the "Fork in the Road" exhibit, and then went out to a wine tasting in the garden. Believe it or not, one of the wines they were serving was a merlot from Stone Hill Winery in Missouri (http://www.stonehillwinery.com/). I also found out that all sorts of flower petals are edible, including rose petals (which we tried with the wine)... though, it isn't recommended to eat the ones florists or other shops have since many commercial flowers are sprayed with pesticides (yum).
I then toured the gardens a
bit. Midway through I merged into a small group taking the guided tour and joined in. The garden was amazing! Hard to describe... numerous varieties of fruits, vegetables, and edible plants. They call it the "Edible Garden". And, wow, do they know how to garden! All organic. They even have a little area to attract and shelter insects that are beneficial to the garden.
And, lo and behold, peach trees as well. 😊 The guide (which, I think, is a volunteer master gardener) picked peaches for us. I tried a Strawberry Free peach and some other kind of peach... and, oh my... one of them was very warm from the sun and my teeth sank right into it... perfectly tree-ripened... we all agreed that there just aren't peaches anymore like these in grocery stores. The warm one is probably the best tasting peach I've ever eaten... partly due to the taste, but also with the warmth and texture of it. Silly, you may think, but until you've tried one...
The tour guide herself was an interestingly eclectic person. Probably early thirties, blond hair back in a pony-tail... but with the back tip dyed bright red... Converses w/patterned socks...
Copia Garden - 2
This is a fruit tree... I think apples. Apparently, training fruit trees can be done and is useful if not wanting to take up space... and I think also utilize the heat from the wall (when there is a wall). organic gardner (here and for a time abroad), philosphy degree, and for awhile someone that got sucked into the IT boom in California (web designing, I guess). Oh, and a tattoo on the side of her neck. Above all of that, she had this wonderful soft and cheerful voice. I love that eclectic nature. At any rate...
On the garden tour, I did see the most fortified chicken coop I've, well... ever seen. Sturdy wood supporting the metal cage (can't really call it wire), it prevents all sorts of predators... humans included. 😊
Then we got something to drink (and I bought an exotic chocolate bar made with cocoa from, I think, Venezuala) and toured around the Diner Exhibit before heading out.
Back at Aunt Nancy and Aunt AG's, we had a wonderful dinner and then said our goodbyes. I don't know when I'll be back to the San Fran area, but so far this much has been sure... that every time I think "Well, I won't be back there for awhile.", it isn't long before something comes up that brings me back.
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