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Published: October 4th 2010
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Days 18 to 22 of Travel (I think I might be a day off here but math was never my best asset)
My aunt/cousin Tania picked me up from the airport in Sacramento mere hours after my uncle/cousin David dropped me off in Portland. One of the first things we did once I arrived was to visit Old Town Sacramento. Apparently, Sacramento really grew with the mining booms that reached California in the 19th century. This "old town" has a kind of old west feel too it. I imagine the railroads played a big part in all of this so of course we visited the Railway Museum. Outside of the wonderful 19th century photos of the immigrants who built it, there was one thing I took out of the experience. This was the realization that the railroads (and all the towns and lifestyles that surrounded them) were the 21st century equivalent of the internet and high technology. They were it!! It was pretty cool going through the museum thinking about this. Caleb, Tania and I sat down at a kind of hokey but fun saloon where we each drank a 25 cent sarsparilla. (Caleb's first).
Sacramento is the seat
In the Railway Museum
This was definitely the highlight of these guys day :) of California's state government so politics and big homes are inevitably a distinct part of the landscape. We drove past the "Fabulous 40s" (homes of the local rich and politicians like Ronald Reagan) on the way home from the museum. Downtown Sacramento also appears to be a monument to the state government as is the local light rail which largely serves to ferry government employees from downtown back to the suburbs. (It is still a town where a car really really matters). Nonetheless, we had a fun dinner as Dan joined us after work at a Spanish restaurant with a nice outdoor patio and delicious tapas. Caleb had just returned from a sailing expedition days before I arrived. Since my cousins Nick and Max are in Kansas, I got Max's room (I never even got to thank him).
The following morning, Tania took me for a nice walk through the golf course behind their house. There is a nice trail through the woods which features among other things..........wild turkeys and a salmon run. I managed to spot a few turkey but the salmon are not running this time of year (and are declining in number according to Tania). There
Hold the Train!!
Like Caleb, Tania knows how to take a photo. Or perhaps this is where Caleb go it from ??? are also some nice houses along the walk. Dan, Caleb and I hit some golf balls at the driving range on this course a few days later............they are both good and I am rusty (to be kind). The main mission of this day was to attend a fund raiser for Sacramento schools that Tania was taking a big part in. The fundraiser had some great people and a nice setting at the country club where Tania and Dan are members. I had a nice swim there that afternoon and enjoyed a healthy lunch (with lots of green vegetables) at the spa. I hope the fundraiser was a financial success because it tended to drag. But is was just nice to be invited.
As you have probably already seen going through this blog, Caleb likes having his picture taken. And he is good at it. He didn't tell me so but I started to think he had done some modeling before. In the end, he knows how to make you laugh. Both he and I were Napa Valley virgins before Dan and Tania chaperoned us to a day of wine tasting and wonderful scenery. The word "chaperone" applies particularly to
Dan who doesn't drink but was happy to drive us all day to various wineries. My favorite wine was the Sauvignon Blanc at Saint Supery but the Sattui vineyard was the most fun destination with all sorts of entertainment and lively grounds. People flocked there.
This was my first time to meet Dan and Caleb. It is difficult to describe them but Caleb is just so easygoing but fun while Dan is intense but friendly. (But don't play him in Scrabble or golf if you expect to win!!) Caleb's latest love (from what I can tell) appears to be music and I could hear and see him playing with his friend Forest on several nights. He seemed to be all about fun while I was there but he and Tania told me about a paper he had to finish that he appeared to be dreading. (I wonder if he got it done?)
Tania, Dan and Caleb were generous enough to have me for nearly four days.....my longest stay anywhere on the trip. Much of my time with them was spent relaxing in their lovely home which has an orchard with fruits such as pomegranates and figs. I can't do
it justice here but it is beautifully landscaped and inside there is a heavy appreciation for many things Italian and of course David Garcia glass. Dan and Tania's trip to Oaxaca next month will likely add another dimension. They live in a very spacious and comfortable home that was perfect for me on my visit. I am sure Caleb will be happy to see his brothers back whenever that happens again. (I heard Nick would be home right after I left.)
Of all my cousins, Tania is the most easygoing. How to be so cool.........does it matter? She is and that is what matters. How else could she be a mother of three boys, life coach, real estate agent, geologist, train traveler, local dignitary (and I know many other things)? She somehow manages to be cool despite all this.............Man!!!
I know I have left aspects of our visit out but I so thoroughly enjoyed it! Sacramento and my cousins have been brought to life for me now!! I hope it won't be 39 years until my next visit.
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saranya
non-member comment
Hi traveller man from thailand
Hey Zak it is nice...Great job...