The Other Coast

Tour guide and step-bro Ron Tureck



The other tour guide - Harvey, and his wife Sue and Lady Doris

We just returned from a West Coast trip to visit Harry's stepmom. Doris moved one year ago this week from LA to an assisted living facility in Marin County. Her two sons live nearby and it was a good move for her. Unfortunately we live pretty darn far from her but try to go to see her as often as possible and really are enjoying this new area of the country to explore with her. We also really enjoy Doris's children (stepsibs) so it makes for a fantastic mini-vacation. Since my last blog was about appliances, including my TV recollections, I got a kick out of the irony of seeing a display in the San Francisco airport of the history of television. There were Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob staring back at me from one of the displays. While looking at all of the TV sets, and shapes and sizes of screens and cabinets, I had a jolt of a memory of putting some sort of film over the screen and then you drew what was presented on the TV show. If someone remembers this, please comment. Was it called Winky Dink??

The "Bay Area" is really wonderful, with many micro-climates within an hour's drive. The fog rolls in over San Francisco and the temperature can be 10 degrees or more cooler than Marin county. I loved leaving yesterday morning and driving across the Golden Gate bridge looking up at the suspension wires disappearing into the fog. We took two day-trips during our stay. One into the Sonoma valley, and one to the Coastal National Park called Point Reyes. And, since you have to become a "foodie" when you visit these agricultural areas, we had exceptional meals. And, of course, great wine. I practically drooled all over my tee shirt at the amazing hiking trails with vistas of the Pacific. The highest point in Florida is probably the place in Ft. Lauderdale where they bury garbage! I think it is called Mt. Trash. Unfortunately, Doris is having some difficulty walking so our forays from the car are short distances. Harry is in love with the Redwoods. We bought oysters and artesanal cheeses also to accompany the wonderful dinner we had at Harvey's house near Berkeley. And, we saw the cattle farms that produce the milk that make the cheese. I swear, they did look happy!