Home and Abroad (or is it Abroad and Home?)

Daybreak Auckland Airport September 2014

There comes a point when you travel frequently when getting your bearings is a challenge. Is it day or night? Which airport/country/hemisphere is this? Our September trip back to the States had  such moments.It was our second return since January, and as in June, the agenda was full.
Top priority is to spend time with the family, and especially the rapidly evolving grandchildren.

Center-At the Nestlers. From Noon clockwise: 1)Relaxing 2) Kimarra flexing 3) Mommy&Daughter 4)@ the A's game 5) Outside the condo in Richmond 6) Isaiah- 2032 All Black star?

The biggest news of during our stay involved our son-in-law Marquise, who decided to leave the USAF. He started his new job at Google, and just as in the movie "The Internship", began his orientation as a new employee (aka "Noogler"), complete with propellered beanie.

After an overnight in the Bay Area, we headed North to Fort Bragg, having time for a pop-in with sister Margaret,
 
and a pastry-laden rendezvous with Terry K in Santa Rosa.

Editor's Note: Most of the pastry in the case was gone before we arrived.

We timed our trip to the North Coast to be able to attend Winesong 2014, the 30th annual bacchanal and major fundraiser for Mendocino Coast District Hospital. Start with the lovely Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, add tastings of noted nearby wineries, season with delicious food from local restaurants and musicians playing in small clearings, and finally invite 1,800 guests = Winesong!

Lots of people milling around, eating and drinking.

The major money-generator is the lavish auction featuring rare lots of elite wines and fabulous exotic vacation packages. I am not allowed to raise my paddle as we sit amongst wealthy philanthropists. I don't know the final total raised, but it was several hundreds of thousands dollars.
Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend in Fort Bragg, but we were introduced to a charming family-run country French bistro in the Anderson Valley, LeCoq au Vin, where we dined with friends Christine and Doug.

One of our biggest regrets in being abroad is leaving our faithful cat Saturday behind. She has been well-cared for by others in our stead, but we noted she was a bit slower and thinner than even in June. In mid-October after returning to NZ, she took a serious turn for the worse, and we decided to put her down. We miss her very much, and were lucky to have such a sweet-souled creature in our lives.

Saturday (L), new friend Loki (R)

Saturday (Middle) with two friends

Multitasking is essential to an efficient trip, and so I headed to LA for an exhausting Review of Geriatric Medicine. UCLA sponsors a yearly Continuing Medical Education program, from which I got a quality learning experience covered by funds from my contract with my employers, th South Canterbury District Health Board (SCDHB). It was conveniently held at the Marriott at the LAX Airport. 

My sessions went on all day, but even a brief stay in Los Angeles reminded me of many aspects of life there: heavy traffic, endless broad avenues with random strip malls, and even disruption on my floor of the hotel for filming of a movie, provisionally entitled "Straight Outta Compton".

Meanwhile Fayne used those few days for a trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to meet up with her sister and brother-in-law to see her niece Laura Fayne. Sister Mary thankfully supplied blog-worthy photos, starting with the whole shy silhouetted group,

and the stunning Milwaukee Art Museum,

and a visit to Miller Park to catch the home-town Brewers face the Chicago Cubs. The ballpark features the Race of the Giant Sausages, where the Bratwurst, Polish, Italian, Frankfurter, and the Chorizo compete for supremacy.

You will also see the slightly more manageable offerings, such as the aptly named "Beast".

I defer to Carol Deptolla, Dining Critic for the  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"The Beast: Leading the pack in the dude-food genre of meat, meat and more meat, and fried if possible, is the Beast, new this year: a wedge of hot dog is stuffed into a footlong bratwurst, all wrapped in bacon and topped with kraut and cooked onions. It's swaddled in an excellent pretzel bun and drizzled with grainy mustard and Stadium Sauce."
 
Foreigners think that the USA is the land of Super-sized food and people. I wonder why?

Cupcakes from Mahkayla"s wedding (Best Wishes!). Note the bacon one in the upper left corner

Mr. Pickle with an admiring fan

Speaking of food, it was great to drive down to Watsonville to have diner with the Nestlers, among my dearest life-long friends. Emma Nestler (my surrogate mother) found enough time to bake a cake.

Emma, me, Isaiah, Kimarra, Fayne, Rick, Connie, & Sofia

And to prove California is not a complete barbarian wasteland, there is a friendly Kiwi/rugby themed pub in Point Richmond, the Up and Under, where on Tuesdays you can play the Pub Quiz (we finished third).

Continuing the whirlwind tour of my past lives, we headed over to the Dixon/Davis area, where we enjoyed the hospitality of my Best Man from years ago, one David N., with the added bonus of in-house watch repair.

Through some seriously convoluted violation of the space-time continuum, the Fayne and John universes have collided to produce the symbiotic(?) pairing of David with World-Famous in Kazakhstan author Heather F., also in Davis.

FML & HJF

The main reason I headed over there was to attend the Dixon High School Class of 1968 (and 1969 and 1970) reunion. When you come from a small school and years pass, it is common to combine the groups for a more robust turnout. I had reservations at first, but I saw many people I hadn't seen in years, shared some memories, and I was glad I went.

Dick Rossi, Bill Fairfield, JTW, Nancy Madden, Dennis Finney, Steve O'Neill

There was time for one final gathering in Mill Valley at sister Cheryl's new place September 23 on what would have been our sister Angela's 65th birthday. It was great to have everyone together, and I still can't believe she has left us.

Back row: Cheryl, Xania, Emily, Athena, Margaret, Marquise, Kimarra, Isaiah,Sofia,  David N.

Three whirlwind weeks, then back to Timaru for the hesitant emerging of spring in the Antipodes.The gardens are in bloom.

The ASB Tennis Centre is open with the new swim/rec centre in the distance, and the walk around the harbour can be delightful.

Fishermen Memorial

But the weather changes quickly here. We were caught by surprise by this intense hailstorm as seen in our backyard.

November is nigh, and before the next post we may do some further touring around the South Island, and try to arrange a proper American Thanksgiving here in New Zealand. Stay tuned!