I Need Some Flowers For My Hair

My mom and my sister-in-law have bonded over all kinds of mutual interests, ziplining, skin care, and being willing to travel for the ones they love being just a few examples. So after 5 harrowing years of battling aggressive lymphoma, my mom and I talked about taking a trip together (the last time of which had occurred in the early 1990s) and specifically, going to San Francisco (which she hadn't done since the 1970s), and with the added bonus of Kyra and Ted living there it only made sense! A trip was born! 

Since that plan was hatched, we endured a global pandemic like no generation has ever seen before. My fingers were constantly crossed, hoping that the clouds would part and we would be able to take this long-planned and well-deserved trip. While the pandemic rages on, we were somehow able to slip through a window of time where no one had doctors appointments or scans or a positive COVID test to stop us. In October, we flew across the country to enjoy a weekend of sightseeing and great company.  

Ted and Kyra live in a great part of downtown San Francisco. There is food, shopping and beautiful skyline to be had at almost every turn - often within walking distance. It's this kind of downtown experience that Jon and I miss about living in Buenos Aires. This incredible view is from my morning run (to be honest, more like a walk/jog, San Fran is full of steep hills that just do not exist where I live in Texas). 

Kyra is a 5-star hostess! She made arrangements for fantastic dinners and short term rental cars when they were needed, and she knows the city like the back of her hand. Day 1: Muir Woods. 

Muir Woods is an old-growth forest of redwood trees about 40 minutes north of the city. There are paved paths for easy hiking through unbelievably gigantic trees. This national park is like something from another time. The trees are impossibly tall, incredibly wide, some have grown on slopes that have lead to felling the trees so that the complex root structures that they have. If a tree falls in this forest, even if no one is around to hear it, it most definitely makes a sound. 

We purposefully planned our trip to Muir Woods on a weekday, where we were more likely to get a parking pass (don't forget to book ahead!) and we did not have to battle any kind of tourist crowd. 

Me and mom, connecting with nature!

After getting in touch with the active side of nature, it's time to relax. Day 2: Napa Valley. 

Kyra was a master planner for Napa, booking a COVID-safe driver to stick with us all day and setting up wine tastings for us at beautiful, tasty vineyards.

We had a lovely tasting and heavy snacks at Flowers Vineyards and Winery. The view was gorgeous and the gardens were filled with flowers and hummingbirds, my favorite! The wines were very good, and the picnic style lunch was colorful and fun and served in a reusable wine crate!

Then we enjoyed a tasting at the family favorite Williams Selyem winery. That Russian River Valley Pinot is nothing to sneeze at!

Day 3: Tour Downtown!

We got on Segways!! Possibly the most fun form of transportation in a touring sense, all three of us mastered the Segway, even with the extreme hills of downtown San Francisco. And the San Francisco Electric Tour Company is the MOST colorful, fun little alley possible. Between the rainbow umbrellas, the giant butterfly mural and the balloon ceiling, this place had photo-ops written all over it. For safety purposes, our guide did all of the photo taking while we were on wheels. We were good, but no one wants to accidentally Segway into the bay for a great pic. 

PROFESSIONALS!

We ate outstanding food, drank incredible wine, and experienced the caution of California in the middle of a global pandemic. Unlike Texas, there is no dining indoors without a vaccine card and proof of ID in this state. We took a thorough tour of the biggest Sephora I've ever seen and were guided by the MascaraJunkie herself! I can finally replace all that makeup I bought when I was working in DC... before we got married... 14 years ago...

We had a perfect trip. The best company and lots of memorable, laughable moments. I certainly met some gentle people there.