We Really Want To Get Back To The Boat!!!

Okay, we are tired of being gone.  We miss JonNe' (our Tayana 42) a lot! 

We arrived at Travis on Sunday, October 16th, and sadly, discovered my Uncle George had passed away during the night, and we had missed getting to see him.  We rented a car from Avis and drove south to Los Angeles on Monday morning.  It is a 6 hour drive, and needless to say, we were pretty well beat when we got there.  My cousin, Trisha, was more than hospitable and opened her house to us while we were there.  By Tuesday morning, it was obvious nothing was going to take place until the following week as far as the funeral was concerned, so Renne' and I made the decision to try to head back to the East Coast until the funeral.  By Tuesday evening we were back at Travis to try getting a flight back to Andrews.  It didn't happen.  We also looked at a flight to Hickam AFB in Oahu, HI, but we ended up passengers 85 and 86 with only 73 seats available. 

By Thursday, it looked bad for the East Coast, so we headed up NAPA Valley for the day.  Friday, we were South of San Jose to visit our friends Kathy and Mark Stanton, whom we had not seen in 6 years.  We enjoyed two lovely days with them and thirteen different winerys (is that with a y? or ie?).  By the end of two days, we couldn't look at another glass of wine!

Monday, we headed south down Hwy 1, along the coast of California.  What an incredible drive!  I really enjoyed driving through the hairpin curves there, with the view of the ocean on our right (starboard) side and the hills to our left.  We stopped at San Simione to see The Ranch at San Simione, or the Hearst Castle.  Talk about opulent!  However, it did remind us of the cathedrals we had seen in Spain during our August trip there.

The funeral was Tuesday morning, and it was a wonderful ceremony.  Now the Siewers side of this clan tends to view funerals as a celebration of life rather than a maudlin, sad time.  In all, with the reception later in the day, at my cousin, Dave and Charlotte's place, we did indeed celebrate my Uncle George's life!  It was a good time, and great to see all of my cousins.

But yesterday, Wednesday, we headed back north to Travis, and today, we are waiting, again, for a Space Available flight back to Washington, DC.  The first of two flights was delayed until tomorrow.  The second will leave in two hours.  We are hoping to be on that flight.  If so, we will be back in DC by about 9pm tonight.  We will decide if we start driving then or wait until the morning.

More when we get back.  In the meantime, have a few glasses of wine at your own dock tonight, and we will see you for sundowners tomorrow night in Charleston Harbor.  Until then, drive safely and live life to the fullest!!

Jon and Renne'
(JonNe')