The Honeymooners – The First Tastes of Sonoma

19 Jul

And on the third day, we left Half Moon Bay. However, we didn’t leave before having lunch at an awesome sandwich shop. All of the ingredients were fresh, and they put a bunch of them on the sandwiches. After lunch, we drove up Highway 1 toward San Francisco. We had no idea what we would see along the way, but we knew it would be different from what we saw going south.

The road had a little more traffic, and the coast had a little more development. Before we knew it, we were on the coastal edge of San Francisco. It was like driving anywhere else, but I noticed something strange. You couldn’t turn left at any intersection. Necole and I had a whole conversation about how you can get anywhere without turning left.

Some of the neighborhoods we went through looked somewhat rundown. But, we also passed a mall with a Nordstrom, which I know is fancy because Necole and I saw Nicole Kidman at the one in Nashville.

As we went further up the road, Necole was getting more nervous. Once, she had panic attack going over a bridge in Florida, and this road was taking us over the Golden Gate Bridge. She asked if it was a suspension bridge. When I said yes, she began to squirm. As it turns out, Necole did great. She busied herself by taking pictures and felt better when she saw people walking a riding bicycles next to us. Unfortunately, she took those pictures on her iPhone, and I don’t have any to put in this post.

Crossing the bridge took us into a completely different place. We went from city to suburb, and it must have been a heck of a suburb. We passed a Ferrari dealership and a Bentley dealership. We also passed another Nordstrom. Nashville thought it was a big deal to get one, and we saw two on the same road.

We took this route because our next few nights were going to be in Sonoma – Wine Country. Here, we would see fields of grapes and wineries around every bend. We saw those things, but some other stuff surprised. The land without grapes reminded me of Montana. Also, we passed a race track. Somewhere in my mind, I recalled that NASCAR has spent time racing in Sonoma. There’s just something not right about that. The people I see at Talladega don’t seem to be the Wine Country type. In short, NASCAR needs to run where they make whiskey, not wine.

We made it to the city of Sonoma and our hotel, The Lodge at Sonoma. It was not the Ritz, but it was an alright place to stay. The put us in a dinky room, so we had them swap us to a bungalow. This room was better but not great. However, what we found around us was awesome.

After checking in, we went to the Sonoma Plaza. This thing was huge and dwarfed the plaza I have visited many times in Santa Fe. City hall sat in the middle. I thought it was interesting and took a picture of it.Honeymoon 014

I wonder if I am the only person who ever took a picture of city hall. Anyway, we immediately went to a wine tasting. After all, that’s why we drove all the way up there.Honeymoon 015

After some wine, we walked around the plaza, ventured into some art galleries and had dinner at this cool restaurant. Then, it was on to another wine tasting. Little did we know that this was just the beginning of our tasting experiences.

We went back to the hotel and found a spot in a bar/coffee shop/cheese place. I had beer and cheese. Necole had wine and cheese. The beer was good. The wine was good. The cheese was awesome.

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The Honeymooners – From Pebble Beach to Pasta Moon

17 Jul

Day two of the honeymoon brought a trip down California Highway 1, which follows the coast. This is a road that I have long wanted to drive, and I was about to hit a short stretch of it. We left out in the morning with the fog still covering the coast, and Necole kept talking about how different it was from the beaches that she was accustomed to seeing.

Around here, most people go to the beaches on the gulf coast. To me, they look like any other beach. Flat. Sand. Small waves. Hotels and condos everywhere. This coast was different. Cliffs dove into the water. Beaches formed between cliffs and were guarded by rock outcroppings. It was completely different, and, in my opinion, more beautiful.Honeymoon 005

I was not surprised by the cliffs. However, I was surprised about the other things we passed. Vegetation went to the edge of the cliffs and the beaches. Crops grew and livestock grazed on the left while the ocean was on the right. I really didn’t anticipate seeing that much agriculture. Some people were picking berries. Others were selling their products at roadside stands. It was really interesting to see.

We also passed through a few cities. The road cuts through Santa Cruz, and Monterey in larger than I had imagined. For some reason, I wanted to be transported back several decades and walk up to the music festival to hear Jimi Hendrix.

We got to our destination in time for lunch, and, for us, eating is very important. Our plan was to dine at Pebble Beach, the famous golf course community. My brother and his family had eaten there, and we were hunting for the same place. We happened upon it and dined while overlooking the famous 18th hole.Honeymoon 007

It is a beautiful place, and one that every golfer should get the opportunity to play. It would be a cool experience, but I would rather be at Pebble Beach for its annual car show. Classic automobiles line the fairway in a contest to see which is the greatest of them all. Millions of dollars worth of vehicles are brought to the competition. The Best of Show gets the crystal trophy that is third in the row. The closest one is given to the winner of the U.S. Open or something.Honeymoon 009

After lunch, we bought a few souvenirs and drove the short distance to Carmel, famous for being the home of Clint Eastwood. Once again, what we found is not what I had imagined – a small hamlet by the sea that had a few art galleries and restaurants. It had those things but also had a tourist feel. I thought of it as Gatlinburg with a little more class. Hopefully, some of you will know what I mean by that. We strolled through the shops and had a snack at the bakery. I bought a John Wayne pen set that was way too expensive.

After some time, we decided to head back for our last night in Half Moon Bay. We were determined not to repeat our dinner from the night before and found Pasta Moon, an Italian restaurant on Main Street. I would recommend it to anyone. The atmosphere was low-key, and the food was great.

We also noticed what was around the restaurant. There were shops, galleries and a few other restaurants. For some reason, I kept thinking that this was what Carmel used to be. It turns out that we went to Carmel looking for something but actually found it in Half Moon Bay.

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The Honeymooners – Puttin’ on the Ritz

16 Jul

Necole and I just returned from our honeymoon, and I know everyone is anxiously awaiting a detailed report of the trip. At least, I am anxious to let everyone know what happened on the trip. It was a completely new experience for me. I had never been to the places that we planned to go, and I had never been a honeymooner before. These were uncharted waters.

We flew Southwest to San Francisco, and that meant a couple of things. First, we had a layover in Las Vegas. I must say that it felt funny flying in Las Vegas without plans to gamble. Necole and I planned a trip there a few months ago but couldn’t go because she bought a local business. I really want to take her there and just hanging out at the airport was not enough.

I hate connecting flights, but the man we were sitting by on the plane had a real connection story. He had been in Florida for a funeral, and this was the second leg of his journey. It went from Florida to Nashville to Las Vegas to Tucson to Amarillo. Then, he had another 90 miles to drive to get home. That means that he lives in the middle of nowhere.

Second, we were going to be delayed a little heading into San Francisco, which was probably because one runway was closed. As the world reported, there was a tragic plane crash there a few days before. We wondered if we would see some remnants of it. In fact, we landed on the neighboring runway. It’s a weird feeling to land in a plane while looking at a crashed plane out of the window. Literally, it was right next to us. It was also weird to see people moving around an airport like nothing had happened.

We got our stuff loaded into the car and headed to our first destination, Half Moon Bay. Along the way, we passed orchards, fields of flowers and greenhouses. It was truly an agricultural area. I didn’t realize it at the time, but we were going to spend a lot of time in agricultural areas.

Half Moon Bay in a small town on the coast, and we had no problem finding our hotel, the Ritz-Carlton. Hey, I figure it’s a honeymoon, so we should stay at a nice place. The lady at the guardhouse greeted us by congratulating us on our marriage and wishing us a great honeymoon. The people at the desk did the same thing. The Ritz-Carlton really knows how to treat guests.

After unloading in the room, we went outside to see this.Honeymoon 001

I have never been to Scotland, but I have imagined that it would be something like this. To get a good view of the coast, guests can sit here.Honeymoon 002

Not knowing where else to go, we dined at the restaurant inside the hotel. The Ritz-Carlton is fancy, and that means they have fancy food, too. Small portions. Artistically placed on the plate. Pretty to look at but not very filling. We knew what we had to do. We went to the concierge and inquired about the nearest Baskin-Robbins.

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Post Wedding Post

7 Jul

A lot has changed since the last post. Namely, Necole and I got married. Everyone said that it was a great ceremony, but I keep thinking about how fast it went. The whole thing was over before I realized it. Here are a few highlights.

It rained. That never happens around here in July. Usually, it is bone dry. Rain is something that people usually wish for this time of year. We weren’t wishing for it because it was going to be an outdoor wedding. Despite this weather, it turned out great. We moved it inside and had the reception under a big tent. It was also cool. One of my friends said something about how he was glad that sweat wasn’t running down the…well, I’ll stop there.

People also seemed to enjoy our musical choices. There was no “Wedding March”, or whatever it is called when the bride comes down the aisle. We had some Etta James. There was also some Beyonce. I walked out to “Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.Good Bad Ugly

An Ennio Morricone themed wedding can’t be beat.

I write all of that to say that the wedding went great even with the rain. It was a just a hurdle that had to be crossed, and we did it successfully. After the wedding, we went to The Hutton, one of Nashville’s fanciest hotels. It was good to be by ourselves for the evening.

It was there that we learned about the plane crash at the San Francisco Airport. It was a tragedy, and it was lucky that there were not as many deaths. Selfishly, we thought about the fact that we are supposed to fly into the San Francisco Airport tomorrow. If it is open, then it will feel weird to land at a place where a crash just happened.

Here I am experiencing my first day of marriage. I have lost the keys to my house. We are wondering if we will be able to fly to our honeymoon destination. It’s just another day in the life of an old married dude.

The next post will be the “Post Honeymoon Post” and, hopefully, will be about our adventures in Napa Valley.

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It Must Have Been the Fourth of July

4 Jul

Here in the United States, the Fourth of July is a big day. Back in 1776, there were a couple of days in the first week of July that were important. John Adams thought the Second of July would be celebrated for years to come, but we have settled on doing it two days later. Of course, other things have happened on that date. These are just a few.July 4

965 – Pope Benedict V passed away.

1054 – People in China and Arabia looked in the sky and see a supernova.

1634 – Quebec, Canada was founded. Back then, it was called Trois-Rivieres and was in the colony of New France.

1636 – Providence, Rhode Island came into existence.

1754 – George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity to the French. That was an important event during the French and Indian War.

1802 – The United States Military Academy opened in West Point, New York.

1803 – The American people learned of the Louisiana Purchase.

1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne was born.

1816 – Hiram Walker, founder of Canadian club whiskey, was born.

1826 – John Adams, the second president of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, passed away.

1831 – James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States passed away.

1837 – Grand Junction Railway opened between Birmingham and Liverpool.

1865 – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published.

1879 – British forces captured and destroyed Ulundi, the Zululand capital.

1882 – Louis B. Mayer was born.

1902 – Gangster Meyer Lansky was born.

1903 – Dorothy Levitt competed in a motor race. That made her the first woman to do that.

1914 – A funeral was held for Archbishop Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

1922 – Lothar von Richtofen, younger brother of the Red Baron, passed away.

1929 – Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, was born.

1934 – Marie Curie, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the Nobel Prize in Physics, passed away.

1939 – Lou Gehrig told the fans in Yankee Stadium that he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

1943 – Geraldo Rivera, who looked in Al Capone’s vault, was born.

1946 – The Philippines gained independence from the United States.

1966 – Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act.

2009 – Steve McNair, former quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, was killed.

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The Moneymaker Decade

3 Jul

The World Series of Poker is going on in Las Vegas, and it is something that I have been keeping up with for a long time. Although I am sure that I watched it earlier, my earliest recollection is watching Scotty Nguyen winning the main event in 1998. However, it was ten years ago that an unknown player shocked the poker world.

Chris Moneymaker came from nowhere to win the 2003 main event.Chris Moneymaker

It was interesting to watch, and it was surreal that he was from Nashville and worked for a restaurant that I have been to many times. (An aside: Moneymaker was not the first Tennessean to win the main event. Puggy Pearson, one of the all-time greats, won it in 1973.) After Moneymaker’s victory, a lot of people became interested in the game. It seemed that everyone was playing No Limit Texas Hold’em.

It wasn’t long before a bunch of guys at work began a regular Sunday night game. Some played every week, and others drifted in and out. I don’t know how long we did this, but a lot of changes took place during that time. Some got married. Some had kids. Some got divorces. We got lucky and took bad beats. We talked about work and about less serious stuff. One night, my girlfriend called to tell me that she was stuck in an elevator.

As I think back on all of that, it is hard to believe that it has been ten years. It seems like yesterday that I was watching the final table on television. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were meeting on Sunday nights. As I look back, it brings to mind all of the changes that have taken place in the Moneymaker Decade. Obviously, his life has changed during that time, but everyone else’s has changed, too.

In 2003, I was in my second year of teaching. I was also the youngest member of the History faculty. Now, I am the oldest member of the History faculty.

In 2003, I was dating a kindergarten teacher and was not being very faithful. She was followed by a string of girlfriends. Now, I am getting married in a few days.

In 2003, I had never played a hand of poker. The first night I went to the Sunday game was the first time I had ever played. There is no telling how many hands I have played since. Now, I haven’t played poker in a year, and that game wasn’t very serious.

I 2003, I had yet to teach the field trip class to New Mexico. Now, I have been on the trip countless times and am supposed to take it over. Two of the teachers have retired and one is not far from it.

In 2003, I had considerable more hair. Now, it has gone somewhere.

Like any other ten-year period, the Moneymaker Decade has brought a lot of experiences and changes. Some good. Some bad. Some remembered. Some forgotten. Through it all, I remember watching a guy from my town win the biggest poker tournament in the world. I just can’t believe ten years has passed that quickly.

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Listeria – Going to the Picture Show

2 Jul

The folks at Entertainment Weekly just came out with a bunch of lists. The 100 greatest television shows. The 100 greatest novels. The 100 greatest albums. The 100 greatest lists of great things in popular culture. It is perfect fodder for “Listeria”, the ongoing examination of our fascination with lists.

This is an examination of the magazine’s list of the 100 greatest movies, or, as my dad used to call them, the picture show. When I was a kid, he would ask if I wanted to go to the picture show because he knew it drove me crazy. For those who don’t know, the picture show was a southern term for the movies. He said a lot of other things to drive me crazy, but that one was a sure thing.

Never fear, I am not going to write about 100 movies. I am going to list the ones that I have seen. To add some texture, I think I will include my favorite thing about each one.

Oh, there will also be a little trivia at the end.Ward Bond

1. Citizen Kane (1941) – The line, “A toast, Jedediah, to love on my terms. Those are the only terms anybody ever knows – his own.”

2. The GodFather (1972) – The line, “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”

3. Casablanca (1942) – Rick’s Cafe

6. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – The floor that separates to form an indoor swimming pool

9. Nashville (1975) – The song, “It Don’t Worry Me”

10. Gone With the Wind (1939) – The coolness of Rhett Butler

12. The Searchers (1956) – Monument Valley

14. Bambi (1942) – Thumper

18. Jaws (1975) – Quint’s story about being on the USS Indianapolis

19. Pulp Fiction (1994) – The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.

24. The Sound of Music (1965) – When it was over

25. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – The music

28. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – The Red Brick Road (where does it go?)

29. North by Northwest (1959) – Mount Rushmore

33. The Graduate (1967) – Katharine Ross

41. The Road Warrior (1981) – The kid with the decapitating boomerang

43. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – Gandalf

49. Goldfinger (1964) – The Kentucky Fried Chicken in one of the scenes

52. Titanic (1997) – The wreck

53. Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Darth Vader

56. Schindler’s List (1993) – The last scene in the cemetery

59. All the President’s Men (1976) – Jason Robards

61. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – Hannibal Lecter’s cell

62. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – The flying bicycle

63. Network (1976) – The line, “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”

68. GoodFellas (1990) – The music

69. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – Slim Pickens riding the bomb.

78. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – The melting face of the Nazi

81. Blade Runner (1982) – Pris

83. The Wild Bunch (1969) – The Front Porch Massacre

85. Dirty Harry (1971) – The line, “I know what you’re thinking. “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”

88. The Dark Knight (2008) – Batman riding away at the end

89. Woodstock (1970) – The crowd shots

93. A Face in the Crowd (1957) – All of it

94. Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Randy Quaid

99. There WIll Be Blood (2007) – The line, “Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I’m so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that’s a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake… I… drink… your… milkshake!”

Trivia – Ward Bond (pictured above) was in at least 5 of the top 1oo movies. This includes 3 of the top 12.

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The Big Misdirection

29 Jun

My fingers hover over the keyboard, but they don’t know which keys to hit. My mind really hasn’t come up with many good blogging ideas lately because there is simply too much going on. The wedding is one week from today, and there is a lot still to do. Go here. Go there. Get this. Get that. It all adds up to something I call the “Big Misdirection”.Magician

Last week, I saw “Now You See Me”, a movie about a team of magicians. Like all good magician movies, they talked about the art of misdirection. Get the audience looking one way when all of the action is going on somewhere else. It’s what magicians have been doing for centuries. Heck, there are even misdirections to stop you from focusing on the real misdirection.

I am convinced that weddings are one big misdirection. There is all this stuff to do. Cake tastings. Fittings. Decide on a caterer. Pick out the music. Before you realize it, there is so much going on that you just want it to be over. Once the wedding has taken place, you the entire build up is suddenly gone.

However, that is the misdirection. You get focused on wanting to get the wedding over with that you forget that this lifetime commitment follows. The ceremony takes place. Everyone has fun at the reception. As a couple, you ride off into the sunset. Relief sets in as you realize that you never have to answer another email from the wedding planner. Then, it hits. You realize that you are married and a completely different phase of your life has begun.

So, it’s one “Big Misdirection”. You are so stressed about one day that you can’t think about how it’s a life changing event. It’s a magic trick worthy of applause, and, in the end, it’s a magic trick that I am happy to take part in.

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Picture This – Cuervo

28 Jun

BB-New Mexico 084

Have you ever heard of a ghost town with its own interstate exit? Cuervo, New Mexico has one, which makes it unique among ghost towns in the American West. While some abandoned villages are conveniently located, most of them sit in the middle of nowhere. To see them, you really have to make an effort. Cuervo is different because you can see it from Interstate 40.

That’s how I saw it the first time I taught the New Mexico field trip class that my university offers. We had pulled out of Tucumcari and were heading into Albuquerque. As we flew by, I noticed a bunch of abandoned buildings on the left. This was in the days before smart phones, so I had to wait until we got to the hotel to find out what I saw. I also took a mental note that we needed to stop in Cuervo the next year.

We have stopped at Cuervo ever since. Well, there were a few years when we dipped down into Clovis, New Mexico, but most of the time we have spent a few minutes in Cuervo.

While there, I tell the students about the economics of the West and how ghost towns have come to dot the landscape. We talk about the “boom and bust” nature of the West and how towns developed around resources rather than around places where towns would sensibly exist.

There is really nothing like teaching history where that history took place. It’s as close to a spiritual feeling as I have ever experienced. I have been lucky to do it on the New Mexico trip and other places, as well. I have talked about the Scopes Monkey Trial in the courtroom where it began. I have talked about the Battle of Little Bighorn on Last Stand Hill.

Those were big events. Cuervo is just a little town that didn’t make it. It’s not a story of heroes or villains. It is a story of ordinary people who tried to make it in a tough land and discovered that they couldn’t. When I am in Cuervo, I wonder about them. I wonder when they realized that things were going bad. I wonder what business was the first to close and which resident was the first to abandon a house. It has to be tough to leave a building that no one else wants.

If you are ever driving down Interstate 40 in New Mexico then pull over in Cuervo. There is a story there.

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My iPod Has Issues – Part 6

27 Jun

I have been moving stuff tonight. That means I had to get the pickup truck, which is not my vehicle of choice, and load it with boxes. Then, I had to drive the pickup back to my house and unload the same boxes. Working for a moving company would definitely suck.Boxes

It is late. I am tired. So, it is a good time to see what craziness is going on inside my iPod. I know that I did this a few posts ago, but I really can’t think of anything else to do. Here we go.

“Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot

“Rocket Man” by Elton John

“I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” by ZZ Top

“Up, Up and Away” by The 5th Dimension

“Jackhammer” by George Clinton

“Everybody’s Talkin'” by Harry Nilsson

“Tennessee Whiskey” by David Allan Coe

“Pre 63” by Groove Armada

“The Andy Griffith Show” by The Bellamy Brothers

“I’m No Stranger to the Rain” by Keith Whitley

“Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin

“Numb” by Linkin Park

“For All We Know” by Johnny Hartman

“The Train I’m On” by Tony Joe White

“Undun” by The Guess Who

“I’m Moving On” by Hank Snow

“My God Called Me This Morning” by The Fairfield Four

“Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah” by The Violent Femmes

“This Old House” by The Brian Setzer Orchestra

“There He is Again” by The Hues Corporation

Crazy, man. Crazy

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