Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Wedding anniversary notes

We vacationed in Calistoga this weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

  • Colin Hay - what a voice!; we heard "Waiting For My Real Life to Begin" on the May 31 Prairie Home Companion. Link (audio @ 01:30:57)
  • Utah Phillips - also Prairie Home Companion, which honored him with one or two songs, including "I Think of You" Link (audio @ 01:13:11)
  • The Planetary Dance - on the way to Muir Woods, we passed a bunch of people dancing in a field next to Muir Woods Road, which turned out to represent the 34th Annual Planetary Dance 
  • Hotel Room amenities
    • iHome HiP42 MP3 Docking Alarm Clock Radio (now discontinued, we both liked the "Bedtime Beats" sounds, the first of which reminded me of a Hayao Miyazaki film and the second which reminded me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Open Sea Exhibit
    • Speakman Anystream shower fixture (link)
    • Curved shower curtain rail
    • Shower splash guards
    • Shower hand rails
    • Hookless shower curtain by Focus Product Group (focuspg.com) with a clear horizontal panel near the top (sort of like the Vision at this link)
    • Anti-slipmat which seemed glued to the tub floor...seems nicer than rubber ones which need cleaning (?)
  • Spa amenities
    • Stands for lotion/hair gel/deodorant dispensers
    • Container for cotton swabs and disposable razors
    • Zero-gravity SO Sound Solutions "Sound Lounger" (link); they had modified the lounger so it mechanically reclined and they provided Beats headphones and a cold compress, plus a comforter to stay cozy
  • Castello di Amorosa
    • Dawn liked a green lace skirt from the Melody O2 collection
    • I tried these red wines:
      • Pinot noir (Los Carneros)
      • Zingaro (SF Chronicle Gold Medal)
      • Sangiovese (SF Chronicle Gold Medal)
      • Il Brigante (?)
      • and a white one: Gewurztraminer
    • The castle impresses...worth a visit to appreciate the attention to detail and planning...we just walked around the grounds
    • We met the cat, Sir Lancelot, and also a peacock, and watched the other cat, Lady Guinevere, sheep, goats, and so forth
  • Food
    • Mishka's Cafe, Davis (link), for coffees--the owner was there on Sunday; it is named after his cat, Mishka
    • Muir Woods Cafe (link)--we tried the grilled cheese and tomato soup ("to die for")
    • Boskos Trattoria Italian Food, Calistoga (link): I had the "Godfather" (Italian Sausage, Roasted Eggplant, Garlic, Onions & Red Bell Peppers In A Spicy Herb Tomato Sauce On Spaghetti)...Dawn had the Vittorio (Bay Shrimp, Mushrooms And Garlic In An Asiago Cream Sauce On Fettuccine)...we both shared a bottle of Ca Di Rajo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2012 (link)
    • Free continental breakfast at the Calistoga Best Western Stevenson Manor: scrambled eggs, we split a waffle we made in the waffle iron, hardboiled egg, oatmeal, a bagel and cream cheese plus orange juice 
    • Yo el Rey Roasting, Calistoga: coffees
    • Woodhouse Chocolates, St. Helena
    • Sogni Di Dolci: I had the Napoletano (mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and oregano) and Dawn had the Club Panino (turkey, pancetta, provolone, tomato, lettuce, mayonaise--which tasted good and spicy, like mustard)

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